A new coworker swaggered into the office boasting fluent French and Dutch at native level, painting herself as a glamorous European traveler during casual coffee talk. The 25-year-old Belgian team member lit up and greeted her in flawless Dutch, expecting an easy chat in a shared tongue.
What should have been a friendly moment detonated instantly—the colleague’s face soured, she claimed the accent was “terrible,” then stormed out when the truth surfaced. Later she badmouthed the Belgian behind her back, furious at being caught in the lie she never expected anyone to test.
Belgian Redditor accidentally exposes new coworker’s fake language skills in break room.
What happened here is less about language and more about the very human urge to embellish when you’re the new person desperate to shine.
The new colleague (“Cathy”) positioned herself as a sophisticated world traveler who speaks French and Dutch at native level. When the OP – actually raised in bilingual Belgium – spoke a simple, friendly sentence in Dutch, Cathy’s immediate reaction was to insult the OP’s accent rather than admit she was caught. That defensive pivot is classic embarrassment-protection, according to psychologists.
Relationship therapist Cortney S. Warren has noted that small lies about status or skill often stem from insecurity in new environments.
“We lie to reflect the aspirational goals that we unconsciously know we will not uphold,” she explained in her book Lies We Tell Ourselves: The Psychology of Self-Deception.
Cathy’s over-the-top reaction (storming off, later name-calling) suggests the exposure hit a deeper nerve than just language skills.
Workplace studies back this up: a 2023 survey by ResumeLab found that 70% of people admit to lying on their résumé at least once, with skills being one of the common exaggerations (15%), and foreign-language proficiency often cited as an example in related reports.
A separate 2025 survey by Intelligent.com highlighted in the New York Post showed nearly half (47%) of Gen Z professionals admit to lying on job applications, feeling particular pressure in competitive markets.
While embellishing a hobby is harmless, claiming native-level fluency crosses into risky territory, especially when actual native speakers are sitting three tables away.
In most offices, someone quietly stretching the truth about weekend hikes or coffee expertise barely raises an eyebrow. But claiming native-level fluency in specific languages is like waving a red flag in front of actual native speakers, it’s only a matter of time before someone calls your bluff.
Cathy doubled down by insulting a flawless accent, turning a minor fib into a full-blown spectacle. That single sentence in Dutch didn’t just expose missing vocabulary, it stripped away the polished persona she was desperately trying to sell on week one.
What stings most isn’t the lie itself, it’s the refusal to laugh it off. A quick “Okay, you got me, my Duolingo streak lied!” could have turned the moment into office legend everyone chuckles about at happy hour. Instead, storming away and trash-talking the person who accidentally unmasked her guaranteed the story will follow her far longer than any fake fluency ever would.
The healthiest path forward? A calm, private conversation where Cathy owns the exaggeration and the OP acknowledges that public exposure can sting.
Legendary coach Pat Summitt emphasized radical honesty in professional settings: “Accountability is essential to personal growth, as well as team growth. How can you improve if you’re never wrong? If you don’t admit a mistake and take responsibility for it, you’re bound to make the same one again.”
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
Some people say NTA because the coworker lied about speaking the language and embarrassed herself.
Some people say NTA and emphasize the coworker’s rude reaction and refusal to admit she lied.
Some people say NTA and recommend reporting her behavior or continuing to speak the language around her.
![[Reddit User] − NTA but you should take this incident to HR. She's talking about you behind your back and using language that isn't appropriate for the workplace. HR needs...](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wp-editor-1765162515529-1.webp "New Colleague Brags She’s Fluent In Three Languages, Native Speaker Exposes Her With One Sentence")
![[Reddit User] − NTA, you didn't even catch her on purpose, and it was stupid of her to lie (multiple times).](https://dailyhighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/wp-editor-1765162516909-2.webp "New Colleague Brags She’s Fluent In Three Languages, Native Speaker Exposes Her With One Sentence")
At the end of the day, one small excited sentence in Dutch accidentally exposed a tall tale and reminded us all that faking fluency is a gamble not worth taking. Do you think the new colleague owes the apology for lying and trash-talking, or should our Belgian Redditor smooth things over to keep office peace? Would you have resisted switching to French just to watch the chaos unfold? Drop your verdict below!
