Significado
Being nosy.
Contexto cultural
Latvians value 'viensētnieka gars' (the spirit of a solitary farmer). This means that even in cities, people expect a high degree of privacy and may find personal questions from acquaintances very intrusive. Because of the history of surveillance in the 20th century, there is a specific cultural distaste for people who 'stick their nose' into others' political or private business. In small Latvian villages, everyone *does* know everyone's business, but the idiom is used as a social tool to keep gossip in check. Modern Latvians are very protective of their digital data. This idiom is frequently used in discussions about GDPR and social media privacy settings.
Use with 'Nebāz'
The most common way you'll hear this is in the negative: 'Nebāz degunu...' (Don't stick your nose...).
Be careful with elders
Telling an older person 'Nebāziet degunu...' is considered very rude. Use 'Tas ir privāti' (That is private) instead.
Significado
Being nosy.
Use with 'Nebāz'
The most common way you'll hear this is in the negative: 'Nebāz degunu...' (Don't stick your nose...).
Be careful with elders
Telling an older person 'Nebāziet degunu...' is considered very rude. Use 'Tas ir privāti' (That is private) instead.
Add 'savu'
Adding 'savu' (one's own) makes it sound more natural: 'Nebāz savu degunu...'
The 'Long Nose'
If you call someone a 'garš deguns' (long nose), you are calling them a busybody.
Teste-se
Fill in the missing word in the idiom.
Lūdzu, nebāz ______ citu lietās!
The idiom specifically uses 'degunu' (nose).
Which sentence is the most natural way to tell someone to mind their own business?
Kā pateikt 'Mind your own business' latviski?
This is the standard idiomatic equivalent.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.
A: Vai tu zini, cik nopelnīja Jānis? B: Nē, un es ______.
The speaker is saying they don't pry into others' affairs.
Match the situation to the response.
Situation: Your neighbor asks why you are buying so much toilet paper.
The neighbor is being nosy about your private purchases.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosLūdzu, nebāz ______ citu lietās!
The idiom specifically uses 'degunu' (nose).
Kā pateikt 'Mind your own business' latviski?
This is the standard idiomatic equivalent.
A: Vai tu zini, cik nopelnīja Jānis? B: Nē, un es ______.
The speaker is saying they don't pry into others' affairs.
Situation: Your neighbor asks why you are buying so much toilet paper.
The neighbor is being nosy about your private purchases.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasIt can be. It's a direct rebuke. Use it only when you are genuinely annoyed or with close friends as a joke.
Yes! You can say 'Es negribu bāzt degunu tavās lietās, bet...' (I don't want to pry, but...) to soften a personal question.
Even if multiple people are being nosy, we usually keep 'degunu' in the singular or say 'nebāziet savus degunus'.
Yes, 'Tā ir mana privātā lieta' (That is my private matter) is more neutral.
Mostly, but you can use it for organizations or governments meddling in affairs.
You can say 'ziņkārīgs cilvēks' (curious person) or more informally 'deguna bāzējs'.
No, it is too informal for professional writing.
It means to shove, stick, or thrust something into a space.
Yes, it appears in many Latvian pop and rock songs about social freedom.
No, that's not an idiom. For listening, we say 'noklausīties'.
Frases relacionadas
Jaukties pa vidu
similarTo interfere in the middle of something
Bāzties virsū
similarTo push oneself onto someone
Turēt mēli aiz zobiem
contrastTo keep one's tongue behind teeth
Skatīties savā šķīvī
similarTo look in one's own plate
Izspiegot
specialized formTo spy
