Flustered in France
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This probably confirms what we always suspect will happen when we try speaking a different language, and as the young lady at the centre of this story shows, its best to see the funny side and take it in our stride and practice to so we can get better. My sons are constantly bemused by my atempts to speak French, however slowly but surely I am getting better!
During my first stay with a French family, aged 17, the mother of the family asked me if I had any "slips" to wash. I had never come across this word before and assumed it meant petticoat, so said "It's okay I have two of them." Some time after I found out it actually means knickers! I hope she realised I didn't really understand or maybe she thought I only changed my pants once a week!
When living in Brittany, I once asked a lady in a clothes shop if she had any baseball caps, but I'd actually asked her if she had any stuntmen (casquette/cascadeur if I remember rightly). She simply answered with 'non Madam, on n'a plus', saving my embarrassment! Making mistakes is part of learning a language, but it doesn't stop making you wince!
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