The Most Shocking Things About the UK | American Reacts

[@cerithomas2032]

It's not just the accents that are diverse, local slang differs so much from area to area too.

[@tihomirrasperic]

I can handle the Scots and their "weird" pronunciation, but Cockney in London is a challenge😁

[@CMJ321]

im best at understanding welsh scotts and cornish accents!

[@owenbradley726]

@@cerithomas2032 some Americans don’t know the difference between slang and accents unfortunately

[@Rhianalanthula]

And the names of bread rolls!

[@MariaFletcher-bf5pk]

What really makes me mad are most People get Londoners accent mixed up with a cockneys accent. which is 2 totaly different accents.

[@waynebateman8719]

I got the train back from football yesterday in London and number of police got on and having a chat, a laugh and took the piss out of them on the journey. They were good company, most police I chat to are like this in UK

[@richardoldfield6714]

The ideal for policing is policing by consent, rather than by force. Of course force sometimes has to be used, but the best police officers only use this as a last (not a first) resort. Being polite, reasonable and not over-reacting can often work wonders.

[@paddyjoe1884]

Plus the UK police aren't constantly worried someone will pull a g.u.n on them, unlike the in the US. One of the benefits of strict laws on these

[@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n]

And not having an itchy trigger finger!

[@katharinereynolds25]

​@@ElizabethMcCormick-s2n😂you are laughable

[@ginak921]

The police are the same in Australia as in the UK .

[@MayYourGodGoWithYou]

Our police in Ireland are the same,, plus they're also unarmed.

[@brianthomson528]

Don't worry about the accent thing. As a Londoner I once spent a very convivial evening playing darts with locals in a Birmingham pub. I can truly say I barely understood a word spoken to me the whole night! I'm guessing they had the problem with my cockney accent. Being British, we all got along by nodding and smiling to each other. Great evening!

[@JM-dm3qk]

I'm from Lancashire when I was at school one of the parents gave me a lift home, he was a farmer with a broad Lancashire accent, I could hardly understand what he said, and we were both from Lancashire. I do have a northern accent but it is not strong.

[@LaraGemini]

I grew up 20 miles from `drum and often went there and I struggled to understand some people who had really thick accents

[@Altitudes]

I've got an Irish customer and I pick up about one in every four words. It sounds lovely though so I just let her keep talking and pretend to understand.

[@keithewright]

Went to Edinburgh Uni in the early 80's. A lot of English hooray Henrys used to come there to study. Ocassionally they got a bit full of themselves. We would talk as braid Scots as we could till they realised they couldn't understand us any more and they calmed down (well they kent noo!)

[@debbiegale9076]

Had a similar experience with a friends dad who'd visited from County Tyrone in NI. Just nodded along in the end lol. Christ knows what he might have been saying.

[@John-Incatrekker]

Do NOT confuse accents with dialects! It's the dialects that throw people because words and phrases get changed completely. Accents reflect only the way exactly the same words are pronounced! In the UK we have multiple dialects, as well as regional accents. The Scottish, Welsh & Irish have their own languages, and are rightly proud of them.

[@herstoryanimated]

To be fair a really thick accent will throw off the pronunciation of a word enough to potentially make it hard to understand. Dialects make it harder, but accents can be a challenge.

[@DarkMoney95]

All I'm going to say is, Glasgow...

[@lucybarnard3954]

@@DarkMoney95 love the Scottish accent x

[@lucybarnard3954]

Exactly I can’t understand people that love 20 miles away totally different

[@theotherside8258]

It really irritates when regional words start to get used wrongly in another region because kids pick up the meanings wrongly online

[@andrewsteele4952]

I come from the east of England, now living in Denmark, but I have been a Heavy Goods vehicle Driver, virtually all my working life. I once had to go to a factory in the middle of Newcastle. and on arrival I had tobook in with the gatekeeper. He said something to me in very broad Geordie accent and I had to ask his colleague what did he say? Apparently he had told me to drive on to the weighbridge, he could have been telling me to go and swim in the river for allI knew!

[@robinpinnock2678]

Once, in hospital before an operation, the anaesthetist asked me something that I couldn't understand - he had to repeat it three times, then asked me if I needed a hearing aid.. It was only then I realised he was a Geordie and he had been asking for my date of birth..!

[@Russ_Keith]

I'm Scottish (Edinburgh) and in my youth I hitch-hiked the length and breadth of Britain. The only accent I had any difficulty with was Geordie. I don't know if it's because it's basically on the border between Scotland and England but it seems to be virtually unintelligible to most of the rest of Britain. However after a couple of days there it 'clicked' and I understood fine. It became my favourite accent.

[@chrisjeffery9582]

In the UK, for "Pay at Pump" you do scan your card first, so they have your details and can charge you for what you fill up with, but yeah, if you aren't paying at the pump you are essentially "trusted" not to drive off, though since our car registrations are held centrally (unlike in the US which is by state) and CCTV is a thing it is less trust and more they'll find you very quickly if you try it.

[@Aquapura970]

Years ago I forgot to pay for the petrol and only remembered I didn't paid 6 hours later! I went back as soon as I left work, 8 hours later, and the guy behind the till told me he would have called the police in an hour if I didn't show up. I'm not sure that they would wait that long to call the police these days..

[@ethelmini]

@@Aquapura970 The police wouldn't be that interested, it's not a criminal offence to forget. They might phone the registered keeper on their behalf.

[@Aquapura970]

@@ethelmini Good to know.

[@mw-wl2hm]

In parts of Canada, sadly, some stations are switching to pre-pay. I pay in cash and am sick of having to guess the amount my car needs. Worse, if I overestimated I have to walk back in to get reimbursed. Not sure why our trust system stopped sometime last year.

