The Spanish word English still can't translate

Lunch is over and nobody stands up. The conversation stretches on among crumbs and coffee, unhurried and aimless. That stretch of time has a name in Spanish — «sobremesa» — and none in English, French or German: they all need a whole sentence to explain it.

Linguists call these lexical gaps: a language only packs a concept into a single word when its culture practises it enough to need one. That's why Spanish also has «estrenar» (to use or wear something for the very first time) and «madrugar» (to get up early) — verbs that force English into detours.

It cuts both ways: Spanish has no word for the German «Schadenfreude», that quiet joy at someone else's stumble.

Every language is a map of what its speakers find important. In this one, lingering at the table deserved a name of its own.