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Say something in ***

  Tags: Speaking
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion Post Reply
27 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4  Next >>
Jacob_Kap
Pentaglot
Newbie
IsraelRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5107 days ago

11 posts - 12 votes
Speaks: Arabic (Levantine), Russian, Modern Hebrew*, Arabic (Egyptian), German
Studies: Arabic (Written), Japanese, Swiss-German

 
 Message 1 of 27
12 December 2014 at 12:18pm | IP Logged 
I believe all of you were in this situation before.
You: "Yes, I can speak French/German/Japanese/Russian/anything else..."
Them: "Oh really? Say something in this language!!"

What do you actually say? Do you have a permanent answer for this question?
2 persons have voted this message useful



Radioclare
Triglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
timeofftakeoff.com
Joined 4582 days ago

689 posts - 1119 votes 
Speaks: English*, German, Esperanto
Studies: Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian

 
 Message 2 of 27
12 December 2014 at 12:23pm | IP Logged 
I hate being asked this question so much!

In Esperanto I normally say "Kion vi volas ke mi diru?" (What do you want me to say?) and then they're either satisfied or they make a more specific request which I try to fulfil. In rare occasions when the person in question is seriously annoying me I say "Forfikiĝu" and tell them it means "How are you?".
2 persons have voted this message useful



Slayertplsko
Heptaglot
Newbie
Slovakia
Joined 4832 days ago

24 posts - 29 votes
Speaks: Slovak*, Czech, FrenchB2, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish

 
 Message 3 of 27
12 December 2014 at 12:28pm | IP Logged 
I'll say something along the lines of ''you know, it's strange when people ask me to say
something in X, as I never know what to say. I'm mean, they ask you to say something,
but what do you say? Hello? How are you? Or something clever? I don't know what to
say.'' in that language.
1 person has voted this message useful



rdearman
Senior Member
United Kingdom
rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5235 days ago

881 posts - 1812 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin

 
 Message 4 of 27
12 December 2014 at 1:01pm | IP Logged 
Io non sono un circo.
Je ne suis pas un numéro de cirque.

2 persons have voted this message useful



AlexTG
Diglot
Senior Member
Australia
Joined 4637 days ago

178 posts - 354 votes 
Speaks: English*, French
Studies: Latin, German, Spanish, Japanese

 
 Message 5 of 27
12 December 2014 at 1:04pm | IP Logged 
I quote a poem or song lyric. I gave up on the "what do you want me to say?" approach
because on-the-spot translation is sooo stressful.

Edited by AlexTG on 12 December 2014 at 1:07pm

2 persons have voted this message useful



g-bod
Diglot
Senior Member
United KingdomRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5981 days ago

1485 posts - 2002 votes 
Speaks: English*, Japanese
Studies: French, German

 
 Message 6 of 27
12 December 2014 at 1:48pm | IP Logged 
I remember many years ago learning that a friend's dad could speak fluent Russian, so I myself commited the "say something in..." crime.

He responded by saying "What do you want me to say?" in Russian. And when I asked him what he meant, he launched into a word by word breakdown and turned it into a little language lesson.

But maybe he'd already figured out I was a potential language nerd.
3 persons have voted this message useful



chiara-sai
Triglot
Groupie
United Kingdom
Joined 3707 days ago

54 posts - 146 votes 
Speaks: Italian*, EnglishC2, French
Studies: German, Japanese

 
 Message 7 of 27
12 December 2014 at 1:56pm | IP Logged 
‘You don’t really want that, do you? I mean, I could literally be insulting you right now and you wouldn’t know,
you silly*!’


*I’m not actually gonna use heavy insults of course, that would be rude!
2 persons have voted this message useful



Radioclare
Triglot
Senior Member
United Kingdom
timeofftakeoff.com
Joined 4582 days ago

689 posts - 1119 votes 
Speaks: English*, German, Esperanto
Studies: Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian

 
 Message 8 of 27
12 December 2014 at 2:47pm | IP Logged 
chiara-sai wrote:
*I’m not actually gonna use heavy insults of course, that would be rude!


I guess that's just me then :D


2 persons have voted this message useful



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