You never know when you might need to say “Help, I’m dying” in a foreign country, and the sooner you learn how to say it in the local language, the better your chances of survival are.
However, your chances of survival don’t depend on whether you know the local greeting or not, since it’s mostly used in a casual conversation, not a life-threatening situation. Therefore, one should 1st learn how to say the phrase “Help, I’m dying”, and then learn the greeting.
I see you’re a “glass half full of deadly poison” kind of person…
I’m more of a “glass half empty of poison” kinda guy 😏
I’m more of a “glass half empty of poison” kinda guy 😏
It’s really context dependent
I have never learned languages to go to a foreign country. I always did this to watch movies or read books.
Also in that context that might be a helpful phrase.
Re: A Gaping Hole in my Stomach
Dear Foreigners,
Help, I am dying.
Yours faithfully,
Mr Tourist.
“where are the toilets?” is the first thing I want to know on any language, and the phrase I know in the most languages.
A bloodcurdling scream is universal, and I have a good one. That seems a reasonable alarm phrase.
I think it would be better to know the word to warn others of danger, because not only could you warn others of danger, you’d also be able to understand if they attempt to earn you.
The first sentence should be “excuse me sir, it would appear that there is a fierce rattlesnake behind you.”
Phew! Thankfully I know how to say “Iuuāte mē! Morior!” in Latin. That’ll increase my odds of survival! /s
Okay, I’m clearly joking with the above.
Serious now: OP’s advice is solid; when travelling through a region it’s sensible to know at the very least “help me!”, “danger!”, and similar in local languages, even if you won’t learn the rest of the languages in question.
Screaming is universal
“¡Desastre imminente!”
You’d be much better off learning the local emergency number and how to provide a street address.
How about “you need to slapped”? Backpfeifengesicht.
