Learning How To Speak British English

Prior to the move across the pond I had watched enough BBC videos to know that the English language as I was taught, starting back in grammar school, was very different from the English I was going to have to understand and speak upon arrival.  I did not understand the difference of accent and how much more difficult understanding speech from here in the North of England would be.  There is also a huge difference in spelling of some words to the point of making it difficult to translate. So, for those of you who are curious or even considering a visit to England, welcome to my class. Let’s start with some basic vocabulary changes translating from 🇬🇧 English to 🇺🇸 English.

Category	🇬🇧	🇺🇸
Food	Biscuits	Cookies
	Crisps	Potato Chips
	Chips	French Fries
	Egg Mayonnaise	Egg Salad (sub.Tuna, Prawn, Ham etc)
	Pudding*	General Term for Dessert
	Custard	"American" Pudding
	Cheese Toastie	Grilled Cheese
	Squash	Concentrated Fruit Juice
	Take Away	Take out or delivered food (pizza, chinese etc)
Clothing	Trainers	Sneakers
	Pants	Men’s Underwear
	Knickers	Women’s Underwear
	Trousers	Pants (over type not under type)
	Joggers	Sweat (Athletic) Pants
	Jumper	Sweater
	Braces	Suspenders
	Wellingtons	Rain Boots

*Not all Puddings are sweet, however. See: Yorkshire Pudding or Black Pudding

Category	🇬🇧	🇺🇸
Medical	GP	Primary Care Doctor
	GP Surgery	Doctor’s Office (Practice)
	Jab	Injection
	Plaster	Bandage
	Sticking (Sticky) Plaster	Band-aid
	Chemist *	Pharmacist
	Chemist	Pharmacy (Behind the Counter OTC Meds)
	Stone	Measure of Weight (1= 6.35 kg)
	A&E	Emergency Room
General	Lift	Elevator
	Z(ee)	Zed (Proper Pronunciation)
	Lorry	Truck
	Trolley	Wheeled Cart (Shopping etc)
	Loo or Toilet	Restroom
	Holiday	Vacation
	Pissed	Drunk
	Nappy	Baby Diaper

* Chemists can provide medications after consultation. They can write prescriptions to be filled locally or there are OTC medications that have to be asked for, but would be prescription medications in the USA (eg. Tylenol with Codeine, or cough syrups with Codeine)

       We will conclude our beginner course in Speaking British English.  There are many more words that could be included but these are the ones that come up in my everyday life.  Some differences are so minor but they trip me up the most often (Z ➡️ Zed).  It is a brilliant language and it is interesting seeing word origins for some American words.

      Cheers for now, more to come soon!