You’ve probably already downloaded Duolingo before your next big international trip, but there are two important words to know before going to any foreign-speaking land.
Now, you’re probably thinking of the obvious terms: “hello” and “goodbye”; “please” and “thank you”; “help” and “lost.”
But no!
I am talking about the words for “push” and “pull” — the two words that will keep you from looking like a fool when you approach a simple door. (Similarly, the words for “men” and “women” will save you from an embarrassing scenario when going to a public bathroom, but those are often accompanied by helpful pictograms.)
In many languages, the words are strikingly similar — even in English they are both four letters and start with a “P” and “U”, so thinking that you can just figure out which one is “push” and “pull” by sight isn’t going to work.
Therefore, I’ve given you a handy guide for the words “push” and “pull” in the most popular languages on Duolingo:
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French: Push = Pousser, Pull = Tirer
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Spanish: Push = Empujar, Pull = Tirar
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German: Push = Drücken, Pull = Ziehen
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Italian: Push = Spingere, Pull = Tirare
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Turkish: Push = İtme, Pull = Çekme
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Portuguese: Push = Empurrar, Pull = Puxar
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Swedish: Push = Tryck, Pull = Dra
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Norwegian: Push = Trykk, Pull = Trekk
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Dutch: Push = Duwen, Pull = Trekken
So now you won’t be that tourist in Norway who trykks when you should trekk.
Comments
One response to “Learn These Two Words Before Visiting A Foreign Country”
If Donald Norman has any say in it, the door should be designed to make it obvious whether you’re meant to push or pull.
See also:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things