[@Aquapura970]

@@mw-wl2hm that sounds really annoying. hope it doesn't get like that here in UK. We are going cashless. I have been to a couple of caffe where they don't accept cash anymore..

[@joanbonner5076]

The reason why tea is good is because we use a kettle & not a microwave 😂

[@willpalmer615]

Apparently electric kettles take twice as long to boil in the US. Something to do with the voltage.

[@c_n_b]

Why would water heated in a microwave make it taste different? It would still be H2O at 100°C. Water has no taste (if it does then there's something wrong with it lol)

[@britishknightakaminininja1123]

@@c_n_b because of the way microwaving works it is pretty rare for water heated in it to come out actually at boiling temperature, *and* the atoms can still be jiggling around building heat for a little while after - one reasons that many microwavable foods have you let them sit for a full minute or two after the set time. Meanwhile kettles in the UK are all geared around that perfect moment of actual boiling, and the tiny cooling period before you get the kettle over to the cup or pot allows it to cool, just a miniscule amount, to be just under boiling point (which is the actual perfect temperature for making tea). But the important bit is it just is different. Anyone who has tried both will tell you the same.

[@angelabushby1891]

​@@c_n_bI don't like water boiled in a microwave,it does taste different,horrible

[@welshgruff]

Americans don't make the tea with boiling water, think of the Boston Tea Party.

[@happilyeggs4627]

I'm from northern England. When I was younger I had a girlfriend whose family was from Glasgow. They had moved to my town several years earlier. Her parents had very strong Glaswegian accents. Her mother asked me to run an errand for her, to the local shops. She gave me a twenty pound note and off I went. As I was walking to the corner shop I was a bit suspicious. Twenty pound note, for Rizlas (cigarette papers) that cost a shilling (5 pence in new money). Nevertheless I went and bought the Rizlas. I took them back to her, along with the £19.95 change. When I presented them to her she was disgusted, saying, "I said sizzlers (sausages) not bloody Rizlas. I canna make a bloody dinner with these".

[@chrisbodum3621]

Nay problem, Daphne.

[@britishknightakaminininja1123]

Pubs are *THE* shared social space for actually meeting people. The British are kind of reserved about approaching strangers in the open, like parks or beaches. It's a small country, and we're surrounded by people *all* of the time, so giving each other some space and privacy is pretty much how we've coped, for generations. However, in a pub, you're there to be social, *and* probably have a drink or two to loosen up too. As a result, it is common to go to a bar, even alone, and be able to strike up a conversation with complete strangers amicably and enjoyably. There certainly _are_ pubs and bars where people only go to get drunk, but they aren't the norm. In the UK, even a small village may have 2 or more pubs, and in any city, there'll be one on almost every block (never more than staggering home distance). Many of them have hot food and also serve as restaurants (partly because the licensing laws allow those pubs to stay open later, and partly because it may encourage more groups of customers and so more profit). Many have live bands perform, or even open mic nights where amateur bands and singers can perform. Others are simply like the origin of the word 'Pub' a Public House, kind of a lounge anyone can go to and hang out with friends, or to make friends. In other words, the people who go to a pub to get actually drunk as a main focus are the minority. Sure, it can still happen incidentally as people get so caught up in the bands, or conversations and socializing that they lose count of their drinks, but I'd say that most people who go to pubs walk out pretty sober still, just having had a great time, a great meal, etc. A pub is kind of like a festival, but in a somewhat reserved British way, and available every single day and night.

[@gdok6088]

Spot on analysis :)

[@nathangamble125]

This is honestly one of the best descriptions of the concept of a pub that I've ever seen. They are amazing. You'll also often get pubs focused on games, such as billiards or darts. About a week ago I wandered into a pub while there were a couple of teams practicing darts for a competition. Mixing alcohol with throwing sharp objects around might seem like a terrible idea, but people are generally sensible enough to avoid drinking so much that they put themselves or anyone else in danger. Also, a couple of years ago I went to a different pub and asked if they had wine, as I wasn't in the mood for beer. The bartender went into the back for a few minutes, handed me a bottle, and said it was the only thing they could find. I checked the label. It was _mead_ (a traditional alcoholic drink made from fermented honey, and very rare in modern times). The pub somehow had mead, but not wine. I had a glass of their mead, it was quite nice, like a taste of the middle ages.

[@MrPaulMorris]

Queuing, if in busy area, you would expect to be basically touching the people in front or behind you. Indoor queues usually have a 'natural' space (not formally defined) in which they stand--irrespective of the number of people queuing so gaps instinctively grow and shrink to occupy that space.

[@herstoryanimated]

It's the personal space bubble 🫧

[@wessexdruid7598]

And then.. Covid. People still give 2 metres, often.

[@trebormints3739]

My part of the UK ,where we sound like pirates. Most of the roads are single track IE one lane no lines. The hedges are between 8 and 12 ft high. The growth on the hedges are cut back twice in the summer... It is fun driving.

[@England-Bob]

And the speed limit on most is 60mph. 😊

[@susieq9801]

@@England-Bob - If you're in the passenger seat don't rest your elbow on the window ledge unless you like brush burns from stone walls and brambles.

[@welshgruff]

Makes lots of surface scratches on the paintwork though.

[@evorock]

We have the same here in Hampshire too. Once you get out of Portsmouth, anyway!

[@That-Ginger-Chick]

Cornwall?

