An American would say they “go to college,” but they’d also say “go to the university. ” A British or Irish speaker would say they “went to hospital,” but an American speaker always goes to “the hospital. ” The difference between using “a” and “an” isn’t the first letter that follows the article. It’s actually whether the sound of the first syllable is a vowel or consonant. You always use “an” with vowel sounds, and “a” consonants. Since Americans pronounce “honor” like “on-er,” it’s “an honor” to meet someone if you’re speaking American English. Article usage is one of the things that can make learning English so difficult. Stick with it and you’ll get used to using the proper articles over time.
It can be tough to get used to using American terminology if you aren’t familiar with it. Give it time. You’ll get used to it the more you talk and listen to Americans. Watching a lot of American movies and shows can give you a good sense of the everyday phrases that Americans use. If you can’t figure a word out based on context alone, write it down to look it up later.
“I could care less” actually means “I couldn’t care less” in American English. While this isn’t technically an idiom, it is an odd phrase that means something different than what it literally communicates.
Including a harder R-sound makes words like “card” sound like “kaard” instead “cawd. ” Another example would be “other,” which might sound like “oth-a” in British English, but sounds like “uh-ther” in American English. Opting for hard vowels instead of soft vowels makes words like “cut” sound like “khut” in American English, while it might sound like “khat” in British English.
Other examples include “feel” sounding like “fill,” and “think” sounding like “thenk. ” Note that, in each example, the E, and the I-sounds are swapped. Swapping the O and I makes words like “hot” sound like “hight,” and words like “like” sound like “lok. ”
This makes words like “call” and “talk” sound like “kawl” and “tawk,” and words like “off” and “love” sound like “awf” and “lawve. ”
The manipulation of O-sounds makes words like “hot” sound like “hat. ” However, long O-sounds tend to be extended, so words like “whose” sound more like “hooz” instead of “whues. ”
The Californian accent makes a phrase like “I like that here” sound like “I lyke tha hear. ”
The South has a lot of idioms and phrases, like “bless your heart,” which means “you are sweet,” and “pretty as a peach,” which means that something is pleasant, or cute. The South is a very religious region of the United States. To speak like a Southerner, use the word “bless” often. Phrases like “bless your heart” and “God bless you” are common in the South.
Raising your voice a little isn’t necessarily considered rude on the East Coast. In Philadelphia, the word “jawn” can replace any noun and you’ll have to use context clues to determine what it means. For example, “that jawn” could mean “that girl,” “that food,” or “that politician” depending on the subject of discussion. Philadelphians also call submarine sandwiches “hoagies. ” If someone in the Northeast refers to “the City,” they’re talking about New York City. The state of New York (outside of New York City) is almost always called “New York State. ”
Midwesterners tend to over-use niceties like “thanks” and “sorry” in everyday speech. These are often replaced with “ope. ” It’s a sort of combination of “oh” and “whoops,” and is used to express regret that you made a minor mistake. Chicagoans tend to say “goes” instead of “went” or “go. ” They also use the word “dip” to mean “leave” or “vacate. ”
“Radical” and “sick” are common terms for “awesome. ” If someone from California says that you’re a “sick dude,” they’re paying you a compliment. Like Bostonians, Californians use “hella. ” However, they often pronounce it “helluva” and use it like a superlative to describe an event or person. For example, if a party was “a helluva good time,” then it was a really good party.
