I live in a german town nearly every American and Asian visit on their Europe in two weeks tour. You can easily identify Americans: Look for the loudest persons on the street, bar and restaurant.
They missed the one where they tell you what city or state they come from rather than what country. They assume everyone in the world has an encyclopedic knowledge of US geography.
I think they do this because they honestly believe that each US state is just as different to any other US state as a whole entire country. For them the distinction between states is the most important thing in the world. Other countries are all kinda the same but Arizona vs Utah? A different universe.
Drives me nuts as they will always say Paris, France or London, England etc. They never say USA, like it's the default country or so special it doesn't need to be said.
@@MrsStrawhatberry I watched a short yesterday of a girl asked to name a country in N.America. When asked for a clue, she was told it began with a 'U'. Her response - 'Urope'. When then asked where she was from, she said 'S.Carolina'.
And most of them tell you city AND state. It's always "Nashville, Tennessee", never just Nashville. How many Nashvilles do they think there are in the US that they need to clarify which one it is? I do understand it with Frankfort, though (seems to exist in nearly every US state at least once). Back in the days there must've been lots of Franks who loved their forts, I guess. I mean even we Germans have two of them. But we distinguish them by rivers, not states^^.
We can recognize you not only in person but also online. When you read some comment you just know it’s American who wrote that and not only because of writing style but that mindset behind the comment is simply unique to Americans 😂
Best thing is when they wear a cap backwards, sunglasses on their cap and then shield their eyes from the sun with their hands. I wish I was kidding, but I've seen it plenty of times
also gross khaki ill fitting trousers or shots, tattered ill fitting shirts. Weird colour combinations and socks pulled up too high. I can see a squad of them screaming towards me in my mind right now (i worked in retail in a tourist area too long ahhahahha)
What did you expect from a supposedly "more intelligent" bunch of people who have to SPECIFY where glasses go? Eyeglasses? Gee thanks America - I was putting them on my knees and wondering why my vision hadn't improved. Many of them can't interpret a 24 hour clock and are typically 2 years academically behind most European countries - supposedly they are "more intelligent".. a massive percentage don't even have passports and haven't even left the landmass of America yet claim to be "Mr Worldwide"??? My fucking ass they are.
If you ask a question, don't be surprised when you get an answer. Here in Hungary, if you ask "how are you?", be prepared for at least 5-10 minutes of detailed status reporting. If you don't want to know, don't ask. If they ask, we'll answer the hell out of it, because that's the polite thing to do. :D :D :D :D
In Italy is pretty common ask "how are you" to people you meet, not strangers of course. But it's just a rhetorical question, usually the answer is "fine, you?", "fine" or something similar. But no one really cares, it's just a form of courtesy. Personally I don't like it, I don't ask - unless I really care - and I just answer "bah".
@@Phiyedough Well, it depends on whom you talk to. Because here in elementary school you can choose to either learn english or german. So if someone recognizes you to be an outsider then they likely will reply in the foreign langauge that they can speak. And younger generations are more likely to know english (mostly people who born after 2000).
When I was hostelling I met two types of Americans: 1) Those who had been travelling for a while. These tended to be Intelligent, open minded, well informed and who'd adjusted to European culture and spoke at a normal volume. Really lovely people. 2) Those just off the plane who hadn't adapted yet. These tended to be loud, had a typical American dress sense, were the only people who bought the super-size ice-creams and drinks and would be annoyed that things weren't how they were used to in the US and comment loudly on the fact.. Calling everything cute, weird, dumb, etc doesn't tend to go down with the locals many of whom can understand English in the tourist areas. * * * * * On one occasion I was staying at a hostel in Rome. Pushing open the door on the ground floor I was met by a barrage of loud American voices, echoing off the walls of the stairwell, which despite they and the hostel being several floors up, almost deafened me. The reception desk was really busy so a bit of a queue quickly formed. The group of 6 young Americans in front of me were getting a lot of irritated looks, partly because they were so loud and partly because they were complaining how things weren't the same as in the US and how weird and dumb they thought that was. I lightly tapped one of them on the shoulder and chatted with him for a moment before gently pointing out that his group were getting a lot of pissed off looks from the queue behind. I explained that in Europe we speak more quietly and being overly loud can be perceived as a bit rude and inconsiderate. I also explained that many Europeans spoke English as a second language so could understand exactly what his companions were saying and that some of their comments might be considered a bit offensive. I suggested he inform his friends of this and that it might be an idea to moderate both their volume and comments in consideration of the people around them. Having looked behind at the rest of the queue and seeing the glares his group was getting, he quickly spoke to his friends who promptly followed my suggestions. I got a lot of appreciative handshakes, grins and thumbs ups from the rest of the queue!😀 To be fair lots of tourists of many nationalities can be like this when experiencing a new culture, it's just Americans being so loud tend to particularly stand out.
Have you ever seen a group of Manchester United fans from Britain? You would be begging that group of Americans back. They would be monks in comparison.
Your comment about calling things dumb brought back a memory I had repressed from about twenty years ago. I want to preface this by saying I know way believe this behaviour to be typical of Americans. I was in a Burger King in the UK with an American family next to me and my partner of the time. They had ordered milk with the kids meals, but then the older brother told his little sister very loudly "That's British milk, you can't drink that." He never expanded on why but I assume it had something to do with the BSE scare from several years earlier (that was exclusive to meat, not milk). The mother took both their drinks, examined them and then poured them away, promising them "real milk" from somewhere else after they left. Now for context about the next part, for those too young to remember it used to be the norm that movies weren't released internationally at the same time. Due to having to physically ship rolls of film they would release in their county of origin and then a month or two later start releasing overseas. So these kids noticed that the toys in their kids meal related to a movie they had already seen earlier in the year, and then proceeded to begin a chant of "stupid dumb idiots!" over and over without any pushback from their parents for nearly ten minutes, loud enough for half the restaurant to hear. It amazes me that all four of them walked out of that place with the same number of teeth they walked in with.
A former fellow sailor ( a Norwegian that had married and moved to Florida) of mine, said it was funny that most Amricans gave him the "Used Car salesman" vibe. Fake friendlyness and smiles at first encounter.
If no one ever smiles or is friendly where you live, I imagine it probably does come off that way. I've seen similar reactions when someone who grew up in the ghetto, where everyone is looking out for themselves, but then 'makes it' & moves to the nice area of town. The culture is quite different.
@@Allaiya. Pretty much all of northern Europe is like this. It's not a case of 'looking out for ourselves', we are just culturally more reserved and keep ourselves to ourselves. We're friendly and smile when it is genuine and don't force it because we feel it's expected of us.
Speaking of which, if you're a geography nerd, you should check out Geography King and Geography by Geoff. Both are American geography channels. Geography King is fun because he has a particularly nerdy style. There is also a Chicago Geoguessr channel (don't recall the exact name) who just plays Geoguessr on his channel, and he's quite good at it. He's kind of similar to the guy from Wales.
This is the most evil thing in english. I had roommate who lived in US, he said to me "hey, how is it going?" And immediately put his headphones on. I was stunned by it and felt like it's quite rude to do so. He did similar thing many times and only later some Chinese guy explained to me that it was type of greeting.
@@ojgfhuebsrnvn2781it’s not evil it’s just language lol. Lots of weird aspects about other languages too. How are you may as well me one word. If you’re a native you know how to use it and it’s not weird
When Americans say “Hey, how are ya” with a grin, they don't mean to be friendly, it's pure self-protection, what they really mean is “Hey, I'm friendly and no danger to you, please don't shoot me!". And the reply“ Thx, I'm fine” with a grin of course, is “Don't worry, I forgot my gun anyway, just going to Walmart to buy a new one” !!!
About keeping the distance. Here in Sweden we was told to have about 1,5-2 meter ( 4.9- 6,5 ft ) distance during the covid pandemic. When that was over we was happy to go back to our normal 5 meter ( 16,4 ft )distance again. :D
The most American comment I ever came across on social media: a bl@ck woman describing her experience in one of the Nordic countries, forgot which one: "Wow, for the first time in my life I was treated like an American. Not "back-American, not African-American. Just an American. It was wonderful." Mi intake of this was: Like yeah, quit ya division of population by 4th- generation-German / Italian / African American / what have you. NOBODY in the world think that way!!! You are all American to us, all screaming "BOOOOORN in the USA" loudly and proudly while leaning to things and demonstrating radiant white teeth.
Yeaaah, the other side of it is this totally cringe bs of "oh, I'm actually Italian-American!" (Or whatever-american) but then you find out they don't have a nonna that immigrated to the US in 1960, but they took an Ancestry test and it said like "4% Italian" Who does that!! (Besides Americans)
Some US people (note: SOME) manage to twist their "heritage" in insane ways: I have an acquaintance that claims that she is probably related to me (a Finn living in Finland) because I happened to mention that we have a castle ruin from the 1370's near our summer cottage. Since she has Scottish and Irish (and apparently had to mention 1% Navajo) heritage, that castle ruin in "the country of Europe" means that when her grandfather traced her family tree back five generations, her ancestor's last name then was "Queen of Scotts", and this very (in)famous queen lived in a castle, so it's all connected. *I swear, I'm not making this shit up.* I asked her "so your grandpa traced your family tree to the birth of Mary Stuart for five generations back to 1542?" and she replied "Yes! Isn't that amazing!" Bruh. I don't think she knows how many castles there are "in the country of Europe" or how generations work
@@Scarlett.Granger even for grandparents it can be dubious. I hardly consider myself English even though my Dad is and my Mom certainly doesn't even though her Dad is as well, though it depends if you've moved between the places a lot.
@@elirewasout i quite agree. I'd consider a persons nationality either where they grew up, or where they lived most their live, or of course what citizenship they have or a combination of those (though of course all three can easily be the same). Americans obsession with ethnical and national relations is crazy, especially nowadays with genetic testing and claiming these weird percentages as "heritage". Also, how come you can be like korean-american, french-american or Indian-american, but if you've got roots from nigeria it's just "african-american"? Even if you ignore how weird that compartmentalization is, and how people act like someone's not a "real" American for having any single ancestor from wherever immigrated later than the mayflower, its crazy how africa is just all generalized and dumped together, just because most Americans probably barely know where africa is on the map, never mind any countries in it. It's all honestly really weird to me.
First, what's wrong with nice teeth? 2nd, I am Belgian, having emigrated to the States as a one year old. My sister is Belgian-American, first generation American. My only regret is that my parents never wanted us to speak Dutch, since we were "American girls." She eventually regretted it, but I understand it and speak some.
такая же тема)) еще читала, что в германии принято смотреть друг другу в глаза, когда с незнакомцем пересекаешься на улице, якобы это вежливо. я и знакомым в глаза смотрю редко. хорошо, что у нас вежливым считается не смотреть в глаза
Thank goodness I live in Scandinavia. I sort-of smile at strangers if we accidentally make eye contact or something slightly awkward happens (like trying to each take our side of the street and failing), but I feel like I would absolutely die in the US.
@@victoria_m13 No, you don't have to make eye contact :) it's completely fine to ignore anyone you don't know. Nobody bats an eye. The average german seems to be on the lower end of the spectrum 😅
An American friend of my son's went backpacking across Europe during his gap year. He didn't want to be labelled as "a typical American", so he put a Maple Leaf sticker on his backpack. It didn't work too well, as he stuck it on upside-down. 😅
@@TheDredConspiracy To a European not using the proper volume is considered egocentric. As a result if you keep your voice down most people will just treat you like a regular tourist, But if you are being loud they'll treat you like the seagull you are.
Ironically feeling the need to display your country flag or symbols is a very American thing to do😂 Never seen that in tourists from other countries, really. Nobody in Europe would wear a shirt with their country flag on them, for example. (Well, besides world cup games or something).
