A1 Idiom 중립

Ant liežuvio galo

On the tip of the tongue

Almost remembering something.

🌍

문화적 배경

Lithuanians often snap their fingers or look at the ceiling when saying this, as if the word is physically floating in the air just above them. The 'Tip of the Tongue' (TOT) state is a major topic in psycholinguistics. Lithuanians are very aware of this as a 'universal' human glitch. In old times, if you couldn't remember a word, it was sometimes jokingly said that 'velnias liežuvį surišo' (the devil tied your tongue). On Lithuanian social media, people use the emoji 👅 or 🧠 to represent this state when they can't remember a meme or a link.

💡

Gesture matters

When you say this, snap your fingers. It signals to Lithuanians that you are close to the answer and they should wait.

⚠️

Don't overthink the 'Ant'

Remember it's always 'Ant' (on), never 'Virs' (above) or 'Po' (under).

Almost remembering something.

💡

Gesture matters

When you say this, snap your fingers. It signals to Lithuanians that you are close to the answer and they should wait.

⚠️

Don't overthink the 'Ant'

Remember it's always 'Ant' (on), never 'Virs' (above) or 'Po' (under).

🎯

Use 'Sukasi'

If you want to sound like a native, use 'Man sukasi ant liežuvio galo'. It sounds much more natural and expressive.

💬

Ask for help

In Lithuania, saying this is an invitation for others to guess the word for you. Don't be offended if they start shouting names!

셀프 테스트

Fill in the correct form of the words 'liežuvis' and 'galas'.

Man tas žodis ant _________ _________.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: liežuvio galo

After 'ant', we need the genitive case for both words.

Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'It's on the tip of my tongue'?

Select the best option:

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Man tai ant liežuvio galo.

Lithuanian uses the dative 'man' for this expression.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Kaip vadinasi tavo šuo? B: Oi, palauk... _________.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Vardas man ant liežuvio galo

This is the standard way to explain a temporary name lapse.

Match the phrase to the situation.

You are in a meeting and forget a colleague's name.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Ant liežuvio galo

If you feel you almost know it, 'ant liežuvio galo' is best.

🎉 점수: /4

시각 학습 자료

Forgetting Levels

Almost Remember
Ant liežuvio galo On the tip of the tongue
Totally Forgot
Išgaravo iš galvos Evaporated from head

연습 문제 은행

4 연습 문제
Fill in the correct form of the words 'liežuvis' and 'galas'. Fill Blank A1

Man tas žodis ant _________ _________.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: liežuvio galo

After 'ant', we need the genitive case for both words.

Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'It's on the tip of my tongue'? Choose A2

Select the best option:

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Man tai ant liežuvio galo.

Lithuanian uses the dative 'man' for this expression.

Complete the dialogue. dialogue_completion B1

A: Kaip vadinasi tavo šuo? B: Oi, palauk... _________.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Vardas man ant liežuvio galo

This is the standard way to explain a temporary name lapse.

Match the phrase to the situation. situation_matching A1

You are in a meeting and forget a colleague's name.

✓ 정답! ✗ 아쉬워요. 정답: Ant liežuvio galo

If you feel you almost know it, 'ant liežuvio galo' is best.

🎉 점수: /4

자주 묻는 질문

12 질문

Yes, it is most commonly used for names. 'Jo vardas man ant liežuvio galo.'

No, it's a natural human experience. It's much better than just saying 'I forgot'.

'Ant liežuvio galo' means you almost remember. 'Išgaravo iš galvos' means it's completely gone.

No, you can just say 'Man ant liežuvio galo' and the context will explain what you forgot.

Younger people might say 'Užstrigo' (It's stuck), but 'ant liežuvio galo' is still very common.

Usually no. It's specifically for words, names, or discrete pieces of information.

Because the preposition 'ant' requires the genitive case in Lithuanian.

You can, but it sounds like a translation from English. 'Man ant liežuvio galo' is the native way.

You can say: 'Aha! Prisiminiau! Tai buvo...'

Yes, very often in dialogue to show a character's hesitation or excitement.

Not at all. It's just a description of a mental state.

Technically yes ('ant liežuvių galų'), but it's almost never used that way.

관련 표현

🔗

Išgaravo iš galvos

contrast

Completely forgotten

🔗

Užkrito ant smegenų

similar

To have a mental block

🔗

Surišti liežuvį

specialized form

To be tongue-tied

🔗

Ištraukti žodį

builds on

To pull the word out

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