# to clean the house



## kloie

How would you say to clean the house in your language?


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## ger4

German: 
_das Haus / die Wohnung putzen_ 

_das Haus_ = the house 
_die Wohnung_ = the apartment
_putzen_ = to clean


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## kloie

Ah





Holger2014 said:


> German:
> _das Haus / die Wohnung putzen_
> 
> _das Haus_ = the house
> _die Wohnung_ = the apartment
> _putzen_ = to clean


 I was thinkin of abraumen.


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## ger4

_abräumen_ would mean 'to clear (the table)',  for example.
_aufräumen_ = to tidy up

Edit: In this dictionary entry (glosbe.com) it looks like_ etwas aufräumen_ can also be translated as 'to clean (up)(something)':





> etw. aufräumen
> to tidy sth.; to straighten up sth.; to clear sth. up;* to clean up sth.*; to neaten up sth.


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## kloie

O





Holger2014 said:


> _abräumen_ would mean 'to clear (the table)',  for example.
> _aufräumen_ = to tidy up


K that's why I need to restart learning German.


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## kloie

In Italian:  Pulire la casa
Spanish:limpiar la casa
Serbian:chistiti kuchu


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## 810senior

Japanese:

家を掃除する IE-wo SOUJI-suru
IE - a house
wo - an accusative particle
SOUJIsuru - to clean, to tidy up


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## apmoy70

Greek:

-*«Καθαρίζω το σπίτι»* [kaθaˈɾizo to ˈspiti] --> _to clean the house_.
The verb is *«καθαρίζω»* [kaθaˈɾizo] < Κoine denominative v. *«καθαριόω/καθαριῶ» kătʰărióō* (uncontracted)/*kătʰăriô* (contracted) --> _to purify_, earlier Classical *«καθαίρω» kătʰaírō* (idem) < Classical nominal *«καθαρός, -ά, 
-όν» kătʰarós* (masc.), *kătʰará* (fem.), *kătʰārón* (neut.) --> _physically clean, spotless, pure, unmixed_ (with unknown etymology).
The noun is *«σπίτι»* [ˈspiti] (neut.) --> _house_ which is the MoGr aphetic colloquialism for the house < Byz.Gr. *«ὁσπίτιον» ospítion* < Lat. hospitium --> _lodgings, inn, guest-chamber_.

-*«Συγυρίζω το σπίτι»* [siʝiˈɾizo to ˈspiti] --> _to tidy up the house_.
The v. is *«συγυρίζω»* [siʝiˈɾizo] --> _to tidy up, neaten up, straighten up, put in order_ < Byz.Gr. v. *«συγυρίζω»  sygyrízō* (idem) < compound; preposition, prefix, and adv. *«σύν» sún* --> _with, together_ (with obscure etymology) + Byz.Gr. v. *«γυρίζω» gyrízō* < Classical denominative v. *«γῡρόω/γῡρῶ» gūróō* (uncontracted)/*gūrô* (contracted) --> _to make round, make a circle_ < Classical nominal *«γῡρός» gūrós* --> _round, curved_ (with obscure etymology).


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## Messquito

Normally when we clean the WHOLE house, we call it 大掃除(big cleaning) as if it is a major event or something (it kind of is, because that's not what you do every day).
If you are not talking about the entire house, but just casual cleaning of some corners in the house, you can say 掃家裡、清理房屋


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## kloie

We 





Messquito said:


> Normally when we clean the WHOLE house, we call it 大掃除(big cleaning) as if it is a major event or something (it kind of is, because that's not what you do every day).
> If you are not talking about the entire house, but just casual cleaning of some corners in the house, you can say 掃家裡、清理房屋


Call it spring cleaning


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## Dymn

Catalan: _netejar la casa__, _or perhaps more naturally _fer neteja _("to do cleaning")

However I have always called it _fer dissabte_ (lit.: "to do Saturday"), even if I don't do it on Saturday


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## 810senior

kloie said:


> We
> Call it spring cleaning


In Japan, it's more familiar calling it *年末の*大掃除(the big cleaning *of the end of the year*), which is just around the corner as well.


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## momai

In MSA:
نظف البيت naZZafa al-bayt lit. He cleaned the house.
---
In Syrian Arabic
قلط البيت qalaT el-beet
نضف البيت naDDaf el-beet
عزل البيت  'zzal el-beet
They all mean the same as in MSA.


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## kloie

Persian
Tamiz kardan-to clean
Khane-house

Urdu
Saaf karnaa-to clean
Makaan-house
Ghar-home


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## ThomasK

Dutch: *poetsen* (like German _putzen_), or _*schoonmaken *(to make clean, lit. beautiful)_. In Fleming _*kuisen*_ (reminding of _kuis_, chaste, pure).

If possible, I'd like to know how broadly  you can use the term you use in your language. I think of _mani pulite_ in Italian: we can hardly use poetsen in a metaphorical sense. _*Schoon*_ could be used though: originally meaning beautiful, now clean, neat, like _propre_ in French.


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## ger4

kloie said:


> Persian
> Tamiz kardan-to clean





ThomasK said:


> Dutch: *[...]* _*schoonmaken *(to make clean, lit. beautiful_


￼A German parallel would be _sauber machen_
- _sauber_ = clean (adjective)
- _machen_ = to make


kloie said:


> spring cleaning


_Frühjahrsputz
- Frühjahr_ = springtime (lit. 'early year')
_- Putz_ (noun) < _putzen_ = to clean


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## ThomasK

How "broadly" (metaphorically speaking) can you use these verbs, Holger? I mean: I suppose you can hardly use "putzen" in a metaphorical sense, but "sauber" is often used metaphorically - can it be a synonym of "pure"? How about "sauber machen"?

