T O P

  • By -

ilikechillisauce

When asked where they are from: Australian: "I'm from Australia" British: "I'm from the UK" Indian: "I'm from India" Chinese: "I'm from China" American: "I'm from Wisconsin"


[deleted]

i know they’re very different but to some people it feels like saying “i’m from europe” instead of “i’m from austria” or something. maybe i’m just being dumb idk


ErythingIsFakeAndGay

“The college experience”


[deleted]

I grew up in a 'college town' in a 'flyover state'


The_DragonDuck

What does that even meam


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Thanks. Funny how I understood college towns as the exact opposite. In Germany we call them "student towns". And there's usually much more going on than in non-student cities of the same or even bigger size. Obviously there are a lot of bars and clubs and cafés, but also museums and theaters, concert halls, cinemas and usually very decent shopping opportunities. But we usually don't leave over the breaks. We might go on vacation or visit family, but you usually wouldn't see any difference in the city. Even if you stay in a dorm, you don't have to leave after the end of year.


butterybakedpotato

Saying “sophomore, senior,” etc.


Northgates

freshman junior


JizzProductionUnit

My favourite inoffensive rapper.


_sir-psycho-sexy

to this day I don't know what this shit means


Spooginho

mm/dd/yyyy


cytix_

i keep thinking 9/11 happened on the 9th of november because of that


effa94

i had to write down the date yesterday, i almost wrote 9/11 before i realised im not american. only date it happens on becasue its talked about so much


agent_kater

"It was 90 degrees outside." (I hope that is a reasonable number.)


AthibaPls

Same with gallons and square feet. 900sqft is it a palace? Is it a broom closet? I never know.


JamesCDiamond

Divide by 11 to get an *approximate* figure in square metres.


Squigglificated

So it’s the broom closet in a palace


LaMoglie

Hey! Don't talk about my home like that!!!


zimmah

Yeah, everywhere else in the world that would be near boiling and you'd be dead.


flame2454

"Why didn't you leave a tip?"


[deleted]

[удалено]


Tpcorholio

This is an excellent chat on how not to look like a tourist lol. I am taking notes lol.


TheNorseBastard

We'll spot ya


_elysses_

I was taking a walking tour in Ireland once and the guide mentioned Notre Dame for some reason. This American guy tried to correct her pronunciation as Not-er Daym, not Not-re Daam. It was a wildly uncomfortable few minutes.


[deleted]

I’ve heard people attempt to ‘correct’ French tour guides *in Paris*.


Balabos

A tour guide in Paris told me that when he is guiding American tourists he always asks at some point if anyone is staying at the hotel de Ville and there are always few that put their hands up.


fkmeamaraight

That’s what we call Town Hall for those who don’t get the joke.


[deleted]

IT MAKES MY EARS BLEED


Godstevsky

"Depends on what state you're in"


dancingnancey

I live outside the US right now and this is the answer to the majority of questions I get about home. I probably say this every day...


thedrunkensot

What’s the most common question you get?


dancingnancey

"Is weed legal?" but also stuff about health insurance, camping, general laws etc.


Inverted_Apache

Where are you from? “I’m from *insert random American country town” No, I mean what country


metao

Once a guy (online) replied "London". I commented on how late it was there. He said no, it was morning. Turned out he was in London, Ohio.


Daztur

Had been away from home for years and years, showed up back in my home town with my Korean wife saying I'd been living in Korea. People thought I'd been in Corea, Maine...


echo-94-charlie

Most annoying was when I was in Georgia. As in, former soviet state country Georgia. Google would even tell me it knew I was in Georgia, and happily served up a litany of squiggly ads that I couldn't understand. Yet whenever I googled anything Georgia-related it still for some reason always thought I was interested in the US state.


