Sweetie!

[Encolpius]

Hello, I realized both Hungarian & English use the word "sweet" also as term of endearment, while Czech does not. How about other languages? Can the adjective sweet in language you know used in endearments? Thanks.

Hungarian: Édesem! (both male and female, édes - sweet; édesem - my sweet)

 

[apmoy70]

In Greek too there's a similar term of endearment:
«Γλυκέ μου!» [ɣliˈce mu] --> my sweet one (masc. vocative sing. addressed to males), «γλυκιά μου!» [ɣliˈca mu] --> my sweet one (fem. vocative sing. addressed to females), «γλυκό μου!» [ɣliˈkɔ mu] --> my sweet one (neut. vocative sing. usually addressed to children).

-MoGr adj. «γλυκός, -ιά, -κό» [ɣliˈkɔs] (masc.), [ɣliˈca] (fem.), [ɣliˈkɔ] (neut.) --> sweet, delightful < Classical adj. «γλυκύς, -εῖα, -ύ» glŭkús (masc.), glŭkeî̯a (fem.), glŭkú (neut.) --> pleasant, delightful, sweet (PIE *dḷku- sweet cf Lat. dulcis).

 

[Dymn]

No, you can't in Spanish. The most usual way to say "sweetie" is cariño (often shortened to cari), which can also mean "affection", "fondness"... There are many other alternatives of course, but none of them include any reference to sweetness to my knowledge.

 

[Encolpius]

Interesting, it exists in Greek. I am afraid it does not exist in Slavic, Germanic and Romance languages, so let's read about less common languages.

 

[symposium]

"Dolcezza" (sweetness) is used as a term of endearment in Italian sometimes, but perhaps nowadays it feels too old-fashioned...

 

[nimak]

I am afraid it does not exist in Slavic, Germanic and Romance languages...

I actually think it does exist in Serbian / Croatian languages in some way:

Слаткиш мој! / Slatkiš moj! lit. "Sweet my!"

слаткиш / slatkiš noun = sweet, dessert

 

[FyeFlowrith]

In Spanish

No, you can't in Spanish. The most usual way to say "sweetie" is cariño (often shortened to cari), which can also mean "affection", "fondness"... There are many other alternatives of course, but none of them include any reference to sweetness to my knowledge.

Well, actualy I think in spanish we can say "oh, she/he is so sweet" "Ella/Él es muy dulce" so I think we can use it in that way. We might not say it to the other person directly like "Hey, sweetie" but we can use it to describe someone.

 

[merquiades]

Hello, I realized both Hungarian & English use the word "sweet" also as term of endearment, while Czech does not. How about other languages? Can the adjective sweet in language you know used in endearments? Thanks.

Hungarian: Édesem! (both male and female, édes - sweet; édesem - my sweet)

Another very "sweet" way to refer to someone in English which may be even more common than sweetie or sweetheart is honey.. I'd say it's almost even routine with couples. Honey, my honey
People even feel free to make up their own sweet terms of endearment: sweetie pie, sugar pie, cutie pie, cherry pie, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie with whipped cream on it.

In French you can call people chou which is literally a very sweet little cream puff. Mon chou, mon petit chou, tu es très chou. The terms choupinet / choupinette are diminutives of it and used as adjectives.

 

[In-Su]

In French there is Ma douce ("my sweet one") which can be used for addressing one's female lover. I wouldn't recommend it, though, as it sounds rather posh and dated.

 

[Encolpius]

In French there is Ma douce ("my sweet one")....

Thanks for your help. Very interesting.

 

[Awwal12]

In French there is Ma douce ("my sweet one") which can be used for addressing one's female lover. I wouldn't recommend it, though, as it sounds rather posh and dated.

Mostly same in Russian (m. "мой сладкий"/ f. "моя сладкая"). I wonder if it's a calque from some European language.

 

[Zareza]

сладкий

Is сладкий /сладкая ”cookie”?

 

[Zareza]

In Romanian

dulceață (<Lat. dulcis) = sweetness (NOT dulceață = jam)
bombonică (< Fr. bonbon ) = petit bonbon = candy - (only for girls)
pișcoțel (< Hung. piskóta) = little sponge finger ; little ladyfinger

There is also bombonel (<bombonică+ el) (only for boys), but it is ironically / pejoratively used - for a man (good and a little naive)

 

[Awwal12]

Is сладкий /сладкая ”cookie”?

No, just as French "doux/douce", it's simply an adjective "sweet" (m./f. sg.).

 

[Encolpius]

Mostly same in Russian (m. "мой сладкий"/ f. "моя сладкая"). I wonder if it's a calque from some European language.

Hello and thanks for the answer. What do you mean by "mostly"? Is it also posh in Russian?

 

[Zareza]

сладкий. I wonder if it's a calque from some European language.

сладкий - borrowed from Old Church Slavonic сладъкъ (sladŭkŭ), from Proto-Slavic *soldъkъ.

Why do you wonder it is a calque ? Is it used by old people?

 

[Awwal12]

The usage of the word as a term of endearment might have been calqued. Or maybe not. While "~my sweet" sounds pretty strange, uncommon, possibly heightened and/or dated, it is largely about the syntax; in the expressive construction "~sweet you my" it sounds natural and usual enough indeed.