Comments | des_butterfly: How British People Try to Confuse You

des_butterfly

How British People Try to Confuse You

Feb 22, 2009 01:57

Okay, I know I've been in the UK for half a year now, but I'm just figuring this out now because I am slow. BUT ( Read more... )

Comments 20

chaosakita February 22 2009, 02:43:09 UTC

Isn't this the same as how some Americans say "How are you?"

des_butterfly February 22 2009, 02:46:53 UTC

I dunno. I'm Canadian and we usually say "hello" when we want to say, well...hello. >.>

And you might say "how are you?" after you say hello, but that's generally because you want to hear how the other person is an engage in conversation?

lazynin February 22 2009, 02:55:30 UTC

We took a count of how many times a day I was asked if I was "okay" when I was staying with one of my friends in england and it was well over twenty. XD I took it as a conversation starter of hers after the first two days.

des_butterfly February 22 2009, 02:59:45 UTC

I get asked by house mates upon entering rooms. Before I caught on, I was usually left trying to answer in the time it takes them to walk out of the kitchen. "Me? Oh I'm doing fi...where'd you go, dammit?" XD

lazynin February 22 2009, 03:07:02 UTC

Haha, nice. I was warned ahead of time by another friend not to mind it. Apparently it's less popular a question in some areas, because my one english friend will poke fun at hearing it asked so often.

annwyd February 22 2009, 02:55:34 UTC

I'd heard that they used "all right?" like that (and almost forgotten about it until now, my British is getting rusty from not playing Constantine enough), but I wasn't aware it had evolved into "are you okay?"

des_butterfly February 22 2009, 03:00:40 UTC

My flate mate likes to alternate between "all right?" and "are you okay?" depending on how much of a hurry he's in.

lykomancer February 22 2009, 03:27:50 UTC

Thoreau wrote, "The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer" but you could just as well remove "thought" and replace it with "felt".

I hate the tendency to ask, "How are you?" while meaning nothing by it. I've also been angrily reprimanded by management for answering the question honestly, instead of with a canned, chipper "Fine!"

des_butterfly February 23 2009, 17:44:25 UTC

lol There's your problem. Never be honest. It only annoys people. Or so senior management tells me.

lykomancer February 23 2009, 17:55:28 UTC

That's perpetually my problem. D: *glum* Whoever told me "honesty is the best policy" should be dragged out and pistol-whipped.

thereoncewas February 22 2009, 06:26:44 UTC

I was not aware of this.

des_butterfly February 23 2009, 17:44:48 UTC

'Tis true!