Tag Archives: language confused

Language Confused: Hate

It’s always good to know how to introduce yourself. This is one of several key phrases we focused on before arriving in Norway.

ADVICE: don’t merely depend on your reading skills when learning a new language. You really need to hear it from a native speaker. Say it back and let them have the freedom to correct you.

We thought we were doing great. But sometimes we would get strange looks. Apparently, as we later figured out, Zack was saying something that sounded more like “I hate Zack.”

 

Language Confused: Tire Dilemma

Here in Norway, we have two sets of tires for our cars: summer tires and winter tires. We have almost no storage space here, other than one closet outside of our front door (yes, one closet in our entire house – that’s a lot different from where we lived in the US). So, like many here, we have to take the extra tires to a tire storage facility.Literally, a tire hotel. It’s also where you can buy tires. But basically, you pay to store them and to have them changed out twice a year.

So we’re there, waiting on the guy who’s doing the paperwork. Another guy walks up to me and asks if he could help me.

Here’s the thing I’ve mentioned before: you typically rehearse dialogue before completing a task. Well, we’d already used all of that dialogue with the other guy, so I’d kind of filed it away.

And in my haste to answer him, instead of saying I’m here about tire storage, I tell him that “I am a tire hotel.”

Language Confused: You’re hanging up what?!?!

Zack had been working with the landlord, trying to get the bathroom remodel completed before my mom and step-dad came to visit. In a process like that, you hear and begin to learn vocabulary you haven’t used before.Like the word for moldings.

We were visiting with friends, but it was time to leave. Zack was excited to speak in Norwegian as he told his friend he needed to go and hang molding (trim) on the walls. Only he didn’t say that.

No, Zack was going home to hang lust on the walls.

Life Lesson: learn to laugh at yourself!

Language Confused: learning a new language

Learning a new language is challenging. It’s even harder if you don’t learn to laugh at yourself.

In the spirit of laughing at ourselves, I thought it would be fun to periodically share some of our language mix-ups. Times when we thought we totally had it together, but were so very wrong.

So be on the look-out for more on this soon!