WotD: sweeten

[muckefuck]

Now here's a puzzle I can actually solve! I'm forever running out of words whenever I speak a foreign language (including English, now that I think about it). So I have to improvise. Sometimes this involves modifying a word from a closely-related language and hoping for the best. (Results have been decidedly mixed.) Other times, deriving one on the spot using the native resources of the language. (Also dodgy.)

For instance, planning a chat in Spanish today, I realised I didn't know the proper word for "sweetened", so I assembled one based on the word for "sugar". To test myself, I decided to do this in my other languages as well. Below you have what I came up and, behind a cut so you all can test yourselves as well, the correct term(s).

1. versüßen (figurative; in the literal sense, only süßen)
2. verzoeten (ver)zoeten (same as above)
3. azucarar (in the narrower meaning of "to sugar"; general term endulzar)
4. sucrar endolcir, edulcorar, ensucrar (in the sense of "to sugar")
5. sucrer [idem], édulcorer
6. siwcrio melysu, siwgro
7. milsigh [idem]
8. 다기다 달게 하다
9. 甜化 tiánhuà 變甜 biàntián (but 甜化 attested online)

So pretty sad: Came close nearly every time, but only nailed it twice. In two cases, the formation was sound by imperfect, and in four, I stumbled upon a legitimate word that didn't mean quite the same thing, but might well have been understood in context. The only one I completely whiffed was the Korean.

Comments

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

When i was a little kid, Danone started selling yoghourt with sugar. The ad said "azucarado, azucarado". That's how I learned this word, because until that moment I used to say "con azúcar"

BTW, edulcorado usually refers to artificial sweeteners and azúcar, usually real sugar. But unlike ursine1 says, the evil high-fructose syrup is already on European stores shelves.