Why holidaying Brits declare themselves ‘pregnant’ to French waiters
By ANIWednesday, October 27, 2010
LONDON - Declaring yourself ‘pregnant’ to French waiters or asking for a ‘condom’ at an eatery are evidently the most common gaffes Britons make while abroad, a survey has revealed.
It turns out that ‘Je suis plein’ means ‘I am full’ in French, but when mispronounced as ‘pleine’, it translates into ‘I am pregnant’.
And in Portugal or France, ‘preservativo’ and ‘preservatif’ refers to condoms, but Brits seem to be unaware of that, thinking they are asking for jam.
The gaffes were revealed in a survey of British holidaymakers carried out by Owners Direct, the self-catering operator, reports the Telegraph.
Other mistakes include one holidaymaker who asked for her “head baked Al Forno” when trying to obtain a hairdryer, and a traveller in Hong Kong who accidentally told locals she worked as a ‘prostitute’.
The study also revealed that 95 per cent of Britons would attempt to speak the local language on holiday, particularly those travelling to Spain or France. (ANI)
