This phase starts when you first begin to learn your new language. You're able to recognize some words when people say them, and even understand complete phrases, like, "Tu viens manger?" or "Tu es fatiguée?" (Are you coming to eat? Are you tired?) However, you're sorely mistaken. You really only understand about 5% of what's going on, and you don't realize that everyone is talking at their version of a snail's pace so that you'll be able to pick up on at least a little bit of meaning behind the phrase. You make embarrassing mistakes, like mixing up the words for "decided" and "dead." You think someone asked you what time school starts, so you go into a long monologue about class starting at 7:38 am and ending at 3:01 pm, except for Wednesdays when you're done at 1:01, and your poor, unsuspecting victim smiles and nods along, then quietly explains that they were really asking about the weather. You mix up the masculine and feminine for words quite often as well. You ask your host mother if he has seen where you left your book, or if her daughter in Florida is enjoying himself. After about two weeks, you come to realize that your vocabulary consists of the following words:
Yes
No
Okay
I'm tired
I'm hungry
Good
Ça va
Please
Thank you
I don't understand
You also learn that when people ask if you speak the language you're trying to learn, the answer is a very loud, very emphatic NO. See, before, you were saying that yes, you understood quite a bit, and you spoke decently well. But that was before the uncomfortable incident when a girl asked you if you thought your host brother was really super duper sexy, and you said "Oh YEAH!" thinking she was asking if you liked Harry Potter. And yes, he was standing next to you at the time.
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