Comments on: Please Do Litter

By: Kam.

Kam. — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 22:56:27 +0000

It’s spanish, not portuguese.
the portuguese word for “trash” is “lixo”, “basura” is spanish.
I’m argentinian, I speak spanish and I studied portuguese.
End of discussion.

By: eu

eu — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:31:36 +0000

I see many people don’t know if this is portuguese or spanish, but this is spanish because the word “Aquí” in portuguese don’t have the acute accent on the “i”, so if this was portuguese the correct word would be “Aqui” not “Aquí”

By: Gigio

Gigio — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:42:24 +0000

No, he acctually rapes and kills an baby seal each time we litter.

By: Carlos Lopez Aguirre

Carlos Lopez Aguirre — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:46:30 +0000

The Sign is Spanish

Botar means to throw out/dispose (specifically refering to garbage) to me
Tirar a la basura is a less used synonym

By: [J]

[J] — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 06:46:30 +0000

Well, the confusion is caused because Spanish and Portuguese are similar. I don’t know about Portuguese, but its literal translation in Spanish is: “Please bounce here”. In some Spanish speaking countries (and even regions inside a country), they use the word “botar” as a synonym of “to throw away”. But the sign is definitely incorrect: the phrase “Por favor botar aquí” is asking YOU, the reader, to “please bounce here”. If they had said: “Por favor botar su basura aquí” (Please throw your trash here), it would be a little more correct.
Also, I write up a lot…

By: Pashalik

Pashalik — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:24:55 +0000

In Spain (yes, we speak spanish in Spain the sign “por favor botar aqui” means “please jump here” as we use botar for jump or bounce. So the sign in Spain would say “tirar” o “depositar”. I meaan ” Por favor tire la basura aqui” or “Por favor deposite aqui la basura”

By: Huntzman

Huntzman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:55:02 +0000

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! No, Don’t Do That!!! No, Don’t Eat That!!!! AHHHHHHHH!

By: Passerby

Passerby — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:46:35 +0000

Ok, since you all ask for it:
It’s Spanish. In Spanish, we use “botar” as “to drop” or “to throw”, specifically trash, litter. The sign in Spanish is correct (although a little short, it should say “Por favor botar la basura aquí”, which would translate to “Please drop litter here”.
Now that the meaning is clear, and the fun is spoiled, my job here is done. Hasta la vista, babies!

Passerby.

By: Psychedelic

Psychedelic — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:22:51 +0000

“Botar” is Portuguese.

By: Psychedelic

Psychedelic — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:21:39 +0000

Correct! If they’d just translated “insert” instead of “do” — which doesn’t even exist in the original — the sign would be great in English (“Insert Litter Here”) and bizarro in Portuguese!

By: Kid Choronsom

Kid Choronsom — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:30:40 +0000

I think you speak Brazilian, and is insanely fond of soccer and no-rules fighting. and samba.

By: gxy

gxy — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 11:31:34 +0000

How dare you!!??!! I’ll have you know, I ALWAYS litter. This is just another way for me to continue with my activities unmolested!

By: Susan F

Susan F — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:42:46 +0000

I’m the one who took the picture and it was actually a sign on a bus in Peru. So it’s definitely Spanish (and makes sense in Spanish), but the word “litter” just isn’t right in English.

By: Jow

Jow — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:46:41 +0000

Brazil,

Its incomplete in portuguese too…I see more “Put trash here” than Please, put here…put what?

By: Jan74

Jan74 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:57:39 +0000

Oh come on. I am Brazilian too and it sounds a ton dirtier to me than “Please place it here”, more like “Insert it here”, or “Lay it here”. Maybe it is a regional thing, or maybe I just have a dirty mind.

By: D.R.

D.R. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:52:28 +0000

I don’t think you speak Spanish, I know you speak Portuguese…

By: Bill Gama

Bill Gama — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:32:09 +0000

Oh, and I think I should also add that we speak portuguese here. It seems like a lot of americans think brazilian people speak spanish, but that’s not the case.

By: Bill Gama

Bill Gama — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:30:40 +0000

You’re right, I’m brazilian and that’s portuguese. One way of translating that would be “please, place it here”.

By: Jan74

Jan74 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:02:55 +0000

“Aqui” shouldn’t be spelled “Aquí” either, and trust me, it sounds worse in Portuguese. “Por Favor Botar Aqui” is sorta like “Please Insert Here”, so it sounds dirty.

By: Kid Choronsom

Kid Choronsom — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:56:47 +0000

See that was what I thought too… thank you =)

By: Kid Choronsom

Kid Choronsom — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:54:49 +0000

Thanks!
I will put it there next time…the banana peel, the handle and the pants to the Ken doll.

By: Mikey D

Mikey D — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:10:07 +0000

It looks like they’re depositing used octopus tentacles? They must have been presented too often

By: green_beanie

green_beanie — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:25:50 +0000

Well you’re close, except the word ‘botar’ means ‘to put’, so if it were directly translated it would say “Please put here”

By: Lllll.

Lllll. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:21:57 +0000

Please, please levitate hair clippings inside of Venti sized Starbucks beverage cups…because, you know, it’s been a problem around here…

By: Mr. Hyde

Mr. Hyde — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:58:21 +0000

I think it’s portuguese, cause I’m mexican and we normally say “deposite aquí su basura” or “tire aqui”, BOTAR is more like a portuguese verb.

By: Arelycia

Arelycia — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:08:55 +0000

Kid Choronsom you’re somewhat right, but it’s not portuguese it’s spanish, the translation is OK ’cause it actually says to throw garbage there.

By: justapple

justapple — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:19:41 +0000

lol..i wish to see it in malaysia..XD

By: Kid Choronsom

Kid Choronsom — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:46:27 +0000

Well, if I read the Portuguese right (I don’t claim to speak Portuguese so please correct me if I’m wrong) it politely asks you tho throw the garbage there…they just missed the “aqui” = “here” when they translated.

By: D.R.

D.R. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:24:36 +0000

Wow, that was nice of them.

By: BANANA

BANANA — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:19:02 +0000

Litter?! Well, OKAY

By: Thrawn

Thrawn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:40:09 +0000

I defy you yellow sign!

By: K

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:20:02 +0000

well, if you insist…

By: Jax

Jax — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:58:54 +0000

LOL Brazil

By: luddite

luddite — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:44:59 +0000

Every time some1 litters Al Gore sheds a tear

By: Gone_With_The_Wendell

Gone_With_The_Wendell — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:06:50 +0000

Two Girls… One Cup…

By: ILMSTMF

ILMSTMF — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:06:33 +0000

LoL, environmental friendliness fail.

By: Munior

Munior — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:05:32 +0000

I wish the following comments do not match too much to this sign….