The way they use the cutlery. First they use both knife (right hand) and fork (left hand) as Europeans, but only to cut a part of their dish in pieces. Then they lay the knife, switch the fork to their right hand and eat those prefabricated pieces. And after they swallow the last piece, the whole procedure starts again from the beginning. And Americans also have specific style how to show 1-2-3-4-5 with fingers. I don't know if all Europeans use different way, but we Czechs do for sure.
From what I learned (could be wrong however *shrugs*) does the pre-cutting of the meal and just using one hand for eating go back to the Wild West times. They never knew what could happen, so they needed a free hand to draw their revolver, if something happens. And that seems to have passed down the years. Considering the amount of weapons in the States, the reason seems still valid today...
As a Hungarian i would do the finger counting as: little finger 1, ring 2, middle 3, index 4, thumb 5. with the palm being towards myself. Though it's very likely influenced by the tons of Asian shows i watch.
There were lots of foreign students at my university and my friend and I would play a game of 'Spot the nationality' and we got pretty good at it. I also did this whilst hostelling. Good identifiers are: a) The physical look e.g. complexion, hair , physical features. b) Clothing style. c) Mannerisms. e.g The way they walk, how they use their hands whilst speaking, etc. American tourists are the easiest to spot by a country mile: 1) You hear them before you see them. Americans talk VERY loudly compared to Europeans. 2) They're the only people who buy the super-size ice-creams and drinks which the ice-ceam vendors make just for them. No European ever buys these. 3) Dress sense. e.g. College sweatshirts, hawaiin shirts, baseball caps, sneakers. In catholic countries girls are expected to cover their shoulders so if you see a girl in a top with bare shoulders and spaghetti straps she's probably American (Or possibly British or Northern European, but they look different). 4) Braces on their teeth and big gleaming smiles on their faces, which look a bit false/unnatural to us. Here in the UK we're a miserable bunch of gits, so only Americans and the village idiot smile like that here!😁
I worked in a motorway service station in ireland and often saw coach loads of tourists stopping off. You can tell American tourists from European ones because they are generally larger, dressed differently, louder and more excitable
dressed like children you mean, ill fitting, tattered clothing usually way too baggy, items dont match or are kahki, they pull their socks up too high like children and wear hats constantly because theyre balding.
7:11 It is quite usual, at least in Germany, to go about your business with resting bitch face or even Panzervernichtungsgesicht. Other people may be around, but they attend to their business and will usually do not even notice you. Putting on a smile is a signal that you want to interact in some way, which immediately raises questions like "do I know them? What do they want? Have I missed something?", which indeed is confusing. That is one of the reasons Walmart failed in Germany.
@@watermelon7998 ..... what? The original commenter correctly said that Walmart failed because their workers were (with US perspective) trained to be more smiling and happy than germans liked. What you're saying is at best unrelated if not actually totally opposite.
I once had to meet an American - who I had never seen before, in the lobby of an hotel. I walked straight up to him and introduced myself. “How did you know it was me” he asked? I pointed to his clothes and then to everybody else in the lobby. He nodded, said nothing and went to change his clothes! (He looked like a clown). Another time, an American I knew asked his English girlfriend if she would move back to the States with him? She said “I couldn’t possibly go to America because I don’t have any clothes that DON’T match”!
As someone who worked in immigration and met people all around the world(mostly white collar tho, so this is based on that data), I d say Americans to me were the ones hardest to read. The only negative feedbacks that ever surprised me in 5 years of working in immigration were all from Americans(its not many, but still I do find it interesting that all these cases were US citizens),who I perceived as extremely happy, friendly and satisfied - while they were not. Most nationalities I worked with, when they get angry or frustrated, they wear those emotions on their sleeve, Americans are often really good at masking their true feelings behind the wall of happiness and also have a tendency to go to managers, instead of the worker with their actual feedback. Basically I was the last one finding out they were unhappy even tho I managed their case and talked to them on a weekly basis for 3-4 months (again this is strictly experience with white collar Americans and not all of them, many were truly lovely).
It’s like this in corporate environments too. You can’t say “a bad idea is a bad idea”, you have to tip toe around it and say “we will look into that and come back to you”
Yes. I was policing a precession in Central London recently. Some australians came over and politely asked questions and took photographs. Two girls, possibly from India/Pakistan came over and asked questions politely and thanked me for my time. Another girl with her boyfriend came over, couldn't tell where she was from exactly but possibly Latvia/Lithuania, again asked if she could take photos of the military band, I said "Of course you can". The Americans? Well I heard the two American businessmen discussing "scale factors" and "profit", loudly talking on the phone before I saw them. I knew straight away they were American because their accents were a huge clue as were their loud "I want everyone to hear me" voices. I don't have anything against them personally, but this obsession with talking loudly so that everyone hears you is rather strange.
@@watermelon7998 Was a bit of both. I could be wrong but that was my best guess. The Australian couple were by far the easiest to guess their nationality as their accent was strong and pronounced, especially the girl's accent.
@@thefiestaguy8831 unfortunately many Americans will travel abroad with a Canadian flag on their bags. We can’t stand it. Gives us a bad reputation when they still act loud, obnoxious and entitled. Other Canadians have gone up to them thinking they’re Canadian but to find out shortly into the conversation that they were American and had no shame trying to impersonate as a Canadian. They know in general,Canadian people are mostly looked favourably upon in other countries whereas Americans not so much. They have so much pride about their country when at home( that’s fine) but they drop it real quick when travelling.
@@cmccullough12C Dont worry, we can tell the difference at least 95% of the time, the accents and manners usually give it away. But as long as they behave, we just pretend to believe, theyre Canadian.
@@clothilde1623 well I wouldn’t drink Scottish whiskey with ice either. There are a lot of different types of whiskey, some go well with ice and others not.
5:07 Yes. Outside of the USA, it is considered rude to not answer a question and to ask a question that you don't want answered. If you ask "How are you?" you will get a response and you will get an honest one.
The distance/time thing did bite me when I was visiting the US about 20 years ago (I was quite young). I wanted to go from the hotel to a convention center (and by going, I obviously meant walking). So I asked at the hotel reception how far away and in which direction the convention center is. They said "Oh, it's just 15 minutes down this road"… Well, I started walking, and it turned into a quite long walk. The following days I asked for the hotel shuttle every day.
If I'd ever overhear two people where one asks "alright?" to which the other one replies "alright?", I'd have anxiety for the rest of the day. 😂 This convo sounds super sus.
It sounds even weirder than the American way. Why not just say "hello" or "hi"? Hearing "you alright" makes me feel like something is visibly wrong with me
As a worker at the Tourist information centre at Prague Main Railway station, I can immediately recognize an American. Firstly, they are overly friendly, which is suspicious behaviour for locals - everybody thinks that the person wants some favour or is mocking you. Secondly, they are looking for a taxi even though their hotel/accommodation is just two streets away and easily get angry, when they are told, that they are in the historical city centre where streets are narrow and cars are sometimes even forbidden to drive there. Thirdly they are afraid of using public transportation and it doesn't matter, how long the journey will be - one station or across the whole city. A special class of Americans are backpackers. They just don't care about other people when they are travelling with their backpacks. For example in public transportation is a rule, that you have to put down your backpack from your back because you can injure somebody. After all, when you have it on, you are not able to see what is happening behind you. And of course, they are really loud. Like really loud, you can tell, that they are coming from hundreds of meters away. It sounds all negative, but it is easy to focus just on negatives and not good things. A lot of Americans are humble, nice and caring, of course.
As a Swede in Texas I was caught off guard when a cashier asked me how I was doing and got a bit dumb founded, in my head I am going "why is this person asking personal questions like that? I don't know them" You might ask a coworker or an acquaintance how they are doing out of politeness, but never a comlete stranger. There needs to be an established relationship of *some* sort, otherwise it comes off as almost invasive or possibly concerning, to Swedes at least.
@brandonparisien2381 the point is that when coming from a culture where asking "how are you doing" is a very personal question, it isn't a natural thing to return the question. What Americans consider polite is considered rude and intrusive in my culture, why would I then automatically respond by being what I would perceive as rude and intrusive back? That is what is called a culture clash.
I used to work in a pub in a vaguely touristy place - it was an eating pub, rather than a drinking one. And you could always tell when an American family was waiting to be served because their conversation to eachother about what they were going to order was louder than everyone else in the pub combined lol
Thanks for your nice videos 😊 When I talk to or message with my American acquaintances, I need to gear up my brain to the next level and use lots of positive comments like great, wonderful, amazing etc with the right enthusiastic attitude, not to seem unfriendly... 😅 Hello from Finland 🇫🇮
@@Allaiya. Obviously they mean "not just in time, but specifically in car time". A granny Smith apple is still an apple, but an apple is not necessarily a granny Smith.
I was told by an American in no uncertain terms that I am Australian, when I politely said that “no I’m British” I was told I was lying. Not sure why I would lie about where I come from, I’d happily be Australian! 😊
@Japonicastar for me, that's probably the single most irritating characteristic of most Americans. I'm Australian, living in a village that's very popular with tourists. I get fed up with being told how to pronounce the names of places in the country where I was born, as well as having my English corrected. I've travelled extensively around the world, as well as in my own country, and could tell many unflattering stories about Americans, both in the USA and in other countries.
The UK measures distance in miles Ryan! All our road signs are in miles, the speedometer in most cars is in miles per hour, our speed restrictions and laws are in miles per hour! The UK measuring system is a weird hotch potch of units. Fuel is sold by the litre, milk and beer by the pint. Meat is priced by the kilo but people still ask for a pound of minced beef. Babies are weighed in kilograms but most people prefer to know in pounds and oz, in the same way people generally know their height in feet and inches and their weight in stone but purchase carpet by the metre and dog food by the kg. Don't ever expect to understand what is normally done in imperial and what's in metric. We don't understand the unwritten rules either, apart from knowing that shops are in metric.
Because we can grasp more than one unit of volume or length we didn't need to change all our road signs. And we buy beer by the pint because a half litre is too little and a litre is too much so why discard a well understood and convenient unit?
UK measurements are metric by law (for trade purposes) and imperial by tradition. So things that aren't connected to trade have stayed imperial. It was also too expense to change all the road signs etc when we went metric. New signs often show distances in both miles and kms.
@@speleokeir It wasn't 'too expensive' to change all the signs. They get routinely changed and by now (since the last metric push 20-odd years ago) all of them would have been changed. Plus it costs central government zero to pay for such things, they issue the currency.
The other countries of Europe use the metric system and the weight is measured in kilogrammes. So it's a bit bothersome to see speed limitation in miles when you're not used to... 😅
I was in Strasbourg last week and the little tour train weaving around the streets had a bunch of Americans onboard... they had caps on, mostly backwards.
America is a continent. From which state of the continent of America North: Canada, USA, Mexico South: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Topic ice cubes: generally speaking, if they put ice cubes in, than there is less "room" for the actually drink. So you pay the same amount for less product or for your product getting watered down (literally) in the future. That's why never want them in my glass, if i have to pay for them
exactly, it waters your drink down, and you don't know what water they used to make the ice. Also, in the summer OK, your drink doesn't warm up that fast in the heat, but not in the other 3 seasons.
That's why I ordered my last drink in a US airport bar 30 years ago. They fill the tall glass to the brim with ice, then they pour a thimbleful of liquor over it, a little soda over the top, and that's it. You suck on the straw two times, and that was it. Great experience for 14 bucks. Since then I prefer BYOB, before entering the plane, of course.
