Attention, a thing we: pay (English), lend (Spanish), make (French), and do (Farsi) -- twitter.com/gole_yaas/status/1039750486696624128
This is Mur 
@ColinTheMathmo
In Farsi 'Do' isn't equal to pay
@mur2501 But that's not what it's saying. In English one "pays" attention, but in French one "makes" attention (Faites attention). In Spanish one "lends" attention (prestar atención).
What is the Farsi for "pay attention"?
@ColinTheMathmo
Well in Hindi it would be 'Dhyaan Do' (Dhyaan means Attention) I can't say for sure that also exists in Farsi 🤔
@mur2501 And more generally, how would "do" be translated from Hindi to English?
@ColinTheMathmo
'Do' means give
Dhyaan Do (give attention)
Paise Do (give money)
Etc
Just means give in general
@mur2501 Exactly. So the Hindi phrase for "Pay Attention" translates as "Give Attention."
So in Hindi, "attention" is something you *give*, not something you *pay*.
@ColinTheMathmo
Kinda yess but in Hindi pay in terms of money or possession would also be 'Do' in general
Like I gave the example of 'Paise Do' (give/pay money)
@mur2501 I know, but the point is that something like "attention" is "verbified" with different verbs in different languages. That's what the original said ... in English "attention" is something we "pay", but in French it's something we "make". In Hindi it's something we "give", and so on.
@ColinTheMathmo
While the English pay and Hindi give doesn't seem far off but the French make is weird 
@mur2501 Exactly. But language is weird.
Having said that, I know why language is weird. It's because it's invented by, and used by, people.
And people are weird.