[BEST LESSONS] - American English vs. British English Vocabulary

0:00Hi, students! This month, we're re-releasing some of our all-time, most popular podcast episodes, which have been loved by thousands of English learners just like you. Want to download the text from this lesson? Click on the link in the podcast description and enter your email address to get your free lesson guide. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy listening to one of our best lessons. British English vs. American English Vocabulary Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast, where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day.

0:37My name is Shana, and I'm the teacher at Espresso English. Make sure to visit the website, EspressoEnglish.net, where you can get online courses and e-books that will help you learn English even faster. Let's get started with today's lesson. This is a story about the daily life of New York Nate, who lives in the United States, and London Laura, who lives in England. As you can see, they have very similar lives, but the vocabulary words they use are very different.

1:12Every morning, when getting dressed, New York Nate puts on a pair of pants, whereas London Laura puts on a pair of trousers. Both New York Nate and London Laura have babies, but New York Nate needs to change the baby's diaper, and London Laura needs to change the baby's nappy.

1:45When it's time to go to work, New York Nate takes the subway, and London Laura takes the underground, which is also called the tube. After getting off at the right stop, New York Nate walks along the sidewalk, and London Laura walks along the pavement to reach their offices.

2:09New York Nate works on the first floor of the building, and London Laura works on the ground floor. This means neither of them needs to take the elevator for New York Nate, or the lift for London Laura. At work, both Nate and Laura need to send some important documents to a client, but New York Nate sends them by mail, and London Laura sends them by post.

2:39During the day, New York Nate snacks on cookies, french fries, and potato chips. London Laura eats the same things, but she calls them biscuits, chips, and crisps. This isn't a very healthy diet, is it? Both Nate and Laura get stomach aches, so on the way home from work, New York Nate stops at the drugstore or pharmacy, and London Laura stops at the chemist's shop to pick up some medicine.

3:13After work, Nate puts his car in the parking lot, whereas London Laura puts hers in the car park. Both of them buy a lot of stuff, so New York Nate puts his purchases in the trunk, and London Laura puts hers in the boot. On the way home, New York Nate stops to fill up the car with gas, and London Laura fills up her car with petrol.

3:51At the station, New York Nate sees a truck, and London Laura sees a lorry. They both get home late, and New York Nate needs to take out the garbage or trash. London Laura also needs to take out the rubbish. It's dark outside, so New York Nate takes a flashlight, and London Laura uses a torch. It's been a long day, and New York Nate thinks he's going to go crazy.

4:23London Laura thinks she might go mad. It must be time for a vacation for New York Nate, and a holiday for London Laura.

4:35Let's review the vocabulary we learned in today's lesson. In American English, we say apartment, and in British English, we say flat. In American English, we say pants, and in British English, we call them trousers. In American English, a baby uses a diaper, and in British English, a baby uses a nappy. A train that runs underground is called a subway in American English, and the underground, or the tube, in British English.

5:12The path along the side of the road is called a sidewalk, in American English, and a pavement, in British English. The level of a building that is at the same level as the street is called the first floor, in American English, and it's called the ground floor, in British English. To go up to other levels of the building, we take the elevator, in American English, or the lift, in British English.

5:46To send a letter or package to another destination, we send it by mail, in American English, and post, in British English. Sweet snacks called cookies, in American English, are called biscuits, in British English. In American English, we say french fries, and these are called chips, in British English. In American English, we say potato chips, and in British English, this same snack is called crisps.

6:21In American English, you can buy medicine at a drugstore, or pharmacy, and in British English, that's called the chemist. In American English, we say parking lot, and in British English, it's car park. The back of a car where you can put items is called the trunk, in American English, and the boot, in British English. In American English, we say gas, and in British English, we say petrol.

6:56A large vehicle used for carrying things is called a truck, in American English, and a lorry, in British English. We say garbage or trash, in American English, and rubbish, in British English. A small electric light, that is powered by batteries, is called a flashlight, in American English, and a torch, in British English. We say go crazy, in American English, and go mad, in British English.

7:29What we call a vacation, in American English, is called a holiday, in British English. If you want to increase your vocabulary, and improve your fluency, check out the Vocabulary Builder course at EspressoEnglish.net. In this course, you'll learn hundreds of useful English words that will help you express yourself more fluently. Visit EspressoEnglish.net, click on Courses, and look for Vocabulary Builder.

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