1. Putting their feet up on things. 2. Sportswear related to their State (NY, Pennsylvania, Boston etc.) or favourite national team (Yankees, Dolphins etc.) Caps, shirts, jackets you name it. I've never seen someone in France for example, wearing something that tells me what region they're from and if they are wearing something that says Paris, France etc. They're most likely American 😂
When an American asks "how are you", in my ears it sounds more like "how have you been? What are you up to". Like, it is a conversation started to get the convo going. Which is a really weird thing to do just randomly
The wearing of baseball caps is a massive clue. Of course some people wear them here, but it tends to be those under the age of about 25. To see a man in his 60s or 70s wearing a baseball cap is generally a massive clue that they're American! And if that same bloke is also sporting a bushy moustache, being American is pretty much 100% guaranteed. 😄
I'm Scottish and have been wearing baseball caps for over 40 years. I occasionally wear them backwards when doing gardening to keep the sun off my neck. Most of my friends are in the same general age group and even the ones in their 60s all wear baseball caps too. It's not a young man's hat, it's an everyman hat. We do however take them off indoors (most of the time). So your assumption is ok as a general guide but not as the rule.
@@Thurgosh_OG Yeah, my dad used to wear caps outdoors when gardening or vacationing in hot places. However, nobody would ever for a second think, that he was American. Its not just the cap, its a combo. Clothing (bagging/ill fitting/not matching), possible moustaches, what theyre carrying around (cameras, guide books etc), sunglasses, ofc their accent and behavior. I would never see a guy wearing a cap and assume, he must be American. Yet Ive recognized Americans all over the world, b4 they could even speak, and I never missed my guess. Its hard to describe, but its a combo of the things, I mentioned, and then just that aura around them of "here I come, Im American, every1 will be happy to greet me". Even the friendly and good natured 1s scream that American exceptionalism, u can spot it from a distance.
Thats true, but also here in Europe it really depends if you live in a big city or more on the countryside. For example where I live I’m much faster if I take my car, but of course I then need to find a spot and pay for parking.
@@Kiba_a.z Agree. That‘s why I wrote „can“. The train covers up a lot of scenarios and is especially more convenient between the „big“ cities (we actually don‘t have big cities 😂). In the cities, you really won‘t need a car. But sure, as soon as you wanna visit low populated areas and remain highly mobile, the car is the better option.
@@The12th_ Sure in the city you don’t need a car. Funny thing to use trains for moving between cities. I’m jealous of your train schedule. Greetings from Germany.
Yes, from Switzerland, I once bought a round trip train ticket around Switzerland. It took me 14 hours to go around the country. What is the perimeter of Switzerland? an American might answer 14 hours, but he might not travel by train.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany From the only country on either continent that actually has "America" in its name, perhaps? What else are we supposed to call them? United Staters? USA'ers?
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany “Nonsense” would be a better way to describe your comment. What exactly were you trying to say? Because it wasn’t clear at all. Could you maybe elaborate?
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Calling someone from the usa (where tha "a" literally stand for "america") as american is the same as how you won't call a Czech as "Czech republican" or a Russian as "Russian Federationer".
It's funny to me that it was an Italian who said that "Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction" because I would say that it's also an Italian trait (more so the further south in Italy you are). Both countries have some strange views of masculinity that seems to prevent them from asking for help - one that definitely exists elsewhere too, but seldom at such a high rate.
When they have a badge with a Canadian flag because they think that would fool people and think they're Canadian. It always funny to talk to them in French.
@@frankhooper7871 True but most Canadians will at least know you are speaking French and be able to say in French that they do not understand or speak French well. Most public schools in Canada include basic French in the regular curriculum.
I took a train today, the platform was full of people, speaking Chinese, French, German, British English- but which group of people did I overhear loud and clear even though they were much further away? Two Americans standing in front of the timetable and discussing in a normal loud American voice their next train.
There is no such thing as British-English. Either actual English or just English if from England and then Scottish-English etc if from the other home nations. English-English is far more accurate than British-English The English invented the language, not the Scots, Welsh etc.
Regarding water, the difference, I think, is in Europe we may want our water cold (even extremely cold in some cases), while Americans want ice in their water.
In the seventies, I worked for a large company based in the outskirts of London. Two floors of the building were leased to STL, a huge American company carrying out research and development for US Government defense projects. A CIA man was stationed there to keep an eye on them and he always wore cowboy boots and a bootlace tie. There was no disguising his Americaness!
Asking "how are you?" or "how is it going?" made me respond with an answer for years, while living in the US, then I learned that it's just a nice form of greeting. Then I started responding with the same question. In European countries, this question is typically met with a short response of "fine, thanks", "no complaints" etc. People with closer contact or bond will tell you how they are in a few sentences.
In some areas of Spain an informal way to say how are you? is just a way to say hello, no actual reply is expected save for a similar expression to say hi.
…I would not stop just on principle. This is *not* a question to be asked as a greeting! It’s basically the same as saying “yeah, I don’t care how you feel, just tell me you’re fine and that’s it”. It’s literally contributing to the trend of “toxic positivity” that have become extremely popular over there. So… no. I don’t want to be a part of that.
Hungary here. At here you would get a story about the whole month or whole year if you ask anyone these questions even if it's a stranger. Because here any question is an actua lreal question, except if you say it in a sarcastic tone.
@@Kayta-Linda yup, nothing worse than toxic american positivity, its so alienating and frustrating to have people just bullshit you to your face like its normal. Although a greeting isnt that big of a deal. In ireland 95% of the time you just say 'hi', 'arite, or right' with no response even required, give a little head nod an then walk right by each other haha.
This has unfortunately spread to many places now. Here in the Netherlands lots of people think they're at the beach when a bit of sun arrives (like today 31°C). They all look like teenagers.
A few years ago, I was a part of this international gaming community. And whenever the Americans asked me "How are you," I always paused for a second to think about it. They always said that they loved how I genuinely thought about it as if they were genuinely asking me how I was doing.
We do the distance in time thing in the UK to. "How far is it?" "About a 10 minute drive" or "About a 2 minute walk". At least we specify mode of transport when we do this though. I think it's more useful than miles or km because time is more valuable to us when we are scheduling our days etc... and it's good to know how long it will be to travel.
I was in the supermarket earlier and the man in front of me said "Tusind tak!" (Thanks a million) to the teller, then had great difficult counting out the currency. Obviously American: 1) carrying cash (some old people do here but it's not starndard) 2) overeffusive thanks ("Tak!" is normal unless someone's done an exceptional favour) 3) very new currency notes that he didn't understand or know how to handle, clearly fresh out of the ATM and 3) colourful clothing. He wasn't fat or over-loud, and he'd bothered to learn to say "thank-you" in Danish, and pronounce it pretty well, but still obviously American. Having obviously been very proud of his "Tusind tak" he then spoke to me in English. Nice bloke but stood out like a sore thumb.
To be fair, cash is much better than using your card, especially in stores that you were never before or jsut very rarely. Because that way you can control how much you give, whilewith card they can cheat on various ways to take down more than what they actually say or some even could install terminals that steal your data without you knowing it. (and i say this as a Central European)
@@tovarishchfeixiao Plus, anyone travelling outside their country may have to pay their bank a fee each time they use their card in the local currency, so getting a big amount of cash from the ATM instead of multiple smaller payments makes sense.
I’d say it depends on how hard the food actually is. If it’s soft enough, it really is easier and faster to just separate it with the fork than to reach for the knife. But if it’s steak or something… yeah, no, screw that.
Many people, not just Americans, drink cold drinks thinking that it will cool them down. What they don't realize is that the stomach contracts when it's cold and as a result it just gets warmer. In Morocco, for example, people drink warm tea on very hot days because it relaxes the stomach and cools down the body.
Unless you know there's another town with the same name, then adding the county is acceptable. Or if the town is small and people who don't live near wouldn't know where it is.
To be honest, americans did steal lots of city names. Literally, you likely could find multiple Londons in the usa if you looked it up, or any famous city names from different countries.
I had a friend who moved to the states and when he came back his body language was noticeably different. I don’t know if I can even explain it. He had a sort of mature, friendly confidence, losing some of the cheekiness or irony that comes from a British person. Amazing that you can tell all of this from just the way they carry themselves.
I don't know if it's a thing in other English-speaking countries, but I've noticed that Americans often write 'your' instead of 'you're'. My dyslexic ass always has a problem understanding what they're trying to say. 🤣
The Germans get it wrong too. They learn the English language (the British one, of course) from grade 5 to grade 9 or 10 or 13 (depending on the school leaving certificate), but then they are at the level of the 2nd grade in England.
@twoeyedjack6836 Then I guess it is problem of young people whose first language is english. I mean, I see the way how it came to be so I don't judge. It is just unnatural to me.
Last week I gave a lecture to a group of students from Michigan, about how 'segswork' is legal, regulated and organised here in NL. They were lovely, curious and open minded and I had a great time with them. There is hope :-)
5 месяцев назад+5
5:05 yes. in Czechia we often take it as a real question. So it's sometimes to be asked about how we are by a total stranger :D
I found a group of americans loudly and happily talking in a sweets store in my city and i thought were travelling together since they were speaking very familiar but then it happens it was the first time they ever met, they were just in line and noticed each other talking in english and the two groups joined together exchanging experiences during their travels, where they were from (one of the groups was from miami, the other one i never got to hear it) and so on, then said byeeee have fun on your trip! And probably never saw each other again
I’m a medieval reenactor in the UK and you always hear the Americans coming, but the biggest thing is they’re the only ones looking at the real Castle and saying “I thought it would be bigger.” “They should do more with this.” While surrounded by a giant medieval living history camp and a full joust.
I met a co-worker from before we both retired at a supermarket and asked her how she was doing. After a few seconds we decided to have a cup of coffee on the terrace next door. Because a simple 'how are you?' is a genuine question about someones well doing, health and family life.
How to spot American tourist in Europe. Man - A baseball cap, university of "enter your uni of choice" T-shirt or hoodie, ill-fitting khakis, light wash jeans that are too tight or shorts that are way too long and white New Balance sneakers. Woman - she looks like she just left the gym without changing clothes but has makeup done and an i-phone glued to her hand.
In some areas of the UK, eye contact, a smile and "good morning" is usual. That's common where I come from up North, but where I live in the South you only really do it in rural areas.
Thankfully times have changed. Back in the eighties you used to hear from Americans all of the time "I'm American! You are just jealous!" Also when they travelled you would hear often "I'm American! You can't treat me that way!" like a red carpet should then sprout under his feet. Today when you approach an American in a foreign land and ask "Are you an American?" often you will hear. "No, I'm Canadian!" Until of course I ask them as a Canadian to sing the Hockey Night in Canada theme. 🤣🤣 Another thing that is a dead giveaway to a Canadian that they are dealing with an American is if you say "Thank You" and they reply "Uh-huh" No Canadian does that, it is considered extremely rude. Also, you should wear sunglasses. The UV rays can lead to macular degeneration as you get older. (blindness).
I'm Canadian, and I can confirm that I've never heard anyone here reply with "Uh-huh" unless they're trying to be rude on purpose. It's usually a "You're welcome," or "no problem."
1) Wearing hats indoors and wearing baseball caps backwards. 2) Speaking too loudly. 3) Don’t know how to use a knife and fork properly. 4) Being „shocked” by everything. 5) Assuming everything is better in the USA. 6) Complain, loudly, about things being different to back home, instead of embracing & enjoying the cultural variations. 7) Demanding things instead of asking politely. 8) Telling a Brit, Aussie, Kiwi, Thai, Japanese etc that they drive on the „wrong” side of the road. 9) LOUD 10) Telling everyone within 100 metres, that America is the only country in the World, that is free.
