Don't "Try" To Speak Another Language With A Native Speaker

[grinningghost]

Unless you know what you're saying FOR CERTAIN.

Yesterday, DD's boyfriend, attempting to impress our exchange student, with his 3 years of high school German, tells her that he always keeps water on his night table - in German.

She starts laughing hysterically.

Turns out, what he REALLY said to her was "I always keep water on my NAKED table."

I'm loving this - I'm sad she's leaving Sunday.

 

[mtblujeans]

Well, if you have to embarrass yourself....he didn't do too badly!

I used to think that years of a language in school would do it...but, now I don't think so. You really have to live among the language you are learning.

Last year, one of DSs closest friends went to Spain for the school year. He barely had a grasp of the language before he left. I thought it was cruel to throw him into a foreign country like that! He came back not only speaking fluently, he traveled around Europe before he came back (he was only 17). Yep, I think living there for awhile is the way to go...and who of us would turn down a trip to Europe, anyway!

 

[grinningghost]

That's for sure - Europe? I'm in. I've never been, but I wouldn't turn it down.

I thought I was all cool when I knew how to say wienerschnitzel - I think that's the only German word I know, so I guess Matt did OK.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

 

[momof3disneyholics]

I lived in Germany for 3 years and I remember how hard some of the language was to learn. I remember one time stopping at a gas station on the Autobahn and forgetting how to ask where the bathroom was and instead embarassing myself and asking where I could go to s*** at in German. At that moment, I couldn't remember the word for bathroom, but I could remember the curse word! I was embarrassed but the gas station attendant laughed and led me to the bathroom.

 

[Tinijocaro]

While living in Japan, we would comment on all the cute babies on the subway by saying "kowai". Turned out that instead of saying cute, we were saying "scarey". Kawai is cute, kowai is scarey.

 

[caitycaity]

in spanish embarazada means pregnant! there are all kinds of funny stories about people trying to say "i'm embarassed" who end up saying "i'm pregnant". and then they get really embarassed.

 

[imsorry]

While living in Japan, we would comment on all the cute babies on the subway by saying "kowai". Turned out that instead of saying cute, we were saying "scarey". Kawai is cute, kowai is scarey.

 

[denisem]

I lived in Germany for 3 years and I remember how hard some of the language was to learn. I remember one time stopping at a gas station on the Autobahn and forgetting how to ask where the bathroom was and instead embarassing myself and asking where I could go to s*** at in German. At that moment, I couldn't remember the word for bathroom, but I could remember the curse word! I was embarrassed but the gas station attendant laughed and led me to the bathroom.

Too funny! I worked for VWoA over a 10 yr. period and that's the ONLY word I remember. Wait - I also recall huhnerkopf roughly translates to "chicken head".

Denise < --- linguistically challenged

 

[Bob Slydell]

The problem I would always have when I was in a country where I knew a few phrases is that I would use them when I first met someone and they'd think I was fluent in the language. The next thing I'd hear was this whole long diatribe in the foreign language and I wouldn't have a clue what they were talking about!! I'd end up cutting them off and embarassingly admitting that the phrase I used was about the extent of my knowledge.

 

[Viking]

It's 'Hühnerkopf' (ü=ALT 129)

I really appreciate every foreigner trying to speak my language in Germany!!!
(Un)fortunately Americans get along quite well in Germany without the necessity to learn any German. I know some Americans and Australians who've been here for years without learning more than the most basic words necessary to greet somenone or to bid a farewell. Especially in an international city like my hometown Frankfurt it's so easy for English-speaking people.

And I also have to second what was stated before: I spent three to four weeks each summer from '78-'80 with English host families in England. The most important requirement for those familes was that nobody there was able to speak German. So I had to use my English to 'survive' - You don't speak, you don't get food

 

[Rajah]

When I visited Cancun with my parents and best friend at the time, my friend tried asking for stamps once.

What she asked for instead was "Do you have a jungle?"

 

[PneumaticTransit]

'Juevos' literal translation - eggs
'Juevos' slang translation - part of the male anatomy

My friend wanted to order breakfast while in Mexico City.
She thought she asked, "Do you have eggs?"

She couldn't understand why the waiter was blushing and laughing at her.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We had a short term German exchange student 2 or 3 years ago. Even though she wasn't here long, we really enjoyed having her. I was a little concerned because being an only child I was afraid that our household would prove to be too much with our dogs, cats, and 4 kids. Turned out she loved it. One funny thing was that in Germany they use American cuss words as normal words, especially the "s" word. I had to keep explaining to her that it's not a normal word here, especially with my toddler around. Thankfully he didn't pick it up and we got a good laugh out of it.

 

[RadioFanatic]

In college I spent a semester in Toulon, France. I met my host mother and had dinner with her the first night. She asked if I wanted seconds and I said "Je suis plein", thinking I said I'm full. She started laughing hysterically and said I told her I was pregnant!

 

[Kimberly]

Ah, German is a great language to learn. It's so close to english that it can actually be confusing at times, and my host family used to try to say things to me in english, but something humorous came out instead.

 

[disneymom3]

Growing up, the family that lived next door spoke almost entirely Spanish. We would hear them talking to their dog in spanish too. Well, they were gone a LOT and that dog would bark and bark and bark for hours. My mother, only knew two spanish words, albondegras and biblioteca. So, she would yell those out the window at the dog. My sister and I always figured that dog thought mom was nuts, seeing as she was yelling "meatballs" and "library" at the dog. Oh, that still makes me giggle.

 

[ElizK]

My mother and I visited Mexico City some years back. We were walking, trying to find a certain cathedral. We were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, looking at a map, and a very nice policeman walked up and asked if he could help us find something. My mom (who used to be fairly fluent in Spanish) says, "We're looking for hombres." The policeman looks aghast! He says, "lady, you know what you say?" We showed him where on the map we were trying to get to, he told us how to get there, and we left. A minute later my mom busts out laughing. The name of the street was really Homberes. Hombres are men!

All these years later, we still get a lot of mileage out of that one.

 

[Minnesota!]

Ich bin ein Berliner...

I love love love the German language. I haven't spoken it in almost 10 years, but I loved it, the history of the country, everything. I want to go there when my kids are older and they appreciate it..

 

[Kimberly]

Ich bin ein Berliner...

Sorry, but this quote drives me nuts. I forget which American president gave this speech, but German is not structured exactly like English in this respect. My professor would go nuts over grammatical errors, so I do as well. There should be no ein in there at all, the correct way to say it is:

Ich bin Berliner...

I was a German minor in college as well as majoring in Biochemistry. Was two classes short of majoring in it, but I would have had to stick around for another year. Oh well...