Canadian/U.S words & pronounciations

[Krikit 1,165]

I totally agree. "uh huh" to thank you is just rude beyond words.

"uh huh" used to bother me, too, because if you said it in Canada it would be considered rude. I now understand that it's thought of as a "you're welcome" in the US. Just have to keep reminding myself that this is a different country. lol

My husband "corrects" how I pronounce things at least once a day. I didn't know there were so many things I said "wrong" especially since in Las Vgeas there's really no discernible accent for me. o_O Yesterday I was talking to a service rep on the phone and she asked me to spell my name which has a z in it. I kept spelling it out for her but she had NO IDEA what I was saying... until I remembered that Americans say zee, not zed. Is zed such a foreign pronunciation that people just completely blank when you say it?

When I traded my Canadian car in at the dealership they asked me for the model. I said "ZX2" (Zed Ex Two). The guy said "Can you spell that?" I'm like... Zed.... Ex.... 2. He looked at me like . My husband looked at both our faces and said "Zee Ex Two". lol

[Ontarkie 14,432]

uh huh still bugs me, I tell the kids they are not allowed to pick that up. I just found out that my in-laws have never heard anyone refer to their butt as a bum before, that cracked me up cause I say it a lot.

I keep saying that their is only Canadian talk in this house none of that southern drawl crazy American stuff in here Joking of course. Although in a house full of Canadians its a bit easier.

[Krikit 1,165]

I find it interesting that they don't seem to build their houses with front or backdoor closets and foyers. Where does everyone put their boots and coats but out there in the open where everyone can trip over them? Any closets I have seen are not near the entrance and are really tiny. It drives me a little batty.

[Kimbear 53]

so the other day we were discussing the radiator lite that keeps flashing on the dash..and we ended up arguing over the pronunciation of it lol.

we argued back and fort for 5 minutes about who was right LOL.

quote from David: yeah you said Radiator as Rah-dee-ayeterrather than Ray Di ator

I find it interesting that they don't seem to build their houses with front or backdoor closets and foyers. Where does everyone put their boots and coats but out there in the open where everyone can trip over them? Any closets I have seen are not near the entrance and are really tiny. It drives me a little batty.

i know what you mean. i dont get it. when i asked David about it it he just said use the bannister on the stairs.....

Edited November 16, 2011 by Kimbear

[sheeshkabelle 153]

GARage RADator GARbage... lol I don't notice his accent too much anymore. But he REALLY picks on me over how I pronounce things. His favorite saying "I don't have an accent YOU do!"

It drives him INSANE we wear shoes in the house. I try to remember to take mine off when I'm at the in-laws. Unless there is snow, or it was raining and my shoes are wet, I totally forget to do it.

Trent complains all the time we don't have a foyer, or a closet by the front door. Our back door opens into the laundry room, where there is barely enough room to put the washer and dryer. He said when he moves and "doing nothing else with my time" he's going to build on to the back porch and make it into a 'proper' utility room. I told him to remodel the master bathroom while he's at it. Which brings up bathroom and washroom.. the kids have picked up saying washroom. My 13 year old daughter says "Washroom sounds more polite" The 'baby' who is six enjoys telling anyone who will listen "I'm half Canadian now, cause my step-dad is from Canada"

Edited November 16, 2011 by sheeshkabelle

[Ontarkie 14,432]

GARage RADator GARbage... lol I don't notice his accent too much anymore. But he REALLY picks on me over how I pronounce things. His favorite saying "I don't have an accent YOU do!"

It drives him INSANE we wear shoes in the house. I try to remember to take mine off when I'm at the in-laws. Unless there is snow, or it was raining and my shoes are wet, I totally forget to do it.

Trent complains all the time we don't have a foyer, or a closet by the front door. Our back door opens into the laundry room, where there is barely enough room to put the washer and dryer. He said when he moves and "doing nothing else with my time" he's going to build on to the back porch and make it into a 'proper' utility room. I told him to remodel the master bathroom while he's at it. Which brings up bathroom and washroom.. the kids have picked up saying washroom. My 13 year old daughter says "Washroom sounds more polite" The 'baby' who is six enjoys telling anyone who will listen "I'm half Canadian now, cause my step-dad is from Canada"

I love this part.

I hate not having not having a foyer, I had to go by a shoe rack cause with 6 ppl we needed something. The only place for it though is in my kitchen cause they have carpet right up to the front door and well I don't want ppl on my carpet. I hate the thought of what is on the bottom of shoes.

[pocheros 101]

Has anyone else noticed that garbage disposals in the sinks are pretty common in the US? Or is it just that where I used to live in Canada they weren't popular, or I never noticed? I actually asked my husband what that thing in the sink was when I first visited him in the US... I swear I'm not sheltered

My husband teases me for how I say foyer because I say it the "french" way... Foy-ehhh, when he says foy-errr.

I never understood the wearing shoes inside your house thing... besides tracking dirt everywhere, isn't it just uncomfortable? Fortunately my husband is a socks person as well

Edited November 16, 2011 by pocheros

[Kimbear 53]

Has anyone else noticed that garbage disposals in the sinks are pretty common in the US? Or is it just that where I used to live in Canada they weren't popular, or I never noticed? I actually asked my husband what that thing in the sink was when I first visited him in the US... I swear I'm not sheltered

My husband teases me for how I say foyer because I say it the "french" way... Foy-ehhh, when he says foy-errr.

