Foreigners Explain Which Traits Scream 'I'm An American!'

Foreigners Explain Which Traits Scream 'I'm An American!'
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

It's not hard to spot Americans overseas.

Before you think it has anything to do with that someone wearing a 10-gallon hat, a bald-eagle belt buckle, or a stars and stripes thong, you're only partially right. Turns out the quickest way to identify an American when they're outside the country is simply hearing us speak, like the examples provided below.

Reddit user, u/TheOmnipotentKoi, wanted to hear what gives away who you are when they asked:

Non-Americans of Reddit, what's something someone can say that indirectly screams "I'm an American?"

Starting with the simple ones, there's clear indicators you're from the colonies. Maybe it's in how you greet people or how you label official paperwork, but whatever it is, it screams, "American."

Can't Imagine Anyone Else In The World Says This

"Usually when someone says "y'all"

mymotherisacanibal

"Y'all'd've really appreciated the ability to cram so many contractions into one word if all'a'y'all'd've grown up in the South. Y'all'dn't've had the pain of being without this power."

Ryoukugan

What's The Date?

"mm/dd/yyyy"

Spooginho

"i keep thinking 9/11 happened on the 9th of november because of that"

cytix_

A Mixed Ancestry, To Say The Least

"I'm 1/3 Irish on my mother's side"

pewzapdie

"I work in a hotel in the UK and two Americans checked in a couple of weeks ago. We legally have to ask for their passport details - we don't even (as far as I know) have to check the passport or photocopy it, just ask them to fill in their nationality and passport number. To be honest the law is a relic of the Cold War but we're still meant to do it so we do."

"Under "Passport Details - Nationality" one of them wrote Irish-German"

seefroo

A Little Too Relaxed

"I'm an American and I've lived abroad- the way we dress. Blue jeans and tennis shoes are often a dead give away in some countries. I lived in Japan, so no real way of "blending in", but it was remarked on."

sj4iy

Niece?

"Saying niche as "nitch". And sometimes, saying bathroom instead of washroom."

BeerOutHere

We think of things a certain way here in the states, ways to classify levels or achievements. This also applies to how we break apart our country.

Ya'll feel me?

Southwest State? Midwest? Northeast?

"Depends on what state you're in"

Godstevsky

"I live outside the US right now and this is the answer to the majority of questions I get about home. I probably say this every day..."

dancingnancey

We're So Behind

"It was 90 degrees outside." (I hope that is a reasonable number.)

agent_kater

"Same with gallons and square feet. 900sqft is it a palace? Is it a broom closet? I never know."

AthibaPls

Thank You Kindly, Ma'am

"Using ma'am, miss and sir."

"Non of my customers use it except Americans."

AlleywayGum

"Years ago I was doing work in Germany. I was on the call with a client and I answered "yes sir, no sir" the whole time. He was like "were you ever in the US military?" I was like "no, I was just always taught to say that"."

"Didn't realize how American it is"

JayNotAtAll

So You're In What Year Of School....?

"Saying "sophomore, senior," etc."

butterybakedpotato

"to this day I don't know what this sh-t means"

_sir-psycho-sexy

And then there's these, the telltale signs you herald from the ​50 states most well known for...

...advertising medicine?

Be Real

"Being extremely interested in new people and pretending to be a friend. (While in reality, this is called schmoozing which toys a fine line between lying and pretending while being nice)"

espero

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DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING?

"Speaking louder, quicker and with more complex words every time someone tells you they don't quite understand what you're telling them. Very common with american tourists."

"Europeans on vacation in other european desinations usually try to communicate with english, and it's the second language for both parties so that means that if one of them sees the other can't quite understand they'll use simpler vocabulary, speak more clearly and generally make some effort to communicate. I guess that's easy because they themselves had to learn english at some point and probably know what's harder to understand and what isn't."

"Americans on the other hand repeat the same sentence over and over making it more complex and harder to understand each time, while also talking louder as if the issue here is that the other person is deaf."

PckMan

Yeesh...

"I was taking a walking tour in Ireland once and the guide mentioned Notre Dame for some reason. This American guy tried to correct her pronunciation as Not-er Daym, not Not-re Daam. It was a wildly uncomfortable few minutes."

_elysses_

"I've heard people attempt to 'correct' French tour guides in Paris."

DaddyKoolAid

Not Plugged Into One Country's Pop Culture

"Blurting out cultural references assuming everyone is American and being surprised when foreigners can't understand it."

ZidaneLoire

Oh Yeah...Those...

"guns, school shootings, obsession with conspiracy theories, racism, xenophobia,"

Speedohwagon

Life Saving Advertisement

"Recommending a brand of medication."

JudgementalPrick

"Apparently medications are advertised on TV"

[usernamedeleted]

"I'm American and my whole life I've never understood it. Like I would never see an ad and go to a doctor like "hey can I have this specific drug"."

"I feel like the doctor would immediately assume I was some sort of junkie."

_wake_woke_

I've Got Spirit, How 'bout You?

"School spirit!! I work in an international school with lots of American colleagues. The expectation to be excited about everything is A LOT, but I see why it would be infectious if you were brought up in the states. I do like when the European teachers are all grouped together awkwardly not knowing what to do with the spirit and cheer…."

TrishIrl

"As an extension of this, varsity sports. I attended the biggest university in Canada and our football stadium and hockey arena were tetchy titchy. Meanwhile, the Americans pack tens of thousands into theirs for every game."

whogivesashirtdotca

Don't be afraid of where you come from. Y'all it up when you're overseas. Just don't be surprised when the people you're interacting with immediately label you "American."

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