# All Slavic languages: The weakest link



## pikabu

It's obviously not something new but it's been bugging me for some time now. I don't know about the translations in other Slavic languages but in Croatian it's: "najslabija karika". I am surely not fluent in Croatian but is this "najslabija" a false friend to Slovenian or a bad translation? Or, perhaps it has some connotation to a saying?
I'm confused because "slab"  (generally) in Slovenian meens "bad" and not "weak"; Slovenian translation is "najšibkejši člen" (as "šibek" in the translation of "weak"). 

Or it's all about my poor knowledge of Croatian? 

What are the translations in other Slavic languages, is "weakest" translated with word similar to "šibek" or to "slab"?


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## Orlin

In Bulgarian "слаб/ slab"="weak".


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## Azori

Slovak: najslabší článok (weak = slabý, bad = zlý)

Šibký means "nimble".


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## slavic_one

Yes, in Croatian it's "najslabija karika". But what caught my attention is that in Polish "szybko" means "fast", so that's the fals friend.


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## WannaBeMe

slavic_one said:


> Yes, in Croatian it's "najslabija karika". But what caught my attention is that in Polish "szybko" means "fast", so that's the fals friend.



Or in Russian, ošibka - error, bad thing


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## TriglavNationalPark

So is Slovenian the only language in which *slab* = "bad"?


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## slavic_one

Probably. And yes, ошибка is also similar, tho it's noun, not adjective and probably from some other source, because in Russian also exists adjective шибко which means fast, hard...


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## Mishe

So in BCS _loš_ is bad and _slab_ is weak. But can _slab_ also mean bad? I think it can.


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## Orlin

U bugarskom лош/losh i слаб/slab znače isto kao u BCS. Ali pretpostavljam da je ponekad moguće da u bugarskom слаб/slab= (Engl.) bad - npr. kao školska ocena i verovatno je isto moguće sa BCS "slab" (nisam siguran pošto nisam "nativni" govornik BCS).


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## robin74

In Polish it's "najsłabsze ogniwo", and as slavic_one already pointed out, "najszybszy" means "the fastest".


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## Azori

In Slovak, the primary meaning of "slabý" is weak (in a physical sense), but it can also mean inadequate, unsatisfactory, insufficient, for example: slabé zdravie - poor health, slabý dôvod - an unconvincing argument, slabé vystúpenie - a poor performance, etc.


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## WannaBeMe

lior neith said:


> In Slovak, the primary meaning of "slabý" is weak (in a physical sense), but it can also mean inadequate, unsatisfactory, insufficient, for example: slabé zdravie - poor health, slabý dôvod - an unconvincing argument, slabé vystúpenie - a poor performance, etc.



The same in BCS too.


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## bibax

Then the adjective *slab* _(weak)_ is often synonymous to _bad_.

In Czech we say for example:

slabé zdraví = špatné zdraví (health)
slabé představení = špatné představení (performance)
slabá představivost = špatná představivost (imagination)
...
also slabý herec = špatný herec (actor)

(slabý/sláb = weak, špatný = bad/wrong)


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## trance0

So, it would seem Slovene is not the only Slavic language that uses 'slab' in the sense of 'bad'. There is some overlapping of the meanings after all.


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## TriglavNationalPark

trance0 said:


> So, it would seem Slovene is not the only Slavic language that uses 'slab' in the sense of 'bad'. There is some overlapping of the meanings after all.


 
Yes, but the Slovenian word for weak -- *šibek* -- can also be used in many of the contexts mentioned above (to imply "unsatisfactory" or "poor"): *šibko* zdravje, *šibka* igra, *šibek* argument, etc.

In other words, *šibek* in Slovenian seems to correspond almost perfectly to *slab* in most Slavic languages, whereas *slab* in Slovenian corresponds to *loš*, *zlý*, etc. in other Slavic languages. This seems to be a case of a perfect semantic shift.


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## Duya

TriglavNationalPark said:


> This seems to be a case of a perfect semantic shift.



...which is fairly widespread in Slovene, I must say. Not that it's unknown in other Slavic languages, but my (superficial) impression is that the Slovene has the most false friends of that origin.


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## Mishe

Mishe said:


> So in BCS _loš_ is bad and _slab_ is weak. But can _slab_ also mean bad? I think it can.



Any comments on this? I think I might have heard _slab _in BCS meaning bad in some contexts, but I'm not 100% sure now.


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## Duya

Well, it can, though I'd say it's closer to _poor_ than _bad_:

- Kakav je bio film?
- Slab.

- Kako si uradio ispit?
- Slabo.

There are also semi-idiomatic _slab odziv (glasača na izborima)_.


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## Mishe

Duya said:


> Well, it can, though I'd say it's closer to _poor_ than _bad_:
> 
> - Kakav je bio film?
> - Slab.
> 
> - Kako si uradio ispit?
> - Slabo.
> 
> There are also semi-idiomatic _slab odziv (glasača na izborima)_.



I thought so, yeah. Thanks.


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## Awwal12

In Russian - "слабейшее звено" (slab*e*ysheye zven*o*) or "самое слабое звено" (s*a*moye sl*a*boye zven*o*).

P.S.: And yes, in Russian the word "слабый" ("slabyi", weak) also can have the same meaning as English "poor" (about development, contact, performance etc.). Nevertheless, "слабый" and "weak" words are very similar in meaning and use.


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## ilocas2

Czech:

nejslabší článek


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## marco_2

bibax said:


> Then the adjective *slab* _(weak)_ is often synonymous to _bad_.
> 
> In Czech we say for example:
> 
> slabé zdraví = špatné zdraví (health)
> slabé představení = špatné představení (performance)
> slabá představivost = špatná představivost (imagination)
> ...
> also slabý herec = špatný herec (actor)
> 
> (slabý/sláb = weak, špatný = bad/wrong)



In fact in Polish is the same:

*słabe zdrowie *- weak health
*słaby film / słabe przedstawienie *- weak / bad film / performance
*słaby nauczyciel / aktor *- weak teacher / actor etc.
*jestem słaby z matematyki *- I'm weak / bad at maths
*słabe oceny - *weak / bad marks

And, as _robin74  _wrote: *najsłabsze ogniwo *- the weakest link


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## Barubek

My fellow Czechs shedded light on this issue already, so the only thing I should add is that the Czech version of British reality show *The Weakest Link* bore name *Nejslabší! Máte padáka!* (The weakest! You are fired!)


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## Lubella

In Ukrainian
слабка ланка, найслабша ланка, вразливе місце, дошкульне місце, Ахіллесова  п'ята 

шибка - window glass


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