"I wish you were dead!" I said with a smile.

Here in the Balkans we're enduring the latest heatwave... is it too soon to wish summer were over?? Well, yesterday morning after a pleasant chat with my market guy I said "ciao" and then added a "Stay Cool!"

"Остани ладен!"

:::language learning moment alert:::

Apparently that didn't translate the way I'd intended as he responded with hearty laughs and called me back over. He chuckled as he so gently informed me that basically I'd just wished him dead. Doh! The phrase I used, while a literal translation of "stay cool," meant rather "Go to die!" or "Become cold like death!" or "Stay in the ground like a dead man!"

Sigh... and here I thought I was just wishing him a cooler more pleasant day. He said it was better to wish someone Добар живот or "Good life!" So I sheepishly wished him "good health and life" and bade my goodbye.

I'm pretty sure he and his wife will have a good laugh about that language blooper for quite a while. On the other hand, I'm so thankful for locals like them who have such a keen interest in me learning their language and learning it right. :)

Picture source: http://snoopygift.com... click on picture for link. :)