This Map Is A Fun Guide On How To Pronounce European Capitals The Correct Way

If you want to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb and being pegged as a tourist the next time you travel to Europe, one thing you can do is learn how to pronounce European capitals in their original languages, instead of sticking to their Anglicized counterparts. 

And if you have trouble remembering the exact pronunciations, writer Jakub Marian has come up with a handy map that can help you nail the enunciation:

So, instead of saying "Paris," "Berlin," "Athens," "Moscow" and "Warsaw," you can try saying "Pa Ree," "Bear Lean," "Ah Thin Ah," "Musk Vah" and "Var Shah Vah." 

And then there are the really wacky phonetic translations. Amsterdam in Dutch, Marian points out, sounds eerily like "I'm Stir Dumb," and the Finnish capital Helsinki can be pronounced, "Hell Sing Key."

In his blog, Marian also comes up with some fairly creative and tongue-in-cheek ways to explain the name origins of the European capitals. "Hell Sing Key," he jokes, is a reference to Finland's metal music scene, while "Raw Ma," or Rome pays homage to the beauty of Italian women. Neither of these is true, but it's fun to imagine a world where this is actually the case.

[Read more at Jakub Marian's Educational Blog]