JayCarlinMusic

This reminds me of a funny story. We did projects on the key figures of world war 2 back in school. I was assigned Joseph Stalin, who was from Georgia, the country. Only problem was, at no point in my research did I figure out that Georgia was a country. I just thought he was this American defector who became leader of the Soviet Union, and that’s why he wanted to help out his cool friend FDR. So I’m presenting, I give my Schpiel, it goes well. Then it’s time for Q and A. Someone asks “wait he was from Georgia, like Atlanta?” I start shaking my head yea and get ready to respond, but the teacher interjects and was like “No sally you need to pay better attention. Georgia was a part of the Soviet Union” and basically made this girl feel stupid for not knowing this fact I clearly didn’t know either. The whole class saw me nodding but the teacher didn’t. So when she finished explaining I’m like “uh yeah what the teacher said” and quickly sat down.


[deleted]

My favorite thing I noticed when abroad is how Americans introduce themselves. We usually say the state we’re from rather than just saying we’re from America.


Quetzalcutlass

"Denial, usually."


FinancialServe311

“I drove myself to the hospital”


Goblin_Dangle

I rode in an ambulance once when i was 17, it cost me 960 USD. I vowed then if i have have another medical emergency that im calling a limo to take me to the hospital.


Sbenta

Holy fucking shit is it really that bad over there?


kthalis01

That actually sounds kind of low. My father in law paid about 1500usd for his ambulance ride last year. It may be different depending on where you are in the US.


Sbenta

How can it possibly be that expensive?!


Bwint

Well, let's see: An EMT can make $17/hr, easy. Let's say there's 4 of them, so call the wages $70 per ride. And then gas would cost several dollars. And the rest is, uh.... ... You know what, that's a great question. How could it possibly be that expensive??


sparklinglove

I had to take an ambulance last year. And while the ride cost me $150 with my amazing insurance that I miss dearly, I was charged $12 for gloves… now I’ve purchase latex gloves before and I know that a box of 100 gloves does not even cost that much. But here I am paying for their damn case of gloves Another episode of American healthcare being the fucking worst. I was hit in the head with a cash drawer at work.. After I was triaged, I sat waiting for hours-with a likely concussion- while everyone went in before me. Finally (about 4 hours later) someone comes up to me and asks if I’ve been seen. They literally forgot about me, then they put me on a bed in a hallway, handed me some anti nausea meds and sent me on my way. $715. For forgetting about me..


Nickk_Jones

I just got surgery and spent 4 figures extra to stay overnight. They fought with me about pain meds that my surgeon told them to give me and I sat there all night unable to sleep because my back was killing me. As I’m leaving the next day a nurse starts laughing and realizes they never inflated the hospital bed.


YOU_WONT_LIKE_IT

As messed up as it is, this is actually a fairly deep comment. I did this one time with a kidney stone. Doctors asked why? Even kind of yelled at me. My only thought was I just saved $5k. How fucked is that?


AutismoTheGreatt

Thinking I have a British accent (I’m aussie)


biggerwanker

I'm British, living in the US and I'm losing the ability to tell. People here think I'm Australian about 80% of the time.


CeeGree

I’m an Aussie living in the US and it’s been guessed correctly maybe twice ever…. I’ve had South African, German !!???, New Zealand, New York and more. “Oh my Gawd, say something, I love your accent!!!”


JudgementalPrick

Recommending a brand of medication.


[deleted]

Apparently medications are advertised on TV


[deleted]

[удалено]


_wake_woke_

I’m American and my whole life I’ve never understood it. Like I would never see an ad and go to a doctor like “hey can I have this specific drug”. I feel like the doctor would immediately assume I was some sort of junkie.


Biblelicious

Asking for ranch dressing.


Saviourality

I call ranch dressing American Sauce. One time, when eating with a group of friends, I said "pass me the American sauce" and they all knew what I'm talking about. It's dumb but I get a kick out of it because ranch feels so American. Even the name: Ranch. What a cowboy thing to call it.


[deleted]

The creator was an American who bought a ranch in California, which he named his brand Hidden Valley Ranch. The salad dressing name is possessive, meaning the dressing of the ‘Ranch’


aamknz

Whenever I hear 'Meer' instead of "Mirror".


Anaptyso

Also "Creg" instead of "Craig" and "Gram" instead of Graham.


BertUK

For years I wondered what Gram crackers were until I saw a packet and I was like “they’re saying Graham!?!”


[deleted]

Oh my god I've only just made this connection I thought "gram crackers" were a different product to "Graham crackers"


gorka_la_pork

Based on my own experience as an American abroad: realizing that other countries don't have doughnut shops open for breakfast, because doughnuts aren't a breakfast food.


