u/noonjinx

I've been learning French for 5 years.

I just spent a week in France and did my best to speak French in every shop and restaurant. I was really pleased that the people I spoke to seemed happy to continue in French whereas on previous trips they would take pity on me and talk back in English. Was feeling really proud of myself...

But the simplest thing I asked for all week was the thing that tripped me up. In a cafe, I asked for "Un cola light, s'il vous plaît" and got a blank look. Repeated it several times and even tried "une" in case I had the gender wrong. Eventually she asked me to switch to English so I asked for "a cola light please" and was instantly understood.

Now I understand that it's a "coca light" in French :/