Conversation

Conversation

The following are a few of the conversations that you must learn when you go to our place, the Philippines (particularly Cebu) for the first time:

Kumusta ka? (How are you?)
Palihug ihatod mi sa Marriott Hotel. (Please bring us to Marriott Hotel.)
Salamat. (Thank you.)
Palihug. (Please.)

What about in your place? Or if it is English, then do you know of any other languages and the immediate conversations that we must learn to communicate with the people in a certain place?


Would all of those be

Would all of those be pronounced exactly as they are spelled?  I'd hate to make a mispronunciation and say something really silly sounding by mistake.

Speaking another language

Speaking another language is really difficult at a start but you just can't say these words without somebody to guide you. Otherwise you might sound terrible :) However, we, Filipinos understand the way Americans say our language and the words that we have because of the accent and we also understand that it is not that easy to learn our language in a US/UK citizen's point of view as they aren't exposed to our language. As for us, we're like brown Americans. Everywhere you go, the English language is everywhere so we're really familiar with it.

G'day Mate-that is hello in

G'day Mate-that is hello in Australia Wink Crickey- that is "Oh know"

Thanks for the sharing,

Thanks for the sharing, Tay, I hope others would reply to this thread and let us know some common conversations in another language.

Great Idea!

Thanks for the info. I've found that by knowing a few simple phrases in another language, the people of the country you are visiting react so much better than if you don't bother to learn anything and just assume everyone speaks English.

In French:
Bonjour- Hello!
Comment-ca va?- Pronounce like "como saw vaw"- How are you?
Merci- Pronounce like "mare-see"- Thank you
Everyone may already know these, but I find the pronounciation helpful!
Thanks

You are right. Knowing the pronounciation makes a big difference.

German:

Hallo - Hello (the a in German is pronounced a bit more like the british in british english, a bit like Houllo (with the ou really short))

Wie gehts - How are you (pronounced like wee gates)

Danke / Dankeschoen - Thank you (Dounke, Dounke-Shane)

Bitte - means Please AND also You're welcome

Andre

Travel Photos

A long time ago, I learned

A long time ago, I learned to say, "I am not a Soviet.  I am an American." in Vietnamese.  The Vietnamese children back in early 1991 used the word for Soviet interchangably with 'foreigner'.  I thought I'd straigten out this misconception.

 Vietnamese is a tonal language.  I got them wrong and traveled around the country telling children, "I am not a Soviet.  I am a smelly noodle."  And if I ever write a travel book, that is going to be the title.

 And back to the original topic.  In America, people use "Hey!" a lot for "Hello!" or "Hi!".  As in, "Hey, there.  How's it going?"  We also say, "No thanks." to decline an offer of food or help.  We mean, "No, thank you, I am fine." but people sometimes think we are refusing to thank them for their offer.

cindy wrote:  Vietnamese

cindy wrote:
 

 Vietnamese is a tonal language.  I got them wrong and traveled around the country telling children, "I am not a Soviet.  I am a smelly noodle."  And if I ever write a travel book, that is going to be the title.

Laughing Hilarious. I almost fell off my chair Mrs. Smelly Noodle.

cindy wrote:
 And back to the original topic.  In America, people use "Hey!" a lot for "Hello!" or "Hi!".  As in, "Hey, there.  How's it going?"  We also say, "No thanks." to decline an offer of food or help.  We mean, "No, thank you, I am fine." but people sometimes think we are refusing to thank them for their offer. 

Seems to be different on the west coast. Quite honestly all this "How's it going", "How are you" was really strange to me when I came to California from Germany. Someone is always asking and at first I was somewhat confused how to respond.

What you are describing sounds more like we did it in Germany. Noone would bother asking you "How are you?". That doesn't mean that people over there don't care, its just a different culture. They say exactly whats on their mind and if they don't care they don't ask. Did Kentucky by any chance get settled by Germans?

Over here its just a shallow cover, but I prefer it anyways.

Andre

Travel Photos

At least you don't hate

At least you don't hate it.  I've met a few Germans who say that the "Have a nice day!" bit drives them crazy because it is so hypocritical.  I contended that most people really do mean it.  Besides, for someone who is working with the public, being pleasant actually makes the day go faster.  It feels less like drudgery that way.

Germans

cindy wrote:
At least you don't hate it.  I've met a few Germans who say that the "Have a nice day!" bit drives them crazy because it is so hypocritical. 

Don't take it so bad. Germans are probably the most outspoken people in the world. They say exactly whats on their mind and most other cultures can't handle it. They also expect others to say whats on their mind and they get tangled up in the subtleties. That really doesn't mean Germans are unfriendly. They are just extremely open. It's the same with compliments. If you ever get a compliment from a German (rare) you know they mean it.

I agree with you, when I go to the supermarket I also prefer to be smiled at, even if its just on the surface. It makes everyone's day a bit better. At my cafeteria we have a lady from Peru at the register. She always makes everyone smile. I have no idea how she keeps up that kind of spirit but it's extremely refreshing.

Andre

Travel Photos

I bought a pair of sandals

I bought a pair of sandals in Munich once, and in addition to a convoluted system that required a separate person to get the shoes, to fit the shoes, to write up the order, to accept the order, to take my money, and give me the shoes, they were the grimmest group of people I had ever seen.  I asked my friend about it, and she said that if they smiled and chatted with the customers the way an American might, their employer would think they didn't take their work seriously.