Naam-e Khoda

Afghanistan is comprised mostly of Muslims, and as such, religion is incorporated into daily life.  Instead of saying "hopefully", most Muslims say "Insha-allah," which means "God willing."  Even public transportation has religious themes painted on the sides of the buses and taxis.  This is a good example:

I saw it on the inside of an Afghan bus, right when you climb the stairs.  It means "God's name" in Dari, and it's pronounced 'Naam-e khoda'.  It's generally used as a saying of good luck, or to congratulate someone, if they got over an illness, found a job or had a new child or something like that.

Now, it's of note because the phrase sounds almost exactly like the Spanish phrase "no me joda," which means something like "you're shitting me" or "don't bullshit me."  So the first time I heard an Afghan say it, I almost died laughing.  I forgot what the situation was, but I think he inquired about my health, and when I responded that I was fine, he let that phrase loose.

This is what it sounded like to me:

Afghan:  څنگه ياست؟   How are you?
Me:  زه ښه يم مننه    I'm fine, thanks
Afghan: نام خدا   You're shitting me!

Moral of the story: be careful what you name your kid, because it may be something hilariously offensive in another language.