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Woman Gets Sweet Revenge On Driver Who Fat-Shamed Her In His Native Tongue: “You’re Also Fat”
Interview With Expert
The ability to speak several languages is a valuable skill, but knowing when to stay quiet is an even greater one.
One cab driver learned this the hard way when he launched into a vivid rant about his passenger in Romanian, confident she couldn’t follow. Little did he realize, she caught every word—and by the end of the ride, she responded with a remark that left him completely floored.
More info: Reddit
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The cab driver went on a rude rant about his passenger in his native language
Image credits: ollyy / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Little did he know, she understood every word and wasn’t about to let it slide
Image credits: ArthurHidden / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: bagelundercouch
“Be polite and friendly to others, no matter if they understand you or not,” advises polyglot
Bored Panda spoke with Lisa, a polyglot and content creator known as @polyglottelle on Instagram, to get her thoughts on encounters like this.
“I’ve actually experienced something similar while I was abroad,” Lisa told us. During a taxi ride with a local friend, the driver started commenting on her appearance, calling her “hot” and asking her friend if she was his girlfriend. “He had no idea I could understand every word because I stayed quiet the whole time,” she recalled. But things took a turn when the driver began insulting her for being a foreigner.
Lisa decided to keep her composure until the end of the ride. When it was time to get out, she calmly asked the driver—in his own language—to stop at a different location since they had changed their minds. “He was completely caught off guard that I not only understood him but could respond perfectly,” she said.
While the encounter was amusing to her, it also served as an important reminder. “You never know who might be able to follow what you’re saying, so you have to be mindful of your words,” Lisa reflected. “They can hurt people or lead to unpleasant situations.”
“So my advice: be polite and friendly to others, no matter if they understand you or not.”
Watch movies and talk to yourself if you want to be fluent in a foreign language
Lisa, originally from Germany, is fluent in four languages—German, English, Spanish, and Portuguese—and is now working on three more as she strives to eventually master 15.
One of her favorite things about learning new languages is connecting with the cultures behind them. “Even though it’s the same language, cultural differences can influence how it’s used and express the mentality of the people really well,” she said.
She finds idioms and untranslatable expressions particularly fascinating. “For example, the Portuguese word Saudade expresses a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia,” Lisa shared. “Or the German word Fernweh, which describes being homesick for a place you’ve never been.”
Of course, reaching fluency requires time, dedication, and effort, but Lisa has practical tips for beginners looking to improve. “Start by watching YouTube videos for beginners, reading your favorite book, or watching a familiar movie or show,” she suggested.
“If you already know the story, you don’t have to focus on the plot—you can concentrate on learning the words instead,” she explained. “I especially enjoy watching travel or ‘a day in my life’ vlogs because the visuals make it clear what’s happening, and certain words are repeated often enough to stick in your head naturally.”
Many recommend speaking from day one, and Lisa agrees it’s a good approach. “But it’s not always easy to find someone to practice with, so start by talking to yourself or reading sentences out loud,” she suggests. “It helps you get used to forming sentences, and when you finally have a conversation, your muscle memory will guide you.”
Readers loved the satisfying outcome
Many chimed in to share their own similar stories
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Petra Peitsch 2 hours ago (edited)
There is a saying. "There are living hungarians everywhere in the world". So one day me and my colleague were traveling on a tram, when suddenly I overhear hungarian words. There was a middle-aged couple, and sure shít-talking my colleague. He is south-italian with a very nice olive-skin, brown hair, hazel eyes, me being the very white blue-eyed blonde. So, these two assumed he is arab and us being a couple, and was going on an "academic" talk, how his kind of people are ruining the whole Europe, transforming it in a muslim caliphate, and that I should have found a "normal" partner. nada, nada ... the whole european-version of MAGA bullshít. Just before we were getting off, I turned to them, saying in hungarian "His kind of people were one of the early founders of the european today's civilization, him being italian, and you should mind your own damn business. You know, there are living hungarians everywhere in the world, but especially many in Germany." Those Pikachu-faces were priceless!
Donna Peluda 6 hours ago
The news in Spain and been highlighting the bad behaviour of British at some tourist destinations..cheap booze, happy hours and sun are a bad combination. I'm in the supermarket stocking up on booze for a BBQ at home. My cart is full of wine, beer whiskey etc. I bump in to some English friends and we are chatting in English. The woman behind, Spanish with her daughter starts yapping to her daughter, "look at them all the do is drink drink drink, hasn't even bought any food to soak it up, bla bla bla, as my turn came to put my shopping on the belt I tuned to her in my perfect Spanish and said. BTW, all my friends coming to the BBQ are Spanish, they'll be drinking all of this. Maybe your daughter would like to come. She moved to another checkout.
KatSaidWhat 6 hours ago
Saffa here who learnt the lesson of you can't trash talk in Afrikaans on the London tube. Paid that lesson forward a few years later to a teen who had a lot to say to her father who had clocked I understood. I also waited until getting off before saying "Almal praat die taal" - we all speak the language. Dad lolled, she pikachued.
Petra Peitsch 2 hours ago (edited)
There is a saying. "There are living hungarians everywhere in the world". So one day me and my colleague were traveling on a tram, when suddenly I overhear hungarian words. There was a middle-aged couple, and sure shít-talking my colleague. He is south-italian with a very nice olive-skin, brown hair, hazel eyes, me being the very white blue-eyed blonde. So, these two assumed he is arab and us being a couple, and was going on an "academic" talk, how his kind of people are ruining the whole Europe, transforming it in a muslim caliphate, and that I should have found a "normal" partner. nada, nada ... the whole european-version of MAGA bullshít. Just before we were getting off, I turned to them, saying in hungarian "His kind of people were one of the early founders of the european today's civilization, him being italian, and you should mind your own damn business. You know, there are living hungarians everywhere in the world, but especially many in Germany." Those Pikachu-faces were priceless!
Donna Peluda 6 hours ago
The news in Spain and been highlighting the bad behaviour of British at some tourist destinations..cheap booze, happy hours and sun are a bad combination. I'm in the supermarket stocking up on booze for a BBQ at home. My cart is full of wine, beer whiskey etc. I bump in to some English friends and we are chatting in English. The woman behind, Spanish with her daughter starts yapping to her daughter, "look at them all the do is drink drink drink, hasn't even bought any food to soak it up, bla bla bla, as my turn came to put my shopping on the belt I tuned to her in my perfect Spanish and said. BTW, all my friends coming to the BBQ are Spanish, they'll be drinking all of this. Maybe your daughter would like to come. She moved to another checkout.
KatSaidWhat 6 hours ago
Saffa here who learnt the lesson of you can't trash talk in Afrikaans on the London tube. Paid that lesson forward a few years later to a teen who had a lot to say to her father who had clocked I understood. I also waited until getting off before saying "Almal praat die taal" - we all speak the language. Dad lolled, she pikachued.
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