Americans are well known for being loud and obnoxious. A lot of people know that. Doesn't mean they all are of course, but a lot of them are. In my experience this has been the case the majority of the time.
When I can't remember where I left my vehicle in the car park, I 'confidently ' walk up and down the aisles until I find it! At least I know what I'm doing and why, but I always feel as though I am on a stage, and the whole world is watching, waiting to cheer when I finally find it 🤦♀️🤪
(5:25) That's the typical answer in many countries because it's easier to know the time than actual distance if you've travelled there yourself. But it depends on context of course.
Usually British do not say Hey as Hello or Hi/Hiya, hey is to stop a person who has forgotten something or you had forgotten, and now are informing them of the something you just remembered...
19:42 that's just a thing in majority muslim countries as far as I know. Sitting with one leg across the other is absoultly a thing in western and central europe. Muslims and I think also south east asians (who also have alot of muslims) have this thing where you're not supossed to see the bottom of your shoe or hold it in someones direction. Most of the others are correct though, the friendlyness, the volume, the casualsports wear and also a certain sense of entitlement or lack seriousness sometimes. Philosophical or political discussion at a party :"... hey guys let's do something fun instead!", walking into like a 800 year old church:" oh I imagined it would be bigger!". "what do you mean I can't use my credit card?!". These are the bad examples though. Another one is that they often get easily drunk. I was in prague with a friend (both german) and we met a group of Irish men on a stag party binge, at somepoint two americans joined our crowd. Iam not gonna lie we were all drunk out of our minds but the americans were incromprehensible and shouting stuff after like three beers and a shot. I mean atleast they weren't english who would have acted the same and propably would have started a fist fight (brits on vacation are even worse than the russians and that's quite the feat, but they usually had like 20 beers and 2 bottles of hard liquor and a line of coke before the idiocy starts
And Africa. The US made unnecessary enemies in Somalia (think Blackhawk Down) by riding round in helicopters sitting with their feet hanging out. Everyone took it as a big 'Eff You' and reacted accordingly.
You never know, it might come handy to know how heavy the stones are. The question is: Are they weighing the stones to get their weight in kg or in lbs? :P
There is one thing wrong with the title question of this video. Because if you can't tell, an American will. I met a lady from Utah last summer. She was very curious to know where we came from and whether we could talk to and understand the guy in our tour group who came from a neighbouring country to ours. I didn't learn anything useful about her. The most important thing she had to tell us was that she was from Utah. I was a bit impressed that she knew Denmark and Germany was next to each other, but I digress. 😝
Ice can also water down whatever you are drinking, and I don't like that, it can make soda taste bad. I'm an American, and I always request NO ICE when I go out to eat.
@@feywynnightrunner9380 yeah that's what I meant with diluting it with ice. You're losing flavour twice, once from dilution, and once from the cold temperatures, and too cold isn't even pleasant.
I crossed the border today with my bicycle into Germany, and it isn't strange that other people on bikes smile and greet you if you have a smile on your own face, after all nobody looks good after drinking pure lemon juice.
Generally speaking I find Americans to be very pleasant and cheerful people. They’re always friendly and courteous towards strangers and as a welsh 🏴 person I’m okay with that as we’re usually friendly too. It’s nice to see a smiling face rather than one that looks like a smacked arse 😂😂. I know you can be loud but it’s usually a friendly loudness and not an aggressive one, especially when you’re visiting different countries. It’s the beige/khaki shorts/pants that get me, paired with white calf-length socks, baseball cap and sneakers or croc sandals ! That ALWAYS gives you away 😂 but I usually associate this with the older American gentleman. With younger Americans on holiday, it’s the sports branded clothing and college hoodies - Harvard/Yale/Michigan/Dartmouth etc that are a definite giveaway. We tend to wear sports brands like Nike and Adidas to go to the gym, but the logos are usually really small and not splashed across the shirt. When we’re on holiday and out and about in the summer, we generally wear less obviously branded clothing that’s more tailored, more muted colours and sandals or deck shoes as opposed to trainers (sneakers).
America is a continent. From which state of the continent of America North: Canada, USA, Mexico South: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Hahaha I had an American stay in my flat in reykjavik for a few weeks. He would say hi by saying how are you. We'd always answer by telling him how we actually were. His face was one of confusion pretty much every time 😂
For starters, "Hello" (specifically, "Hellooou") is English. Germans would either say "Hallo" (short o), "Guten Tag" or something. And from the accent it's pretty clear that somebody is not british.
I visit a restaurant in Cambodia to have a beer, a few nibbles and to do a bit of work. One guy virtually shouts all the time and gives me a headache - American!
From which state of the continent of America? North: Canada, USA, Mexico South: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
I have an american friends who visited me in France. What I would notice is a lack of "taking time". Especially when you can sit in front of a beautiful landscape during lunch time, no need to rush ;) It feels very american to me to "hurry" all the time
About 12 years ago, I worked for a company that was taken over by a foriegn company (not American) and that company was run by their office in the U.S. Some managers were sent to the UK to "learn" the ropes of our job (before they closed us down) and what we produced. One afternoon, in the canteen, there was about 30 staff and one table of about 6 office managers from the U.S. All you could hear was that one table. All commenting on the food and one guy, laughing as he related a story about a UK sitcom he watched, where the main character "WAS SOOOO DRUNK HE FELL THROUGH THE GAP IN THE BAR!!!!! (Yes, Del Boy and Trigger) I tried to explain it to them as I walked past and was met with 6 blank faces! Some Americans still don't get our humour. The funny part to them, was him falling through the bar, rather than him trying to impress some ladies sat at a table with his charisma and failing.
I think the US rubbed off on me while I was there for almost a year, back in 1999/2000. I'm German, now 47 years old. I apparently have many American traits according to this... 😅 Clothing wise, I smile at strangers and I tell natural phenomenons to do their job... 😂 Well, not really but America has changed a lot of my perspective for the better, let me tell you that! Non the less, I'm very grateful I'm German and am able to live here in Germany with a functioning social security system and a work-life-balance that I NEVER would have had, if I had stayed in the US. America is really great in a lot of ways, but sadly really, really bad in other ways.
On a walk I give approaching strangers three opportunities to acknowledge me by carefully analysing the body language. It works every time. Nowadays the mobile gets closer and closer to the face - that's a no 'hello' for sure. The 3 definitely works in other strategies too.
![American reacts to How Stupid are Americans? [part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-PA34wSTf44/mqdefault.jpg)
First you hear them, then you see them.
Italians?
And smell
😂😂
you make them sound like mosquitos
I live in a german town nearly every American and Asian visit on their Europe in two weeks tour. You can easily identify Americans: Look for the loudest persons on the street, bar and restaurant.
They missed the one where they tell you what city or state they come from rather than what country. They assume everyone in the world has an encyclopedic knowledge of US geography.
I think they do this because they honestly believe that each US state is just as different to any other US state as a whole entire country. For them the distinction between states is the most important thing in the world.
Other countries are all kinda the same but Arizona vs Utah? A different universe.
Drives me nuts as they will always say Paris, France or London, England etc. They never say USA, like it's the default country or so special it doesn't need to be said.
@@MrsStrawhatberry I watched a short yesterday of a girl asked to name a country in N.America. When asked for a clue, she was told it began with a 'U'. Her response - 'Urope'. When then asked where she was from, she said 'S.Carolina'.
And most of them tell you city AND state. It's always "Nashville, Tennessee", never just Nashville. How many Nashvilles do they think there are in the US that they need to clarify which one it is?
I do understand it with Frankfort, though (seems to exist in nearly every US state at least once). Back in the days there must've been lots of Franks who loved their forts, I guess.
I mean even we Germans have two of them. But we distinguish them by rivers, not states^^.
@@wessexdruid7598 that's more tragic than funny 🤯
We can recognize you not only in person but also online.
When you read some comment you just know it’s American who wrote that and not only because of writing style but that mindset behind the comment is simply unique to Americans 😂
Yes they escalate the excitement with wow type words constantly!
Well, that's communism!😂
Best thing is when they wear a cap backwards, sunglasses on their cap and then shield their eyes from the sun with their hands.
I wish I was kidding, but I've seen it plenty of times
also gross khaki ill fitting trousers or shots, tattered ill fitting shirts. Weird colour combinations and socks pulled up too high. I can see a squad of them screaming towards me in my mind right now (i worked in retail in a tourist area too long ahhahahha)
@@WookieWarriorz I'll add a goatee and huuuge dad sneakers. It's like they make them in a factory or sth
What did you expect from a supposedly "more intelligent" bunch of people who have to SPECIFY where glasses go?
Eyeglasses?
Gee thanks America - I was putting them on my knees and wondering why my vision hadn't improved. Many of them can't interpret a 24 hour clock and are typically 2 years academically behind most European countries - supposedly they are "more intelligent".. a massive percentage don't even have passports and haven't even left the landmass of America yet claim to be "Mr Worldwide"???
My fucking ass they are.
OMG, I remember seeing in the wild 😅
If you ask a question, don't be surprised when you get an answer. Here in Hungary, if you ask "how are you?", be prepared for at least 5-10 minutes of detailed status reporting. If you don't want to know, don't ask. If they ask, we'll answer the hell out of it, because that's the polite thing to do. :D :D :D :D
In Italy is pretty common ask "how are you" to people you meet, not strangers of course. But it's just a rhetorical question, usually the answer is "fine, you?", "fine" or something similar.
But no one really cares, it's just a form of courtesy. Personally I don't like it, I don't ask - unless I really care - and I just answer "bah".
I find if you speak to someone in English in Hungary they are quite likely to reply in German!
@@Phiyedough natürlich 😁
@@Phiyedough Well, it depends on whom you talk to. Because here in elementary school you can choose to either learn english or german. So if someone recognizes you to be an outsider then they likely will reply in the foreign langauge that they can speak. And younger generations are more likely to know english (mostly people who born after 2000).
Yeah, here in Hungary every question is considered as a real question. Except if you say it in a sarcastic tone of course.
I love how Ryan thinks he doesn’t have a loud voice !
He doesn't though, he actually speaks. Many US American RUclipsrs actually scream
Americans have zero social awareness of their surroundings
@@euromaestro he's very loud. Maybe not by American standards, but he is by normal standards.
@@John-jw8rx I am Aussie and find him fairly quiet
@@John-jw8rx
Have you heard
JTReacts - from KENTUCKY ?
_HE'S_ _EXTREMELY_ _LOUD_
(but _he_ _doesn't think_ _he_ speaks loudly!!!)😮😅😂
When I was hostelling I met two types of Americans:
1) Those who had been travelling for a while.
These tended to be Intelligent, open minded, well informed and who'd adjusted to European culture and spoke at a normal volume. Really lovely people.
2) Those just off the plane who hadn't adapted yet.
These tended to be loud, had a typical American dress sense, were the only people who bought the super-size ice-creams and drinks and would be annoyed that things weren't how they were used to in the US and comment loudly on the fact..
Calling everything cute, weird, dumb, etc doesn't tend to go down with the locals many of whom can understand English in the tourist areas.
* * * * *
On one occasion I was staying at a hostel in Rome. Pushing open the door on the ground floor I was met by a barrage of loud American voices, echoing off the walls of the stairwell, which despite they and the hostel being several floors up, almost deafened me.
The reception desk was really busy so a bit of a queue quickly formed. The group of 6 young Americans in front of me were getting a lot of irritated looks, partly because they were so loud and partly because they were complaining how things weren't the same as in the US and how weird and dumb they thought that was.
I lightly tapped one of them on the shoulder and chatted with him for a moment before gently pointing out that his group were getting a lot of pissed off looks from the queue behind. I explained that in Europe we speak more quietly and being overly loud can be perceived as a bit rude and inconsiderate.