[@jrc58526]

Years ago I was on a train with my Father in law who was from India. He spoke perfect English but had never been to the UK before. A train guard with a strong Glasgow accent came up to us and started talking to me. When he left my Father in law asked " I know you were responding in English but what language was that man speaking?"😆

[@chassetterfield9559]

A few years ago, when I was driving trucks, it was fairly normal to go to the cashier first, but merely to show /prove that you had a valid card to settle your eventual bill. No actual transaction takes place, then you go back & fill up, then come back to actually pay over. A typical truck can take 400 litres of diesel [ just over 100 gall US ]. The price of that could be £600 [ $750 approx. ]. Yes, we have loads of CCTV cameras, so you won't escape. But, for truckers, you generally get supplied with a 'card' from some agency, which will only work at certain outlets [ BP, Shell, etc ]. You really do not want to fill up if your payment card is not going to work ......

[@thecrazyswede2495]

In Sweden, some places they have asked me to leave my drivers license with them behind the counter, then I could go out and fill up, and get it back once I came in and paid. cheers! / CS

[@jillbryant1145]

American family hired a car at Heathrow airport. Drove on M25 (highway) and frightened themselves so much, they went straight back and returned the car. This is one of our biggest roads.

[@Fanackapan101-hh5el]

I grew up in Wales , joined the Airforce at 18 and married at 21 ……we had a New Years get together with friends and watched a Billy Conally video ….” An Audience With “ …..everyone was screaming with laughter but I struggled SO much understanding his jokes and anecdotal quips . My friends got a little impatient with having to pause to explain!😬 In the Forces , you meet dialects from all over and it got a lot easier to understand different accents and I eventually watched Billy’s video again a while later and I cried with laughter and aching muscles along with our friends !!!! 👌

[@barbarahayden5602]

I have been in that same boat.

[@jeangenie5807]

Love your User name - haven't heard that used for many years 😎

[@RatKindler]

I'm in Canada and have watched lots of British TV since I was a child and so am familiar with the accents used in television at least. When I started watching the Scottish comedy Still Game it was very difficult for me to understand at first but I eventually got the hang of it. I was so proud that I "cracked" the Scottish accent! Later, when I was at a work luncheon, the bar tender was a Scot and I couldn't understand a word he said to me. I just nodded and smiled. I felt so bad that I couldn't understand him. He must have thought I was a moron.

[@wessexdruid7598]

The mistake was to assume there is just one Scottish accent. I often meet Americans that assume the same linguistic rules apply, across the UK - they don't. It depends if your bit was invaded by the Anglo-Saxons, Romans, Vikings, Normans - or if you were driven into corners they couldn't reach.

[@johnritter6864]

Still game is an awesome series.

[@theonlyLoneWolf_]

Us Brits just know how to queue effectively and efficiently. It's hardwired into our DNA. So the amount of space you get between people in a queue entirely depends on the amount of people queuing and how much space is allocated for queuing in the building/store/area. There'll be times where you'll be shoulder to shoulder. Or you'll have a good deal of elbow room. Very rarely you'll have an arms length. But you'll never be able to swing a cat though unless you're the only person in the queue as that's just far too much space. And it's always common courtesy to immediately occupy the space that the person in front of you just left whenever the queue moves so you're not holding people up more than is absolutely necessary. If the queue ahead of you moves and you don't, everyone behind you will be none too pleased.

[@hilarykirkby4771]

The emphasis within the UK police forces is to be helpful above all. They aren't always, it's true, but on the whole it's a benefit to everybody that way. Being helpful also involves apprehending criminals, of course.

[@wessexdruid7598]

Their task is NOT to enforce the law. It's to keep the King's Peace. Which may include law enforcement, if necessary.

[@ScottHarding-he3jg]

In the UK, we have a police SERVICE, whereas the US it's a police FORCE. I think that simple difference may explain a lot!

[@Sine-gl9ly]

I live in the northwest of England, and went to Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England by train a few years ago. I had to go to a bus station for my onward journey; I knew the general direction it was in, but not how far it was. My suitcase's wheels weren't the best, and I was concerned about them, so as a well-dressed woman in her 40s passed me, I said, Excuse me. And she paused. 'Yes?' she said with a smile. 'I wonder if you could tell me how far it is to the bus station, please?' I asked. 'Wye-eye, it's a canny weay, hinny' she said. 'Thank you very much' I replied, and continued on my way, none tbe wiser for her helpful comment ...

[@Janeswhitfield]

🌹🇬🇧🌹Yes,it’s quite away away haha 😀🤣

[@PreceptorGrant]

More literally: 'wey-aye' difficult to translate, but used as an embellishment or decoration, not as major information. Sort of like saying 'yeah man' or 'goodness me'. Doesn't tell you anything, just adds colour. 'It's a canny weay' 'canny' in this context is used like a superlative. Denotes a large quantity, or good quality, depending on context. 'hinny' Another meaningless embellishment. Like calling someone 'honey'. See also 'love', 'pet', 'mate.

[@johnritter6864]

Im from the north east and never really encountered accent problems with the north west. I lived in Brampton for 8 years, so spent a lot of time amongst Cumbrians (my oldest girl is also one) yet we could always understand each other without effort.

[@LondonEve24]

I’m a Londoner and I have trouble understanding the Geordie accent. And Geordies found my accent hilarious.

[@lesliedavis2185]

I’m in Oz, I got Geordie, except south shields, I uh struggled with that one

[@angelawhitehouse8066]

I'm in the Midlands, had a Geordie boss for a while. Most of the time I had no idea what he was on about.

[@niknax25]

Depends on the queue but probably an elbows width personal space, especially in a concert queue or a busy train etc.

[@lynnbargewell3833]

My dad used to live in a small village ( rest his soul ) not too far from me, and I loved the drive through the countryside to visit him. Yes the roads are very narrow, but generally people are very aware of other traffic and it’s safer than you think. If I can take a country road instead of a dual carriage way ( highway )to get to where I need to be, I do, I find it a much more pleasant drive. Our pubs are a great way of socialising and meeting with friends, not everyone goes out to get drunk.

