Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Procedure
Holding short of runway 36L in MAD; we were given line up and wait behind (not under stood Aircraft (AC)). None of us understood the clearance; so my 1st Officer asked for clarification: 'Understand line up and wait behind AC currently on the runway.' The controller answered affirmative.We began taxing on the taxiway that leads up to the end of the runway and the controller said 'hold your position'. We had only moved about 100 feet so we stopped and set the brakes. The controller then said that we were number 4 to line up behind a white [aircraft] across the runway opposite of us. Number 4 Line up and wait! Really? I've never heard a clearance like that. Obviously the language barrier was definitely a big factor here. We waited for 3 AC to take off and then made a normal takeoff.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
An aircrew received non-standard; ambiguous instructions from the Tower Controller.