World Languages and Cultures

Mystery Phrases

"Don't You Wish You Could Read This?" is a new series where we look at expressions in different languages and learn more about their meaning and usage.

Click on the mystery phrases below and find out fascinating, intriguing and surprising facts about commonly used expressions. We will unpack a new mystery phrase every month, so stay tuned!

Arabic (0:38)

arabic phrase meaning "be yourself."

Chinese (1:24)

chinese phrase that means "in a crowd of three, there must be one who can teach me"

French (2:20)

french phrase meaning "under the paving stones, the beach"!

Hebrew (1:25)

hebrew phrase meaning language and words are like breathable air

Italian (0:55)

Italian phrase meaning "A good friend is worth its weight in gold."

Japanese (1:38)

japanese phrase meaning literally: “even when a dog walks, it will bump into a pole”

Latin (1:26)

Latin phrase that means "Love Conquers All"

Russian (1:37)

russian phrase meaning "those who seek will find."

Spanish (1:07)

slide with spanish phrase meaning "don't lose the north."

We will unpack a new mystery phrase every month, so stay tuned!