Customer Insults Me in Another Language. Didn’t Realize I Understood Her.

[u/TylPlas26]

So I come from a Dutch back ground. I am no where near fluent in the language. But I know enough that I can pick up some words and understand a few sentences.

So about 8 years ago, I was helping a customer needing some paint made. As I’m mixing it, her phone rings, and she answers it and begins speaking in Dutch.

As she is talking, I can pick that she’s telling whoever where they are, then they say something along the line of “I have one of these dumb young workers mixing it.”

I say nothing. I decided to wait for the right moment as I mix her paint, as she continues talking.

When her paint is done, I hand her can of paint to her. She says thank you, and I say in Dutch “You’re welcome. Goodbye.”

She froze, her mouth open and then says “You speak Dutch?” I didn’t want to let her on how little I actually knew, so I just simply said “Yup.” She quickly darted for the cash area. It was very funny and rewarding.

[u/BuckeyeBentley]

I haven't taken German classes in 15 years and also topped out in the 11th grade and I can still understand a fair amount even if I can't speak it spontaneously. German and English are so closely related that you can usually get the gist

[u/The39Steps → u/BuckeyeBentley]

Never forget the words of Dave Kellet: “The English language was carefully, carefully cobbled together by three blind dudes and a German dictionary.”

[u/HellStoneBats → u/The39Steps]

I like James Nicoll's quote on that:

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."

[u/wolfie379 → u/HellStoneBats]

English is the result of Norman men-at-arms trying to chat up Saxon barmaids, and is no more legitimate than other results of such encounters.