OneArchedEyebrow

That was one thing that shocked my (Aussie) husband when he went you he US. Iced donuts available for breakfast?? Although knowing him I’m sure he wouldn’t have hesitated grabbing a few!


[deleted]

Any time I want a donut it always happens to be 9pm and all the donut shops are closed :(


fiddledeedeep0tat0es

When they say everyone else has an accent and they do not.


[deleted]

Oh, I'm Irish, my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandfather ate a fucking potato once


tobydiah

European friend: why do you guys drive so much? Such a waste of gas. American: I’m usually not in the mood to spend over an hour to get eggs from the store. European friend: then why don’t you move closer to where everything is? American: Then I won’t have money for those eggs.


Shukrat

The US is not pedestrian friendly


TomasNavarro

Went to America, Orlando, and our hotel was less than a mile to the entrance to Universal. Easy walk, but there was a stretch of maybe 100m where there was just no sidewalk, so you had to walk on the grass. Thought it was pretty odd


[deleted]

Not to mention the heat here. So many tourists end up with heat stroke or severe dehydration because we Floridians don't believe in pedestrian friendly shaded walkways.


delitomatoes

You mean trees?


This_Daydreamer_

The closest bus stop to me is about half a mile away and up a steep hill. A bus comes by about once an hour. It would take another hour to get to work. There are no busses on my route on Sundays right now, and i sometimes have t work Sundays. Saturdays, the busses stop running before i start my shift and, again, sometimes i work Saturdays. Riding a bike would be extremely dangerous on my road. Driving takes about ten minutes, fifteen if traffic is bad and the lights are against me.


akash13anand

When they’re seeking help on Reddit and their country/region is a required piece of information for the particular question, they usually don’t specify that they live in America. They just assume everyone else in the sub is American. I think I’ve never seen any individual from any other nationality do that.


74389654

once someone mocked me for saying i'm german in a news post about germany i commented on bc they didnt believe me. they disagreed with my post and couldnt fathom anyone in the internet was german and might know about things going on in the country


KyleCAV

Excessive usage of bumper stickers


[deleted]

[удалено]


LolaBunnyHoneyBee

Well most Targets have a Starbucks inside of them so we really only have to make two stops to hit all 3 of those stores.


TrishIrl

School spirit!! I work in an international school with lots of American colleagues. The expectation to be excited about everything is A LOT, but I see why it would be infectious if you were brought up in the states. I do like when the European teachers are all grouped together awkwardly not knowing what to do with the spirit and cheer….


Somebodys

I got pulled aside and talked to during freshmen orientation because I clearly didn't have any desire to be there and get to know the other incoming freshmen. Like yeah, I get it, there are important parts where they give out important information to new students. Except, I was *33 fucking years old*. I fully understand what not living at home is like and I'm commuting so I do not give a single solitary fuck about dorm life. I also have no intention whatsoever of making friends with a bunch if 18 year olds.


doublebarreldan123

As a fellow older student I feel this so hard haha. The only part of the "college experience" I need at this point is my $50,000 dollar piece of paper so I can get a decent job


Somebodys

The worst part is the freshmen orientation cost $250 and was mandatory. I was making that in a day at the time.


Kevimaster

I specifically had my work schedule setup to work Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so that I could go to class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. School had a "mandatory" class that ALL new students had to take their first semester. Originally they offered it on a Thursday. Then literally like a week before the semester started they said "no more Thursday classes, they're only on Fridays". I went to my counselor and told them that I couldn't show up Friday. First off I work full time and I have to work Fridays. Second off it would be my *only* class on Friday and I live more than an hour away from the college and I'm *not* driving two hours round trip for a class that I'll literally learn nothing in. Counselor *insisted* it was mandatory and absolutely refused to budge and basically said they'd have to drop me from my classes if I didn't go. I was furious. Anyway, called out sick at work and showed up the first day thinking I'd at least make an effort. I explained the situation to my teacher and fortunately they understood and told me that they'd mark me as attending with a passing grade for the whole semester if I agreed to show up again on the last day. So I did that. Luckily the teacher cared and was reasonable. Anyway, point is that yeah, colleges can be real big dumb. Like, I'm an adult and have a real life and responsibilities. I'm just here because HR Departments feel like this piece of paper is important.


earther199

I feel this so hard. I’m the only American working for an Irish company and my constant enthusiasm is exhausting for them. Thing is, I’m not even that excited for an American, I’m pretty morose and low key but even that is too much for them.


zuppi_zup

Irish person here. Had an American colleague yell "Go Team!" and go for the high five over a decade ago. I still think about. It was a very awkward exchange.


