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Most useful phrase in every language


RoseGoesToYale

Most useful phrase  

135 members have voted

  1. 1. What is the most important phrase someone should learn in any language?

    • Where is the bathroom?
      29
    • Do you speak -insert native language-?
      35
    • I love you
      2
    • What is your name?
      0
    • What restaurant would you recommend?
      2
    • Curse word(s)
      7
    • I don't understand
      21
    • HELP!
      28
    • Other (put below)
      11

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RoseGoesToYale

What, in your opinion, is the most important and useful phrase one should know in any language they learn? If it's not listed, put down here.

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although this kind of goes with “i don’t understand,” i think the most important phrase in any language is “i can’t fluently speak [insert language].”

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I'd probably go with something like "Thank you" because I've heard that people around the world appreciate it when foreigners or tourists show respect for their language and culture by making an effort at trying to speak in their language/being polite to them.

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Alejandrogynous

Hello.

Goodbye.

Please.

Thank you.

Where's the bathroom?

Help/police.

I'm allergic to [x].

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Dreamsexual

.

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My hovercraft is full of eels.

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these Klingons have no honor. 

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I haven't decided just as of yet, but I thought, as a funny side note that Duolingo teaches sentences like "Pardon, I am an apple," and something about little horses against a large duck.

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For me, it would be " Is this vegetarian ?"

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Anthracite_Impreza

"Where's the loo?", obviously.

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I’m dying

Where’s the hospital

The epipen is in my pocket

No, the other pocket

No, you’re holding it the wrong way up

For goodness sake, give it here

 

In all seriousness, being able to communicate medical issues in different languages is really important for emergency situations.

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Custard Cream
4 hours ago, daveb said:

My hovercraft is full of eels.

I was going to post that!

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Dreamsexual

.

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Where is the bathroom

This brings to mind an episode of black books where the characters are going away on holiday 

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“May I pet your dog?”.

 

At the risk of shaming other people’s answers, I think “where is the bathroom?” is one of the worst. What are you going to do when the answer is complicated and in a language you don’t understand ?

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Yui-Drakon

Among these ones I would say "I don't understand", but my favourite is "I don't know"

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Reminds me of a hilarious dictionary I once read about. It covered all the basics of everyday conversations, with necessities like "The mayor's wife will be present tonight as well."

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EggplantWitch

My sister and I joke that the essentials you need when going on holiday are 'please' 'thank you' 'excuse me' 'sorry' and 'CAN I PET YOUR DOG'. I think just walking up to the dog owner and hopefully asking 'dog?' generally gets the point across though.

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kiaroskuro

Learning swear words makes a lot of sense. I mean, you should be able to recognise them.

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Living in Germany (I only speak English) the only phrase I was comfortable with on a daily basis was "I don't speak German" and "Do you speak English?". Got a few people to quit yelling at me lmao. Also, the small city I was in was very accepting of non-native speakers once you told them and they knew you weren't just dumb (but as an American I may have just gotten pity help)

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Skycaptain

As others have already said 

 

Hello

Please 

Thank you 

I'm sorry, I don't speak [language] 

 

Although a few swear words are handy :P

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Help. = "Apua" in Finnish.

 

Just in case anyone needs any of them in Finnish, there's the rest of them (majority of Finns speak English, so it's really not a matter of survival anyway) ;)

 

Where is the bathroom?

= Missä on wc/vessa?

 

Do you speak Finnish/English?

= Puhutko suomea/englantia?

 

I love you

= Rakastan sinua.

 

What is your name?

= Mikä on nimesi? 

 

What restaurant would you recommend?

= Mitä ravintolaa suosittelisit?

 

Curse word(s)

= Perkele, vittu, saatana, helvetti (xD).

 

I don't understand

= En ymmärrä.

 

A few more that come to my mind:

 

Anteeksi

= sorry/excuse me/pardon.

 

Kiitos

= thank you.

 

Ole hyvä/ei kestä

= you're welcome.

 

En puhu suomea

= I don't speak Finnish.

 

Näkemiin

= Good bye.

 

Nähdään (taas)

= See you (soon again).

 

Edit. Just noticed this thread wasn't about actually teaching the language lol xD

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nineGardens

"I do not speak LANGUAGE HERE"

 

ich spreche noch kein deutsch

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J. van Deijck
On 6/12/2019 at 1:17 PM, naakka said:

Help. = "Apua" in Finnish.

 

Just in case anyone needs any of them in Finnish, there's the rest of them (majority of Finns speak English, so it's really not a matter of survival anyway) ;)

 

Where is the bathroom?

= Missä on wc/vessa?

 

Do you speak Finnish/English?

= Puhutko suomea/englantia?

 

I love you

= Rakastan sinua.

 

What is your name?

= Mikä on nimesi? 

 

What restaurant would you recommend?

= Mitä ravintolaa suosittelisit?

 

Curse word(s)

= Perkele, vittu, saatana, helvetti (xD).

 

I don't understand

= En ymmärrä.

 

A few more that come to my mind:

 

Anteeksi

= sorry/excuse me/pardon.

 

Kiitos

= thank you.

 

Ole hyvä/ei kestä

= you're welcome.

 

En puhu suomea

= I don't speak Finnish.

 

Näkemiin

= Good bye.

 

Nähdään (taas)

= See you (soon again).

 

Edit. Just noticed this thread wasn't about actually teaching the language lol xD

still, it's gonna be useful for some :D might do the same in Dutch, though. it's actually an idea.

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8 minutes ago, [noize:injekktion] said:

still, it's gonna be useful for some :D might do the same in Dutch, though. it's actually an idea.

It could be helpful :P

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On 6/16/2019 at 2:45 PM, ByeYall! said:

Help me, I'm choking/ dying might be important. 

When you're actually choking you can't speak. It should be assumed without the victim saying a word. Another thing, you should never let choking/coughing person leave alone to the bathroom etc. Everyone should know these, in order to save lifes :)

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