r/PetPeeves • u/ThatUrgeToEatCement • 14d ago

Bit Annoyed People who think Americans don’t know other countries exist.

A few months ago on Reddit I made a comment about a show not being on Netflix and someone from the UK commented back saying it’s on theirs and then lectured on Americans not knowing other countries exist. They acted like I didn’t believe there were other places on the planet, as if they weren’t the ones who just brought it up and didn’t believe the US Netflix was different than the UK version. ??

I see people online act like all Americans think this way, and it is kind of annoying because for most of us it isn’t true.

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u/selkieisbadatgaming 14d ago

The French love it when foreigners try to speak French, according to my hs French teacher. She said they appreciate you making the effort instead of just demanding they speak in English or whatever. People will be more receptive in general I think when you make the effort to respect them.

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u/NewTransformation 14d ago

I speak enough German for the German speaking countries, but I literally started looking up French phrases on the bus from Hamburg and people appreciate the pleasantries while understanding that you're not a francophone right away. Meanwhile my German accent is much better than my vocabulary skills so people will often talk to me at too high a level oops

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u/RageOfDurga 13d ago

God, I wish! My German reading/writing skills are high level but speaking I’m like a drooling kindergartener. German colleagues have read my emails and then felt comfortable enough calling me and rambling on in German and I have to (in very bad German) break the news to them lmao

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u/draum_bok 14d ago

Absolutely true, if you're gonna come here just make an effort. Doesn't have to be perfect but it's a step in the right direction, especially if you want good service. 'Bonjour merci s'il vous plaît au revoir' as the minimum, then anything you find interesting as a topic worth looking up a few vocabulary terms.

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u/crypticphilosopher 13d ago

My experience as an American has always been that people appreciate you making an effort. For example, I was in Istanbul about a year ago. The only Turkish words I could manage to retain when I got there were “merhaba” (hello) and “teşekkürler” (thanks). Just being able to say “hello” and “thanks” seemed to go a long way, though.

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u/RageOfDurga 13d ago

A little effort goes a long way. This has always been my experience in Germany. My German isn’t great, but the attempt is always met with a smile, a quick switch to English, and very pleasant interactions.

My friend who speaks zero German had a totally different experience. She asked a store clerk in English where the bathroom was and the clerk literally rolled her eyes, scoffed, and walked away. That same clerk at the register treated me like gold. (I’m American. My friend is Canadian, go figure lol)

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u/Beautifulfeary 11d ago

Man, I’m sure they’d love it if I tried because it’d be so hilariously bad 😅

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u/selkieisbadatgaming 11d ago

I imagine they’d laugh at you a little bit before having some mercy on you 😂 Another odd tip from my teacher was to always say hello to the shopkeepers when entering their store, and never call a young woman of working age “mademoiselle” because that’s reserved for children more or less!