On Thursday I bought two books from the good charity bookshop near me. I realised that it's the only real bookshop in the village since the other one on the shopping street went down. Although there is actually one I think I've seen once or twice in a side street, but it also looks like someone's house, and I can't tell if it's a real shop or not. I'd have to check that out.
Anyway the books were novels, a French one (by Joel Dicker) and Spanish:
Nada by Carmen Laforet. This place is one of my usual sources I go to once in a while to find decent books for a euro or two. I've had quite a few from there, so when I got to the desk serving as a counter, which inexplicably still has a large sheet of perspex hanging in front, the old fellow said: 'oh you've bought a lot of foreign books, perhaps I should speak French with you.' And I must have made some 'euh?' noise because he repeated himself in French.
I don't think it was necessary, I'm pretty sure I've spoken to him every time before in Dutch. Maybe it's only hello/goodbye and whatever, but I'm sure I once asked if I could pay by PIN. But he made a meal of opening the books to read the pencilled-in prices and say them out loud 'in full'...'celui-ci est deux euros...et celui-là un euro..ça fait trois euros monsieur!' (monsieur!) I think he found it far more exciting than I did, but it's novel to have the exchange in something other than Dutch or English I suppose.
Then he asked if I wanted the receipt and called it a 'reçu'. Even though that word is correct I've always heard most people say 'le ticket'.. le ticket de caisse or 'the till receipt' for the little paper chits. Obviously I didn't turn into a bore and start explaining this, I just said
yes, And then he said: "on peut aussi l'appeler un 'ticket'.."
, and again I just said yes. I was going to say 'ou un ticket de caisse', but I know these Dutch always wanting to trip me up' and he would have said 'no actually because it's a pin machine'. And then I'd have had to karate chop him in the neck for being annoying, and that would never do. So I just just smiled and thanked him and left.