- Did you get what [insert language teacher here] said?
Faces contorted with confusion, eyes darting from person to person, and frantically whispering to one another to get at least the gist of what is going on are all too familiar scenes. It’s okay. We all know you say you “understood” just to make your teacher go away when really, you have no idea. Are you about to ask your neighbor what your teacher just told your class? Tough luck, chico/男孩子.
- Do Spanish/Chinese speakers even use these words in their daily lives?
Let’s be real. When are we ever going to discuss what our best friends are like outside of Spanish or Chinese class? What we actually remember at the end of four or five years of foreign language study are mostly swear words, not trivial details like how to conjugate verbs.
- May I go to the bathroom?
The only thing we can say with confidence in foreign language class.
- Spanish/Chinese Teacher: Please speak only Spanish/Chinese in this classroom. English or Korean is unacceptable.
Come on, teacher. I mean, I face enough struggles even in my English class, and on top of that, I already take another foreign language class: pre-calculus.
- Spanish/Chinese Teacher: Ok class, please remove all your belongings from your desks except for a pencil and eraser. We’ll be taking the quiz in a few minutes. Student to other student: Did I hear incorrectly, or did he/she just say, “quiz?”
Ugh, every foreign language class in a nutshell. Don’t worry too much. You’re not the only one failing the upcoming assessment!
Disclaimer: All comments are in good fun. Please don’t hate. Appreciate the humor.