While I am taking the Czech language course and am learning a lot, there are still plenty of times when I get confused or thrown off track by the native Czech speakers (it is after all, their language, not mine). This is where the importance of body language kicks in to the conversation. I have found two expressions that help out a lot.
1) The Blank Stare
I know the phrase for "I don't understand," which is "Nerozumim." However, in such cases when I get confused, my brain goes into a state of shock and I can't always remember it straight away. The blank stare conveys to the native Czech speaker that I have no earthly idea what they just said. Let's look at an example from yesterday's lunch:
Waiter (in Czech): Hello. What would you like to order?
Me (in Czech): The chicken with pineapple, please.
Waiter (in Czech): Something something something blah blah blah monkeys.
Me: *blank stare*
2) The Emphatic Nod
Now the nod is also very important. It allows for me to say yes to something if I'm only partially sure I understood what is going on. Let's look at the conversation from lunch again:
(after blank stare)
Waiter (in English): Do you speak English?
Me: *emphatic nod* Yes!
Waiter (in English): Rice or french fries?
Me: Rice.
Nodding helps out a lot. However, apparently the nod is not universal. According to my professor, in Bulgaria, what I think of as nodding (a vertical pivot of the head) means no, and what I think of as shaking my head (horizontal pivot) means yes.
I'm glad I'm not studying in Bulgaria.
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