Danish word of the day: Underbo
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR
Have you ever been irritated by loud music coming from the apartment downstairs, or by a tap-tap-tapping on your ceiling? Danish has a specific word for the culprits.
What is 'underbo'?
Underbo is a compound word consisting of under (under) and bo, the infinitive of the verb 'to live' or 'to reside', but which can also be likened to 'dweller' -- for example, someone who comes from the island of Funen can be referred to as a Fynbo or Funen-dweller.
So underbo literally means 'the person who dwells under you' but is best rendered in English as 'downstairs neighbour'.
The related overbo means 'upstairs neighbour', while your neighbour or neighbours on your own floor can be called either a nabo (neighbour) or genbo. Interestingly, someone who lives on the same floor as you but in an opposite building, such that you can see each other's windows, is also called a genbo.
We think that the suffix gen- in genbo comes from the archaic verb at genne, which means to drive people or animals in a certain direction -- but are happy to listen to corrections or alternative suggestions on this particular point.
Why are these words useful?
Well, if you want to tell someone something about one of your upstairs or downstairs neighbours (or, and we hope you don't find yourself in this situation, make a complaint to your landlord or building administrator), then you'll need the proper terminology. Saying "neighbour who lives upstairs" in Danish (nabo, som bor op ad trapperne) sounds quite frankly bizarre.
Example sentences
Min underbo er kæmpe Justin Bieber-fan. Det ved jeg, for jeg kan høre 'Sorry' igennem gulvet flere gange om dagen.
My downstairs neighbour is a huge Justin Bieber fan. I know this because I can hear 'Sorry' through the floor several times a day.
Min overbo øver step en gang om ugen. Vi har aftalt, at hun gør det hver onsdag kl. 17, når jeg er til badminton.
My upstairs neighbour practices tapdancing once a week. We've agreed for her to do it on Wednesdays at 5pm, when I'm at badminton.
Jeg synes, det er lidt upassende, når vennerne i 'Friends' kommenterer på genboens udseende.
I always think it is a bit inappropriate when the characters in 'Friends' judge the appearance of the person who lived opposite.
Comments
See Also
What is 'underbo'?
Underbo is a compound word consisting of under (under) and bo, the infinitive of the verb 'to live' or 'to reside', but which can also be likened to 'dweller' -- for example, someone who comes from the island of Funen can be referred to as a Fynbo or Funen-dweller.
So underbo literally means 'the person who dwells under you' but is best rendered in English as 'downstairs neighbour'.
The related overbo means 'upstairs neighbour', while your neighbour or neighbours on your own floor can be called either a nabo (neighbour) or genbo. Interestingly, someone who lives on the same floor as you but in an opposite building, such that you can see each other's windows, is also called a genbo.
We think that the suffix gen- in genbo comes from the archaic verb at genne, which means to drive people or animals in a certain direction -- but are happy to listen to corrections or alternative suggestions on this particular point.
Why are these words useful?
Well, if you want to tell someone something about one of your upstairs or downstairs neighbours (or, and we hope you don't find yourself in this situation, make a complaint to your landlord or building administrator), then you'll need the proper terminology. Saying "neighbour who lives upstairs" in Danish (nabo, som bor op ad trapperne) sounds quite frankly bizarre.
Example sentences
Min underbo er kæmpe Justin Bieber-fan. Det ved jeg, for jeg kan høre 'Sorry' igennem gulvet flere gange om dagen.
My downstairs neighbour is a huge Justin Bieber fan. I know this because I can hear 'Sorry' through the floor several times a day.
Min overbo øver step en gang om ugen. Vi har aftalt, at hun gør det hver onsdag kl. 17, når jeg er til badminton.
My upstairs neighbour practices tapdancing once a week. We've agreed for her to do it on Wednesdays at 5pm, when I'm at badminton.
Jeg synes, det er lidt upassende, når vennerne i 'Friends' kommenterer på genboens udseende.
I always think it is a bit inappropriate when the characters in 'Friends' judge the appearance of the person who lived opposite.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.