# The sign reads...



## sakvaka

Hello!

When we want to tell about something written somewhere, we may use different structures.

i) read
*Finnish*: _Mitä siinä lukee?_ lit. "What there reads?" > What does it read?
_Tässä artikkelissa lukee, että kaikki ihmiset ovat tasa-arvoisia. _"In this article reads that all men are created equal."
*English*: _We saw a funny sign. It read..._

ii) stand
*Swedish*: _Vad står det på skylten?_ lit. "What stands it on the sign?"
*Dutch*: _In het rapport staat verder dat Noorwegen, Nederland en Finland model staan voor..._ lit. "In the report stands that Norway, the Netherlands and Finland..."
*Finnish*: _Mitä siinä seisoo_? lit. "What there stands?"*

iii) something else?

Share us your thoughts! Thanks.

* Note: This use is considered dialectal, colloquial and non-Finnish since it has obviously been adopted from Swedish. _Lukea_ verb is more "official".


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## Rallino

*Turkish:*
I and II aren't possible.

IIIa. Write_
Tabelada ne yazıyor? _lit."What is it writing on the sign?" > What is written on the sign?

IIIb. Tell
_Tabela ne diyor?_ lit."What is the sign telling?"


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## rusita preciosa

Russian falls into iii) something else:
*на нем написано* /na niom napisano/ - on it it's written.


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## Orlin

rusita preciosa said:


> Russian falls into iii) something else:
> *на нем написано* /na niom napisano/ - on it it's written.


In Bulgarian it's possible to use this model too: _На знака (него) е написано_, but I think that _На знака (него) пише_ is much commoner - it uses impersonal active 3rd p. sg. in the present tense instead of passive.


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## ilocas2

In Czech:

Tady je napsáno/napsané (coll. napsaný), že... - Here is written, that...
Tady píšou - They write here
Tady se píše - It writes here (impersonal)

Tady říkají (coll. říkaj) - They say here
Tady se říká - It says here (impersonal)

Tady stojí - It stands here - less common


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## ThomasK

IN Dutch
i. _De tekst luidt_ (sounds) _als volgt_ (as follows): ...
ii. ... _staat te lezen_ perhaps


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## jazyk

We use dizer (to say) in Portuguese: o anúncio, a placa, a mensagem, o texto, etc. diz que...


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## Zio Gilito

In Spanish we use the verb "to say" (decir) too:
¿Qué decía el cartel? - What did the sign say?
However, you can also use the verb "poner" (to put):
¿Has visto ese cartel? ¿Qué ponía? = Did you see the sign? What was put on it?


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## Selyd

In ukrainian: 
- що там написано /tsho tam napysano/ write
- про що там пишуть /tsho tam pyshut'/ write
- про що йдеться /pro tsho ydet'sya/ go
- що там друкують /tsho tam drukuyut'/ print
- що там говорять /tsho tam hovoryat'/ tell
- що там сказано /tsho tam skazano/ say


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## apmoy70

Greek falls into category III (something else), more specifically:
-«Γράφει» ('ɣrafi), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «γράφω» ('ɣrafo)-->_to write_; so, "what does the sign write/is writing?"
-«Δείχνει» ('ðixni), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «δείχνω» ('ðixno)-->_to show, point out_; so "what does the sign show/is showing?" or "what does the sign point out/is pointing out?"
In every-day language one could hear «λέει» ('lei), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «λέω» ('leo)-->_to say_; so even the use of the verb «λέω» "what does the sign say/is saying?" is possible but is considered colloquialism

[ɣ] is a voiced velar fricative
[ð] is a voiced dental non-sibilant fricative
[x] is a voiceless velar fricative, known as the hard ch

Happy new year!


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## sakvaka

ThomasK said:


> i. _De tekst luidt_ (sounds) _als volgt_ (as follows): ...
> ii. ... _staat te lezen_ perhaps



Hey, we *Finns* use that as well! _

Teksti kuuluu seuraavasti: ..._


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## ThomasK

The funny thing is that the sounding in Dutch is not to be taken literally (acoustics). If it is, we would use 'klinken' (to sound, literally). The 'luiden' has to do with sounds, but now only of church bells, and in this particular expression, not elsewhere, so I think..


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## Tjahzi

Selyd said:


> In ukrainian:
> - що там написано /tsho tam napysano/ write
> - про що там пишуть /tsho tam pyshut'/ write
> - про що йдеться /pro tsho ydet'sya/ go
> - що там друкують /tsho tam drukuyut'/ print
> - що там говорять /tsho tam hovoryat'/ tell
> - що там сказано /tsho tam skazano/ say



Could you please explain why _про_ is added to the first two constructions.
Also, is it really the case that 3.rd person plural (rather than the singular) form should be used? As in, is the following construction correct?

