r/ispeakthelanguage

People really assume nobody around them understands French.

I was at the airport waiting for my flight while two people behind me complained nonstop about the boarding line.

At some point they noticed my oversized backpack and decided I was personally responsible for delaying air travel.

Then they joked that I couldnt understand French.

I waited a minute and replied in French, You are right, I understood absolutely nothing.

Instant silence.

Then the guy laughed and admitted it was a good comeback.

The best part is they spent several minutes treating the airport like they were having a private conversation.

This happened during a family vacation in Greece.

Two Norwegian ladies were sitting nearby talking shit about people around them. They apparently assumed nobody could understand them.

Unfortunately for them, my mom had lived in Sweden for years and spoke Swedish fluently. Norwegian and Swedish are close enough that she could understand what they were saying.

She didnt argue with them.

She just told the kids to go stand nearby and start speaking Swedish loudly.

My sister and I were around 4 and 2 so we obviously had no idea what was happening.

The Norwegian ladies apparently figured it out pretty quickly.

A Caucasian family was eating burgers on vacation at the beach when a couple nearby started talking about them in French.

They were speaking English among themselves, so the couple probably assumed French would be safe.

The woman made a comment about the dad eating two burgers and said he looked like he needed a salad.

One of the siblings answered in French.

The reaction was apparently immediate. Bright red face, awkward silence, then they left.

Imagine trying to embarrass someone in another language and accidentally embarrassing yourself instead.

I speak Spanish pretty well but I usually dont speak it unless someone talks to me first.

Was at a grocery store looking at steak prices when this couple next to me started talking in Spanish.

The guy looked at my basket and told his girlfriend, He is definitely not buying those. They are way too expensive.

She laughed and said, Maybe he does not know what he is looking at.

I did not say anything at first. Then the guy picked up the same package I was holding and said, See? He does not even know which one is good.

So I looked at him and said in Spanish, Actually, Im just waiting for the sale tomorrow.

The silence was immediate.

She goes, Wait, you understood us?

The whole time.

They walked off to another aisle.

I bought the steaks anyway.