Have you ever pretend that you don't know English?

Question

Have you ever pretend that you don't know English, but you actually do?
Sometimes I pretend that I don't speak English to avoid small talks. Also great when dealing with undesirable suitors. :P

Answer 1

I did once when a group of guys was hassling people on a bus. I shook their hands and smiled and spoke Norwegian to them. They started arguing about what language it was and forgot about hassling people. After they got off, people were trying to figure out what language it was. I told them all that it was Norwegian and we all had a good laugh.

Answer 2

Of course. I live in Canada now, and as such, people will try to speak to me in English of course. If someone approaches me about something that I would not like to deal with (mostly those "undesirable" people trying to get my romantic attention that you mentioned also), I mostly say, "I do not understand," with a thick Russian accent (which is natural for me anyways since it's one of my native languages, but I exaggerate the accent). Then when the person says in reply, "Oh, what an interesting accent. Where are you from?" I reply that I'm from the United States... It mostly serves as an effective tool for annoying people, and they get the hint quite easily!

Answer 3

A chaque fois que j'ai la chance.

I deal with English and French everyday. So I go back and forth between depending on the situation. For me it is soooooo easy I can do both perfectly without any accent. It works great to avoid talking to people you just don't want to talk to.

Answer 4

Exactly… thank you
& I thought I am the only one who will do that !!
I use this strategy when I need to avoid stupid chat & - just like you – small nonsense talk.
I say: ME NO SPEAK English.
& it works.

Some people cannot get it & they keep speaking to me, then I move to level 2: I start speaking my original language: Abkhaz.
At that point, they figure that they have to stop.
LOL……..:)

Answer 5

Oh, yes. Many times when I answer the telephone and somebody talks to me in english. A very good way to avoid telemarketers

Answer 6

Yes. I was in Europe once and some English tourists asked me in very slow, precise English for directions somewhere so rather than get involved I pretended to not understand them.

Answer 7

Yes! Once I was sitting on a plane and this one girl kept pestering me to talk (because she was so unsatisfied with talking to her boyfriend=/) and because I have Korean parents (my mother speaks English with a Korean accent) I told her, in the funniest accent, "My, ermm... Enguhlish is very not good now. Oh, and uh... how do you say... shut your big mouth?"

That doesn't sound very funny but it was! She was glaring at me while I was cracking up and she ended up switching seats (with her boyfriend).

Oh, and I was riding with my mom and (my mom was in the bathroom while this happened) when she came back she was like, "Why is that girl glaring at you?"

Ha! Fun times...

Answer 8

thats funny..!!! good idea...I never have tried that one...lately when telemarketers call I pretend I am severely mentally challenged and tell them the steel plate it my head makes the phone echo and stuff...they hang up pretty quick...!!!! (this is in no way meant to be insulting to anyone)...Think I will try russian or something next time....stay away from asian of any form or indian cause that is where alot of these calls are farmed from...

Answer 9

No, but my fiance is Danish and he's pretended not to know his own language when a lady came up to us trying to give us pamphlets in Denmark. It was way too funny since he answered her in danish, "Sorry, I can't speak Danish"

Answer 10

Ja,

Ich spreche nur Deutsch. Ich kenne English nicht.
Wann sehe ich eine Leute und ich mochte nicht zu spreche ich spreche Deutsch .