I'd love to read answers about other "clean(ing)" words, in other languages, too...


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## 810senior

ThomasK said:


> Dutch: *poetsen* (like German _putzen_), or _*schoonmaken *(to make clean, lit. beautiful)_. In Fleming _*kuisen*_ (reminding of _kuis_, chaste, pure).



_Schoonmaken _also does make sense in Japanese: 綺麗にする_kirei-ni suru_(to do[causative] it beautiful) that can be used not in making something glitter again by polishing or other way but also in cleaning the house. e.g. お母さんが帰ってくるまでに、部屋を*綺麗にして*おきなさい。(lit. until I(=mother) get home, *do* your room *beautiful*).


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## ger4

ThomasK said:


> How "broadly" (metaphorically speaking) can you use these verbs, Holger? I mean: I suppose you can hardly use "putzen" in a metaphorical sense, but "sauber" is often used metaphorically - can it be a synonym of "pure"? How about "sauber machen"?
> 
> I'd love to read answers about other "clean(ing)" words, in other languages, too...


In German, the verb _säubern_ is often used metaphorically, often as a noun (_politische Säuberung_ etc.) but we wouldn't normally say d_as Haus säubern_. Is there a similar verb in Dutch?

Edit: The verb 'to clean' can also be translated as _reinigen --> das Haus reinigen_ 'to clean the house' (though the other versions sound more natural, I think). It is related to the adjective _rein_, 'pure' --> _reiner Apfelsaft_ 'pure apple juice', _reiner Unsinn_ 'pure nonsense', _ein reines Gewissen_ 'a clear conscience'


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## ThomasK

@holger: oh yes, of course, like our "zuiveren", but that is not cleaning, but purifying generally. I suddenly think of in: cleansing in English!
Edit: we also have
- _puur_, which would be "pure" in English, and seems to imply: refined, not polluted, but in a metaphorical way
- _louter, which _is also like "pure" or more like "mere" and especially "merely", or "sheer" (--- despair_, louter wanhoop ; louter illusie, _mere(ly) illusion_)
- rein, or kosher, meaning "pure" in a moral sense, I guess ("reinigen" is high-brow for clean, I think)_

@810Sr: can you use your word metaphorically?


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## 810senior

@ThomasK, perhaps depending on the case.
However, we hardly use that word in a metaphorical way. politische Säuberung is denoted as クリーンな政治curiin na seiji(clean[loan word] politics) or 明るい政治akarui seiji(bright politics) in Japanese.
綺麗な政治kirei na seiji(beautiful politics) may make sense, but sounds unfamiliar to me compared to the above.


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## ThomasK

810senior said:


> @ThomasK, perhaps depending on the case.
> However, we hardly use that word in a metaphorical way. politische Säuberung is denoted as クリーンな政治curiin na seiji(clean[loan word] politics) or 明るい政治akarui seiji(bright politics) in Japanese.
> 綺麗な政治kirei na seiji(beautiful politics) may make sense, but sounds unfamiliar to me compared to the above.


"akarui" is an interesting addition: shining or brightness is a result of cleanliness, I think. Or is "akarui" the opposite of "obscure"???


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## 810senior

ThomasK said:


> "akarui" is an interesting addition: shining or brightness is a result of cleanliness, I think. Or is "akarui" the opposite of "obscure"???


That's it. Antonym for obscure, dark or gloomy.


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## ThomasK

But you do see a link/ some link with "clean", don't you? Can you use it in a literal sense, saying for example: "I have cleaned the floor, and now it is _akarui_"? We have that link : the floor _glimt_ (shines), the glasses _fonkelen als nieuw_ (twinkle/ sparkle as new), _glanzen_...


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## 810senior

ThomasK said:


> But you do see a link/ some link with "clean", don't you? Can you use it in a literal sense, saying for example: "I have cleaned the floor, and now it is _akarui_"? We have that link : the floor _glimt_ (shines), the glasses _fonkelen als nieuw_ (twinkle/ sparkle as new), _glanzen_...


Unfortunately I didn't find there's some link in _akarui _with _clean_ as a literal sense.

The first definition of _akarui _is *bright*. If it's used in a literal sense, I'd say it like 部屋に*明るい*光が差し込んできた。(the *bright *light came into the room). We commonly use "綺麗_kirei_" for a literal sense for clean(with no dirt) also meaning beautiful, pretty in English. e.g. 掃除をしたので、部屋が*綺麗*になった。(as I tidied up the room, the room became *cleaner*), *綺麗*な人だな、と心の中で思った。("what a *pretty *girl", I told to myself).

That means* Akarui *can only be a choice when it's used figuratively as in clean politics, clean election or something. Without that, we would use *kirei *instead.



ThomasK said:


> We have that link : the floor _glimt_ (shines), the glasses _fonkelen als nieuw_ (twinkle/ sparkle as new), _glanzen_...



I'll say: 床がピカピカだ。yuka-ga pikapika da (the floor *twinkle*), 眼鏡がピカピカに磨かれてある。(the glasses have been polished so to *twinkle*).
*ピカピカpikapika: (as an onomatopoeia) it shines, glitters, twinkles.


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## ThomasK

Great information, 810Sr!

I just remembered I asked a question about the adjective "clean" here.


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