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'I could not help eavesdropping/overhearing your conversation with .....'

Finnish translation: En voinut olla kuulematta keskusteluasi xxx:n kanssa

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:\'I could not help eavesdropping/overhearing your conversation with .....\'
Finnish translation:En voinut olla kuulematta keskusteluasi xxx:n kanssa
Entered by: trsk2000 (X)

18:07 Dec 29, 2010
English to Finnish translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / help
English term or phrase: 'I could not help eavesdropping/overhearing your conversation with .....'
I eavesdropped on a conversation between 2 Finns this week and, purely for reasons of self-indulgence, wanted to say to one of them, a friend of mine, something along the lines of the above phrase. I have basic Finnish skills and was able to get the jist.

'I could not help eavesdropping/overhearing your conversation with .....'
trsk2000 (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:33
En voinut olla kuulematta keskusteluasi xxx:n kanssa
Explanation:
Literal back translation: I could not not hear your conversation with xxx...! :-)

xxx stands for the person's name and the you need to add the ending "n" You need to know if the name stays in its basic form: Marja-Marjan, but Matti-Matin. Pekka-Pekan etc.
Selected response from:

Satu Wiren
Local time: 21:33
Grading comment
As they say, Suomessa, kiitos!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +4En voinut olla kuulematta keskusteluasi xxx:n kanssa
Satu Wiren


  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
\'i could not help eavesdropping/overhearing your conversation with .....\'
En voinut olla kuulematta keskusteluasi xxx:n kanssa


Explanation:
Literal back translation: I could not not hear your conversation with xxx...! :-)

xxx stands for the person's name and the you need to add the ending "n" You need to know if the name stays in its basic form: Marja-Marjan, but Matti-Matin. Pekka-Pekan etc.

Satu Wiren
Local time: 21:33
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FinnishFinnish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
As they say, Suomessa, kiitos!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  omihu
3 hrs
agree  Simo Blom
3 hrs
agree  Timo Lehtilä: Yes, this is one of those cases, when a lexicalised expression (eavesdrop) in English is expressed by a certain grammatical construction in Finnish
21 hrs
agree  Erja Hirvonen
1 day 21 hrs
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