[Vocabulary] Kids are ...

[mihallure]

In my language (Romanian) there is a word that I can't manage to find an equivalent for.
When kids are not so well-behaved, they are a little naughty can I say "They are making lots of silly things".
Is "silly things" the word I can use?
Thank you!

 

[emsr2d2]

In my language (Romanian) there is a word that I can't manage to find an equivalent for.
When kids are not so well-behaved, they are a little naughty can I say "They are making lots of silly things".
Is "silly things" the word I can use?
Thank you!

Not with "making", no.

You can say that they "do" lots of silly things.

 

[Barb_D]

Maybe they are making a lot of mischief.

 

[bhaisahab]

In my language (Romanian) there is a word that I can't manage to find an equivalent for.
When kids are not so well-behaved, they are a little naughty can I say "They are making lots of silly things".
Is "silly things" the word I can use?
Thank you!

Hi, Mihallure. I'd be very interested to know what the Romanian word is.

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

It seems OK for me to say: "Kids are fooling around".

Probably that doesn't mean that the kids aren't well-behaved and naughty.

What do you think?

 

[emsr2d2]

It seems OK for me to say: "Kids are fooling around".

Probably that doesn't mean that the kids aren't well-behaved and naughty.

What do you think?

"Fooling around" has a somewhat different connotation. If a couple of teenagers were fooling around, it would mean that they were kissing and cuddling. We also use it to mean that someone is having an affair. "John is married to a lovely woman but he's been fooling around with his secretary for years".

I wouldn't use it to refer to little children who were just being a bit naughty.

 

[Barb_D]

We certainly have that meaning, but we also have another one like "goofing around."

Like, you want to go somewhere, and your friend is still updating Facebook, or just doing other little things not part of getting ready to go. "Will you stop fooling around so we can get going?!"

But what do you think of "making mischief" ems?

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

"Fooling around" has a somewhat different connotation. If a couple of teenagers were fooling around, it would mean that they were kissing and cuddling. We also use it to mean that someone is having an affair. "John is married to a lovely woman but he's been fooling around with his secretary for years".

I wouldn't use it to refer to little children who were just being a bit naughty.

I definitely didn't mean that. I even had no idea of this definition.

 

[emsr2d2]

But what do you think of "making mischief" ems?

I agree with you about its meaning but I think it's rather old-fashioned. I can imagine Mary Poppins saying it. We do still use "mischievous" but not "making mischief" very much. I can imagine someone sticking their head round the door of a child's bedroom and saying "What are you doing in here? Are you up to mischief?!" but in a sort of cheeky, slightly amused way.

 

[mihallure]

Thanks you for all your replies. Whenever I speak to my kids' nanny (whom I communicate to in English) about their behaviour I have a hard time finding the exact word to express the fact that my kids are being a little naughty.
The Romanian word is prostii". The dictionary that I used said that the word "mischief" is indeed a synonym of "prostii" but since you're saying it's not that much used anymore maybe it's better to avoid a word-to-word translation and simply say that not so well behaved.
Thank again!

 

[5jj]

Even simpler is just to say "They are (being) rather (or: a little) naughty at the moment."