English edition · B1–C1

That Came Out Wrong · Vol. 4At the Table

Name: That Came Out Wrong, Vol. 4: At the Table
Author: Adrian Morel

20 darkly funny English false friends at the table, and how never to say them again.

For French, Spanish and Italian speakers. Written in clear English.

“What is the typical plate of this region?”
“Politics! It's my favourite argument at dinner.”
“Please, have some confetti with your coffee!”

If you're a French, Spanish or Italian speaker eating out in English, you may have said something like this. Everyone around you heard something very different.

Vol. 4 turns 20 classic false friends into short illustrated stories set in restaurants, cafés, markets and family dinners. Each story fits on a double page: the scene, the line that came out wrong, what the speaker meant and what everyone heard, three correct ways to say it, and one line to remember so it never happens again.

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The 20 false friends
in this book

Every story shows who usually falls into the trap, because the mistake comes from their first language.

Three Entrées to StartentréesUsually said by French speakers
The Typical PlateplateUsually said by French, Spanish & Italian speakers
A Vase of WatervaseUsually said by Spanish speakers
No Conservatives in My JamconservativesUsually said by French speakers
Waiting for My RestrestUsually said by Italian speakers
Fresh Raisins, PleaseraisinsUsually said by French speakers
Two Rations, PleaserationsUsually said by Spanish speakers
My Favourite ArgumentargumentUsually said by Italian speakers
The Chair of the FishchairUsually said by French speakers
Hake to the Ironto the ironUsually said by Spanish speakers
Attending a FriendattendingUsually said by French & Italian speakers
The Chicken Is CrudecrudeUsually said by Spanish & Italian speakers
A Little More Pain?painUsually said by French speakers
Confetti With Your CoffeeconfettiUsually said by Italian speakers
A Coffee AlonealoneUsually said by Spanish speakers
Pepperoni for a VegetarianpepperoniUsually said by Italian speakers
Your Mother's SalsasalsaUsually said by Spanish speakers
The Addition, PleaseadditionUsually said by French speakers
A Very Educated ChildeducatedUsually said by Spanish & Italian speakers
Very, Very RichrichUsually said by Spanish speakers

Look inside

Real pages from the book. Tap a page to see it larger. Story 1 is below, free.

Inside That Came Out Wrong, Vol. 4: The contents: 20 stories, 20 false friends. — The contents: 20 stories, 20 false friends.

Inside That Came Out Wrong, Vol. 4: Story 2, “The Typical Plate”: the scene on the left, the lesson on the right. — Story 2, “The Typical Plate”: the scene on the left, the lesson on the right.

Read the first story, free

Story 1 of 20, exactly as it appears in the book.

Story 01 · French speakers

Three Entrées to Start

A smiling woman points at a waiter staggering under a tray of three giant covered dishes.

Camille's first dinner in New York with her husband's colleagues. Everyone is starving, the menu is huge, and she decides to take charge for the whole table.

The line

“Let's share three entrées to start, then we'll order mains.”

What she meantLet's share three starters (entrées).

What they heardThree main courses as an appetiser. Then more main courses. A bold strategy.

Say it right

Neutral (US)“Let's share three appetizers to start.”

Neutral (UK)“Let's get three starters to share.”

Casual“Let's grab a few things to share first.”

Never againIn France, the entrée comes first. In the US, the entrée is the main course. Order three to start and you'll need a bigger table, and a bigger belt.