I also explained that many Europeans spoke English as a second language so could understand exactly what his companions were saying and that some of their comments might be considered a bit offensive. I suggested he inform his friends of this and that it might be an idea to moderate both their volume and comments in consideration of the people around them.
Having looked behind at the rest of the queue and seeing the glares his group was getting, he quickly spoke to his friends who promptly followed my suggestions.
I got a lot of appreciative handshakes, grins and thumbs ups from the rest of the queue!😀
To be fair lots of tourists of many nationalities can be like this when experiencing a new culture, it's just Americans being so loud tend to particularly stand out.
Sure, you don't have german blood?
Have you ever seen a group of Manchester United fans from Britain? You would be begging that group of Americans back. They would be monks in comparison.
Your comment about calling things dumb brought back a memory I had repressed from about twenty years ago. I want to preface this by saying I know way believe this behaviour to be typical of Americans. I was in a Burger King in the UK with an American family next to me and my partner of the time. They had ordered milk with the kids meals, but then the older brother told his little sister very loudly "That's British milk, you can't drink that." He never expanded on why but I assume it had something to do with the BSE scare from several years earlier (that was exclusive to meat, not milk). The mother took both their drinks, examined them and then poured them away, promising them "real milk" from somewhere else after they left. Now for context about the next part, for those too young to remember it used to be the norm that movies weren't released internationally at the same time. Due to having to physically ship rolls of film they would release in their county of origin and then a month or two later start releasing overseas. So these kids noticed that the toys in their kids meal related to a movie they had already seen earlier in the year, and then proceeded to begin a chant of "stupid dumb idiots!" over and over without any pushback from their parents for nearly ten minutes, loud enough for half the restaurant to hear. It amazes me that all four of them walked out of that place with the same number of teeth they walked in with.
A former fellow sailor ( a Norwegian that had married and moved to Florida) of mine, said it was funny that most Amricans gave him the "Used Car salesman" vibe. Fake friendlyness and smiles at first encounter.
I'd be thinking they want something from me when they do that too. lol. Like, what are you trying to sell me? lol
Yeah, that's the impression I get.
Not wrong. The overly friendliness make em sound like they trying to scam or take advantage of you. I been to the south US twice.
If no one ever smiles or is friendly where you live, I imagine it probably does come off that way.
I've seen similar reactions when someone who grew up in the ghetto, where everyone is looking out for themselves, but then 'makes it' & moves to the nice area of town. The culture is quite different.
@@Allaiya. Pretty much all of northern Europe is like this. It's not a case of 'looking out for ourselves', we are just culturally more reserved and keep ourselves to ourselves. We're friendly and smile when it is genuine and don't force it because we feel it's expected of us.
Just ask them geography questions
Speaking of which, if you're a geography nerd, you should check out Geography King and Geography by Geoff. Both are American geography channels. Geography King is fun because he has a particularly nerdy style. There is also a Chicago Geoguessr channel (don't recall the exact name) who just plays Geoguessr on his channel, and he's quite good at it. He's kind of similar to the guy from Wales.
huh, where, what?
😅😅😅
Muricans dosent know shit about
Speak American! Latin is a dead language!
(How are you? How‘s it going?): Exactly! Why would you ask a question if you don’t want an answer? Of course, I would try to answer it! 😂
Because it's not a question, it just looks like a question, like how do you do?
This is the most evil thing in english. I had roommate who lived in US, he said to me "hey, how is it going?" And immediately put his headphones on. I was stunned by it and felt like it's quite rude to do so. He did similar thing many times and only later some Chinese guy explained to me that it was type of greeting.
@@ojgfhuebsrnvn2781it’s not evil it’s just language lol. Lots of weird aspects about other languages too. How are you may as well me one word. If you’re a native you know how to use it and it’s not weird
@@Xiroi87 I do sufficiently, how is your day progressing?
@@shamicentertainment1262 Ow`dojouyDoooooo?
When Americans say “Hey, how are ya” with a grin, they don't mean to be friendly, it's pure self-protection, what they really mean is “Hey, I'm friendly and no danger to you, please don't shoot me!".
And the reply“ Thx, I'm fine” with a grin of course, is “Don't worry, I forgot my gun anyway, just going to Walmart to buy a new one” !!!
"All I see is a chimpanzee begging for his life." - Dwight K. Schrute
Buahahahah, good one.
Omg 😂 that's a good spin on it
About keeping the distance. Here in Sweden we was told to have about 1,5-2 meter ( 4.9- 6,5 ft ) distance during the covid pandemic. When that was over we was happy to go back to our normal 5 meter ( 16,4 ft )distance again. :D
The most American comment I ever came across on social media: a bl@ck woman describing her experience in one of the Nordic countries, forgot which one: "Wow, for the first time in my life I was treated like an American. Not "back-American, not African-American. Just an American. It was wonderful."
Mi intake of this was: Like yeah, quit ya division of population by 4th- generation-German / Italian / African American / what have you. NOBODY in the world think that way!!! You are all American to us, all screaming "BOOOOORN in the USA" loudly and proudly while leaning to things and demonstrating radiant white teeth.
Yeaaah, the other side of it is this totally cringe bs of "oh, I'm actually Italian-American!" (Or whatever-american) but then you find out they don't have a nonna that immigrated to the US in 1960, but they took an Ancestry test and it said like "4% Italian"
Who does that!! (Besides Americans)
Some US people (note: SOME) manage to twist their "heritage" in insane ways: I have an acquaintance that claims that she is probably related to me (a Finn living in Finland) because I happened to mention that we have a castle ruin from the 1370's near our summer cottage. Since she has Scottish and Irish (and apparently had to mention 1% Navajo) heritage, that castle ruin in "the country of Europe" means that when her grandfather traced her family tree back five generations, her ancestor's last name then was "Queen of Scotts", and this very (in)famous queen lived in a castle, so it's all connected. *I swear, I'm not making this shit up.* I asked her "so your grandpa traced your family tree to the birth of Mary Stuart for five generations back to 1542?" and she replied "Yes! Isn't that amazing!" Bruh. I don't think she knows how many castles there are "in the country of Europe" or how generations work
@@Scarlett.Granger even for grandparents it can be dubious. I hardly consider myself English even though my Dad is and my Mom certainly doesn't even though her Dad is as well, though it depends if you've moved between the places a lot.
@@elirewasout i quite agree. I'd consider a persons nationality either where they grew up, or where they lived most their live, or of course what citizenship they have or a combination of those (though of course all three can easily be the same).
Americans obsession with ethnical and national relations is crazy, especially nowadays with genetic testing and claiming these weird percentages as "heritage".
Also, how come you can be like korean-american, french-american or Indian-american, but if you've got roots from nigeria it's just "african-american"? Even if you ignore how weird that compartmentalization is, and how people act like someone's not a "real" American for having any single ancestor from wherever immigrated later than the mayflower, its crazy how africa is just all generalized and dumped together, just because most Americans probably barely know where africa is on the map, never mind any countries in it.
It's all honestly really weird to me.
First, what's wrong with nice teeth? 2nd, I am Belgian, having emigrated to the States as a one year old. My sister is Belgian-American, first generation American. My only regret is that my parents never wanted us to speak Dutch, since we were "American girls." She eventually regretted it, but I understand it and speak some.
Concerning the eye contact. I'm on the autism spectrum and now realizing that living in US would be a terrifying experience for me
такая же тема)) еще читала, что в германии принято смотреть друг другу в глаза, когда с незнакомцем пересекаешься на улице, якобы это вежливо. я и знакомым в глаза смотрю редко. хорошо, что у нас вежливым считается не смотреть в глаза
I'm in the U.S and on the autism spectrum also. It is terrifying.
Thank goodness I live in Scandinavia. I sort-of smile at strangers if we accidentally make eye contact or something slightly awkward happens (like trying to each take our side of the street and failing), but I feel like I would absolutely die in the US.
No, you would fit in fine with gen z Americans since they only look at their moblile.
@@victoria_m13
No, you don't have to make eye contact :) it's completely fine to ignore anyone you don't know. Nobody bats an eye. The average german seems to be on the lower end of the spectrum 😅
"Aggressive cheerfulness". That's just perfect.👍🤣
American men keep their hats on indoors, which is bad manners in UK, and most of Europe too I believe, especially at the dining table 🙄🤪
Yes, hats indoors are pretty much not a thing outside of america.
balding americans are too scared to go anywhere without their hat
Not cool in Oz either!
yep, only women can wear hat indoors in russia. on the dining no one can, it’s kind of disrespectful
YES. Waering baseball caps at the dinner table..
seen that so often..
WTF...
An American friend of my son's went backpacking across Europe during his gap year. He didn't want to be labelled as "a typical American", so he put a Maple Leaf sticker on his backpack. It didn't work too well, as he stuck it on upside-down. 😅
Oh that's worse,
You'll be labeled as ignorant American instead.
Hahaha that's funny
😂
It's the thought behind it, that matters.
@@TheDredConspiracy To a European not using the proper volume is considered egocentric.
As a result if you keep your voice down most people will just treat you like a regular tourist,
But if you are being loud they'll treat you like the seagull you are.
Ironically feeling the need to display your country flag or symbols is a very American thing to do😂
Never seen that in tourists from other countries, really. Nobody in Europe would wear a shirt with their country flag on them, for example. (Well, besides world cup games or something).
The way they use the cutlery. First they use both knife (right hand) and fork (left hand) as Europeans, but only to cut a part of their dish in pieces. Then they lay the knife, switch the fork to their right hand and eat those prefabricated pieces. And after they swallow the last piece, the whole procedure starts again from the beginning. And Americans also have specific style how to show 1-2-3-4-5 with fingers. I don't know if all Europeans use different way, but we Czechs do for sure.
so for finger counting you Czechs use your thumb for 1, pointing fingr for 2, middle finger for 3 and so on? That is exactly how we Germans do it.
@@Herzschreiber Yes, exactly. One of the things we have in common.
From what I learned (could be wrong however *shrugs*) does the pre-cutting of the meal and just using one hand for eating go back to the Wild West times. They never knew what could happen, so they needed a free hand to draw their revolver, if something happens.
And that seems to have passed down the years.
Considering the amount of weapons in the States, the reason seems still valid today...
@@jjosz9565 This "gunslinger theory" is really interesting. Thank you!
As a Hungarian i would do the finger counting as: little finger 1, ring 2, middle 3, index 4, thumb 5. with the palm being towards myself. Though it's very likely influenced by the tons of Asian shows i watch.
There were lots of foreign students at my university and my friend and I would play a game of 'Spot the nationality' and we got pretty good at it. I also did this whilst hostelling. Good identifiers are:
a) The physical look e.g. complexion, hair , physical features.
b) Clothing style.
c) Mannerisms. e.g The way they walk, how they use their hands whilst speaking, etc.
American tourists are the easiest to spot by a country mile:
1) You hear them before you see them. Americans talk VERY loudly compared to Europeans.
2) They're the only people who buy the super-size ice-creams and drinks which the ice-ceam vendors make just for them. No European ever buys these.
3) Dress sense. e.g.
College sweatshirts, hawaiin shirts, baseball caps, sneakers.
In catholic countries girls are expected to cover their shoulders so if you see a girl in a top with bare shoulders and spaghetti straps she's probably American (Or possibly British or Northern European, but they look different).
4) Braces on their teeth and big gleaming smiles on their faces, which look a bit false/unnatural to us. Here in the UK we're a miserable bunch of gits, so only Americans and the village idiot smile like that here!😁
I worked in a motorway service station in ireland and often saw coach loads of tourists stopping off. You can tell American tourists from European ones because they are generally larger, dressed differently, louder and more excitable
dressed like children you mean, ill fitting, tattered clothing usually way too baggy, items dont match or are kahki, they pull their socks up too high like children and wear hats constantly because theyre balding.