Щто на знаку говорять/друкують? (Or should it be говорить/друкує?)


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## Selyd

Tjahzi said:


> Could you please explain why _про_ is added to the first two constructions.
> Also, is it really the case that 3.rd person plural (rather than the singular) form should be used? As in, is the following construction correct?
> Щто на знаку говорять/друкують? (Or should it be говорить/друкує?)


If I correctly understand a question, the speech goes about a signboard, poster, the announcement. Is written by the large letters, is printed finely etc.
- That there is written
- About what there write
- About what there is a speech
- That there is printed
- That there speak
- That there is said
The case 3.rd person singular gives an ironic shade.
І що ж він там говорить? Also that he there speaks?


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## Tjahzi

That makes sense, thank you!

Also, is it fair to assume that Ukrainian _про_ corresponds to Russian _о_?


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## Selyd

tjahzi said:


> that makes sense, thank you!
> 
> Also, is it fair to assume that ukrainian _про_ corresponds to russian _о_?


- что там написано
- о чем там пишут
- о чем идет речь
- что там напечатано
- о чем там говорят
- что там сказано


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## catlady60

In English, we say, _The sign says..._


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## sakvaka

catlady60 said:


> In English, we say, _The sign says..._



Is this valid for British English, as well?


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## Tjahzi

Selyd said:


> - что там написано
> - о чем там пишут
> - о чем идет речь
> - что там напечатано
> - о чем там говорят
> - что там сказано



I take that as a _yes_, with the additional comment that Russian demands _о_ with verbs (but obviously not with adverbs) whereas Ukrainian is not as strict?


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## merquiades

sakvaka said:


> Is this valid for British English, as well?



Perhaps a Brit will answer but I believe it is possible to say both "the sign says" or "the sign reads".  They both sound okay to me but I prefer "the sign says."

I'll add French since no one has replied
"Le panneau/ La pancarte/ L'enseigne indique...." (indicates)


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## ThomasK

Is there no way of referring to the kind of text then? I'll try to ask a French-speaking member... 

She reacted very quickly and told me : 
- "sur la carte il est écrit", etc., 
 
And she referred to a thread where I find : 
- "un signe qui dit"
- ...des maisons *portant un écriteau où on peut lire* : « Le propriétaire habite encore ici. »
- ...des maisons *avec un écriteau portant la mention*


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## apmoy70

apmoy70 said:


> Greek falls into category III (something else), more specifically:
> -«Γράφει» ('ɣrafi), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «γράφω» ('ɣrafo)-->_to write_; so, "what does the sign write/is writing?"
> -«Δείχνει» ('ðixni), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «δείχνω» ('ðixno)-->_to show, point out_; so "what does the sign show/is showing?" or "what does the sign point out/is pointing out?"
> In every-day language one could hear «λέει» ('lei), _third person, present, nominative_ of verb «λέω» ('leo)-->_to say_; so even the use of the verb «λέω» "what does the sign say/is saying?" is possible but is considered colloquialism
> 
> [ɣ] is a voiced velar fricative
> [ð] is a voiced dental non-sibilant fricative
> [x] is a voiceless velar fricative, known as the hard ch
> 
> Happy new year!


I apologise for quoting myself but I just noticed i've made a serious mistake. It's not _nominative_ (case) but _*indicative*_ (mood)


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## Dymn

*Catalan *uses _dir _"to say":

_Què hi diu?
Al cartell hi diu que...
El cartell diu que..._

However some people, which is a recent Spanish influence, would use _posar _("to put"): _Què hi posa?_ (or directly _Què posa?_ )



Zio Gilito said:


> However, you can also use the verb "poner" (to put):
> ¿Has visto ese cartel? ¿Qué ponía? = Did you see the sign? What was put on it?


I think _poner_ is the most usual verb. I'd say:

_¿Qué pone?
*En *el cartel pone que...
El cartel dice/pone que... _(both are possible)

_Rezar _(lit. "to pray") can also be used but it's very formal.


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## bearded

In Italian we usually ask:
_Che cosa c'è scritto?_ (What's written on it?)


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## amikama

Hebrew:

*מה כתוב בשלט?* - what is written in the sign?
*מה השלט אומר?* - what does the sign say?


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## elroy

Palestinian Arabic:

The only thing I can imagine being said is:

شو مكتوب ع الإشارة/الآرمة؟
(What is written on the sign?)


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## Awwal12

Tjahzi said:


> I take that as a _yes_, with the additional comment that Russian demands _о_ with verbs (but obviously not with adverbs) whereas Ukrainian is not as strict?


In Russian о + NP(prep.) and про + NP(acc.) very roughly correspond to "of" (as in "to speak of") and "about", however, the latter also seems less formal and may be generally replaced with "о".


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