I never understood the wearing shoes inside your house thing... besides tracking dirt everywhere, isn't it just uncomfortable? Fortunately my husband is a socks person as well

Never saw them myself up north. I knew what they were but figured it was for richy lazy people lol no offence !!

[sheeshkabelle 153]

Has anyone else noticed that garbage disposals in the sinks are pretty common in the US? Or is it just that where I used to live in Canada they weren't popular, or I never noticed? I actually asked my husband what that thing in the sink was when I first visited him in the US... I swear I'm not sheltered

My husband teases me for how I say foyer because I say it the "french" way... Foy-ehhh, when he says foy-errr.

I never understood the wearing shoes inside your house thing... besides tracking dirt everywhere, isn't it just uncomfortable? Fortunately my husband is a socks person as well

My husband thought it was odd I didn't have a garbage disposal.

I CAN'T STAND to not have something on my feet. Our compromise was I have house shoes, or wear a pair of flip flops around the house. My mother is to blame. She made us wear house shoes around the house because she paid a fortune for new emerald green carpet and she said the oil from bare feet is just as bad as dirty shoes.

The house we bought was a rental, and the place needed some TLC. (as in trashed, but it was cheap) Eventually all the nasty, ugly carpet in this place will be replaced with hardwood. Even though Trent looked confused, "Won't that make the floor cold?" "uhm dear, it doesn't get THAT cold in Tennessee"

[SapphireDreams 71]

No one I knew has a garbage disposal in NY, but that might just be because we're in the city. My inlaws have one in their house in Vegas. I wish we had one!

I never realized that my in-laws house doesn't have a front closet but it totally doesn't! Wow, I'm going to notice that now when we start house hunting. Our apartment is an anomaly - it's one bedroom with 4 huge closets, 2 by the front door, 1 in the hallway and 1 huge one in the bedroom. I don't know what we'll do when we get a house and there aren't as many closets!

I think it's really funny that Americans call Zucchini just 'squash'. I mean it is a squash, but there are lots of different kinds of squash. Whenever I say zucchini people don't know what I'm talking about!

[KTandTommy 31]

My husband thought it was odd I didn't have a garbage disposal.

I CAN'T STAND to not have something on my feet. Our compromise was I have house shoes, or wear a pair of flip flops around the house. My mother is to blame. She made us wear house shoes around the house because she paid a fortune for new emerald green carpet and she said the oil from bare feet is just as bad as dirty shoes.

The house we bought was a rental, and the place needed some TLC. (as in trashed, but it was cheap) Eventually all the nasty, ugly carpet in this place will be replaced with hardwood. Even though Trent looked confused, "Won't that make the floor cold?" "uhm dear, it doesn't get THAT cold in Tennessee"

Hahaha... It's so funny, because I'm Canadian, and some of my experiences are so similar to your husband's, but others totally aren't...

At my parents' old house, we had a garbage disposal... but by the time we moved houses (when I was around 17 or 18), it was actually illegal to install garbage disposals in our area of the city, because they wanted to enforce "green" composting, rather than disposals.

I *always* am barefoot in the house! It's just so uncomfortable to wear shoes. Though when I'm down in FL, sometimes I'll switch into some house flip-flops, just because no matter how often you vacuum, there always seems to be sand from the beach.

And, I'm in Toronto, but the first thing I did when I bought my condo was tear out the carpet and put in hardwood! It gets super cold up here, but I love hardwood so much more

[CDN2US 10]

Huh, I thought my husband's cleanliness was borderline OCD, but perhaps it's just becahse he's 100% Canadian.

Especially regarding the shoes-in-the-house thing...

[sheeshkabelle 153]

Huh, I thought my husband's cleanliness was borderline OCD, but perhaps it's just becahse he's 100% Canadian.

Especially regarding the shoes-in-the-house thing...

Ya, must be a Canadian thing

My husband follows the kids around the house picking up after them.

[Kimbear 53]

el oh el..i drive my hubbys parents nuts with that..i'm always taking off my shoes vaccuming dusting cleaning they do it like once a month! and walk all over with shoes on these nice hardwood floors andit absolutely drives me batty!!!

hubby loves that i kept our apartment so clean. we also have dogs so i need to dust / vaccum like almost eveyr other day. i dunno..but i like a nice smelling house lol.

Edited November 17, 2011 by Kimbear

[warlord 73]

I just hate hate HATE the feeling of wearing shoes in the house. I hate having people track in mud and dirt all over my clean floors and carpet. Mainly though it is just utterly uncomfortable to have shoes on inside. Sure my floors probably get smelly sock smell on them, but hey it's not noticeable like mud. My biggest thing is when I was married and now with my awesome roomie that I have to watch when I'm around them. My roomie will always give me hugs and stuff and when she does I have to make sure her shoes don't squash my toes. My ex wife was the same way and I had been stepped on too many times wearing socks in the house...