[@CarlosLopez58]

It happens in Spain too, sometimes I just can't understand what some people says especially in small villages.

[@MichaelLamming]

Breakfast tea is the standard in the UK. Yorkshire tea or PG tips are the two most commonly quoted as being the best. I switch and change tea manufacturers as I get bored drinking the same tea all the time, but it's always what we call Breakfast tea

[@robcrossgrove7927]

I only drink Earl Grey. There's a lot of other people the same.

[@RobertClark-s8f]

Most Americans do not realise that tea has to be made with boiling water. Using water that is not boiling results in insipid tea with little flavour. That is why we use an electric kettle.

[@trudilawrence9899]

I​@@robcrossgrove7927Earl Grey is like drinking perfume! 😂

[@gobalmighty7463]

Breakfast tea is Black tea as opposed to the Green or Grey varie'teas'.

[@keesbrondijk2595]

The police in the Netherlands is trained 3-4 years at the police academy. I heard that is 3-4 month inthe US. A big difference And you only get a the academy after a selection that involves background check for you and you family, fysical and mental test

[@thesedreamsarefree]

When the Ken Loach film 'Kes' was released in the USA it was issued with subtitles.

[@Rhianalanthula]

Based on the news reported here about US cops, I get the impression that it's "Shoot first, weasel out of paying compensation to the innocent victim's families later; give the cop a commendation then retire him on full pension."

[@AnthonySinclair-Wellings]

The knife and fork is from the old way of eating where you could have up to 8 or more cutlery items . You would start from the outside may be soup spoon. Then fish knife and fork etc etc

[@artceptual7789]

Also, quick one about place names: Nottingham = Notting'em Norwich = Nor-itch Birmingham = Birming'em Worcester(shire) = Wuss-ter(-sher) Bicester = Bister Frome = Frume Thames = Tems Plymouth = Plim-muth Bournemouth = Born-muth Cornwall = Kernow.. if you know you know. London = Shidol.

[@zak3744]

Notting'em? That's far too fancy, it's No'inm! 😄

[@776281]

How about Godmanchester = Gumster

[@ljvx82]

Guessing you don’t like London then 😂

[@lara_tiger7898]

Say it in as few sounds as possible. Just squish them all together so as it sounds like one long sound. That is the basis of most English accents/dialects. 🇬🇧 from a Brummie (Birmingham)

[@artceptual7789]

@@lara_tiger7898 Plimuf.

[@jenscee7679]

Tea is great because we use boiled water, not just hot, not microwaved.

[@gaynorhead2325]

In the UK Police train for 21 months and need 5 GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at Grade 4 or above and it is essential to gain qualifications in Maths, English Language and Science. It is also preferable to show strong ability in PE.

[@annalangley9877]

I live in the UK and can understand practically everyone speaking English. But English isn't the only language native to the UK: there's also Welsh, Cornish, and various forms of Scots and Scots Gaelic. There are, of course, lots of other languages spoken here too.

[@nigelwylie01]

Not many people outside of our shores have heard of these other languages spoken in the U.K.; thanks for mentioning them. Doric is one of the least mentioned. It sounds lovely. I encountered it while on holiday in the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland. There are examples on KZbin.

[@robcrossgrove7927]

In Nottingham, you have Nottingham City Transport, that just basically runs in the city, including suburbs, but we also have a private bus company, Trent-Barton, that covers basically the whole of Nottinghamshire and a large part of the East Midlands too. Very good service. Some of the busses run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They're disabled friendly, and the drivers are usually very helpful, (though don't ask Abdul anything because he can talk the hind leg off a donkey, and you'll get much more info than you're looking for).

[@stevethornhill3304]

Supermarket petrol stations all allow you to insert your payment card first or pay at the counter after you have fuelled up.

[@quincary5791]

Ah, but some don't have any place to pay, other than at the pump - my local Asda forecourt for example is unmanned.

[@george-ev1dq]

@@quincary5791 yep, Asda are going down the pay at the pump only route, I have since stopped using Asda filling stations.

[@alanmusicman3385]

Not quite all of them yet. On a recent tour round the UK I noticed that the further away you get from the human antheap of the south East UK, the more you will find only offering "Pay at Kiosk" - though the number IS decreasing. In some near future, yes, most of them will offer a choice between "Pay at pump" and "Pay at kiosk".

[@drmikebass]

The real kicker with British accents is not that they are arguably more diverse than American but that they are all squashed into a place the size of Oregon. :-)

[@vivienhodgson3299]

That's spot on! It reminds me of Professor Higgins in the play 'Pygmalion' by George Bernard Shaw (aka the film 'My Fair Lady'). He was supposed to be able to tell which London street a person came from by their accent!

[@tomlong8350]

These days with people moving around a lot and with media such as TV, accents tend to get watered down, but originally in UK accents changed every 5 miles.

[@Mabinogion]

The 'norm' in civilised European countries at filling stations is to pump, then pay. As the OP wrote: like civilised human beings.