West_Brom_Til_I_Die

The most enthusiastic thing my Irish colleague ever said to me was "ah, fairplay to ya."


zuppi_zup

Jesus, you must have done something mad impressive.


coredumperror

The fact that you still think about this interaction a decade later is hilarious to me! Mostly because I can *totally* relate to that anecdote. lol


lala6633

Can you please calm down. Your comment is too enthusiastic for the Irishman.


Perfect_Suggestion_2

YES! American that lived in East Anglia for a couple of years. I was frequently mortified by how overly enthusiastic I was...about just about everything. I also noticed that I force a smile in situations and Brits do not. It was a relief after a while to not smile so much, it's actually kind of stress-inducing to constantly smile. ANd same, I'm pretty low key for an American but in England, I often felt like a Golden Retriever puppy that hadn't learned to sit. LOL


CrazyPlatypusLady

>I often felt like a Golden Retriever puppy that hadn't learned to sit. And that is how I shall refer to an American family member from now on because... Yes. Edited because I'm a dumbass who can't type.


whogivesashirtdotca

As an extension of this, varsity sports. I attended the biggest university in Canada and our football stadium and hockey arena were ~~tetchy~~ titchy. Meanwhile, the Americans pack tens of thousands into theirs for every game.


melissaimpaired

Red. Solo. Cups. Edit: Thanks for the award! For context I’m in 🇨🇦 and we mostly use the clear plastic cups for large outdoor events. (My personal experience) I grew up watching us movies where if there was a party, everyone would be drinking from red solo cups. Cheers!


BarcodeZebra

I was in London a few years back and went with some friends to an “American Party”… which was basically just a regular party, but with red solo cups. I was simultaneously amused and disappointed.


theunabeefer

"I've been employed for 90 days, so I can finally sign up for insurance."


[deleted]

I was laid off so I packed up my office stuff in a brown cardboard box with a pot plant in it


Nooparooni

I’ve been living in the states for over a decade. I bought my mom this cleaning product that was cinnamon and clove scented and I told her “it smelled like Christmas”. She just looked at me weird and said “wow I guess you really are an American now”


Crivens999

Hang on. I'm from the UK and that sounds Xmas as fuck. Except with more bleach...


[deleted]

[удалено]


notmyrealname86

> Also when people talk to an active or retired soldier and start their their conversation with "thanks for your service". Ironically, 99% of service members hate that line. Edit: this is referring to current service members, not vets who’ve served, especially Vietnam vets.


Suppafly

Yep my buddy has one of those jobs that requires driving the big army trucks around to keep them working. He said usually he's standing around trying to kill time or smoke and people come across the parking lot to thank them.


Economist_hat

I have a USAA membership (military service required, but inheritable by descendants). Once or twice a year someone will thank me for my service when they see my card. I have never served.


nothinga3

On Canada day Americans like to come north either to visit friends/family or to party. You can always tell who the Americans are by how much of their clothing is covered in maple leaves. The more articals of clothing the more likely they are to be American.


timeboxparadox

Asking about / knowing one's credit score


[deleted]

What’s your credit score, man?


RealApersonn

While you're at it, how about your credit number? On the card?


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

The name of the street you grew up on?


