BECAUSE SOMETIMES MERCI IS NOT ENOUGH

Every American Or British Tourist Should Know These 10 Foreign Phrases

Image: Anna Gru

Even if the English language functions as an Esperanto of sorts, allowing us to communicate with people from all over the world, it is advisable to learn at least a few words from any country we are visiting. Not only does it ingratiate us with the locals, but it also teaches us about the language and, thus, the culture of the place we are exploring. The following ten phrases and words are useful expressions that will surely arise in conversation multiple times during your trip. Read on and see if you already know any of these!

Image: Brett Wharton

Let us start at the beginning here and talk about the first word that should come out of our mouths when speaking to someone for the first time. While the word "hallo" is an accepted greeting in German-speaking countries, there is a more colloquial word: grüezi.

And if you are feeling even more informal, or familiar, you can go with hoi, which is similar to saying "hi."

Image: Nguyen Thu Hoai

The second thing one should say when making a new acquaintance in a German-speaking country is simply, "How are you?" The correct term is Wie geht’s? It expresses a polite interest in the other person and it sets a friendly tone for the ensuing conversation.

If the person you are talking to asks back, you can reply, "Mir geht’s gut," meaning "I am fine."

Image: Who’s Denilo ?

Moving southward into more Mediterranean lands, we can find ourselves in Italy, with its musical language and colorful expressions that have common roots with Spanish and French, but not so much with English.

That is why it is advisable to know how to say, "Do you speak English?" in Italian, just in case. The correct way of saying this is Parla Inglese? When your limited Italian is getting you nowhere and both of you know it, this is your bailout phrase.

Image: Juan Marin

Another highly advisable thing to learn when going abroad is how to ask for directions when nature calls. If you are in Italy, the correct way of asking "Where is the bathroom?" is Dov'è il bagno?

It doesn’t get more important than needing to use the bathroom. This is how you ask for a restroom without using gestures.

Image: Hendrik Morkel

Moving on to Spanish-speaking countries, we have to offer a simple yet highly useful phrase that we can use when asking for directions, and not just the bathroom. The correct way of asking "Where is…?" anything is ¿Dónde está…?

You can complete that expression with whichever place you are looking for. For example, ¿Dónde está el restaurante? (Where is the restaurant?), ¿Dónde está el parque? (Where is the park?), etc.

Image: Helena Lopes

Being honest about one’s limitations is always good advice, especially when you are having difficulties speaking with someone in a foreign language. Chances are, the person you are speaking to will understand the situation and help you communicate.

Saying No hablo español muy bien means in Spanish, "I don’t speak Spanish very well."

Image: Atikh Bana

Another useful expression, this time meant for asking for something, be it a glass of water, a meal at a restaurant, or anything else, is this French version of "I would like," which is Je voudrais.

That’s how you start your order, followed by the food or drink off the menu. These two words can also be used in other situations, such as at a metro station to purchase train tickets from a vendor or anything else "you would like."

Image: Bermix Studio

Once you have finished your French meal, you will probably have to pay for the pleasant moment with a few Euros (or Dollars, or Bitcoins, or what have you). At this point, you will have to ask for the check.

The correct way to ask for the bill in French is l’addition, s’il vous plaît, which simply means "check, please."

Image: Kate Bezzubets

We will move on to Portuguese-speaking countries for these last two entries, starting with another universally useful expression: the ever-present "excuse me."

If you’re passing through a crowd and need to politely ask someone to step out of your way, you can say Com licença. A word with a very similar meaning is desculpa, which can be used to attract someone’s attention.

Image: Junseong Lee

What better word to finish this article than with a goodbye? Portuguese people have a few ways of doing this, but the most common is the gentle-sounding adeus.

Another popular way of saying goodbye, more informally, is simply, tchau.

THE KING OF TERROR

Discover Ten Books By The American Master Of Horror, Stephen King!

Image: Bruno Guerrero

Stephen King has truly earned his nickname "the King of Horror." Not only is it a fun wordplay on this iconic author’s last name, but it also perfectly describes his incredibly prolific career. With over 65 novels, 200 short stories, and no signs of slowing down, Stephen King has truly taken the horror genre to new heights.

In his almost 50-year-old career, King has written some of the most iconic and groundbreaking moments that redefined horror books and movies. We have selected ten of the most bloodcurdling King books as a way to honor this outstanding master of horror. Enjoy!

Image: Seven Shooter

We’ll start with King’s very first novel. Published in 1974, "Carrie" tells the story of a solitary and misunderstood teenager who one day discovers she has telekinetic powers. Ostracized and humiliated by her classmates, Carrie finally snaps and enacts revenge on the entire town that neglected her.

As bleak as this story is, the tale of how it was conceived is actually rather wholesome. King first drafted "Carrie" as a short story to be published in a magazine, but gave up on it since he felt it wouldn’t be successful. His wife Tabitha, however, encouraged him to keep on with it, inadvertently helping launch one of the most successful writing careers in modern history.

Image: Luis Villasmil

Just like "Carrie", Stephen King’s novel "The Shining" might be best known for its 1980 film adaptation, directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick. However, there is a huge difference between both movies: While Carrie is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original book, King has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Kubrick’s version. And, while the film is considered by many to be a masterpiece, the truth is that its vast differences with the source material have made the movie not a particularly faithful adaptation.

