Lithuanian Out Loud

In 2003, in front of international reporters, a Lithuanian ex-President said that he was as calm as a Belgian.  This caused quite a stir in Belgium.  This is a common saying in Lithuania but Belgians had no idea another nation thought of them as being calm.  What did they do to deserve this recognition for calmness?  Nobody knows.  By the way, the name Raminta also comes from the root word for “calm" in Lithuanian.  The next time you want to say you’re as cool as a cucumber…just say, “Aš ramus, kaip Belgas."  I’m as calm as a Belgian. ramus                                   calm note: in Lithuanian, names of nations are capitalized; nationalities are not.  Also, Lithuanians often drop the verb, "to be" or "būti."  You can say, "Ji yra Dovilė" - "She is Dovilė," or "Jis yra Andrius" - "He is Andrius."  But it's okay to say, "Ji Dovilė" or "Jis Andrius." America                               Amerika England                                Anglija Lithuania                              Lietuva Poland