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- Topic: Hungarian >
- "Ti visszaléptek?"
13 Comments
485
Is the word "step, stepping" as often used in English language, like here? I cannot remember, that I heard or used it often. (More going, coming, moving backward or forward, than stepping)
Lép often translates into English as "take a step." I think "take/taking a step" is more common in English than "step/stepping" unless there is a direction of motion specified. "Step into the room," "Step out of the way," "Step up onto the stage," "Step away from the horse"... these are all pretty normal things in English.
You ask interesting questions, Krisbaudi! You have really made me think about my own language a lot.
Wasn't "step" the 4th or 5th word ever spoken on the Moon? So, it may be rare but when it is used it is significant!
Oh, and I hear "Sir, please step out of the vehicle" all the time. (Not really). :)
But "lép" is part of several compound verbs and phrases in Hungarian, other than actual stepping, which are not translated with "step" into English. So these are just the idiomatic ones:
Lelép - take a leave, be gone
Belép - join, enter
Kilép - quit
Fellép - perform
Meglép - get away
Visszalép - backtrack, withdraw
Odalép - walk up to (sg/sy)
Félrelép - Cheat in marriage
Közbelép - intervene
Hosszúlépés - a mix of wine and sparkling water
Lépcső - stairs
Etc.
- 485
Those words sound all very logic and they are not too difficult to keep them in mind. Nagyon köszönöm!
Wine with sparkling water is a "national drink" in Hungary, Austria, and possibly other countries. The water-to-wine ratio is variable, each variation having its own name. "Hosszúlépés" ("longstep") has a lot of water.
The common term is "fröccs".
For more info:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spritzer
Can "stepping back" be used idiomatically the way it is in English? e.g. "I'm stepping back from politics" means I'm not being active in politics anymore (or not as much), without any literal stepping or motion. Can visszalép having this sense?
yes, like @vvsey commented above, stepping back could be translated as to quit ("Kilép - quit"), so as in your example, it could be used as quitting politics
Interestingly though, "stepping down" is not "lelépés" in Hungarian.
"Lelép" (literally: down-step) means disappear, be gone.
The equivalent of "step down" is "lemond" (literally: down-say).
So, if, for example, the president stepped down, Hungarian would say "az elnök lemondott".
- 112
English does use step a decent amount (or at least some varieties do. Its hard to ever talk about english as a whole), but hungarian seems to do it more.
In english you can use step to mean a short trip, as in hungarian, but hungarian seems to let you step further - ive seen comments where people use will lep to the corner store, where as in english your neighbors is probably as far as you would "step." A longer quick trip would be "run" - i step over to the nieghbors, then we run to the store.
Likewise, "step down" can mean to stop doing something, "step up" can mean to begin or to volunteer (often in a place no one wants to), "step back" can be used metaphorically to mean stop trying something or reduce your influence in something, "step in" can mean to interfere or force your say in something, "step out" can mean to go just outside a building or room (to smoke, for instance) or to cheat on your spouse, etc.
This also can be, you are stepping back? The position of the stress may be changed but the validly of the answer remains the same. You are stepping back? Same question!