Yes, they‘re so excitable, it’s so endearing. 😊
I‘m excitable, too, therefore i feel like a fish in the water, whenever i visit the US.
@@Suedetussy Ur lucky. Most of us find them exhausting.
7:11 It is quite usual, at least in Germany, to go about your business with resting bitch face or even Panzervernichtungsgesicht. Other people may be around, but they attend to their business and will usually do not even notice you. Putting on a smile is a signal that you want to interact in some way, which immediately raises questions like "do I know them? What do they want? Have I missed something?", which indeed is confusing.
That is one of the reasons Walmart failed in Germany.
@@watermelon7998 ..... what?
The original commenter correctly said that Walmart failed because their workers were (with US perspective) trained to be more smiling and happy than germans liked.
What you're saying is at best unrelated if not actually totally opposite.
@@watermelon7998 no.
I once had to meet an American - who I had never seen before, in the lobby of an hotel. I walked straight up to him and introduced myself. “How did you know it was me” he asked? I pointed to his clothes and then to everybody else in the lobby. He nodded, said nothing and went to change his clothes! (He looked like a clown).
Another time, an American I knew asked his English girlfriend if she would move back to the States with him? She said “I couldn’t possibly go to America because I don’t have any clothes that DON’T match”!
As someone who worked in immigration and met people all around the world(mostly white collar tho, so this is based on that data), I d say Americans to me were the ones hardest to read.
The only negative feedbacks that ever surprised me in 5 years of working in immigration were all from Americans(its not many, but still I do find it interesting that all these cases were US citizens),who I perceived as extremely happy, friendly and satisfied - while they were not. Most nationalities I worked with, when they get angry or frustrated, they wear those emotions on their sleeve, Americans are often really good at masking their true feelings behind the wall of happiness and also have a tendency to go to managers, instead of the worker with their actual feedback. Basically I was the last one finding out they were unhappy even tho I managed their case and talked to them on a weekly basis for 3-4 months (again this is strictly experience with white collar Americans and not all of them, many were truly lovely).
It’s like this in corporate environments too. You can’t say “a bad idea is a bad idea”, you have to tip toe around it and say “we will look into that and come back to you”
Yes.
I was policing a precession in Central London recently.
Some australians came over and politely asked questions and took photographs.
Two girls, possibly from India/Pakistan came over and asked questions politely and thanked me for my time.
Another girl with her boyfriend came over, couldn't tell where she was from exactly but possibly Latvia/Lithuania, again asked if she could take photos of the military band, I said "Of course you can".
The Americans?
Well I heard the two American businessmen discussing "scale factors" and "profit", loudly talking on the phone before I saw them. I knew straight away they were American because their accents were a huge clue as were their loud "I want everyone to hear me" voices.
I don't have anything against them personally, but this obsession with talking loudly so that everyone hears you is rather strange.
can I ask you what gives away Latvians/ Lithuanians? is it a specific accent? or looks?
@@watermelon7998 Was a bit of both. I could be wrong but that was my best guess. The Australian couple were by far the easiest to guess their nationality as their accent was strong and pronounced, especially the girl's accent.
@@thefiestaguy8831 unfortunately many Americans will travel abroad with a Canadian flag on their bags. We can’t stand it. Gives us a bad reputation when they still act loud, obnoxious and entitled. Other Canadians have gone up to them thinking they’re Canadian but to find out shortly into the conversation that they were American and had no shame trying to impersonate as a Canadian. They know in general,Canadian people are mostly looked favourably upon in other countries whereas Americans not so much. They have so much pride about their country when at home( that’s fine) but they drop it real quick when travelling.
@@cmccullough12C Dont worry, we can tell the difference at least 95% of the time, the accents and manners usually give it away. But as long as they behave, we just pretend to believe, theyre Canadian.
2:30 - I don't see ice cubes in water as a problem, but Americans throw ice cubes in everything, wine, beer, whiskey ... 🤔
Even milk. I kid you not
In beer? yuck
I understand the whiskey, but wine and beer? 😅
@@Kiba_a.zWhisky with ice is a cardinal SIN. Yes I’m Scottish lol.
@@clothilde1623 well I wouldn’t drink Scottish whiskey with ice either. There are a lot of different types of whiskey, some go well with ice and others not.
5:07 Yes. Outside of the USA, it is considered rude to not answer a question and to ask a question that you don't want answered. If you ask "How are you?" you will get a response and you will get an honest one.
The distance/time thing did bite me when I was visiting the US about 20 years ago (I was quite young). I wanted to go from the hotel to a convention center (and by going, I obviously meant walking). So I asked at the hotel reception how far away and in which direction the convention center is. They said "Oh, it's just 15 minutes down this road"… Well, I started walking, and it turned into a quite long walk. The following days I asked for the hotel shuttle every day.
Oh gosh you poor thing😂
Apparently Americans don't really do walking lmao. That would've been quite a trip for sure!
No, Brits don't say "how are ya?". We say "you alright?" or the more succinct "alright?". The standard British reply to either is "alright?".
If I'd ever overhear two people where one asks "alright?" to which the other one replies "alright?", I'd have anxiety for the rest of the day. 😂 This convo sounds super sus.
Tbh, we can also answer 'Alright?' with 'Not so bad.'
It sounds even weirder than the American way. Why not just say "hello" or "hi"? Hearing "you alright" makes me feel like something is visibly wrong with me
@@holycow666 There might well be.
I'd answer alright thanks . You ?
As a worker at the Tourist information centre at Prague Main Railway station, I can immediately recognize an American.
Firstly, they are overly friendly, which is suspicious behaviour for locals - everybody thinks that the person wants some favour or is mocking you.
Secondly, they are looking for a taxi even though their hotel/accommodation is just two streets away and easily get angry, when they are told, that they are in the historical city centre where streets are narrow and cars are sometimes even forbidden to drive there.
Thirdly they are afraid of using public transportation and it doesn't matter, how long the journey will be - one station or across the whole city.
A special class of Americans are backpackers. They just don't care about other people when they are travelling with their backpacks. For example in public transportation is a rule, that you have to put down your backpack from your back because you can injure somebody. After all, when you have it on, you are not able to see what is happening behind you. And of course, they are really loud. Like really loud, you can tell, that they are coming from hundreds of meters away.
It sounds all negative, but it is easy to focus just on negatives and not good things. A lot of Americans are humble, nice and caring, of course.
As a Swede in Texas I was caught off guard when a cashier asked me how I was doing and got a bit dumb founded, in my head I am going "why is this person asking personal questions like that? I don't know them"
You might ask a coworker or an acquaintance how they are doing out of politeness, but never a comlete stranger. There needs to be an established relationship of *some* sort, otherwise it comes off as almost invasive or possibly concerning, to Swedes at least.
Just say "fine, how are you?" And that's all you need, lol
@brandonparisien2381 the point is that when coming from a culture where asking "how are you doing" is a very personal question, it isn't a natural thing to return the question. What Americans consider polite is considered rude and intrusive in my culture, why would I then automatically respond by being what I would perceive as rude and intrusive back? That is what is called a culture clash.
I used to work in a pub in a vaguely touristy place - it was an eating pub, rather than a drinking one. And you could always tell when an American family was waiting to be served because their conversation to eachother about what they were going to order was louder than everyone else in the pub combined lol
Thanks for your nice videos 😊 When I talk to or message with my American acquaintances, I need to gear up my brain to the next level and use lots of positive comments like great, wonderful, amazing etc with the right enthusiastic attitude, not to seem unfriendly... 😅 Hello from Finland 🇫🇮
Like, pretty, I'm obsessed ..
they dont just tell you distance in time but they tell you in car time, which for me as a pedestriant is always completely useless informatin :P
They'll tell you someone lives 6 cows and a football field away.
Germans measure distance in traffic lights, bis zum nächsten Ampel... rechts und beim zweitem links.
@@dutchman7623 interesting austrian meassure in houses and for smaler distances corners :P
What do you mean 'in time'? 'car time' is still time.
@@Allaiya. Obviously they mean "not just in time, but specifically in car time".
A granny Smith apple is still an apple, but an apple is not necessarily a granny Smith.
I was told by an American in no uncertain terms that I am Australian, when I politely said that “no I’m British” I was told I was lying. Not sure why I would lie about where I come from, I’d happily be Australian! 😊
@Japonicastar for me, that's probably the single most irritating characteristic of most Americans. I'm Australian, living in a village that's very popular with tourists. I get fed up with being told how to pronounce the names of places in the country where I was born, as well as having my English corrected. I've travelled extensively around the world, as well as in my own country, and could tell many unflattering stories about Americans, both in the USA and in other countries.
The UK measures distance in miles Ryan! All our road signs are in miles, the speedometer in most cars is in miles per hour, our speed restrictions and laws are in miles per hour! The UK measuring system is a weird hotch potch of units. Fuel is sold by the litre, milk and beer by the pint. Meat is priced by the kilo but people still ask for a pound of minced beef. Babies are weighed in kilograms but most people prefer to know in pounds and oz, in the same way people generally know their height in feet and inches and their weight in stone but purchase carpet by the metre and dog food by the kg.
Don't ever expect to understand what is normally done in imperial and what's in metric. We don't understand the unwritten rules either, apart from knowing that shops are in metric.
Because we can grasp more than one unit of volume or length we didn't need to change all our road signs. And we buy beer by the pint because a half litre is too little and a litre is too much so why discard a well understood and convenient unit?
UK measurements are metric by law (for trade purposes) and imperial by tradition.
So things that aren't connected to trade have stayed imperial. It was also too expense to change all the road signs etc when we went metric. New signs often show distances in both miles and kms.
Americans use miles because of Britain. But like most things, they don't realise it😂
@@speleokeir It wasn't 'too expensive' to change all the signs. They get routinely changed and by now (since the last metric push 20-odd years ago) all of them would have been changed. Plus it costs central government zero to pay for such things, they issue the currency.
The other countries of Europe use the metric system and the weight is measured in kilogrammes.
So it's a bit bothersome to see speed limitation in miles when you're not used to... 😅
Ryan does like to shout into the mike, but he thinks he isn't loud.
I was in Strasbourg last week and the little tour train weaving around the streets had a bunch of Americans onboard... they had caps on, mostly backwards.
Learn all around the planet earth:
America is a (divided) continent. It's not the USA!
Don't think they've worked otu how to wear them properly
But did they also talk in all caps?
I have American cousins who I love dearly, but they're SO loud lol. And in a good way. They're very enthusiastic and excitable
America is a continent. From which state of the continent of America
North:
Canada, USA, Mexico
South:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
@@Michael_from_EU_GermanyThe video is about Americans in general. He didn't ask me to provide a state. I can't believe I'm even answering this.
@@1mustangsally countries not states.
Topic ice cubes: generally speaking, if they put ice cubes in, than there is less "room" for the actually drink. So you pay the same amount for less product or for your product getting watered down (literally) in the future. That's why never want them in my glass, if i have to pay for them
They're used to free refills pretty much everywhere though.
Just use stainless steel ice cubes, problem solved ( not the space, but watering the drink)
exactly, it waters your drink down, and you don't know what water they used to make the ice. Also, in the summer OK, your drink doesn't warm up that fast in the heat, but not in the other 3 seasons.
That's why I ordered my last drink in a US airport bar 30 years ago. They fill the tall glass to the brim with ice, then they pour a thimbleful of liquor over it, a little soda over the top, and that's it. You suck on the straw two times, and that was it. Great experience for 14 bucks. Since then I prefer BYOB, before entering the plane, of course.