[@ulvsbane]

I'm from Sweden, a non English speaking country, and often it seems like I understand more British accents than a lot of Americans. Of course, there are some really tricky ones out there that I believe they put on just to mess with tourists :p People do often come in contact with the RP English, also known as BBC English or Queen's English (now it probably should be King's English I guess, hmm)

[@DazzleMonroe]

Way back before cars started spluttering around the roads of Suffolk, accents and dialects would change sometimes from village to village. It used to be very easy to spot a stranger by the way they spoke and the words they used. The Suffolk dialect is very close to the one spoken by fishing communities along the coast of North Carolina. Both are slowly disappearing, but mine is still strong

[@ianlewis3023]

William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066 established the 'New Forest' as his private hunting estate. The word 'forest' was then applied to an area set aside for the nobility to hunt and as it was new estate the name stuck. The local residents have the following 'rights' which date back to that time, although of course are not exercised by all residents! Pasture: The right to graze livestock, such as ponies, cattle, donkeys, and some sheep Pannage or mast: The right to turn out pigs in the autumn to eat acorns and beech mast, also known as the "pannage season" Estovers or fuelwood: The right to cut wood for fuel Marl: The right to take clay to fertilize agricultural land, which is no longer practiced Turbary: The right to cut turfs for fuel, which is no longer practiced

[@trudilawrence9899]

I love the New Forest. Love seeing the horses and cows. 😊

[@andreww2098]

some newer pumps in the UK have prepay at the pump before pumping, but you can still go in the shop to pay

[@george-ev1dq]

ASDA are closing all their pay at the shop facilities, card payment at the pump only.

[@moonramshaw1982]

"Pump and Pay" at the petrol station sounds more like slang for prostitution😂

[@crackpot148]

There are fewer British accents than foreigners think. Having said that, here regional accents will have small localised nuances, which may not be noticeable to strangers, that to a minor degree sets people from those locations apart. I left the Welsh Valleys village where I was born and raised when I was 18 y.o. but on the occasions when I visit the town nearest to my home village, even all this time later, I can instantly pick out people from my home village when I hear them speaking. Dialects are a different thing but since the invention of radio, television and the technological advances in mass communication over the decades such regional dialects are fading into obscurity. Take Geordie, the dialect of Newcastle and surrounding areas, it is rarely heard spoken among younger generations there but the accent remains. I am 76 years old.

[@noteverton]

In some cities, you have to pay for petrol before filling because people were filling up and driving off. It's called "bilking". Mostly you fill first, then pay.

[@JohnResalb]

I read that comment from a guy in Sheffield. Yes, there are lot of accents in the North East all the way up to Newcastle. And that guy had difficulty with someone in another part of his own county (South Yorks).

[@robcrossgrove7927]

Also in Nottingham, just to let you know, we have busses that run to different towns and counties, Trams that run through many different towns, (from one end of the line near me to the other, you could be on the tram for around an hour and a half), and trains that run to other parts of the country. You can get to one end of the country to the other by train if you want, though you might have to change quite a few times, (just don't go when the trains are on strike).

[@Running-Commentary]

reqgarding Queuing. If you leave a full arms length someone will assume there's space and join the queue between you. it varies somewhat but usual gap is about 30-50 cms and can be less, especially in event lines.

[@Picklepower2x]

Brit here. I live in Devon (very South) I have struggled to understand some people from Glasgow (Scotland) and Newcastle (very North). Ive met other Brits who couldn't understand me too. On TV accents are softer.

[@Dragonblaster1]

You can prepay at some petrol stations, at the pump. You insert your card and PIN, then fill up however much you want. The station will charge your card for whatever you withdrew.

[@alisonwhyte8885]

It's quite common in Scotland for directions to be given by the pubs you will encounter, e.g when you get to the red lion turn left and walk until you get to the green tree, turn right and when you get to the black bull its across the road.

[@steveroberts728]

In the USA you have a Police Force and in the UK we have a Police Service. Important distinction. Don’t forget that the majority of police officers in the UK do not regularly carry firearms. We have Armed Response vehicles with officers highly trained in the use of various types of firearms which patrol and can respond to emergencies. I’ve never heard of an issue with personal space in the UK. We tend to keep our distance as a norm.

[@onecupof_tea]

People rarely travelled beyond their town, hamlet or village hundreds of years ago, unless they were wealthy, so accents were very localised. Even in cities with a big mix of people, there's still a difference between Birmingham, London and Bristol accents. I was asked to scope a piece of paper by a teenager, and had to ask for a translation.

[@natashaw401]

Oh neat

[@marksummerson3966]

I come from Sheffield in England and have traveled the world since I was 16 years of age. I moved back to Sheffield when I was 32 years of age and took a sales job based in my home city. Before the days of SatNav we used maps to find our way around by car but often had to stop and ask a local for local directions to find a customer's premises. I'd travelled the world but had never been to Barnsley just fifteen miles from Sheffield. Lost, I stopped to ask directions from a man walking along the road. He poked his head into my car and proceeded to give me the directions that I had asked for. I didn't understand a single word of what he said except "Pal" at the end. I said, "Thanks." and drove off none the wizer.

[@sashh2263]

I love a Barnsley accent.

[@barrysteven5964]

You also forgot we spell it 'travelled' here! 😂😂

[@matthomer1224]

Try taking to someone with a proper black country accent. I'm from the black country but I can't understand them.

[@sashh2263]

@@matthomer1224 Aye Bab, am used to the yam yam now.

[@Nick-Emery]

I once asked a Cornish man for directions and he said go left when you see the second oak tree 😂

[@ShioMiyazawa]

i’d love to see Tyler hear a lot of the different accents, I think it would be funny for him listening to Scouse, Geordie, any Welsh, Irish or any Scottish accents like Shetland 😂

[@charlestaylor9424]

It is possible that two people in a shop in Edinburgh were talking a different language.

[@-LydiaXedits]

2:43 - to answer your question, we do find it a lot easier than Americans may do- though, it is still a struggle to understand Scottish or Welsh and so on, but you can work it out pretty quickly I have found.

[@gaynorhead2325]

We grew up driving on narrow country roads!

