• alr@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        The Danish word for 99 is nioghalvfems, which literally means “nine and half five.” Which you could be forgiven for assuming meant 11½. The trick is that a) “half five” actually means 4½, as in half less than five, and b) it’s implied that you’re supposed to multiply the second part by 20. So the proper math is 9 + (-½ + 5) * 20 = 99.

    • Ophy@lemmy.nz
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      1 year ago

      As a programmer and a linguist, this is the kind of content that really gets the happy chemicals flowing through my monkey brain

  • somada2kk@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    As guy who hate French language and was learning in 1999 I can confirm it was pain to read the topic of lesson and the date. I was so happy when we switched to 2000.

    • Obi@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Whole generations of French students that have no idea they escaped having to write “mille neuf cent quatre-vingt dix-neuf” over and over again, in cursive of course.