Nuance

Not being fluent, I may not understand every single word that is spoken to me, but I tend to get the gist.

Eye contact, gestures, and body language count for a lot.

But when it comes to sensitive or complex subjects, though I may understand the message being conveyed to me, I don't necessarily have the capacity to respond. Particularly as I would prefer to be diplomatic, and get my point accross without being offensive, especially when speaking to someone I have only just met.

So when my landlady's father creates a standoff after five minutes of meeting me over my nationality and my choice of reading material, I smile, tilt my head, look quizical, and try to pretend like I don't quite understand what an aggressive bigot he has just shown himself to be.

If the conversation had been in English, I would probably have already moved out.