[@jamestaylor6760]

12:33 At UK petrol/gas stations, you can't just pick up the pump and start filling your vehicle immediately, you have to wait for cashier clearance first (usually only a few seconds) and the pump will say something like "waiting for cashier clearance". This is basically to allow staff to acknowledge your presence and prevent you from just driving off without paying

[@glo0115]

Nottingham city has NCT which handles routes within the city. You then have Trent Barton which generally handles the routes in the rest of the county. As those buses come into and out of the city, you can get on or off but it's best to use the right service for where you're going. You can get the Robin Hood travel card (such an original name, cant use it on the Robin Hood Railway Line though) which is allowed for use on buses but only within the city boundary.

[@FanOfLexi]

I think U.K. drivers cope well with the narrow country roads because the majority of us have manual-drive vehicles. You have way more control using your gears to drive the car.

[@neoclans]

Do not leave the teabag in the cup, and never squeeze the teabag (with the teaspoon), just stare before taking out the teabag out.

[@qwadratix]

WTF man, use a bloody teapot. Are you some sort of savage?

[@annfrancoole34]

I squeeze it all😀😃😄 the time

[@steve_and_lolas_hikes]

Gotta squeeze 😧 Get all that flavour out 😅

[@steddie4514]

Or "stir"? 🤷

[@VeritySnatch]

blankly, into the distance

[@happilyeggs4627]

Personal space is 23 inches in the UK. This was surveyed. The average space a person feels comfortable having when in a crowd or queueing. In Africa it is only 20 inches

[@lindylou7853]

I’ve just had to explain Cockney rhyming slang to my Pakistani nurse …. ‘What is this, ‘titfer’? …it’s a hat …. Tit for tat rhymes with hat …. ‘ what are apples?” …stairs … apples and pears= stairs ….. ‘? Watch me plates!” …watch my feet… plates of meat= feet.

[@britishknightakaminininja1123]

Ah, but Cockney Rhyming Slang was *deliberately* a 'secret' language, and is the historical precedent for the fantasy concept of 'Thieves Cant' - a language only an inner circle understand that could be used to discuss warehouse thefts and other crimes even in public. There's a good reason it originates from some of the world's busiest docks of that age.

[@oastie3]

My sister and her husband who reside in Kent in the south east of England, went by train to Edinburgh. They were totally unable to understand the public announcements at the Edinburgh station.

[@gdok6088]

We have some petrol pumps with card pay at the pump. Mostly you fill up your car 1st & then pay on trust. Once I filled up as usual, then used the cash machine outside. A few days later the police called to say I had driven off without paying. I was mortified and so embarrassed. After getting my cash I had just forgotten to pay. The police seemed to realise I was genuine and said, 'these things happen, don't worry, just pop into the petrol station and pay' which I did immediately. We have CCTV with ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) at most filling stations from which they can easily track you down. I've never done it before or since!!

[@derpqueen8288]

Regarding the stall gaps. In the UK the locks on the door are green when unlocked and red if locked. You know someone is in there beacuse the lock is red on the outside, meaning it's in use.

[@anjiedavie6792]

I visited Liverpool a few years ago with friends. I was surprised when they didn't understand waiters in restaurants, etc. Then I remembered that I used to work with an office-full of Liverpudlians back in the 80s 🤣

[@tanishalfelven93]

a comment on the tea confusion, from a brit. We generally dont have lots of different teas on hand. most places that sell it usually stock just a general all round tea. so if you are at a hotel, roadside stall, or cafe/coffee shop, chances are your are just getting a general purpose black tea. think of it like how you at home would have a coffee you always have in the cupboard. this is generally a black tea (i use a brand called Yorkshire Tea) which it then sweetened with white sugar to taste (usually 1 or 2 teaspoons) and a splash of milk (usually until the tea turns a golden brown). conversely, we dont usually have coffee at home, and if we do, its probably instant coffee. Edit: anyone who uses a microwave to heat their water for tea needs to discover kettles. they are insanely good at boiling water, i genuinely dont believe americans don't use them, i use my kettle anytime i need hot water for cooking as it is a lot cheaper than using the cooker/range

[@Jo1066milton]

You don't actually have the luxury of two choices of bus. We have three bus companies in our city. They are not competing for the same routes. They each provide certain routes, which does mean sometimes you need two or more tickets to do a staged trip, depending on which companies run the routes you're using.

[@britishknightakaminininja1123]

We're kind of attuned to accents - especially those from around our home town - to the extent that many times you can identify which *part* of a single city someone is from just from their accent and slang. I'd guess that might be true of parts of LA too, especially in some of the gang neighbourhoods, but here the whole country is like that. Something that's fun is when you (fairly often) meet someone in a city, and can kind of trace back all the places they lived for any length of time before moving to that city.

[@Mean-bj8wp]

You can prepay for petrol here bit only if your paying at the pump by card. There is an option on the pump where you can choose say £20 after you have put in your card and pin. Then you can fill up and the pump will stop at your pre selected amount. No one does it though.

[@Patricia-rc5gn]

Most petrol stations have a ‘pay the pump’ option on a couple of pumps but usually fill and pay after.

[@Foxhunter49]

Sometimes a really broad accent can be very difficult to understand. Don’t hear it very often nowadays. I’ve always found British police very helpful. I was taught as a child that if I got lost ask a policeman for help. Nowadays you rarely see them! When I was in Boston I stopped two cops to ask the way and although they did tell me it was not very friendly. The road where I worked in rural Dorset was single track through woods downhill. Locals drove fast up and down the road BUT you could see through the trees if a car was coming. If you were near a pull in, you stopped even though the car wasn’t in sight. When I go to the USA I always take teabags with me. Public transport is way better this side of the pond. Bus, coach, train and even small airports.

[@wessexdruid7598]

Not Boston, Lincs, then?

