# Oops



## Hakro

I just learned in the French forum that '*oops*' is in French '*oups*'. In Finnish we say '*hups*' or '*hupsis*', sometimes '*hops(is)*'. 

I find it interesting that this expression sounds so similar in three languages that are so different from each other. I don't know about French, but I'm sure that in Finnish 'hups' was used already before the present time domination of the English language. We may have taken it from the Swedish '*hoppsan*'.

How do you say 'oops' in your language?


----------



## TraductoraPobleSec

Hi Hakro, good evening there in Finland!

I would say that the equivalent for oops in both Catalan and Spanish is "*ui*". See what other forum members have to say about it.

I've just remembered that, at least in the States, it's very common to hear "Oopsy daisy" (when a toddler is learning to walk and falls, the mom may say "Oopsy daisy!")

In Dutch, when you want to warn about something you say "Let op". I don't speak Dutch and don't have a clue if it's related to "oops", just wondering...

Best regards from Barcelona!


----------



## Hakro

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> I've just remembered that, at least in the States, it's very common to hear "Oopsy daisy" (when a toddler who is learning to walk and falls, the mom may say "Oopsy daisy!")


In this case, I think the most common phrase in Finnish is 'hupsista'. Again, it's amazing close to English.


----------



## TraductoraPobleSec

And what is the difference between *hupsista* and *hups*?


----------



## Hakro

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> And what is the difference between *hupsista* and *hups*?


There's no real difference but _usually_ they are used in different situations. 'Hups' is maybe more "adult", more serious; you can say 'hups' for a mistake you have done yourself, for example, but you say 'hupsista' to a kid or when you take a position above the one who did a mistake. Of course these are no binding rules.


----------



## Lopes

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> In Dutch, when you want to warn about something you say "Let op". I don't speak Dutch and don't have a clue if it's related to "oops", just wondering...




Nope. 

In Dutch 'oops' would be 'oeps', pronounced like 'oops' but shorter and faster. 

I believe in Italian it's 'ops'.


----------



## dn88

We say "ups" in Polish, and it's pronounced in a way that is very similar to "oops".


----------



## elroy

In Arabic. 





TraductoraPobleSec said:


> I've just remembered that, at least in the States, it's very common to hear "Oopsy daisy" (when a toddler is learning to walk and falls, the mom may say "Oopsy daisy!")


 I've never heard that, but I _have_ heard "Oopsy doopsy!".


----------



## Dr. Quizá

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> I would say that the equivalent for oops in both Catalan and Spanish is "*ui*". See what other forum members have to say about it.




It's "huy" in Spanish, actually, from Latin "hui".


----------



## TraductoraPobleSec

Dr. Quizá said:


> It's "huy" in Spanish, actually, from Latin "hui".


 
You're right, Dr. Quizá. As usual, I mix Spanish with Catalan. So: *huy* in Spanish and *ui* in Cat.

Un saludo a Huerrrrrrrrrrva


----------



## jonquiliser

TraductoraPobleSec said:


> You're right, Dr. Quizá. As usual, I mix Spanish with Catalan. So: *huy* in Spanish and *ui* in Cat.
> 
> Un saludo a Huerrrrrrrrrrva



¡Uy! también se acepta. _Upa_ es otra para oops, ¿no?

And hoppsan, in Swedish, as was already mentioned. (Though in Finland you'll hear hupsis or hupsista just as many times as if not more than hoppsan.)


----------



## itka

I'm afraid the french "Oups(ssss) is only coming from the english "oops"...It seems to me that this word has nothing to do with the french roots.


----------



## Outsider

Several Mediterranean languages use *opa!* or something very similar.

*Ups!* (from the English interjection) and *epa!* are also used in Portuguese with the same meaning.


----------



## TraductoraPobleSec

Outsider said:


> Several Mediterranean languages use *opa!* or something very similar.
> 
> *Ups!* (from the English interjection) and *epa!* are also used in Portuguese with the same meaning.


 
Actually, I've heard those in both Catalan and Spanish. Muito obrigada, Outsider.


----------



## Joannes

itka said:


> I'm afraid the french "Oups(ssss) is only coming from the english "oops"...It seems to me that this word has nothing to do with the french roots.


I think it's the same for Dutch *oeps*. We also say *oei*, but that one could obviously also have been borrowed.


----------



## Thomas1

dn88 said:


> We say "ups" in Polish, and it's pronounced in a way that is very similar to "oops".


I think this also came from English. Its usage is quite widespread.

More Polish would be:
oj
ach/och/ech
bum

It very much depends on the context which one you would use. I'm not sure, but I think a toddler's mum wouldn't use _ups_ when her kid falls down.


Tom


----------



## Aderyn

elroy said:


> In Arabic.  I've never heard that, but I _have_ heard "Oopsy doopsy!".


For the "when a toddler is learning to walk and falls"-type situation, "oops-*a*-daisy" is what is we usually say in the UK.


----------



## Outsider

I thought that Elroy was referring to something you say when you pick up the child...


----------



## Aderyn

Elroy was commenting on what TraductoraPobleSec said, which was "when a toddler who is learning to walk and falls, the mom may say...". It would work for picking up (or putting down) a child too.


----------



## Outsider

You're probably right, I think I had misunderstood Elroy's exchange with TraductoraPobleSec.


----------



## Aderyn

Outsider said:


> You're probably right, I think I had misunderstood Elroy's exchange with TraductoraPobleSec.


Come to think of it, it's probably used more for what you said than for when a child falls down, although I've heard it used in both (and other similar kind of) situations.


----------



## Outsider

And another opinion... The plot thickens.


----------



## ukuca

In Turkish we say "Hay Allah!" or sometimes "Hayda!" in cases like when we accidentally drop something. But these two can also be used in many other situations with different emphasis.


----------



## noncasper

In Vietnamese:
ui or oi


----------



## Anatoli

In *Russian* we say "ой!" [oy]


----------



## eternal

I believe I broke the chain. 
sarut-Yapese


----------



## alex.raf

*Persian:
*In different situations:
*Ākh* آخ (like ach in German Bach, or och in Scottish loch)
and
*Wāi *وای


----------