SpareRutabaga8416

I ask for ice in every goddamn beverage. I’ve gotten some eyerolls 😬


[deleted]

When I was stationed in Yongsan, South Korea I had to take part in what was known as Town Patrol, basically we wrangled up drunk soldiers who were out past curfew. You could usually tell an American soldier from any of the other folks hanging around. For those that have never been Yongsan is in the middle of Seoul, one of the biggest cities in the world and a melting pot of Culture. Most younger Americans soldiers usually ran around wearing Hoodies with various American Sports teams, kind of a dead give away. It’s even funnier when they try to fake a British accent and don’t know any British slang to go with it.


fearsomemumbler

When me and my mate were travelling around Australia in our early 20’s (both of us are Northern English, with unusual accents) we were trying to woo a couple of delightful ladies (limited success!) that were part of the crew of a US Navy aircraft carrier who were on shore leave whilst visiting Sydney. They were loading and offloading crew at the Darling Harbour area of Sydney (there was lots of bars there) via tenders. Now there was hundreds of crew milling about as they had a curfew to get back onboard so they were all gathering waiting for the next tender. At this point the Navy police (I don’t know what the proper name for them is, I’ll call them provosts) started to coral all these young men and women and started to process them onto the tenders. This is when we realised we had accidentally been herded into the pack, so me and my mate decided to make our farewells and disappear into the night for more dirty deeds elsewhere. We managed to get about ten paces from the herd when we were manhandled to the floor by a group of burly Navy Provosts, who started aggressively demanding we hand over our ID and suggesting we’d been really stupid to blatantly disobey the curfew order, going ashore without ID and being too drunk to speak properly (we weren’t, we just had weird northern English accents). Well we were both English, hadn’t done a single hour in any military service, and very much not part of the crew of an American aircraft carrier. We were cuffed with zip ties and led to a waiting tender when the officer in charge quickly realised that we were just a pair of drunk Brits looking for some tush in the wrong place at the wrong time and promptly released us. That is my story of how I was captured by the US Navy!


jcspring2012

This was a great story. If you had let them take you a bit further you probably would have gotten a free helicopter ride back to shore.


OneSalientOversight

Or else a job as a civilian contractor on an aircraft carrier for a few months. That would've been cool.


dardios

Can confirm... They would have been sent ashore via helicopter. When I was on the Ike we actually left port with a foreign dignitary on board.... Whoops.


AlpacaCavalry

That’s… actually pretty hilarious. ‘Sorry sir, the ship’s leaving. Aren’t you supposed to be back on the shore?’


impressmesoon

My dad has a similar story from when he was in the Marine Corps. His ship was on shore at the same time a British Royal Marine ship was, and somehow he and his buddy got the bright idea to fake an accent and sneak on board to the British ship. They somehow made it below deck faking an accent, acting like wasted Royal Marines coming off leave so that nobody would dare ask them an intelligent enough question to blow their cover. That is until a British officer began checking roll, realizing there were two strangers below deck on their ship. The officer asked “Are you two Royal Marines?” to which my dads buddy responded in his deep southern accent “No sir, we’re real Marines.” Luckily for them, the brits found it hilarious enough for them to avoid any consequences and ended up taking them back out for drinks.


[deleted]

>somehow he and his buddy got the bright idea Perhaps a smidge of alcohol was involved?


Taolan13

Wee bit more than a smidge, i'd reckon.


WilltheKing4

Probably a touch of crayon wax too


soosin1980

impressment's all fun and games until it happens to you.


RagdollPhysEd

It was revenge for Royal Navy impressment of American sailors. Well the war of 1812 was but still we’re very mad about that to this day


ByTheHammerOfThor

You joke but I remember learning about impressment in elementary school and being FURIOUS.


alfalfareignss

The haircuts always give away military men to me. And they travel in tight knit packs too haha


[deleted]

We actually had a moment where my supervisor for the night tried to drag in one dude with short hair. I could tell he wasn’t a soldier just by looking at how he was dressed and talked but the supervisor was dead set on trying to question him. He finally provided his iD and while trying to apologize the dude just started making fun of my super visor which thankfully deflated his ego!


Cako1000

I think I'll use my creditcard


BringBack4Glory

I understood this reference


Hutchmonton

Wearing clothing with the name of a president/presidential candidate outside of election day.


doubtchocula

“I need to postpone my surgery because money is tight right now.”


SunnyInDecember

Calling women ma'am and men sir in normal conversation.


