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Humorous Blunders in Your Target Language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| Alec Newbie United Kingdom Joined 6399 days ago 36 posts - 41 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, Japanese | Message 73 of 185 01 May 2008 at 10:42pm | IP Logged | ||
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The other day at my restaurant a woman ordered umeshu, which is a sweet alcoholic drink. I asked if she wanted me to put a Japanese apricot into the drink this time as I had been doing up to that point. Being tired and distracted, instead of offering to put into her drink an "umeboshi" (Japanese apricot), I offered to put in an "oshibori" (hand towel). (>_<) The woman looked confused and then I realised my mistake.
Agh, so embarrassing to make such a stupid mistake with two words which don't even sound that similar. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Soxpast22 Diglot Newbie United States Joined 6028 days ago 8 posts - 9 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Latin Studies: Irish | Message 74 of 185 12 June 2008 at 11:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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One time in Spanish I meant to say "I drink drinks" (Bebo bebidas) But it instead came out "I drink babies" (Bebo bebés) Edited by Soxpast22 on 12 June 2008 at 11:02pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ssizz Diglot Groupie United States Joined 6088 days ago 66 posts - 72 votes  1 sounds Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Korean | Message 75 of 185 13 June 2008 at 1:03am | IP Logged | ||
L M A O! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Bradley326 Groupie Joined 6176 days ago 78 posts - 104 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Russian, Kazakh, Spanish | Message 76 of 185 18 June 2008 at 3:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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A few years ago when I had just started learning Russian, a Russian exchange student named Olga began working at the same restaurant as me. I loved practicing my Russian with her.
Anyway, one day as she was exiting the kitchen with a huge tray full of food, drinks, and plates, I tried to say to her, "Olga, oo tyebya yest' tyazhyeliy podnos" (Olga, you have a heavy tray!). What I said, however, is "Olga, oo tyebya yest' tyazhyeliy ponos" (Olga, you have heavy diarrhea!) I've never mistaken "ponos" and "podnos" since :) Edited by Bradley326 on 18 June 2008 at 3:54pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cisa Super Polyglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6419 days ago 312 posts - 309 votes 2 sounds Speaks: Hungarian*, Slovak, FrenchC1, EnglishC2, Mandarin, SpanishB2, RussianB2, GermanB2, Korean, Czech, Latin Studies: Italian, Cantonese, Japanese, Portuguese, Polish, Hindi, Mongolian, Tibetan, Kazakh, Vietnamese, Modern Hebrew | Message 77 of 185 19 June 2008 at 4:29am | IP Logged | ||
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This is funny! ;)
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Pavilion Groupie United States Joined 6055 days ago 58 posts - 56 votes Speaks: English* | Message 80 of 185 08 July 2008 at 4:17pm | IP Logged | ||
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The meaning of "constipated" in English is rather different to "constipado" in Spanish and can lead to humorous blunders I expect!
They both mean to be blocked up, but in English it refers to the intestines while in Spanish it simply means you've got a cold (blocked up nose). 1 person has voted this message useful |
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