(Excuse me) do you speak English?

[lux7]

OK, openers might not count as much as presence what follows, but still it's better starting with something good than something bad .

What do you think of a very simple:

"(excuse me) do you speak English" if you're in a foreign country where it can often happen people don't actually speak English?

I think that most of the times the people that actually do speak English will say "yes", so you already start with a positive vibe.
It's also good if you're going direct and adding after that something "just thought you were cute actually and wanted to say hi", very casual.

 

[mkivtt]

Hmm considering you would probably be looking for someone who does, it's actually a useful question too.

If they don't, you move on.

If they do, you smile and try to make some funny conversation. You could follow with "Great. I thought you are cute and just wanted to say hi. Except I don't know how to in [insert language] and would probably say something lewd (laughs)."