Do tell
2006-10-07 07:53:55 · 6 answers · asked by I love the cake 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
that happened to you
2006-10-07 08:02:23 · update #1
I had been in the US for only a couple of months (I am French) and I wanted to say on the phone to one of my co-worker that she was nasty (joking of course). In fact, I told her that she was "naughty". When I hanged up the phone, a guy setting next to me told me that I was crazy to say that. He explained me what I have just done. I got to call the lady back to apologize and every thing ended up in a common laugh.
At about the same period, I was travelling to Indiana. I stopped on the road to get food in a fast food. The guy asked me what I wanted. I said three time "combo number three" but my accent was so strong and this kid was so unused to foreign accents that I had finally to show him with my fingers.
A few weeks ago, I was having a hair cut and I asked the girl taking care of me if she shaved. She blushed. Of course I did not mean what she thought. I was just asking if they're also a barbershop. I apologized again (I think that I have never apologized so many times in my life than since I arrived to this country).
More recently at the office, at the end of a meeting, I said that we were ready for the ramp-up when I meant for the wrap-up. I got back from the others this look that people do when they are trying to understand me and that I am so used to see now.
These are just a few among many ones.
That's my daily life baby.
2006-10-07 14:22:35 · answer #1 · answered by Climacalido 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry, didn't happen to me, but...
My french teacher in high school told us a story of when she first went to France and stayed with a host family for a term during college. They were eating at McDonalds and she was telling them that she usually doesn't eat there becuase there are too many preservatives in the food, she didn't know the word for preservatives in french so she just said it in english. The word "preservatives" means condoms in french.
2006-10-07 15:03:50 · answer #2 · answered by Hans B 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This actually happened to my friend, we were all at a restaurant in Germany and we wanted the bill, 'cuenta' means 'bill' in spanish, and none of us knew how to say it in german, but he insisted it was 'Konnte' and whenthe waiter walked by he asked for the 'Konnte'. Konnte is the past tense of the verb 'kann' in german which means 'can'.
2006-10-07 15:33:25 · answer #3 · answered by c_mitu89 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the teacher wanting you to translate from a book in front of the class
2006-10-07 18:07:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
on a german wedding someone asked me if i'm "satt" which means in german if i had eaten enough, i thought however with my dutch head, where "zat" (same pronunciation) means drunk! so i said "but nooooo, i had only glass of wine!!"
2006-10-07 16:56:45 · answer #5 · answered by speedy_biondalez 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of greek history?? none!
2006-10-07 14:58:29 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