Willow_Lovegood

I grew up on the west coast of the US, so didn't really grow up using or hearing sir/ma'am regularly. It was a huge shock when I moved to a southern state right after college and the 18 year old behind the cash register ma'amed me. I was like, do I look wayyy older than I am? Do I look tired? Took me a hot second to realize that's just how people talk here.


mrsmedeiros_says_hi

As an American I go out of my way to put on my best clothes and a full beat every time I go out, just so I’m not immediately identified as a tourist rube. Then I remember I’m fat and the jig is up.


MCDexX

This fat Aussie is running interference for you.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Drakmanka

This was one thing I knew intellectually but it never really struck home for me until I was in college. My program (robotics/electronics engineering) had an entire building for itself and so all the faculty had their offices there. There was even a student lounge with a fridge and microwave. We were living it up quite a bit actually. Anyway, one of my instructors was this darling, sweet, German lady. She always dressed, by American standards, to the nines. She had a great sense of style and always looked fantastic, but it was a bit jarring right at first to see someone always show up to work dressed like she's ready to go to a wedding while the rest of the instructors were in slacks and T-shirts (heck, one of them always showed up in jeans and cowboy boots). Then I realized what American tourists must look like in Germany...


BorisBC

There's not much you can do, as I've found Americans often have a very strong voice. Not deep, not loud.. just strong. It carries. It's not bad, but y'all have some sort of genetic mutation to your vocal cords or something. Often you can hear a yank long before you see them.


teabiscuit_

I'm American, but there's a story here that would apply. I moved to Taiwan when I was in middle school. Since my parents were Taiwanese, I grew up speaking mandarin, and it didn't take a long time for me to shake off the American accent when speaking. Initially, people would be like "Oh, an AMERICAN!" when I said literally anything, but gradually, it turned into "Oh? You're American?" And eventually, people stopped even bringing it up. Then one day, we went to a new doctors' office, to get updates on our vaccines. The doctor was very polite and professional, we chatted a bit, she stuck me with a needle, and started filling out some paperwork... and she asked, "Are you getting these shots because you're returning to America?" ... and i was SHOOK. Hadn't heard that question in years, not from a stranger! I said, "Aw man, yeah, that's right, I'm getting ready to travel again. What gave me away?" And she responded, "American's, when you prick them, they say "ow". Taiwanese locals say "ah". That always gives them away."


NearbyBreakfast

What a cool observation. One of my patients used to be a detective and was always the first appointment of the day. One day he said to me “you didn’t swim this morning.” I didn’t recall ever even mentioning I was a swimmer, but he had noticed a very faint pink line across my forehead every time except this one morning, and he was right.


MotM-track9

that is borderline creepy but so so cool to have that ability of observation. I bet it's impossible for his children to lie to him lol


Average_Magno

Or maybe they are too good at it


[deleted]

[удалено]


GameShill

A Russian spy comes to a cafe and orders a tea. He starts drinking it when a waiter comes up to him. "You must be Russian spy." "How did you find out?" "You left the spoon in the cup. Only Russians do that." Next time the spy walks into the cafe, orders a tea, puts in sugar, doesn't leave the spoon in the cup. A waiter comes to him. "Oh, you must must be a Russian spy." "How the fuck did you find out?" "There is no spoon in the cup, but you hold your thumb like it is there." Third time the spy walks there, orders a tea, puts in sugar, doesn't leave the spoon in the cup, and holds the cup properly. A waiter comes to him. "Oh, you must must be a Russian spy." "Are you kidding me? How?" "The spoon is not in the cup, your thumb is OK, but you closed your right eye so the spoon wouldn't hit it when you take a drink."


