Does the American understand my British English, if I studied only the British English?

Question

I'm studying English as second language.
I know that there are differences in the American English and the British English.Does the American understand my British English, if I studied only the British English?

Answer 1

Absolutely.

There's an occasional word that may be unfamiliar to an American, but very few. Things like Elevator/Lift, and so on. A few words are spelled differently, especially those that end in "er", like meter/metre and center/centre. There are a lot of British phrases that Americans generally understand but don't use, and visa-versa.

Don't let anyone scare you. The language is the same.

If you want evidence of this, look at British books, movies, and TV shows. Harry Potter was modified for American audiences because some of the British terms are hard for American kids to understand, but generally speaking movies, books, and TV shows are unmodified between the two countries.

Answer 2

For the most part yes. But there are a few phrases and terms which we don't use all the time. For example "I'm pissed drank too much sauce" An American would probably just raise their eyebrows completely lost why you've peed on yourself and why you drank some random sauce. When in actuality you mean "I'm drunk, I drank too much alcohol." but then again I understand that because I was around some British exchange students for about a year. But yes there are just a few things that are different between American and British english but not so much that we'd be completely lost.

Answer 3

The short answer: Yes.

A fuller explanation:
The real issue is not the British accent or colloquialisms. Also, be aware that you may need to familiarize yourself with American accents while they are getting used to yours.
In general (and with practice), you should be able to make yourself understood.

To what extent? As in England, there is a wide range of regional accents across the US (and Canada).

Your individual accent ( as a Japanese speaker who has been taught British English) may be more easily understood or accepted in a cosmopolitan city frequented by foreigners or in a university setting. On the other hand, people in a rural setting may be more patient and helpful. (These are meant as general examples. Some might disagree. )

North America covers a large area, and even US residents may have some difficulty communicating with people from other parts of the same country.

Answer 4

In print yes.

In speech, mostly.

The british are sometimes hard for Americans to understand...especially if the have a heavy accent, like a cockney accent.

Answer 5

Yes. Honestly, the major differences lie in the eccentric little expression some Brits use, but other than that, it's perfectly understandable.

Answer 6

Well yes, there are only a few different words, so if you can understand the accent it's easy.

Answer 7

Most of the time. There's few slang words that can get you in trouble. For instance, you call cigarettes fags, but that's a slang term for homosexuals in the States.

But most of the time, people will have no trouble understanding you. Women will find your accent sexy, in all likelihood.

Answer 8

Pretty much. There will be a few differences but we can generally figure them out.

Answer 9

Usually yes, but sometimes no. There are colloquial terms that are used that occasionally we don't understand.

Answer 10

ITS THE SAME BLOODY THING BESIDE THE ACCENT AND A VERY FEW WORDS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED. LOL YOU DON'T HAVE TO STUDY BOTH OR ANYTHING.