[@Foxhunter49]

@@wessexdruid7598 Boston Massachusetts

[@last2nkow]

Ah, tea. Never am I so British as when talking about tea with folks from the colonies. A proper cup of tea begins with the container. Ceramic. You want the ring of ceramic when you tap the side of the empty vessel with your fingernail. A short and gentle * ting ting ting * rings right. Traditionally, a cup for formal occasions, but a mug for more informal occasions such as with breakfast at home, or relaxing with friends. It is more acceptable to be more formal than the norm of a situation than to be less formal than the situation demands so bear in mind. Next we select our tea. It is only for the advanced to use loose leaf so I advise pre made tea bags, of which there is a startling variety. Different teas have different effects on the body, medicinal, invigorating or relaxing depending on the plant whose leaves are blended into the tea or what ingredients are added. I am fond of camomile to relax, mint to calm the waters, ginger and honey for sore throats and candyfloss for taste (not actual candyfloss, it is a blended tea that has a fruity and sweet flavour). But let us start with a classic breakfast tea. It is an all-rounder with a mildly calming effect, a little caffeine to wake one up, a deep and pleasant flavour, and fortifies the body against illness. So having chosen vessel and occupant now we turn to the kettle. Kettle? Yes! An English kitchen must, the kettle is a water boiling device shaped like a jug. It plugs into either a charging base or has a lead that plugs into the wall socket directly and it exists to boil water and turn off when the water is boiled. Fill your kettle to hold only enough water to fill the cup, mug or multiples of, plus half a cup. Over filling makes it take longer to boil and wastes electricity. And one would not want any guests to wait unnecessarily long for their cuppa, would we? (No. No we would not. It is rude.) You fill appropriately, flick the switch and take this time to put tea bags into the cup or mug (one bag each), and we check on our tea modifying ingredients. Traditionally there are 2 more components to a successful cuppa, and they are optional and added to taste. Let us begin with sugar, as it is most simple. Tea is always acceptable with no sugar, but not all tea varieties benefit from the addition of sugar. In fact many of the medicinal teas are best and most acceptedly imbibed with nothing but the water. But in a breakfast or relaxing tea 1, 2 or even three teaspoons or lumps of either white or brown sugar are acceptable, and wntirely to the taste of the drinker. It is the drinkers responsibility to help themselves politely to the bowl of sugar unless the tea maker asks them their preference while making it. If unsure try the tea sans sugar, add one if not sweet enough amd try again after the sugar has a chance to dissolve. Repeat until pleasent. Now the area of contention. Milk. In first or second? How much? Soy or almond or dairy? So many complications! First thing. Herbal and green teas DO NOT NEED MILK. It ruins the flavour, dilutes the effect, and is *shudder * not traditional. So. There are 2 ways to add milk. 1)After the boiling water is added to the cup while the bag is infusing the water. This is my preferred method as it allows you to control the strength of the tea by agitating the teabag until the tea takes on the colour of a light tan if you want a more delicate flavour, or darker brown if you prefer a more robust flavour. Simply agitate the bag until the colour is to your preference and remove the bag. Or 2) remove the bag from the cup after allowing time and agitation until the water is a dark brown, and then add milk slowly in a trickle until the colour reaches the dilution that you prefer. I prefer dairy milk in my tea, it brings a creamy quality that I enjoy. But oat, almond, soy... its fine. Add the milk you prefer, its fine. I hope this short introductionary primer to proper British char is informative and helpful.

[@ianmclaughlin7420]

The police issue in the US is because any incident they attend is likely to be with someone that is armed ! It does harden your attitude if you are in danger of being killed or injured . ..I’m a regular visitor and the rare interaction I’ve had with your police has always been pleasant ….perhaps it’s my English accent 😇

[@lindsaymckeown513]

My family moved from Glasgow to Manchester and people thought we were talikng Gaelic! We didn't even have strong accents. After several years in England itn took us a wee while to acclimatise back to Glaswegian and had trouble understanding some of our older relatives for a day or two. We have the option to pay at the pump with a card or pay with the cashier inside.

[@llamapajamas821]

Personal space is smaller in the UK because all of the public spaces are smaller. We don't have massive superstores in the same way. We visit a lidl or aldi here they are relatively modest sized shops so we have to queue closer together to be able to fit.

[@charlestownsend9280]

Technically there's more than two different bus companies in Norwich, there's three, the blue ones, yellow ones and the first buses, there's also the park and ride, where you can park your car in a car park, like the local supermarket, and get the bus into the city (centre, in Norwich that's just the city), so there's four.

[@timidwolf]

Queueing is the exception to the personal space rule.

[@quinnatoc2770]

Queuing depends on what and where you are queuing: in the bank, person at the front gets more space, everyone else closer together; supermarket, similiar to the bank but be aware other people will want to move around you; buying tickets to enter a site, virtual mosh pit.

[@custardhatter9537]

I never really noticed the speed on narrow roads thing until US people mentioned it. I live in a rural area and if any main roads are closed for works, the only other options are what I call 'single track back roads' - basically you can only fit 1 car on the paved surface of the road due to the width, and it's always weavy. If anyone comes the other way, you both dive off the paved bit at least by a wheel to get around, or you slam on brakes until you stop and then one person reverses as the other approaches until there's a widening in the road and you can back off the road for them to get around. The speed limit on these roads is usually 60mph. Sensible people drive about 20-30mph. I drive 30-40 cos I trust my reflexes and my brakes. Only a couple of weeks ago I had to slam brakes about 6 times on a road like that due to cars coming the other way and my brakes started grinding. Took me 4 times before I realised it was because my tires were sliding on the loose soil/gravel I had to dive off the road onto and not my brakes failing. Drove a bit slower after that lol. But yes, we're mostly quite used to it so we just work around it.

[@EmilyCheetham]

You can pre pay at the pump at some petrol stations in uk. However most people pay after they have filled up.

