Since posting my story about my noisette mix up, I have been inundated with emails from people who have had similar experiences, who sympathise with me, and laugh at me - because it happened to them too. I must say, it makes me feel a whole lot better.
I am going to share two of these stories with you. One from a woman in Sydney, and the other a woman (who also happens to be my landlady) in France. I hope they don't mind, and no doubt they will read this in a few days. But all remains confidential, I promise. Just to be safe we will call one Miss S and the other Mrs B.
When Mrs B first arrived in France with her husband on a meager student budget, they found a cheap hotel and went to get a bite to eat at a local café. Feeling very 'local' sitting at the bar, they ordered two sandwiches, thinking that they couldn't go too wrong with that word. "Et du vin rouge, monsieur".The waiter arrived with a bottle of wine and started opening it. Panic set in as they thought that they would have to pay for the entire bottle, which would blow their budget, so they quickly added "Deux glaces" specifying, or so they thought, only 2 glasses of wine. Le garçon looked puzzled (much like my pretty skinny black attired waitress) but went back and started preparing two huge ice creams in glass bowls, whipped cream and it all. That was when it dawned on them that 'glâce' is not 'glass' in French but ice cream! With not enough French to explain themselves out of the predicament, they blew their budget and paid for the wine (just 2 glasses of course) and the expensive ice creams! Et Voilà!
Miss S also has a story about a language mix up but unfortunately for her (perhaps fortunately for us) one with a more hilarious, and embarrasing, result. When I heard this one, I was rolling on the floor laughing. Sorry S - but I have to share, it is just too good.
When Miss S arrived in France, with limited French, she one day exclaimed in the summer heat "Je suis chaude!" (literally meaning "I am hot!"). What she meant to say (which I now know too- p.s thanks) was "J'ai chaude", which is the correct phrase in French. It was only after she had said it that she realised what she had actually said. Yes, it means "I'm hot" but in a very different context. What she had inadvertently said was "I am excited" in the physical sense, and it is quite vulgar when said by a woman! Needless to say S refused to speak for a week, but thankfully now laughs about it. Et voila! Thanks ladies, too funny to keep to myself.
Merci,
Mel
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I love a good language mix-up. My grandmother spoke French, so she taught me early on about the 'je suis chaude/j'ai chaude' difference. I don't know whether you speak Spanish or whether you'll come across any Spaniards in your time in Europe, but be sure not to use 'embarazada' to signify that you're 'embarrassed' - it means 'pregnant. Once again, a common mistake that's clearly cause for embarrassment!
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