A BRITISH man believes that saying English words in a French accent means he is actually speaking French.
Roy Hobbs, who has holidayed in France numerous times, thinks he can speak the language proficiently based on a handful of nonsensical conversations that ended without disaster.
Hobbs said: “I’m pretty fluent but to be fair a lot of their words are basically the same as ours, like ‘sweemeeng pool’ or ‘I’d voudrais un twenty ceegarettes’. That means ‘I’d like to buy some fags’.
“I can tell the French appreciate talking to someone who loves their language because they always start speaking English back. That’s them showing their respect.
“Last year when we went to Barcelona I discovered I can speak Spanish too. I said ‘Two paellas, uno pinto of beer and uno white wino, senorita’, and the waiter understood immediately.”
Hobbs’ remarkable aptitude for languages has prompted him to explore other European countries, this week deciding to book a mini-break in the German capital, Berlin.
Hobbs’ wife Margaret said: “Oh God.”
