Re: "I Don't Eat Skirts, and Other Language Mishaps" By Jessica Rosen, Vol. 8 No. 22, June 10-16, 2002
I suspect that I am not the only English-speaking male who can relate the following Slovak faux pas. On a warm summer's day, I told my mother-in-law, "Ja som teplý!" Word for word, this means I'm hot! in English. She was naturally concerned about my marriage to her daughter, as I had said, "I'm gay!" in Slovak. It was then that I learned one of the most important Slovak lessons - the correct way to say I'm hot! in Slovak is, "Je mi teplo!"
Eric M. Roberts