1. Putting their feet up on things.
2. Sportswear related to their State (NY, Pennsylvania, Boston etc.) or favourite national team (Yankees, Dolphins etc.) Caps, shirts, jackets you name it.
I've never seen someone in France for example, wearing something that tells me what region they're from and if they are wearing something that says Paris, France etc. They're most likely American 😂
Never seen a frenchman carrying a Le Coq Sportif football around with him.
When an American asks "how are you", in my ears it sounds more like "how have you been? What are you up to". Like, it is a conversation started to get the convo going. Which is a really weird thing to do just randomly
The wearing of baseball caps is a massive clue. Of course some people wear them here, but it tends to be those under the age of about 25. To see a man in his 60s or 70s wearing a baseball cap is generally a massive clue that they're American! And if that same bloke is also sporting a bushy moustache, being American is pretty much 100% guaranteed. 😄
I'm Scottish and have been wearing baseball caps for over 40 years. I occasionally wear them backwards when doing gardening to keep the sun off my neck. Most of my friends are in the same general age group and even the ones in their 60s all wear baseball caps too. It's not a young man's hat, it's an everyman hat. We do however take them off indoors (most of the time). So your assumption is ok as a general guide but not as the rule.
@@Thurgosh_OG Yeah, my dad used to wear caps outdoors when gardening or vacationing in hot places. However, nobody would ever for a second think, that he was American. Its not just the cap, its a combo. Clothing (bagging/ill fitting/not matching), possible moustaches, what theyre carrying around (cameras, guide books etc), sunglasses, ofc their accent and behavior.
I would never see a guy wearing a cap and assume, he must be American. Yet Ive recognized Americans all over the world, b4 they could even speak, and I never missed my guess. Its hard to describe, but its a combo of the things, I mentioned, and then just that aura around them of "here I come, Im American, every1 will be happy to greet me". Even the friendly and good natured 1s scream that American exceptionalism, u can spot it from a distance.
The best thing about America is the fact it's miles from everywhere else apart from Canada and Mexico.
I think you mean the US
Canada needs to build a wall.
@@sopcannon Don't worry, if Trump gets back in THEY WILL!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
@@ryttyr14 the us of what mate.
@@WookieWarriorz America refers to North and South America. It's like saying Eurasia and mean Russia.
They don’t know that public transportation can be more convenient than a car.
- Hello from Switzerland
Thats true, but also here in Europe it really depends if you live in a big city or more on the countryside. For example where I live I’m much faster if I take my car, but of course I then need to find a spot and pay for parking.
@@Kiba_a.z Agree. That‘s why I wrote „can“. The train covers up a lot of scenarios and is especially more convenient between the „big“ cities (we actually don‘t have big cities 😂). In the cities, you really won‘t need a car. But sure, as soon as you wanna visit low populated areas and remain highly mobile, the car is the better option.
@@The12th_ Sure in the city you don’t need a car. Funny thing to use trains for moving between cities. I’m jealous of your train schedule. Greetings from Germany.
Yes, from Switzerland, I once bought a round trip train ticket around Switzerland. It took me 14 hours to go around the country. What is the perimeter of Switzerland? an American might answer 14 hours, but he might not travel by train.
@@angelavonhalle5144
Middle aged couple on vacation in Europe dressed in identical clothing, yep they're American
From which state of the continent of America (the divided continent)?
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany From the only country on either continent that actually has "America" in its name, perhaps? What else are we supposed to call them? United Staters? USA'ers?
@@enigmadrath1780 That is arrogant and factually nonsense. Especially in relation to all other countries on the continent.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany
“Nonsense” would be a better way to describe your comment. What exactly were you trying to say? Because it wasn’t clear at all. Could you maybe elaborate?
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Calling someone from the usa (where tha "a" literally stand for "america") as american is the same as how you won't call a Czech as "Czech republican" or a Russian as "Russian Federationer".
It's funny to me that it was an Italian who said that "Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction" because I would say that it's also an Italian trait (more so the further south in Italy you are). Both countries have some strange views of masculinity that seems to prevent them from asking for help - one that definitely exists elsewhere too, but seldom at such a high rate.
Let's just say that it's people at places they not familiar with in general.
Italians walk socially in the wrong direction - this is, in groups, in circles and waving hands
When they have a badge with a Canadian flag because they think that would fool people and think they're Canadian. It always funny to talk to them in French.
Just because they're Canadian doesn't mean they speak French 😊 - from Quebec, yes probably - from other provinces, not necessarily
Only 22% of Canadians speak French, so you would get that wrong for almost 4/5 Canadians too.
@@frankhooper7871 True but most Canadians will at least know you are speaking French and be able to say in French that they do not understand or speak French well. Most public schools in Canada include basic French in the regular curriculum.
@@RBB52 so do most schools in America lol
@@andrelee7081still americans barely ever speak a second language
I took a train today, the platform was full of people, speaking Chinese, French, German, British English- but which group of people did I overhear loud and clear even though they were much further away?
Two Americans standing in front of the timetable and discussing in a normal loud American voice their next train.
There is no such thing as British-English.
Either actual English or just English if from England and then Scottish-English etc if from the other home nations.
English-English is far more accurate than British-English
The English invented the language, not the Scots, Welsh etc.
@@Gambit771 I just wanted to highlight that there were English speakers that were not American.
Regarding water, the difference, I think, is in Europe we may want our water cold (even extremely cold in some cases), while Americans want ice in their water.
right also the taste of the water when the ice cubes are melting changes, id rather just have a cold glass of water and drink it before it gets warm.
In the seventies, I worked for a large company based in the outskirts of London. Two floors of the building were leased to STL, a huge American company carrying out research and development for US Government defense projects. A CIA man was stationed there to keep an eye on them and he always wore cowboy boots and a bootlace tie. There was no disguising his Americaness!
That seems like a decoy CIA guy to cover for the covert one 🤣
Going by your spelling I'm thinking you're a CIA agent as well.
Asking "how are you?" or "how is it going?" made me respond with an answer for years, while living in the US, then I learned that it's just a nice form of greeting. Then I started responding with the same question. In European countries, this question is typically met with a short response of "fine, thanks", "no complaints" etc. People with closer contact or bond will tell you how they are in a few sentences.
Same here, being asked "how are you?" I automatically reply "I'm fine, how about you?"
In some areas of Spain an informal way to say how are you? is just a way to say hello, no actual reply is expected save for a similar expression to say hi.
…I would not stop just on principle. This is *not* a question to be asked as a greeting! It’s basically the same as saying “yeah, I don’t care how you feel, just tell me you’re fine and that’s it”. It’s literally contributing to the trend of “toxic positivity” that have become extremely popular over there. So… no. I don’t want to be a part of that.
Hungary here. At here you would get a story about the whole month or whole year if you ask anyone these questions even if it's a stranger. Because here any question is an actua lreal question, except if you say it in a sarcastic tone.
@@Kayta-Linda yup, nothing worse than toxic american positivity, its so alienating and frustrating to have people just bullshit you to your face like its normal. Although a greeting isnt that big of a deal. In ireland 95% of the time you just say 'hi', 'arite, or right' with no response even required, give a little head nod an then walk right by each other haha.
Grown men in shorts, even in winter, while they're not doing any sports.
and baseball cap
Swedes do this as well, me included
But they do that here in the UK these days, too! Personally I never wear shorts, as the "overgrown schoolboy" look just doesn't suit me. 😁
This has unfortunately spread to many places now. Here in the Netherlands lots of people think they're at the beach when a bit of sun arrives (like today 31°C). They all look like teenagers.
@@ritabecker5625 backwords😄
A few years ago, I was a part of this international gaming community. And whenever the Americans asked me "How are you," I always paused for a second to think about it. They always said that they loved how I genuinely thought about it as if they were genuinely asking me how I was doing.
We do the distance in time thing in the UK to. "How far is it?" "About a 10 minute drive" or "About a 2 minute walk".
At least we specify mode of transport when we do this though. I think it's more useful than miles or km because time is more valuable to us when we are scheduling our days etc... and it's good to know how long it will be to travel.
I was in the supermarket earlier and the man in front of me said "Tusind tak!" (Thanks a million) to the teller, then had great difficult counting out the currency. Obviously American: 1) carrying cash (some old people do here but it's not starndard) 2) overeffusive thanks ("Tak!" is normal unless someone's done an exceptional favour) 3) very new currency notes that he didn't understand or know how to handle, clearly fresh out of the ATM and 3) colourful clothing. He wasn't fat or over-loud, and he'd bothered to learn to say "thank-you" in Danish, and pronounce it pretty well, but still obviously American. Having obviously been very proud of his "Tusind tak" he then spoke to me in English. Nice bloke but stood out like a sore thumb.
To be fair, cash is much better than using your card, especially in stores that you were never before or jsut very rarely. Because that way you can control how much you give, whilewith card they can cheat on various ways to take down more than what they actually say or some even could install terminals that steal your data without you knowing it. (and i say this as a Central European)
@@tovarishchfeixiao Plus, anyone travelling outside their country may have to pay their bank a fee each time they use their card in the local currency, so getting a big amount of cash from the ATM instead of multiple smaller payments makes sense.
Ugh. So me with my "takk fyrir" in Iceland was overdoing it 'Murican style? Good to know :-D (I'm not from the US)
Canadians say "Hi, how are you?" As well...not expecting an answer either :)
A visual clue in a restaurant - the way Americans use cutlery. Using the side of the fork to cut food. Not using the knife to cut food.
Another visual clue - the men would still be wearing their cap whilst eating.
I do that all the time (Spain).
Not waiting for the others at the same table to be served and they start eating the moment a dish is placed in front of them.
I’d say it depends on how hard the food actually is. If it’s soft enough, it really is easier and faster to just separate it with the fork than to reach for the knife. But if it’s steak or something… yeah, no, screw that.
@@jinxvrs they do that INSIDE??
Many people, not just Americans, drink cold drinks thinking that it will cool them down. What they don't realize is that the stomach contracts when it's cold and as a result it just gets warmer. In Morocco, for example, people drink warm tea on very hot days because it relaxes the stomach and cools down the body.
Anyone who feels that the name of a city isn't sufficiently accurate. Someone talking about London - England IS NOT from London.
Unless you know there's another town with the same name, then adding the county is acceptable. Or if the town is small and people who don't live near wouldn't know where it is.
To be honest, americans did steal lots of city names. Literally, you likely could find multiple Londons in the usa if you looked it up, or any famous city names from different countries.
@@tovarishchfeixiao Dont get me started on, how many Americans Ive heard complain about, how we Europeans stole their city names.....
I had a friend who moved to the states and when he came back his body language was noticeably different. I don’t know if I can even explain it. He had a sort of mature, friendly confidence, losing some of the cheekiness or irony that comes from a British person. Amazing that you can tell all of this from just the way they carry themselves.
I don't know if it's a thing in other English-speaking countries, but I've noticed that Americans often write 'your' instead of 'you're'. My dyslexic ass always has a problem understanding what they're trying to say. 🤣
That's not confined to the USA. Other pitfalls include their/there/they're, where/were and using "of" instead of "have".
The Germans get it wrong too. They learn the English language (the British one, of course) from grade 5 to grade 9 or 10 or 13 (depending on the school leaving certificate), but then they are at the level of the 2nd grade in England.
@twoeyedjack6836 Then I guess it is problem of young people whose first language is english. I mean, I see the way how it came to be so I don't judge. It is just unnatural to me.
It's an American thing.
Remember English isn't their language. They make many errors
@@jinxvrs Each of these instances drives me crazy.
