As a European, I have grown accustomed to American English over the years.
Nonetheless, I did experience a few awkward moments that confirmed that we communicate using different English, and sometimes American visitors are not familiar with our terms.
TL;DR
Here is my list of all the terms that I have heard over the years. You will find three tables, each categorized as either "Traveling," "Accommodation," or "Food and Misc.
The word that Americans primarily use is followed by a word, or more, that is widely utilized across the European continent.
This guide isn't US to UK, but rather US to European English. We mostly learn British English in school across Europe, but we don't always adopt all those funky British English words.
Some modern words are sometimes translated from a language. In Europe, only Ireland and the UK speak English as a first language, and nobody uses English as a first language on mainland Europe.
Also, keep in mind, Europe is a continent, and several cultures will have their version of a word, which I skipped adding because otherwise this guide will get unnecessarily long. This is basically from a viewpoint of a central European.
Traveling
| American Word | Word in Europe |
| Subway | Depending on the country, Metro, Underground/ Tube (UK), U-Bahn (Austria/Germany). |
| Railroad | Railway |
| Streetcar, Trolley | Tram and regional variations. |
| To deplane | To disembark from an airplane |
| Vacation | Holiday |
| Zip Code | Post Code |
| Parking Lot | Car Park or just Parking |
| Sedan | Saloon (UK), Berline/Berlina (French, Portugues, Spanish) Limousine (German and Hatchback are called the same). |
| Camper, Travel Trailer, RV | Caravan |
| Campground, RV Park. | Camp site, Camping, Caravan site, Caravan camp. |
| Beltway | Ring Road |
| Intersection | Cross Roads, Junction |
| Traffic Circle | Roundabout |
| Gas | Petrol |
| Highway, Freeway, Expressway, Interstate | In the UK motorway but in every other country, the word in the respective language. e.g., Autobahn in German, Autostrada in Italian. |
| To pass someone (in traffic) | To overtake someone |
| Schedule | Timetable |
| License Plate | Number Plate |
| Cross-Walk | Zebra Crossing, Pedestrian Crossing. |
| Downtown | City Center, Old Town |
| Cab/Taxi | Taxi, people won't understand cab. |
| Motorcycle | Motorbike. Motorcycle sounds like a motorized cycle, which used to be common in the past in Europe. |
| Electric Bike, E-Bike | Just E-Bike. |
Accommodation and Food
| American Word | Word in Europe |
| First Floor | Ground Floor (our first floor is your second floor) |
| Front Desk | Reception |
| Bellhop, Bellman | Hotel Porter |
| Bed and Breakfast (B&B) | Pension |
| Restroom | Toilet, Bathroom, WC, Men's/Lady's Room. |
| (Back) Yard | Garden |
| Apartment | No difference is made between renting and owning (because US Condo), it's either called a flat or an apartment. |
| Drapes | Curtains |
| Elevator | Lift |
| Janitor, Custodian | Caretaker |
| Sales Tax | Commonly known as VAT, you will see a short abbreviation on bills. e.g. UST/MWST (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein) MOMS (Denmark, Finland, Sweden) IVA (Italy, Portugal, Spain.) |
| Check, Tab | Bill |
| Takeout, To Go | Takeaway |
| Napkin | Serviette |
| Entrée | Main Course |
| Appetizer | Entrée (French for Starter), Appetizer, Starter |
| Flatware, Silverware | Cutlery |
| Oatmeal | Porridge. The English porridge is used for rice, semolina etc. as well and not just for oatmeal. |
| Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks, Cola | Soft Drinks but people understand better if you use their branded names, such as Fanta, Sprite. If you ask for cola, do not expect to get cola from Coca-Cola, as they might bring a local version of a Cola (e.g Sinalco and Kofola) instead or Pepsi. |
| Lemonade | A lemonade in Europe is carbonated. |
| To broil (meat) | To grill |
Misc
| American Words and Styles | The European Version |
| Fall | Autumn |
| Band-Aid | Plaster |
| Drugstore | Pharmacy or Chemist (UK) |
| Cell Phone | Mobile or Mobile Phone, Handy (German), and with Telephone you have Portable (French) and Cellular (Italian). |
| Fire Department | Fire Brigade |
| Post Office | Post |
| am/pm | In the morning and afternoon. We use the 24-hour time as a standard. 0-12 is the same, but from 1 pm to midnight it's 13:00 to 24:00. In some odd places (German areas) will say for example half 11, which means 10:30 am, and that can be very confusing. |
| Month/Day/Year | Day/Month/Year |
You are welcome to comment and let us know if you think I forgot or confused something. We can all learn from eachother.
