Greetings
8Hello
Hello
Good morning
Good morning
Good evening
Good evening
How are you?
How are you?
Nice to meet you
Nice to meet you
Goodbye
Goodbye
See you later
See you later
Have a nice day
Have a nice day
Food & Dining
8Water
Water
The menu, please
The menu, please
The bill, please
The bill, please
Delicious
Delicious
A table for two
A table for two
Coffee
Coffee
I would like...
I would like...
Vegetarian
Vegetarian
Numbers & Time
12One
One
Two
Two
Three
Three
Four
Four
Five
Five
Six
Six
Seven
Seven
Eight
Eight
Nine
Nine
Ten
Ten
Hundred
Hundred
Thousand
Thousand
Common Phrases
8Please
Please
Thank you
Thank you
You're welcome
You're welcome
Excuse me
Excuse me
Yes
Yes
No
No
I don't understand
I don't understand
Could you repeat?
Could you repeat?
Emergency & Health
8Help!
Help!
Call the police
Call the police
I need a doctor
I need a doctor
Where is the hospital?
Where is the hospital?
I lost my passport
I lost my passport
It's an emergency
It's an emergency
I'm lost
I'm lost
Call an ambulance
Call an ambulance
Always say 'please'
Requests without 'please' sound rude in English.
'How are you?' is a greeting
It expects 'Fine, thanks' — not your life story.
Small talk is normal
Weather, weekend, traffic — light topics build trust.
First names are normal
Most workplaces drop titles after one meeting.
'Sorry' is overused — in a good way
British English uses 'sorry' as apology, excuse me AND question marker.
British understatement
In British English, 'not bad' often means excellent.
The indirect 'no'
English speakers often say no without saying no.
Always queue
Cutting a queue in Britain is a serious social offence.
Accept compliments gracefully
Say 'Thank you' — don't reject it.
Soften requests with modals
Direct requests can sound rude. Modals make you sound polite.
US vs UK Tipping culture
Tipping rules are vastly different between the US and the UK.
Asking for the bill
Soften your request when asking the waiter for the check or bill.
SINCE vs FOR
SINCE = a starting point. FOR = a duration.
Never IF + WILL
First conditional: IF + present, WILL + base verb.
-ED vs -ING adjectives
Feeling = -ED. Cause = -ING.
People ARE, not IS
'People' is plural in English.
INFORMATION is uncountable
Never 'an information' or 'informations'.
Look forward TO + -ing
The 'to' is a preposition, so use -ing.
MAKE vs DO
MAKE = create/produce. DO = perform/carry out.
SAY vs TELL
SAY something. TELL someone.
USED TO vs BE USED TO
USED TO = past habit (no more). BE USED TO = accustomed to (now).
LESS vs FEWER
FEWER for countable. LESS for uncountable.
AT / IN / ON — Time
AT for specific times. IN for months/years/periods. ON for days/dates.
DESPITE vs ALTHOUGH
DESPITE + noun/-ing. ALTHOUGH + clause.
IT'S vs ITS
IT'S = it is / it has. ITS = belonging to it.
WILL vs GOING TO
WILL = spontaneous / prediction. GOING TO = planned / evidence-based.
🇬🇧 lift ↔ 🇺🇸 elevator
UK "lift" = US "elevator" — the box that moves you between floors.
🇬🇧 chips ↔ 🇺🇸 fries
UK "chips" = US "fries" — long, fried potato sticks.
🇬🇧 crisps ↔ 🇺🇸 chips
UK "crisps" = US "chips" — thin, crunchy potato slices in a bag.
🇬🇧 petrol ↔ 🇺🇸 gas
UK "petrol" = US "gas" — fuel for your car.
🇬🇧 petrol station ↔ 🇺🇸 gas station
UK "petrol station" = US "gas station" — where you fill the car up.
🇬🇧 flat ↔ 🇺🇸 apartment
UK "flat" = US "apartment" — a home inside a bigger building.
🇬🇧 lorry ↔ 🇺🇸 truck
UK "lorry" = US "truck" — a big vehicle for cargo.
🇬🇧 boot ↔ 🇺🇸 trunk
UK "boot" = US "trunk" — the storage space at the back of a car.
🇬🇧 bonnet ↔ 🇺🇸 hood
UK "bonnet" = US "hood" — the cover over a car's engine.
🇬🇧 pavement ↔ 🇺🇸 sidewalk
UK "pavement" = US "sidewalk" — the path beside a road for people.
🇬🇧 queue ↔ 🇺🇸 line
UK "queue" = US "line" — a row of people waiting.
🇬🇧 rubbish ↔ 🇺🇸 trash
UK "rubbish" = US "trash" — things you throw away.
🇬🇧 biscuit ↔ 🇺🇸 cookie
UK "biscuit" = US "cookie" — a small sweet baked snack.
🇬🇧 jumper ↔ 🇺🇸 sweater
UK "jumper" = US "sweater" — a knitted top for cold days.
🇬🇧 trainers ↔ 🇺🇸 sneakers
UK "trainers" = US "sneakers" — soft sport shoes.
🇬🇧 trousers ↔ 🇺🇸 pants
UK "trousers" = US "pants" — the clothes you wear on your legs.
🇬🇧 underground ↔ 🇺🇸 subway
UK "underground" = US "subway" — the city train that runs below ground.
🇬🇧 holiday ↔ 🇺🇸 vacation
UK "holiday" = US "vacation" — time off work or school for travel and rest.
🇬🇧 postcode ↔ 🇺🇸 zip code
UK "postcode" = US "zip code" — the short code for your address.
🇬🇧 mobile ↔ 🇺🇸 cell phone
UK "mobile" = US "cell phone" — the phone you carry with you.
🇬🇧 autumn ↔ 🇺🇸 fall
UK "autumn" = US "fall" — the season after summer.
🇬🇧 tap ↔ 🇺🇸 faucet
UK "tap" = US "faucet" — the thing you turn for water at the sink.
🇬🇧 football ↔ 🇺🇸 soccer
UK "football" = US "soccer" — the sport played with feet and a round ball.
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