Last week I gave a lecture to a group of students from Michigan, about how 'segswork' is legal, regulated and organised here in NL. They were lovely, curious and open minded and I had a great time with them. There is hope :-)
5:05 yes. in Czechia we often take it as a real question. So it's sometimes to be asked about how we are by a total stranger :D
I found a group of americans loudly and happily talking in a sweets store in my city and i thought were travelling together since they were speaking very familiar but then it happens it was the first time they ever met, they were just in line and noticed each other talking in english and the two groups joined together exchanging experiences during their travels, where they were from (one of the groups was from miami, the other one i never got to hear it) and so on, then said byeeee have fun on your trip! And probably never saw each other again
3:34 we actually don't! With us it's 'orright mate?'
or "love", or "bab"...
I’m a medieval reenactor in the UK and you always hear the Americans coming, but the biggest thing is they’re the only ones looking at the real Castle and saying “I thought it would be bigger.” “They should do more with this.” While surrounded by a giant medieval living history camp and a full joust.
Just look at the baseball cap and tennis shoes not to mention how loud they are.
Tennis shoes with laces tied in bows.
and the sweatshirt that has the name of their college on it..
I met a co-worker from before we both retired at a supermarket and asked her how she was doing.
After a few seconds we decided to have a cup of coffee on the terrace next door.
Because a simple 'how are you?' is a genuine question about someones well doing, health and family life.
How to spot American tourist in Europe. Man - A baseball cap, university of "enter your uni of choice" T-shirt or hoodie, ill-fitting khakis, light wash jeans that are too tight or shorts that are way too long and white New Balance sneakers. Woman - she looks like she just left the gym without changing clothes but has makeup done and an i-phone glued to her hand.
Leaning has to be equivalent of marking territory, not even kidding...
In some areas of the UK, eye contact, a smile and "good morning" is usual. That's common where I come from up North, but where I live in the South you only really do it in rural areas.
BIG no-no in London! 😅😂🤣
ruclips.net/video/PT0ay9u1gg4/видео.html
I love watching you.
Hi from Adelaide South Australia 🦘🦘🦘🦘
Thankfully times have changed. Back in the eighties you used to hear from Americans all of the time "I'm American! You are just jealous!" Also when they travelled you would hear often "I'm American! You can't treat me that way!" like a red carpet should then sprout under his feet. Today when you approach an American in a foreign land and ask "Are you an American?" often you will hear. "No, I'm Canadian!" Until of course I ask them as a Canadian to sing the Hockey Night in Canada theme. 🤣🤣
Another thing that is a dead giveaway to a Canadian that they are dealing with an American is if you say "Thank You" and they reply "Uh-huh" No Canadian does that, it is considered extremely rude.
Also, you should wear sunglasses. The UV rays can lead to macular degeneration as you get older. (blindness).
I'm Canadian, and I can confirm that I've never heard anyone here reply with "Uh-huh" unless they're trying to be rude on purpose. It's usually a "You're welcome," or "no problem."
1) Wearing hats indoors and wearing baseball caps backwards.
2) Speaking too loudly.
3) Don’t know how to use a knife and fork properly.
4) Being „shocked” by everything.
5) Assuming everything is better in the USA.
6) Complain, loudly, about things being different to back home, instead of embracing & enjoying the cultural variations.
7) Demanding things instead of asking politely.
8) Telling a Brit, Aussie, Kiwi, Thai, Japanese etc that they drive on the „wrong” side of the road.
9) LOUD
10) Telling everyone within 100 metres, that America is the only country in the World, that is free.
Ryan, you are different than most other Americans. Most are loud, obnoxious and arrogant. You are not, don't change.
From Australia 🦘🇦🇺
Learn all around the planet earth:
America is a (divided) continent. It's not the USA!
Unfortunately I have to agree. Most Americans I met were indeed loud, obnoxious and arrogant thinking they were better than everyone else.
You have obviously not been watching many of Ryan's ghastly videos !!
Have you met most Americans? Just admit you stereotype
Americans are well known for being loud and obnoxious. A lot of people know that.
Doesn't mean they all are of course, but a lot of them are. In my experience this has been the case the majority of the time.
When I can't remember where I left my vehicle in the car park, I 'confidently ' walk up and down the aisles until I find it! At least I know what I'm doing and why, but I always feel as though I am on a stage, and the whole world is watching, waiting to cheer when I finally find it 🤦♀️🤪
9:26 "lean on things?" as he leans on his hand.
Not to be rude, but I always felt that large people did that to give their knees a moment of relief.
(5:25) That's the typical answer in many countries because it's easier to know the time than actual distance if you've travelled there yourself. But it depends on context of course.
Usually British do not say Hey as Hello or Hi/Hiya, hey is to stop a person who has forgotten something or you had forgotten, and now are informing them of the something you just remembered...
“How far is it?”
“It’s about two hours away.”
“…by helicopter? Horse? What’s your frame of reference???”
In Aus "how are you" is also a common greeting. i dislike it. dont ask empty question. i prefer howdy/hi/gday/etc
19:42 that's just a thing in majority muslim countries as far as I know. Sitting with one leg across the other is absoultly a thing in western and central europe. Muslims and I think also south east asians (who also have alot of muslims) have this thing where you're not supossed to see the bottom of your shoe or hold it in someones direction. Most of the others are correct though, the friendlyness, the volume, the casualsports wear and also a certain sense of entitlement or lack seriousness sometimes.
Philosophical or political discussion at a party :"... hey guys let's do something fun instead!", walking into like a 800 year old church:" oh I imagined it would be bigger!". "what do you mean I can't use my credit card?!". These are the bad examples though. Another one is that they often get easily drunk. I was in prague with a friend (both german) and we met a group of Irish men on a stag party binge, at somepoint two americans joined our crowd. Iam not gonna lie we were all drunk out of our minds but the americans were incromprehensible and shouting stuff after like three beers and a shot. I mean atleast they weren't english who would have acted the same and propably would have started a fist fight (brits on vacation are even worse than the russians and that's quite the feat, but they usually had like 20 beers and 2 bottles of hard liquor and a line of coke before the idiocy starts
Showing the soles of your shoes or feet is also considered rude in Indonesia.
And Africa. The US made unnecessary enemies in Somalia (think Blackhawk Down) by riding round in helicopters sitting with their feet hanging out. Everyone took it as a big 'Eff You' and reacted accordingly.
Dressing for sports but weighing 35 stone.
You never know, it might come handy to know how heavy the stones are.
The question is: Are they weighing the stones to get their weight in kg or in lbs? :P
@@corncutter 14😉
It's not about the ice in the water, it's about the water in the ice
I’m from England and where I’m from we smile at strangers, I think it’s different in other parts of England, especially London
There is one thing wrong with the title question of this video. Because if you can't tell, an American will.
I met a lady from Utah last summer. She was very curious to know where we came from and whether we could talk to and understand the guy in our tour group who came from a neighbouring country to ours.
I didn't learn anything useful about her. The most important thing she had to tell us was that she was from Utah.
I was a bit impressed that she knew Denmark and Germany was next to each other, but I digress. 😝
2:29 do you not have the drinks cooled? Why dilute with ice? Also, making it too cold hides the flavour
Ice can also water down whatever you are drinking, and I don't like that, it can make soda taste bad. I'm an American, and I always request NO ICE when I go out to eat.
@@feywynnightrunner9380 yeah that's what I meant with diluting it with ice.
You're losing flavour twice, once from dilution, and once from the cold temperatures, and too cold isn't even pleasant.
When visiting SF, walking about, a complete stranger passing by went “Wassup?” And made a little gesture. I was flabbergasted.
Where is 'SF'?
@@baronmeduseSan Francisco
@@baronmeduse Not far from LA.
@@baronmeduse Agreed. How very 'American' of them to think that everyone would know the abbreviation they used and I'm not being sarcastic either.
@@baronmeduse Sorry, SanFran (just joking)
I crossed the border today with my bicycle into Germany, and it isn't strange that other people on bikes smile and greet you if you
have a smile on your own face, after all nobody looks good after drinking pure lemon juice.
Generally speaking I find Americans to be very pleasant and cheerful people. They’re always friendly and courteous towards strangers and as a welsh 🏴 person I’m okay with that as we’re usually friendly too. It’s nice to see a smiling face rather than one that looks like a smacked arse 😂😂. I know you can be loud but it’s usually a friendly loudness and not an aggressive one, especially when you’re visiting different countries. It’s the beige/khaki shorts/pants that get me, paired with white calf-length socks, baseball cap and sneakers or croc sandals ! That ALWAYS gives you away 😂 but I usually associate this with the older American gentleman. With younger Americans on holiday, it’s the sports branded clothing and college hoodies - Harvard/Yale/Michigan/Dartmouth etc that are a definite giveaway. We tend to wear sports brands like Nike and Adidas to go to the gym, but the logos are usually really small and not splashed across the shirt. When we’re on holiday and out and about in the summer, we generally wear less obviously branded clothing that’s more tailored, more muted colours and sandals or deck shoes as opposed to trainers (sneakers).
America is a continent. From which state of the continent of America
North:
Canada, USA, Mexico
South:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
Hahaha I had an American stay in my flat in reykjavik for a few weeks. He would say hi by saying how are you. We'd always answer by telling him how we actually were. His face was one of confusion pretty much every time 😂
For starters, "Hello" (specifically, "Hellooou") is English. Germans would either say "Hallo" (short o), "Guten Tag" or something. And from the accent it's pretty clear that somebody is not british.
Hellooou is not English.
It is very murican.
Please make a mini series out of it. 🙏🏻 It was so fun to watch
I visit a restaurant in Cambodia to have a beer, a few nibbles and to do a bit of work. One guy virtually shouts all the time and gives me a headache - American!
From which state of the continent of America?
North:
Canada, USA, Mexico
South:
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany apologies, but given the title of the video, I would have thought that was obvious - my mistake. USA!
@@TheChunder3 It was obvious but there's always at least one...
I have an american friends who visited me in France. What I would notice is a lack of "taking time". Especially when you can sit in front of a beautiful landscape during lunch time, no need to rush ;) It feels very american to me to "hurry" all the time
Concerning baseball cap backwards: the only one I know doing that is my 8 year old grandson and some of his friends.
About 12 years ago, I worked for a company that was taken over by a foriegn company (not American) and that company was run by their office in the U.S. Some managers were sent to the UK to "learn" the ropes of our job (before they closed us down) and what we produced. One afternoon, in the canteen, there was about 30 staff and one table of about 6 office managers from the U.S. All you could hear was that one table. All commenting on the food and one guy, laughing as he related a story about a UK sitcom he watched, where the main character "WAS SOOOO DRUNK HE FELL THROUGH THE GAP IN THE BAR!!!!! (Yes, Del Boy and Trigger) I tried to explain it to them as I walked past and was met with 6 blank faces! Some Americans still don't get our humour. The funny part to them, was him falling through the bar, rather than him trying to impress some ladies sat at a table with his charisma and failing.
I think the US rubbed off on me while I was there for almost a year, back in 1999/2000.
I'm German, now 47 years old.
I apparently have many American traits according to this... 😅
Clothing wise, I smile at strangers and I tell natural phenomenons to do their job... 😂
Well, not really but America has changed a lot of my perspective for the better, let me tell you that!
Non the less, I'm very grateful I'm German and am able to live here in Germany with a functioning social security system and a work-life-balance that I NEVER would have had, if I had stayed in the US.
America is really great in a lot of ways, but sadly really, really bad in other ways.
On a walk I give approaching strangers three opportunities to acknowledge me by carefully analysing the body language. It works every time. Nowadays the mobile gets closer and closer to the face - that's a no 'hello' for sure. The 3 definitely works in other strategies too.