Alicja
My landlord asked ‘How are you’, and I answered truthfully that I didn’t feel well. Later his wife told me that he thought I was rude - he expected me to say ‘good’, ‘great’, ‘OK’! This is one of many British mannerisms that I’ve picked up.
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Scroll down the page to view the next sections: 'Things people say' and 'Things people do'.
Key information
1. It’s common for things to get lost in translation
When different cultures come together, misunderstandings can happen - we all have stories to tell! You will hear new accents, phrases and come across different mannerisms. It may feel like a lot to take on, but with time you will get adjusted.
2. London has a free and diverse society
There are people of all different ethnic and religious groups living together. This is what makes London an exciting place to live, but it can take a while to adjust:
- You will hear different accents and languages - the stronger the accent, the more difficult it is to understand!
- It’s a free society where people can express themselves in diverse ways - people show mutual respect to live in harmony together
3. People can seem unfriendly at first but give them a chance!
It can seem this way especially when people are rushing around, especially during work hours but we’ve learned that most people are willing to help if they can.
Things people say
Here are some British phrases or ‘slang’ that we’ve come across to help you through the early days. It can be confusing at first, but if you hear them once then you’ll remember them the next time
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Cheers or Ta
which means ‘Thank you’
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Alright?
which is another way of saying ‘Hello’
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Mate
which means ‘friend’. You may use it, or hear it, as a friendly way to greet someone you know e.g. ‘Alright mate!’
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Bloody
which is a very common swear word, but used to mean ‘very’ e.g. ‘blood wonderful’
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Dodgy
which means bad quality or untrustworthy
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Knackered
which means ‘really tired’
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Gutted
which means to be disappointed or upset
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Gobsmacked
which means shocked
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Piece of cake
which means it was ‘easy’
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Quid
which is another word for £1
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Fiver or Tenner
which is another word for a £5 note and a £10 note respectively
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It’s all gone pear-shaped
which means something has gone wrong
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It’s just Sod’s law
which means anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
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Taking the mickey
which means ‘making fun of’ someone
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Fancy a cuppa?
which means ‘would you like a cup of tea?’
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I’m pissed
which means ‘I’m drunk’ or ‘I’m very angry’
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That’s rubbish
which means ‘I don’t believe you!’
Things people do
You may already be familiar with some British mannerisms, but here we share the main ones that we’ve picked up over the years to give you a head start
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Responding to ‘How are you?’ with ‘fine’ or ‘good’
When someone who you don’t know well asks ‘How are you?’, some people expect you to say ‘fine’ or ‘good’ even if you’re not feeling this way
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Saying ‘sorry’ a lot
People say ‘sorry’ a lot, even if they’ve done nothing wrong or they are not to blame for example, when they haven’t heard you properly
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Saying ‘thank you’ a lot
People say ‘thank you’ all the time, even for small things like someone holding the door open for them
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Queuing is very common
Ignoring the queue and going to the front is considered rude, for example when waiting to board a bus
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Greeting people who you don’t know well with a handshake
The handshake is the most common form of greeting. People don’t tend to hug or kiss on the cheek until they get to know each other better
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Being on time
British people are known for their punctuality! This means that you’re expected to arrive on time for appointments and meetings. Being late can be seen as disrespectful.