Stick it
I love France and my French is not too bad (I thought). When in the south of France a few years ago I thought I would treat myself to a sea fishing trip. So in I went to the local fishing shop to book up on the boat for the day. C'est combien pour une personne sur le bâton ? I asked, only to be looked at in a confused state by the shop keeper and his friends. Then they started to make gestures like they were clubbing each other. I realised my mistake and corrected to C'est combien pour une personne sur le bateau ?, how much is it for one on the 'boat'. Never ask how much it is for one on the 'stick'! And to make matters worse, one of the chaps in the shop had a terrible, loud patterned shirt on. I commented to my girlfriend (rather loudly as I thought he couldn't understand English after all) how it had looked like someone had chucked up on his shirt. The chap then proceeded to start speaking to me in very good English of how much it was for a trip and what gear is provided. I left rather quickly!
Sent by: Mark
Comments
One thing to remember. Never make assumptions! Foreigners often know your language better than you think lol
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