The Most Interesting Phrases/Words from around the world

1.Hej!

 
The first time I heard the word ‘hej’, was from a Swedish podcast teaching Swedish language to English speakers. I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly was wrong with it. It was a sound I quite frankly had heard before. It is almost like a normal hey but that's about it. The ‘j’ is somewhat pronounced as a ‘ye’ and making a sound with almost touching the center of your tongue on the top of your mouth. Trust me; it took me a while to pronounce.
So, what is this ‘Hej!’? Hej is hello in Swedish. “The urban legend goes that in the late 1960s many foreign tourists complained that Swedes lacked proper etiquette when it came to greetings and social interactions. And because of that, the country was perceived as less than polite. The national Tourist Board overlords decided to quickly rectify this situation and instructed all hospitality workers to show off their good manners by greeting all and any customers. And a helpful linguistic genius (:D) came up with the idea of promoting the use of ‘hej’” (http://blogs.transparent.com/swedish/hej-hej/)

Now don't get me wrong, but as people normally say that Swedish is a musical language (cause of the perfect ebb and flow when Swedish speak), the way and the more prolonged the word is, the more the meaning changes (that also took a while getting used to, Almost LOL at that). A standard Hej is just a hello which you can use to almost about anyone! Even to the old guy or couple, walking their walks in Swedish forests, or on a bus stop. It can also be uses in a shop, a kiosk, a cafe or even a Press Byrån (Swedish kiosk, found in every city and in town centers). Now, if you are in a kiosk and an attendant comes to great and says ‘Hej Hej’, don't get surprised or scared, that's just there way of saying they are glad and happy that they are serving you. Double ‘Hej’ is also used among friends or good acquaintances or people you have talked at least once, if you remember them though. If it is a little prolonged ‘Hej’, like ‘Heejj’, then it means the person is actually happy to see you again and thinks good about you or simply they are in their ‘happy morning’ mood. By “in their happy morning mood” I mean to say that Swedish people are sometimes considered reserved, even cold, and resort normally to just a ‘hej’ .

“It made perfect sense, “hej” is a simple word, and sounds almost the same in any language and anybody can pronounce it correctly. In no time it became the standard greeting in the tourist industry. And from there, it migrated to other walks of life. That’s the story was told to me by an official from the Stockholm Tourist Office”. (http://blogs.transparent.com/swedish/hej-hej/)

Anyways, if their ‘Hej’ is more prolonged, like ‘heeejjj’, with a nice smile, then you are lucky, because either they consider you a very good friend or they actually do fancy you ;). Here I would really should mention that, the actual word to say hello is ‘Tjena (pronounced as sheyna) which is often used with suffixes like ‘-San’ or ‘-re’ but I would like to believe it’s a bit more official hello. So the word ‘Hejsan!’ , would be the ‘polite’ version of ‘hej!’ that you say when you want to be just a little bit more ‘Formal’ and ‘proper’.

I couldn't get enough of ‘Hejs’ in Sweden making me say to almost every by-passer on the streets :p. I loved them so much. Though my ex would always say it three times, ‘Hej Hej Hej’ as if one wasn't enough.
No matter what, a ‘Hej’, long or short, once or many times, always use it with a smile as it is the Swedish way. Maybe that's why it’s one of my favorite most words.