British tourists using this common foreign phrase abroad could end up paying €500
BRITISH travellers attempting to use the language of a country when on holiday could end up causing more problems than they mean to, and even ending up with huge fines.
Pardon? Why did these tourist's turn down FREE cash
Britons heading on holiday don’t always learn the language of the country before arriving.
However, some phrases have now been revealed to be much more dangerous than previously thought.
Some of the common terms could cause problems that could even leave travellers with a huge fine.
Britons using certain foreign phrases abroad could be landed with a huge fune
Offering to say ‘bon appetite’ in France to someone is also considered highly rude and improper
The worst phrase a traveller could use is in Germany when attempting to speak to a policeman.
Whilst the correct term is ‘sie’ when addressing them, many may use the informal ‘du’ which, when talking to a government official, could leave travellers with a fine as big as €500.
Offering to say ‘bon appetite’ in France to someone is also considered highly rude and improper.
The taboo word means to invite diners to ‘good digestion’, suggesting they are so hungry they will jump at any food, embarrassingly.
Britons speaking to a government official in Germany should be careful how they address them
The survey by language-learning app Babbel compiled some of the worst words to use abroad.
For example, 'mamma mia' in Italy and 'sacrebleu' in France are very outdated and never used in conversation.
Using 'garçon' in France is also considered very rude and patronising when in a restaurant, despite Britons using the phrase in an attempt to embrace the language.
Others to avoid are 'hasta la vista' in Spain and 'ooh la la' in France, as both are not what British tourists think they may mean.
British tourists in France using 'garçon' and 'bon appetite' are actually causing offence
A recent poll found that half of Britons admit to being embarrassed for not speaking the foreign language.
Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, previously commented: "The reality is that having more of us being able to speak at least a little of a foreign language is good for the UK's long-term competitiveness, particularly as the country comes to reposition itself on the world stage.
Babbel’s recent campaign, “Be A Better Brit Abroad” showed how tourists could be missing out when not learning the language.
Some could have even been given a free yacht if they had understood it.