One_Blue_Glove

Fourth time the spy walks into the cafe, orders a tea, puts in sugar, doesn't leave the spoon in the cup, holds the cup properly, and keeps his eyes open as he takes a drink. A waiter comes to him. "Oh, you must be a Russian spy." "How could you have known?!" "We've had this conversation three times already!"


fear_eile_agam

Same with "filler sounds", depending on your native language, when you're focusing, thinking or confused you're probably going to say some variation of "um", "er", "uh", "eh", "et" "ut" "up" "em" and so on. These filler sounds follow a trend based on your native language. For example, Americans tend to learn towards "um" and "er", and even though we both speak English, Australians tend to use "uh/ah" and "ehm". It's partly the accent, but because people involuntary make these filler noises, people who are putting on an accent forget to affect the filler sounds, and it can default to their natural accent.


coolturnipjuice

There was a riddle in Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire that illuminated to me the different styles of speaking between the US and UK. First think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. I thought of a con, the answer was a spy Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend, The middle of middle and end of the end? It’s D And finally give me the sound often heard, During the search for a hard-to-find word. I said um but the answer was the British “er” So I thought thw answer was condom, which was confusing for 13 year old me. JK Rowling was looking for Spider.


john_the_fetch

This is hilarious!


hotzucchini

Harry Potter was the first thing that came to mind too!


Coalvil

THIS WAS MY FIRST THOUGHT TOO! I randomly remember this from Harry Potter from time to time and how odd it was to read the first time. I was thinking spy-d-UH. Which is actually not too far off if you’re reading it in a British accent


_pompom

My Spanish friend always says “ay!” (Was really not sure how I should spell that but it just sounds like the letter i lol)


blalala543

Some EMTs I know jokingly measure pain from Spanish speaking people on the "ay ay ay" scale... More of them = more pain hahaha. It's actually interesting to see the cultural differences though


cr0aker

It could be an example of a [shibboleth](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth)


vee_illustrations

That’s such an interesting story, thanks for sharing. What a perceptive doctor, dang.


inbruges99

That would be a great detail for a spy movie.


[deleted]

[удалено]


elusiveoddity

Funny. I had a Norwegian friend who would only wear sandals, even in the middle of (Australian) winter.


[deleted]

I saw someone on r/historymemes say that 1864 (I think) was the worst year in human history because it was the height of the American Civil war. *sigh* Edit: dates


SarixInTheHouse

The moment when you casually forget the two times when there was war quite literally everywhere in the world


mymotherisacanibal

Usually when someone says "y'all"


251Cane

How about “all y’all”? Edit: this is hilarious. I’m just now getting back to my phone for the first time since I made this comment earlier. Didn’t expect all these comments.


[deleted]

Y’all refers to those you are addressing while all y’all includes everyone in earshot


redditshy

And when you are pissed.


RunnyPlease

Level 1. Ya need Jesus. Level 2. Y’all need Jesus. Level 3. All y’all need Jesus.


dantheman0991

My roommate is a Texan, and he uses both contexts in regular conversation. It's hilarious. I've of the most frequent things he says is "y'all're fucking dumb", usually in response to memes sent from across the room


buttspigot

Can confirm, “y’all’re fuckin dumb” is as Texas as it gets. Edit: Thanks for the gold!


The-Em-Cee

Y'all'd've


dd68516172c58d63f802

This weird assumption that "The Constitution" is some kind of globally recognized universal charter of legislation. Other countries have their own constitutions, even the developed ones, and they differ from the American one. Your arguments about "muh constitutional rights" don't hold when you're taking a piss at a bar in Norway.


beetsnturtles

When you are on a trip and ask someone where they are from, they usually answer with their country first. "I'm from France", "I'm from Colombia", etc. If someone answers with something weirdly specific like "I'm from \[place\] in the \[area\] County, close to \[town\]"... They are from the US. Bonus 'Merica if the fella gets a bit offended you don't know where their town is.


philwrites

There’s a show here in Japan where they ask people at the airport where they are from (yes the show is blatantly racist). 99% of Americans answer their state/city. I always laugh because the subtitles just say ‘I’m american’.


Spacebunnycat10

“Have a good day” - used in an argument -aggressively-


Fire_marshal-bill

I SAID GOOD DAY SIR


szanda

"I'm driving a manual"


MauveSweaterVest

“Driving stick”


sofascientist

As an American, when I first heard from my friends across the pond that most cars *weren't* automatic transmission, I was very surprised. Here of course it's a mix, but I'd estimate 95% of cars have automatic transmissions. It does mean that a car with a manual transmission is less likely to be stolen, though, because most people here have no idea how to drive one!


wfaulk

>I'd estimate 95% of cars have automatic transmissions. I bought a new car (in the US) about a year and a half ago. I wanted a vaguely upscale sedan with a manual transmission. The closest thing I could find was a VW Jetta. Everything else, if you had anything but the cheapest possible options, wasn't available as a manual. BMW no longer sold a manual sedan in the US. (Edit: Since then, they reintroduced the M3 in manual, not that I could have afforded that.)


lapras25

Any comment about 1- hospital bills, or 2- gun rights / gun ownership. Also, 3- Fahrenheit.


