I am a polyglot. I speak, read, and write in Russian, English, and Spanish at complete fluency. If you count the few years I devoted to Latin in high school, I technically know four languages. But for the sake of this article, we’re going to focus on the primary three.

I grew up in a Russian household, enabling me to absorb the language naturally at a very young age. During my reign as a toddler, I became highly conversational in English by watching copious shows on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel. (Sometimes I sneaked in HBO when my parents weren’t home so that I could hear other words that kids’ channels avoided).

In middle school, I was given the option of choosing French or Spanish for my mandatory language class. I chose Spanish because I grew up watching Dora the Explorer and felt it fitting to continue in that direction. I learned the fundamental grammar and structure by the end of my freshman year of high school. I switched into advanced classes for the rest of my high school career, which focused more on developing conversations and increasing fluency rather than practicing grammar and memorizing vocabulary.

So, I’m trilingual. I alternate among languages in my daily use. Sometimes if I feel paranoid about forgetting a language, I force myself to pilot my thoughts in that language as opposed to sticking to just English, my default. My Spanish teachers have always enforced in me the idea that you should recall any word or concept you learn in any language as easily and quickly as you can snap your fingers. It sometimes can propel me into a state of internal chaos because I’ve been trained to hear snaps in the back of my mind while formulating thoughts in other languages. Every snap that passes by is indicative of the fact that I haven’t yet absorbed the specific word or concept that I’m struggling to convey.

Ever since I picked up Spanish, I’ve always wanted to write on account of the topic of linguistic differences in application to cultural understanding. Every language is able to express the same basic ideas and concepts. The caveat is that languages individually convey an ideology of the people to whom the language belongs; each language is a reflection of the cultural understanding of the topic or idea at hand.

I’m going to parse three common sentences in each language and explain where and how they differ from each other. Of course, there are variations of structure in each language, but I am relying on the most colloquial structural set.

Set 1:

English: The mother breastfeeds the baby.

Spanish: La mamá da el pecho al bebé.

Russian: Мать кормит ребенка. (Mat’ kormit rebyonka.)

In Set 1, all three languages focus on the mother doing the action of feeding her child. Since the primary focus of each sentence is the mother, it can be assumed that a mother is an honorable and vital person in each of these cultures. In English, it is arguable that an acceptable sentence can also be, “The baby feeds,” which would shift the focus to the child. In English, it is specified that the baby feeds by way of breastfeeding, which could imply a more positive or open-minded outlook on breastfeeding in English-speaking cultures. In Spanish, the same sentence literally translates to: “The mother gives the chest to the baby.” This seems more personal and less technical than our English depiction. The mother is acting as a donor in this case rather than as a mechanism for the baby; in order to supply nutrition to her child, she literally gives him her chest voluntarily. She doesn’t function as a machine for the baby but chooses to act as more of a caretaker. It can almost be seen as sacrificial and quite devoted to supporting the life of this infant. English and Russian do not have personal connotation. In Russian, the sentence literally translates to: “Mother feeds child.” It can be seen as almost an instinctual and quite expected way of life since the action is expressed with such simplicity and conciseness.

Set 2:

English: I am going on a walk.

Spanish: Voy a dar un paseo.

Russian: Я гулать иду. (Ya gulat’ idu.)

The main difference among the three versions of this set is the method by which this walk is being completed. In English, the walk only consists of the participant doing the action; it’s so straightforward that it seems like going on a walk is almost mindless or simple and dull. In Spanish, the literal translation is, “I am going to give a walk.” While this also consists of the participant doing the action, it’s more involved than that; it’s not as simply written and structured as its English and Russian counterparts. It has a remarkable energy to it because the idiom “dar un paseo” (take a walk) is lively; it entertains the notion that walks can be beneficial, perhaps for the person taking the walk. In Russian, that sentence translates to, “I’m going on a walk,” but гулать, the verb in this clause, has a pleasant connotation to it. It’s more equivalent to the English verbal phrase, “to take a stroll.” It might show that going on a walk is regarded more pleasantly in Russian communities. It might also be seen as a pastime.

Set 3:

English: You are mean.

Spanish: Tú eres antipático.

Russian: Ты плохой (Ty plokhoy) or Ты мне не нравится (Ty mne ne nravitsya)

Both Spanish and English are literally translated to, “You are mean.” Both Spanish and English have a concrete way to express this sentiment towards another person. But in Russian, the concept of meanness doesn’t exist. The literal translation of the first clause of the third set in Russian is, “You are bad.” The second clause translates literally to, “You are not pleasing to me.” If we were to go into an analytical standpoint about this, we would be able to argue that Russians equate meanness with badness and wickedness. They don’t make distinctions about varying degrees of meanness. In Russian cultures, it’s all the same to be mean or to be wicked.

It can be fascinating to study linguistics and analyze the meaning behind certain phrases and sentences to determine the cultural impact of that language. While many languages can easily proclaim the same concept, the tone fluctuates, and different variations are created. Then we learn more about the people who speak that language.