Cancelled my 2 weeks in Tenerife

[Salty Spuds]

I'm 62 now but in my early 20s I was a british idiot doing all of the above I moan about them now, but had a great time then and I bet there,s people on here that did the same we're not all boring old farts.

Before visiting a new country, I have always (even when I was a beer drinking yoof, never did like lager) taught myself to say:-
Please,
Thank you,
2 beers please,
The bill please,
in the local lingo. Even when I invariably get it wrong, at least I've tried & it usually raises a smile.

 

[whodat]

Completely agree.

However - I've heard this from French and Spanish friends....
The 'English' tend to say please and thank you a lot more than locals. If a local did it the same way as Englander, it would be sarcasm and possibly a little rude.
Because we are from where we are from, we get a free pass as it seems we are known for being the best tourists - or the worst. I think that they can figure out which one as soon as someone walks in.

 

[bobnudd]

I'm 62 now but in my early 20s I was a british idiot doing all of the above I moan about them now, but had a great time then and I bet there,s people on here that did the same we're not all boring old

Sweet baby moses! I gotta say 20 years ago, when I was a young man, I thought myself the funniest, toughest and most amorous fellow this side of Leighton buzzard. In reality I was just a bit of a p***k. I see those young lads now, being me then, and feel a strange sense of both loss and sadness, but mostly relief cos it was really hard work.

 

[Bav]

Before visiting a new country, I have always (even when I was a beer drinking yoof, never did like lager) taught myself to say:-
Please,
Thank you,
2 beers please,
The bill please,
in the local lingo. Even when I invariably get it wrong, at least I've tried & it usually raises a smile.

Funny you should say that... I have a spreadsheet (yes, I am that person!!) with a list of potentially useful words & phrases in a number of European languages - French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, German. I think my most used phrase is "I'm sorry, my <insert language> is rubbish. Please speak more slowly", followed by "Do you speak English?"

 

[Bargy62]

Funny you should say that... I have a spreadsheet (yes, I am that person!!) with a list of potentially useful words & phrases in a number of European languages - French, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, German. I think my most used phrase is "I'm sorry, my <insert language> is rubbish. Please speak more slowly", followed by "Do you speak English?"

Pulp fiction style

 

[Bav]

Pulp fiction style

More in a flustered style after the speaking more slowly hasn't helped! To be fair, if they do speak English, they've usually already taken pity at this point.

 

[Salty Spuds]

More in a flustered style after the speaking more slowly hasn't helped! To be fair, if they do speak English, they've usually already taken pity at this point.

My usual scenario goes along the lines of:-
in language of choice
“hello, 2 beers please”
Eh?
“2 beers please”
In English sir…

 

[Bav]

My usual scenario goes along the lines of:-
in language of choice
“hello, 2 beers please”
Eh?
“2 beers please”
In English sir…

Do they struggle with your broad, flat, Yorkshire patois? (no stereotyping intended )

 

[Drive Wayne]

Do they struggle with your broad, flat, Yorkshire patois? (no stereotyping intended )

My patios not been flat since the Mrs has been jet washing it...

 

[Sackmycook]

Is she qualified to do that?
Is she allowed to do the van ?

 

[cgtmiles]

Before visiting a new country, I have always (even when I was a beer drinking yoof, never did like lager) taught myself to say:-
Please,
Thank you,
2 beers please,
The bill please,
in the local lingo. Even when I invariably get it wrong, at least I've tried & it usually raises a smile.

We did something similar when we went interailing round Eastern Europe (now Central Europe), we wrote the local common words (yes, no thanks, please etc in a book then asked someone in the first bar to say them and then rewrote phonetically, this worked fine until we went somewhere and got the lines mixed up and ended up doing something akin to Del Boy, saying goodbye instead of please, please instead of thank you. We didn’t work out for a few days why we were getting funny looks!

 

[Sackmycook]

For the last 15 years, we have had a Learn French CD in the glovebox. Every year we break it out and give it a go. It's normally back in the glovebox before Dartford....

 

[The Flying Scotsman]

For the last 15 years, we have had a Learn French CD in the glovebox. Every year we break it out and give it a go. It's normally back in the glovebox before Dartford....

Merd

 

[Pauly]

This is in danger of straying into the Delta Quadrant Forbidden Zone.

Think we are nearly out the other side !

 

[Lubrown]

Think we are nearly out the other side !

I’ll take the brick out of my handbag

 

[Farnorthsurfer]

This thread I why I almost never go to the Pub !!!
Well done chaps

 

[bobnudd]

Think we are nearly out the other side !

Near on, but I spose we'll slip down another wormhole soon

 

[bobnudd]

Do they struggle with your broad, flat, Yorkshire patois? (no stereotyping intended )

There's enough different types of English in the English language to learn afore we learn any others, here in the east mids (Leicestershire) we call a cob a cob, ham cob, chip cob, bacon cob etc. A few miles down the road in Cov its a batch! What's a batch?

 

[Drive Wayne]

There's enough different types of English in the English language to learn afore we learn any others, here in the east mids (Leicestershire) we call a cob a cob, ham cob, chip cob, bacon cob etc. A few miles down the road in Cov its a batch! What's a batch?

My first wife?

 

[bobnudd]

Near on, but I spose we'll slip down another wormhole soon

Hope so anyway.