An example of what I mean:

I, in China, told an English speaking Chinese friend I needed to stop off in the bathroom to “take a shit.”

He looked appalled and after I asked why he had that look, he asked what I was going to do with someone’s shit.

I had not laughed so hard in a while, and it totally makes sense.

I explained it was an expression for pooping, and he comes back with, “wouldn’t that be giving a shit?”

I then got to explain that to give a shit means you care and I realized how fucked some of our expressions are.

What misunderstandings made you laugh?

  • SorryforSmelling@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    7·
    6 days ago

    my now wife is american. i learned uk english. one day we and some friends sat in a team speak voice chat. my now wife asks where XY is. i tell them, that they left to smoke a fag (which is uk söang for smokeing a cigerette). She was very concerned to say the least.

      • SorryforSmelling@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        6 days ago

        Well i am non binary but we best fit the lesbian lable. doesnt matter at all, i just wanna do my part to prevent lemmy to become heteronormative. we already had that on reddit to an annoying amount ^^

        But thats what i assume her thoughts were based of the speechless reaction xD