To use my second language to gain an advantage in the Lidl queue?

[SerenYrWythnos]

I live in a town on the Welsh border. So much on the border that parts of my town are actually in England, but the Lidl is in Wales.

It's not a Welsh speaking area at all. Welsh is taught in schools but you don't hear it being spoken out and about - I honestly can't remember the last time I heard anyone speaking Welsh outside an educational setting.

But because it's in Wales, Lidl do all their store announcements in Welsh first, including the announcement that another till is opening and the number of the till.

I speak enough Welsh to know which till is about to open before it's announced in English so I just zoom straight over there when I hear it in Welsh. This gets me dirty looks from people who were ahead of me in one of the queues, but didn't twig which till was opening until it was announced in English. Lidl tends to have mega queues so getting in first at a newly opened till is a major win round here 😁

AIBU to take no notice and carry on being first at Till 5? Or should I wait until everyone has understood what's going on, or should I even give the people ahead of me a heads up?

Yes!! Go go go, I say! The sooner you’ve paid for your pastries, the sooner you can eat them!

Tbf, for anyone who went to school round here more than about 20 years ago, Welsh wasn't taught and because it's not a Welsh speaking area it's just not something you'd necessarily pick up.

That said, I only moved here as an adult and my Welsh comes from making a deliberate effort - I took my DC as babies/toddlers to cylch (like a Welsh version of rhyme time), read the Welsh language books we all got from Flying Start (still use the tote bag they came in 😂), helped the DC with their Welsh homework etc. My DC all took/are taking Welsh at GCSE and my oldest is now involved with the Welsh conversation group at uni.

But in this part of Wales it would be perfectly possible, if you were of the generation who didn't learn Welsh in school (or just didn't pay any attention to Welsh in school, or had crappy teaching, or struggled enough with English never mind a second language), to not really know any.

I love MN. Views ranging from the halo polishing 'I was brought up properly ' to 'go for it'.

@S0upertrooper microdon

@CheekyPombear Not in the Lidl queue it isn't

Of course yanbu. Any of the other customers could easily find out the numbers 1-10 in welsh and listen out for the welsh announcement. It's not your problem that they don't bother. Ignore any actual "dirty looks" but I expect half the resentment you think you detect is just your imagination.

YANBU You're merely using your skills to get ahead. Knowledge is power and if people can't be bothered to learn mere basics of another language then that's on them.

You snooze, you lose, and all that. 😁

I am always sceptical about these announcements. At the one I used to go to they would anounce opening at a till, then anounce closure after a minute or so, before the staff member had even shown up. The que jumpers nemesis. Enjoyable to watch😉

Runaraaaaaaaaand!
Me too!

Go for it.

It reminds me of the time we were holidaying at a resort in Spain. The entertainment in the evening started with bingo in 4 languages-Spanish, French, English and German. So the caller would say "cuatro, quatre , four, vier" and I kept winning because I speak Spanish and French .

What an utterly performative conspicious display to competitively show how well mannered you think you are. You’re not the maître d directing to designated destination. Probably waste more time pissing about with no!after you… oh! You go first …etc. Crack on, use and advantage and Ruuuuuuunnnn.

I don’t shop at Lidl so I don’t have this problem.

Well I don’t directly go but The nanny has to go (to a different post code) somewhere less salubrious like Muswell Hill. They’re so not bilingual there. No. Times are tough

This post made me laugh so much! If you think people don't understand or guess, you are delusional. They have eyes, they can see another staff coming, the flashing of the number and I'm sure they can pick up the announcement of the number.

They give you dirty looks because they think it's rude to rush to be first when other people have been waiting longer than you. Many people do that, but it's still quite inconsiderate.

I think most people on the border can count to 5 in welsh. they probably just can't be bothered to move.

There's only ever one till open at ours these days, so never hear announcements. They expect you to use the self checkouts now but your not being unreasonable at all. As someone who knows some welsh, I would. Its more welsh speaking here though, so it wouldn't work. As many people speak it as a first language.

Anyone wanting to learn Welsh should get the duolingo app, also there are online Welsh courses available that are very reasonably priced or free for the under 25’s. As for people not being able to learn numbers 1-6 that is just laziness unless they have some kind of learning difficulty.

I don’t see how on earth most supermarkets would have any etiquette for new till opening, unless they are small. In ours you’re likely to have multiple existing queues plus new people coming to pay so it’s just whoever is nearer to the new till getting there first. If everyone stood around assessing relative queue positions and moral rights we’d never pay. It would only be an issue if you only had one or possibly two other queues.

I also don’t get how understanding a number quicker in bingo makes you win? The cards are the cards - one card will fill its numbers quicker than another. It’s not a race to call house on an individual number.

Not to mention the ‘I don’t shop at Lidl’ sneers.

Meicrodon or popty ping?

Who actually has the time to care about such shit? Let alone post about it!

Shows how much areas of Wales differ, where I am it's more Welsh than English, and the generation you mention are the ones that had to learn english as a second language. Hard line take back from the Victorians trying to stamp out the language I guess 😅

If I phone the hospital the message is in Welsh and which option to chose for English. Although being Welsh but not speaking I know the Welsh for 2 for English so I don't need to listen to both messages.

You do by reading the thread and commenting.

I love this! Go for it OP. What’s Welsh for “You snooze you lose?”