As an American, what Non-American things do you find Bizarre or strange?

[goldman2786]

Honestly, I just wanted to see this in response to the other thread.

I'll go first: Biking everywhere. I live in one of the worst states for biking(California). I would save so much money if biking was more of an option. I hear some people in Sweden and Switzerland bike to work and school. That is alien to me.

 

[ATenderLad]

...you know, I'm struggling to think of something. I'm usually tickled to hear how things are interpreted in other countries.

Oh, like I once read an article describing how Temuera Morrison's line in Aquaman, "I wanted to make her eggs", got a huge reaction in a New Zealand theater. He's best known for the emotionally harrowing Once Were Warriors there, and that line calls back to one of the best known scenes of the movie.


Edit - I take it back, navigating traffic in Mumbai looks terrifying. That's my answer.

 

[Gorse]

OK, I have a question for people who speak Spanish, French, or Italian on this forum – I know there are a lot of you! Can you generally understand all of those languages, even if you aren't fluent in them?

I studied both French and Italian in school, and I was shocked by how similar verb and noun conjugation was – I know a lot of it carries over to Spanish, too. They're all descended from the same stable of Romance languages, so I'd love to know: If you speak Spanish, can you get the gist of what people are talking about in French or Italian, and vice versa? Sate my curiosity, please!

 

[Yousef]

OK, I have a question for people who speak Spanish, French, or Italian on this forum – I know there are a lot of you! Can you generally understand all of those languages, even if you aren't fluent in them?

I studied both French and Italian in school, and I was shocked by how similar verb and noun conjugation was – I know a lot of it carries over to Spanish, too. They're all descended from the same stable of Romance languages, so I'd love to know: If you speak Spanish, can you get the gist of what people are talking about in French or Italian, and vice versa? Sate my curiosity, please!

My time to shine.
In a general sense, sort of.
Understanding Spanish lets me understand some Portuguese.
Basic French sentences are ok for me but longform text is a no-go.
Italian makes some sense to me but I need to improve.
Knowing French would help me understand Italian better and vice versa.
Learning Italian helped me understand Spanish so much so to a degree I can’t even describe.
Spanish made some stuff in French make sense.

But generally speaking, I am still garbage at Spanish and I won’t get to my desired level until years from now loooool
But it is my dream.

 

[Gorse]

My time to shine.

That's all very cool. Yousef! So some of that knowledge does carry over – I always suspected it did! Thanks for the great explanation.

 

[DarkTownStrutters]

"As an American, what Non-American things do you find Bizarre or strange?"​

Decent, affordable healthcare.

 

[Adrastia]

I'll go first: Biking everywhere. I live in one of the worst states for biking(California). I would save so much money if biking was more of an option. I hear some people in Sweden and Switzerland bike to work and school. That is alien to me.

A big issue in the US with that is drivers don't respect the bike lanes and will try to use them to pass ahead of traffic.

 

[VampireLord1024]

Possibly how in some places in the world their seasons are backwards, like Australia would be having Summer right now.

 

[What's His Face]

Not really what you're intending, but the closest I can think of in my sleep-deprived...cat, stop biting my fingers...ow...ow! Brat cat... Where was I? Hmm...American...non-American...oh yeah! That feeling you get on your skin when you first step outside in Australia.

 

[Gorse]

That feeling you get on your skin when you first step outside in Australia.

You get this when you’re visiting Nevada or Arizona, too. Dry climates are so weird… I can’t believe people actually live there.

 

[Karnik]

OK, I have a question for people who speak Spanish, French, or Italian on this forum

Hi buddy. Spanish, Portuguese and Italian all derive from the Latin of the ancient Romans, which differentiated over time due to the multiple cultural and linguistic influences of their respective places. As for me, I'm Italian and I understand the other two languages quite well, if spoken slowly. French and German have completely different origins, but I can understand the former quite well if I read it. German has a completely different grammar and syntax.
Greetings. Yours truly.