"The Shining" tells the story of Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance, a small family who moves to the empty Overlook Hotel in the Rocky Mountains, after Jack is hired as winter caretaker. Inspired by the real-life Stanley Hotel, the Overlook is a magnificent but mysterious place, filled with supernatural occurrences and ghostly apparitions. Locked in by the snow, Danny and Wendy must survive a suddenly deranged Jack, influenced by the evil pull of the hotel who wants to get ahold of the once-happy family.

Image: Nong

In case you didn’t know, people suffering from coulrophobia have an irrational fear of clowns. That being said, fearing clowns is way more common than you think: Some of us owe our fear of these colorful-haired entertainers to Stephen King’s classic 1986 novel, "It".

This book centers on a group of seven friends, who battle a shape-shifting monster (simply known as "It") that haunts the fictional town of Derry, Maine. While It can morph into whatever horrible form he chooses, his favorite shape is a dancing clown called Pennywise. Brought to life by Tim Curry in the 1990 mini-series (and then again by Bill Skarsgard in the 2017 film adaptation), Pennywise’s macabre antics have made him into one of the most iconic villains ever created.

Image: Eric Michael

Leave it to Stephen King to turn a beloved American icon into a murderous machine. Published in 1983, the novel "Christine" features an unusual villain: a 1958 Plymouth Fury, possessed by an evil spirit hell-bent on revenge. After bespectacled and withdrawn high-schooler Arnie Cunningham buys Christine from a mysterious old man, strange occurrences start happening in his hometown.

Acclaimed horror filmmaker John Carpenter directed a film adaptation of "Christine" only 8 months after the publication of the book. Carpenter’s version is now considered to be a cult classic and, just like King, managed to make a seemingly mundane item into a bloodthirsty monster.

Image: JJ Shev

Just like with "Christine", Stephen King manages to make one of the most adorable dogs in the world into the stuff of nightmares. The titular "Cujo" in the 1981 novel is a good-tempered St. Bernard, who becomes a rageful beast after being bitten by a rabid bat. King’s magistral take on this hellhound seems almost logical: Despite being friendly and caring, St. Bernards are humongous dogs and the prospect of one of them turning into a frenzy is a terrifying one.

King took inspiration for this story from a trip to a mechanic in his home state of Maine after having trouble with his motorcycle. When the author arrived at the garage, he was greeted by an angry St. Bernard who lunged for his hand. While King was left unharmed, the fear this enormous dog instilled in him drove him to create Cujo.

Image: Aleksei Zaitcev

How would you react if you woke up and found yourself sitting in a completely empty airplane? This existential question was posed by King in his 1990 novella, "The Langoliers". A group of ten people traveling on a red-eye flight to Boston discover that they are the only passengers on an airplane and make an emergency landing in Bangor, Maine. What follows is a bloodcurdling exploration into an eerily ghostly land on which time ceases to exist, devoured by otherworldly creatures called the Langoliers.

This novella was adapted into a TV mini-series in 1994. Stephen King himself makes a cameo, appearing as a businessman conducting an important shareholders meeting.

Image: Goran Vučićević

Misty and foggy weather has always been a staple of horror novels: it is easy to picture a haunted mansion or a spooky castle shrouded in a thin layer of concealing mist. However, in most stories, mist is usually innocuous, and nothing more than a way to add to the gravitas of a spooky landscape. That is until Stephen King came along with his 1980 novella "The Mist".

After a massive thunderstorm hits Bridgton, Maine, an unprecedently thick mist covers the town and leaves a group of citizens stranded in a supermarket. While the lack of visibility is a concern, the mist hides something more sinister: supernatural creatures that attack whoever wanders into the foggy streets.

Image: Patrick Fore

Fans are one of the main sources of inspiration for lots of creative people: their support and continuous encouragement drive their favorite artists to create new work. However, as the 1987 novel "Misery" teaches us, there is a very big difference between admiration and obsession, and sometimes your biggest fan might become your worst nightmare.

King was inspired by the reactions of some of his own fans to his fantasy novel "The Eyes of the Dragon". The story of writer Paul Sheldon and how he is held captive by a deranged admirer of his books draw parallels to King’s own experiences with fans. King felt some of his fans had metaphorically trapped him in the horror genre, especially those who reacted negatively to "The Eyes of The Dragon" just because it wasn’t a horror novel.

Image: Eduardo Mallmann

No, that’s not a typo: that’s the actual name of this book. But you probably already know that: this is one of Stephen King’s most famous works. It has been adapted into two movies, one in 1989 and another in 2019, and it even inspired a punk rock anthem by the legendary band The Ramones.

This book follows the Creeds, a family that moves to a house near the town of Ludlow, Maine. After a truck runs over the family cat, a neighbor advises burying their pet behind the old "pet sematary", an ancient and evil burial ground with the power to bring the dead back to life. However, Louis soon learns that some things should stay buried.

Image: Jason W

We end this list with one of Stephen King’s most acclaimed books. The post-apocalyptic novel "The Stand" was one of King’s most ambitious projects: The complete edition, published in 1990, is the author’s longest stand-alone book to this day. This effort shows, though, since "The Stand" became a #1 bestseller and it is considered by many to be one of King’s best novels.

After a deadly virus extermines most of the human population, two opposing factions try to rally survivors to their side. This novel was the first appearance of Randall Flagg, one of King’s most iconic villains and the main antagonist of "The Dark Tower" series. "The Stand" was adapted into several TV shows, most recently in a 2021 adaptation starring Alexander Skarsgard.