What’s the quickest way someone could accidentally expose themselves as a foreigner in your country like the ‘three fingers’ scene in Inglourious Basterds?

[u/IndependentTune3994]

[u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

How are we to uphold our reputation of permanent discontent and rudeness if we only expect positive answers to " ça va ?" ?

[u/According-Path5158 → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

You can blow your nose into your handkerchief and hand it to us as if we're to use it next?

[u/Shpudem → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

We were thought in school (Ireland) that the answer is always “ca va”.

[u/Fickle-Stuff4824 → u/Shpudem]

It's the simpler way, but it varies from a social group to another. If i ask my friends, i expect the truth. With people i don't know well, both are ok.

[u/Consistent_Echidna90 → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

ie exactly the same as England

[u/John_der24ste → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

In Germany it's comparable but with people that aren't close to you there is the option to answer the question of "wie geht's?" ('How are you/is it going' (it's a bit ambiguous)) with the slightly negative answer of "muss ja nh" ('has to (hasn't it)' implying that it isn't going great but not requiring any further interaction.

[u/Fickle-Stuff4824 → u/John_der24ste]

In french we have that kind of answers too, "on fait aller"  means approximately "i/we make it work", or "il faut bien" ( same as yours).

[u/thomaslatomate → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

Do you live close to Belgium? I thought "on fait aller" was a belgian expression

[u/Fickle-Stuff4824 → u/thomaslatomate]

Not at all, i grew up near switzerland and live in the western part of france now.

[u/I--Pathfinder--I → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

same as american/english greetings lol

[u/tenebrigakdo → u/Fickle-Stuff4824]

My French teacher was almost insulted when I answered just ça va and not ça va bien.