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Are you into learning English? Do you like watching TV series in the original, and singing along to songs, and maybe sometimes catch yourself thinking, "I've got English down!"? Well, that's what one of my friends thought when she was on holiday to Spain and decided to hit the hotel gym. Little did she expect a twist from a seemingly innocent question from the receptionist, “Do you have trainers?” A million thoughts ran through her mind, "Why would I have trainers? Are they trying to offer me a personal trainer's services? I don't need a trainer!" "Thank you, I don't need trainers," she replied. The receptionist was surprised with this irrelevant answer, but she needed answers! Translation into Russian with google translate saved the day. Turns out, all that time, the receptionist was asking about sneakers. The receptionist had always been using British English, and it never occurred to her to use the word "sneakers," which my friend happened to know.
A couple of years ago, my student (let's call him S.) went to England and, as you do in England, visited a pub. After enjoying some great beer, the desire to visit a certain special room might arise. S. thought that in such a cultured country where everyone says "please" and "thank you," it might be a bit inappropriate to use the somewhat rude-sounding word "toilet." He remembered the word "bathroom" ge often heard in TV shows and used that instead. The pub owner was amused by this unexpected request and said, "Sorry, you can't have a bath in my pub." Yes, in England, "bathroom" refers to a room with a bathtub or shower.
I always tell my students, “As non-native speakers, we should be familiar with all word variations”. We never know what people we might come across. Our aim is to understand them and be understood!
To assist you, I've prepared a small list of words that differ between British and American English.
Let's start with nouns:
