Temperature in the United States...
How Hot is HOT? How Cold is COLD?
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Very hot! Drink liquids and avoid overexertion |
| 90°F | 32°C | Hot |
| 75°F | 24°C |
Warm, can wear shorts, warm enough to swim outdoors in unheated pools. |
| 65°F | 18°C | Cool |
| 50°F | 10°C | Chilly, need jacket |
| 32°F | 0°C |
Freezing, cold enough to snow, need jacket, gloves and earmuffs. Minimum temperature for ice to form naturally. |
| 😌23°F | -5°C | Bone chilling, difficult to be outside without being bundled up. |
| 0°F | -16°C |
Cannot go outside for extended periods (more than 2.5 hours) Iif not bundled up, frostbite can result from relatively short exposure. |
American jargon diverges from the rest of the world's -- most notably from British English. If you were taught English using British vocabulary, many familiar words may mean something different in the U.S., requiring you to adopt a new vocabulary to be quickly understood. Here are some of the most common translations:
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In Europe / UK: Porter Lift Boot (of a car) Bonnet (of a car) "The bill, please" Bus (local transport) Coach (tour bus) Plan Return Arriving at a hotel Departing from a hotel Car Hire People Carrier / MPV Water closet, wc, loo, Candy floss Jumper Trainers Car park Ice lolly Queue Pushchair, pram or buggy Nappy Camp bed Cot (for baby) Paracetamol Knackered Petrol Braces (for trousers) Braces (for teeth) Rubber Biscuit Sweets Condom Fag Bookshop Y fronts Trousers Knickers Cinema Pinafore dress Pudding, afters Throat lozenge Sticking plaster, elastoplast Cotton buds Cab rank Pissed Pissed Off Take the p***/mickey out of Bum Bag Supermarket trolley Pavement Kerb Tap Bath Jelly Jam Take Away Crisps Chips Vest Waistcoat Small Beer Serviette Crumpet Stalls (in a theater venue) Roundabout Aubergine Sultanas Tyre City centre The Underground, "By Rail"/"Rail Station" Mineral water Reception Mineral water (bubbly)
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In the U.S.: Bellman Elevator Trunk Hood "The check, please" Bus Bus (sometimes 'coach') Map Round trip Checking in Checking out Car rental Minivan Bathroom, restroom, ladies room, Cotton candy Sweater Tennis shoes, sneakers Parking garage (indoor), parking lot Popsicle, ice pop Line Stroller, baby carriage (= "pram" only) Diaper, Pampers Cot Crib, cradle Acetaminophen, Tylenol Pooped, zonked, tired, beat Gasoline, gas Suspenders Braces Eraser Cookie Candy Rubber, condom Cigarette, smokes Bookstore Underwear, tighty-whities Pants Panties (women only), underwear Movie Theater Jumper Dessert Cough drop Band-aid Q-tip, cotton swab Taxi Stand Drunk, wasted, hammered (Same as U.S. translation) Make fun of Waist, Hip Pack (sometimes fanny) Cart, Buggy (Southern U.S.) Sidewalk Curb Faucet Tub Jello Jelly (or Jam) To Go Potato Chips Fries Tee Shirt (or t-shirt) Vest Small Change Napkin English Muffin (similar) Orchestra Traffic Circle ('Rotary' in portions of New England) Eggplant Golden Raisins Tire (same pronunciation) Downtown The Subway, Light Rail, "By Train"/"Train Station" Bottled water Front Desk Club soda, seltzer, sparkling water, Pellegrino
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How Dates are Expressed in the U.S.
The format in America for dates follow a very different pattern than other parts of the world: November 7th, 2012 would be recorded as 11-7-12 (month, day, year) rather than 7-11-12 (day, month, year.) The other way around to American ears make them think you are quoting a summer rather than autumn date (they will think of July), so be careful!
Europeans in general should take care to know that the 24 hour clock is very rarely used in the US, and usually only by medical experts, the military, and the post office. Also, clocks usually don't indicate a.m. or p.m, as it is simply a matter of looking around (many rail stations are outdoors.) Rail (train) and bus timetables do not use the 24 hour clock either, but rather list the times of the trains in the order they leave, with the assumption that the ones at the beginning of the list are a.m., and ones at the end of the list are p.m.
Regional Dialects
The United States was settled by immigrants from many different countries, and these immigrants tended to congregate in different areas. Thus, each region of the United States has its own unique dialect, accent, and vocabulary. Residents of New England and the Southeast have very distinctive accents, which are sometimes incomprehensible even to travelling Americans! Americans living in the western states tend to have less accented speech, but use different slang than their eastern counterparts. American language changes a lot from year to year, with new words constantly used in everyday speech and in publications. Check out the American Dialect Society webpage for a list of new words that have been informally inducted into American English each year. Slang city is another good resource for learning about American slang.
Here are a few examples of different vocabulary used around the country:
Carbonated beverages: These can be called "soda", "pop" "tonic" or "coke," regardless of the type of carbonated beverage referred to. Usage varies by geography. Read more about it here.
A popular sandwich in the U.S. is contructed on a long, baguette-like roll (but usually softer, not crusty). Fillings can be deli-meats, steak and cheese, tuna or chicken salad or veal, chicken or meatballs with sauce and cheese. Depending on where you order it, this sandwich can be called a "sub", a "grinder" (New Englanders say "grind-dah"), a "hero", a "bomb" or a "hoagie". No matter what you call them, they're delicious!
Hawaiian Words
If you are visiting Hawaii, you can go a long way with knowing these Hawaiian words:
Aloha (ah-LOW-hah) - Hello, goodbye, love
Mahalo (mah-HAH-low) - Thank you
Also, restrooms may be marked:
Kane (KAH-nay) - Man
Wahine (wah-HEE-nay) - Woman
Also, Instead of north, south, east or west,
directions may be given as:
Makai (mah-KYE) - Towards the ocean
Mauka (MOW-kah) - Towards the mountains
And, of course, English works, too.