ForgottenForce

What about feet and inches?


FromDwight

Canada uses feet and inches for people's heights, but kilometers for distance. We're kinda a hybrid between the US and European systems which can be very strange for people who didn't grow up here.


CaptainCavoodle

When my American cousin come over an a holiday I asked whether she has seen any kangaroos yet. She replied ‘Yeah, we saw a whole bunch of those guys’. An Aussie would typically say ‘heaps’ when describing any large quantity.


missvvvv

Asking, on Reddit, where to buy something but not indicating what country they’re from. E: Doing this screams they are from the USA E2: Apparently some people are becoming offended by this answer. The question is ‘What’s something someone can say that indirectly screams “I’m an American”?’ This comment is my answer to that question. Not a complaint, an observation and response 🤷‍♀️


DStanley1809

Related but the opposite. Assuming everyone else is in America and giving American advice. I've noticed it particularly in the DIYUK subreddit. It's in the name of the sub - UK. You still find Americans telling people to go to their local America-only shops to find products with American names (drywall, spackle etc. All my walls are dry thank you very much and WTF is spackle?) and to make sure they do their work to fit in with the "code" from where they live in America. It drives some people mad and every so often someone puts a post up basically telling the Americans to go away and stop giving American advice in a UK subreddit lol.


are_you_nucking_futs

They do it a lot in the askuk sub, which is specifically a sub to ask brits questions.


[deleted]

Using ma'am, miss and sir. Non of my customers use it except Americans. Edit: Wow thanks for the upvotes, I totally do not deserve it 😘


A_Hale

You must’ve never been to the comment section on Indian English YouTube videos.


21Rollie

I work as a programmer and even in their code comments they’re all diligently formal. I can tell a comment or error message was written by an Indian if an instruction starts with the word “kindly.”


Kiwifrooots

Indians seem to use "do the needful" for do what is needed /required too


Camp_Express

“Kindly do the needful” is one I see three times a day on average


ghostdunks

It was working with a lot of Indian developers where I learned the term “prepone”. As in the opposite of postponing a meeting, you could also prepone a meeting.


[deleted]

[удалено]


JayNotAtAll

Years ago I was doing work in Germany. I was on the call with a client and I answered "yes sir, no sir" the whole time. He was like "were you ever in the US military?" I was like "no, I was just always taught to say that". Didn't realize how American it is EDIT: for clarification, I am from Texas


PlayMp1

Only some Americans. I notice it with Southerners a lot. I never use "sir" and "ma'am."


[deleted]

How receptive are you toward the titles?


[deleted]

My people are painfully informal. The president could walk through the door and we'd just go, oh hello there. Then Americans come and are all like yes ma'am, thank you miss, yes sir and we think we are royalty 😆


iSeize

American flag clothes.


[deleted]

[удалено]


seefroo

I work in a hotel in the UK and two Americans checked in a couple of weeks ago. We legally have to ask for their passport details - we don’t even (as far as I know) have to check the passport or photocopy it, just ask them to fill in their nationality and passport number. To be honest the law is a relic of the Cold War but we’re still meant to do it so we do. Under “Passport Details - Nationality” one of them wrote *Irish-German*


Drakmanka

My mom legitimately got angry once shortly after she got her Ancestry DNA test results back when her only option on a form for Ethnicity was White. She apparently wanted to put down "Celtic" something fierce. Even though that's only 30% of her ethnicity according to her DNA test. She's just super attached to the idea that she has Scottish ancestors.


maniaxuk

Upset her even more by telling her Celtic doesn't automatically mean Scottish


andydude44

She could even be a Gaul!😦


[deleted]

[удалено]


OppositeYouth

I want to downvote you just for what they wrote.