A Swiss man was driving through a small English town, completely lost and increasingly frustrated. After circling the same streets several times, he finally spotted a bus stop where two Englishmen were standing, calmly waiting.

Relieved, he pulled over, rolled down the window, and politely asked, “Entschuldigung, können Sie Deutsch sprechen?”

The two men looked at him blankly.

Trying again, the Swiss man smiled and said, “Excusez-moi, parlez-vous français?”

Still nothing. Not even a nod.

He took a breath and tried Italian. “Parlate italiano?”

The two Englishmen continued to stare as if he were speaking to a brick wall.

Now visibly annoyed, the Swiss man made one final attempt. “¿Hablan ustedes español?”

Again, no response.

Disgusted, he shook his head, rolled up the window, and drove away, still lost.

After a long silence, the first Englishman turned to the second and said, “You know… maybe we really should learn a foreign language.”

The second Englishman shrugged and replied, “Why?”

The first one said, “Well, that man just spoke four languages, and we still couldn’t help him.”

The second Englishman thought for a moment, then said:

“Exactly. He knew four languages, and it didn’t do him any good.”