[@bananess_]

thank you tyler for these videos :D love binging them

[@robcrossgrove7927]

Someone like me, born and bred in the South East with an Estuary accent talks to someone from a different part of England, say with a very broad North Scottish accent, or maybe someone from Liverpool, (Scouser), etc, than we can find it difficult to understand them as well. But what you have to remember is, (as is the case anywhere I suppose), someone may come from one part of the country, but be living in or visiting a completely different part of the country. So it's quite possible to get a complete mix of accents in the same block of flats, (apartments), or in a group of friends in a cafe or coffee shop.

[@chrisperyagh]

I've even swapped hats with an on duty policeman at Weymouth during the Olympics back in 2012 (with his permission and not just took it off him). I couldn't believe the weight of their headgear and he was also suitably impressed how light my top hat was by comparison.

[@bunclecar9246]

Yes, some accesnts are difficult, and they tend to put Call Centres there - Glasgow, Newcastle in the north east of England, for example. But then I live South Wales and the farther away you are from the area the harder the accent can be to understand, as a general rule.

[@hl6876]

There was a TV series based on fishermen from the North east of Scotland and it had subtitles....

[@pipedream690]

Country roads can be tiny with areas where one car can fit through. Locals usually drive way too fast as they know the layout.

[@1TGF1]

As a Notts lad, I may be able to clear up the bus thing a little, and I'm sure other Counties, like Derbyshire and Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are similar to this. So, in the City, there is NCT (Nottingham City Transport) They provide the public transport (mainly buses) that go in and around the city limits (and a little outside but not far). We also then have companies like TrentBarton and Stagecoach that provide services to the rest of the county. However, some of the TrentBarton and Stagecoach buses provide a service from the smaller towns (Sutton-In-Ashfield, Kirkby-In-Ashfield, Newark, Retford) to the bigger towns (Mansfield) and then even to the city (Nottingham). If that wasn't confusing enough, we also have NET who provide the Tram service in Nottingham City Centre which goes out to some of the smaller towns (Bulwell, Hucknall, Clifton) and allows people to use the tram to get into the city centre.

[@HuwBass]

Which is why you buy a Robin Hood ticket that'll cover the bulk of them up to the city limits

[@katx9697]

English Tea bag in mug method, First Put tea bag in mug, Add hot water not quite boiling to the Tea bag before anything else. Make sure you use fresh water from the tap, or bottled water from the fridge, water need to be cold, before you boil it. For Best results boil the water once in a kettle or (if you don't have one a pot on a stove). While water is being added stir the bag atleast three times and twice once you done filling the cup. Add milk while tea bag is still in the cup, then remove it (Don't be afraid to give a quick squeeze using your spoon before desposing of it, in general waste or if its biodegradable your compost bin) The tea should be a golden brown. At this stage you can add sugar, honey, stevia....Best time to have a cup of Tea, is when your just about to leave for work and or travel. And when you just come home or to where you'll be staying/sleeping for the night. Tea is also suitable to have after Major or natural disasters, Family emergencies, During bombardment in the trenches, After a funeral, During a wake, Family get togethers, With your friends after a Break up. Having "THAT" talk with someone. A during a therapy session or casually deciding the fate of that certain individual you currently have the power to destroy or let on their merry way.

[@lindajw100]

Brit here..I had a gardener for a particular job when I moved into a house back when I lived in England. He was Irish and I couldn't understand a word he said!

[@Gomorragh]

each district of greater london is based about the originating village of that area, and each village could have its own distinct local dialect with its own slang, Edinburgh scottish accent is completely differently paced than Glaswegian (ive worked with both) wales have both english and gaelic (a few towns) as well as Welsh, add to that also localised dialects can take from thier own pronunciation of a combination of letters, good example being of 3 villages in a 20 mile radius, all spelled the same, but all 3 villages have a vocally different name, the pronunciation of the W can be "uu" "whi" or just plain "u"

[@EmilyCheetham]

If you come to uk and want to start at a basic ask for English breakfast tea or Earl grey. These are 2 of the most popular. As for milk everyone has a different amount- you add to taste.

[@lindalomax5448]

Husband was in Chicago. Parked at the front of a shopping area. Came out of shops and his rental car had disappeared. He called the police. A very nice, patient officer turned up and helped my husband look for it and found it on the other side of the shops where the car park was exactly the same (even had the same plants). The officer was not annoyed at all at DH’s silly mistake.

[@AbiJaay]

I recently moved a 20 minute drive away from my home town and the accents around me are slightly different. People know I’m not from this town and just ask me where abouts I’m from. Wild.

[@Nick-Emery]

The regional colloquialisms can be a struggle, especially if spoken in an accent. I always thought ‘gambol’ and ‘round the Wrekin’ (re-kin) were normal sayings until I moved out of Birmingham.

[@jeangenie5807]

When I was working in an HQ admin unit, I had three colleagues who were all born in the Glasgow area. Neither sounded like the other ones, and one was so softly spoken, I had listen really carefully to understand what he was saying. 😅

[@geerumpus2418]

Oh my goodness!! You win! That's the first time in my life 47 I've ever heard an American pronounce Edinburgh exactly correct. And I used to work in tourism in that city(my city) there are at least 3 different accents in Edinburgh alone. As capital of Scotland and having strong ties with England historically there is a posh Queen's English accent used by the upper classes and business then there is the working class accent which is still moderately posh but has broader Scottish ism's mixed in and then there's where I'm from...Where instead of from we say Fae, frae or fi and such like there is also the junkie/Ned (non educated delinquent) accent which seems to be spoken from the nose. And its a tiny city 3/4 million people. Then there's the rest of Scotland...

[@joannahigginson9645]

in a queue you just stand directly behind someone...like inches away, if that...but personal space on the tube is even smaller than in a queue