Different words for the same things depending on which country you're in.

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Replies

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Haha those 80s picture jumpers, my mum made me lots of them! We called those dresses with bib and straps 'tunics' when I was at infant school.

    omg, you Brits make babies go to school? O.o
    lol. Must be what US would call elementary, or grade school. (usually ages 5-11 or so) That's the thing about the US, we have like 7 words for everything, and only some of them are shared by different regions of the country. :D

    Speaking of...

    This may be regional too but in the States, is it 'Grade 1' 'Grade 2' or is it 'First Grade' 'Second Grade'?

    My cousin from California kept correcting me when I told her I was in Grade 10...she kept saying 'Tenth grade'.

    1st grade
    2nd grade
    3rd grade
    4th grade
    5th grade
    6th grade
    7th grade
    8th grade
    Freshman
    Sophomore
    Junior
    Senior

    Every now and then you'll hear someone say "when I was in tenth grade" but mostly they'll just say "when I was a sophomore."

    Freshman through Senior gets repeated in college so you'll also hear "he's a Junior in college" or "she's a senior in high school."
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Haha those 80s picture jumpers, my mum made me lots of them! We called those dresses with bib and straps 'tunics' when I was at infant school.

    omg, you Brits make babies go to school? O.o
    lol. Must be what US would call elementary, or grade school. (usually ages 5-11 or so) That's the thing about the US, we have like 7 words for everything, and only some of them are shared by different regions of the country. :D

    Speaking of...

    This may be regional too but in the States, is it 'Grade 1' 'Grade 2' or is it 'First Grade' 'Second Grade'?

    My cousin from California kept correcting me when I told her I was in Grade 10...she kept saying 'Tenth grade'.

    1st grade
    2nd grade
    3rd grade
    4th grade
    5th grade
    6th grade
    7th grade
    8th grade
    Freshman
    Sophomore
    Junior
    Senior

    Every now and then you'll hear someone say "when I was in tenth grade" but mostly they'll just say "when I was a sophomore."

    Freshman through Senior gets repeated in college so you'll also hear "he's a Junior in college" or "she's a senior in high school."


    At my high school, we used:

    Junior
    Lower
    Upper
    Senior


    I have no idea why.
  • Eleniala
    Eleniala Posts: 87 Member
    edited December 2016
    N/M

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    TonyB0588 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »
    To be fair many of our colleges serve as feeder institutions to the university.

    So they go to college, then when they want to study for a specific career then the move on to somewhere like Yale?

    Everything i know about the US is learnt from American movies lol which as we all know are true to life :tongue:

    Speaking of American movies/shows.. I don't watch any Aussie tv shows and very rarely watch movies made here, cos they're usually low budget crap. Not all, but most...

    All my faves are American. I can't to British shows either, as for someone reason they are depressingto me.. So you guys over the pond :wink:

    From what I understand in Victoria and Tasmania, there's ...

    Kindergarten/Preschool at the age of 5.
    Primary School (Grade 1-7, typically ages 6-12)
    High School (Grade 8-10 or 11, typically ages 13-15 or 16)

    Then either college which is the equivalent of Canada's Grades 11 and 12, or maybe just 12.

    Then a person can go on to vocational college (such as TAFE) or to University.

    Even once we get up to the Master's level it is different from the way Canada did it when I was there. In Canada it was Bachelor's ... Master's. Nothing in between. Here, I can do it that way, or take it in stages (which I've done) to get my Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, and then Master's.


    In Canada, it's ...

    Kindergarten/Preschool at the age of 5.
    Elementary School (Grade 1-6, typically ages 6-11)
    Middle School (Grade 7 - 9, typically ages 12 - 14)
    High School (Grade 10 - 12, typically ages 15-18)

    Then you go on to college. There are vocational colleges or pre-university colleges. I've been to both. If you go the pre-university route, you attend the college for a year or two, then transfer to the university to finish your 4-5 year degree.

    I was always confused by the difference between college and university. Then I hear people talk about giving up a low end job and going back to school, and they seem to mean college or university.

    Yes ... college is usually a place where you'll take an 18-month Business Administration course or a 6-month Welding course or something like that. You get practical skills which can get you into a decent job.

    University is a place where you'll get a degree. You'll get theoretical knowledge which may or may not get you into a decent job depending on the area you've chosen.

    I'm in the US. From what I understand here, universities are somewhat large institutions with multiple colleges (college of engineering, college of nursing, college of natural sciences, etc). But there are smaller 4 year colleges, including many of the liberal arts schools.

    My U.S. understanding as well.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    As to the pre-school thing and ages an all that, around here (depending on the school system/institution you're in) it seems to go:
    Pre-school (2-3 years old)
    Pre-K (4 years old if applicable. I think pre-school goes to 4 years old if not)
    Kindergarten (5 years old)
    Elementary school (1st through 4th grades)
    Middle school (5th and 6th grades)
    Junior High (7th and 8th grade)
    High School (9-12th grade)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    19 in all provinces except for Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba. The age is 18 there.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    19 in all provinces except for Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba. The age is 18 there.

    I think Canada is more in line with Aus, than the US. Do you use the metric system over there?

    Before my parents left Germany, they were tossing up between Canada and Australia, but the cold winters there put them off. They arrived here in the middle of one of our hottest summers on record, and regretted their decision to come here an hour after landing lol
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited December 2016
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    In denmark you can buy beer, mixed drinks, and cigarettes at 15, you can buy hard liquor at 18. It's also perfectly acceptable to drink in public.

    The amount of VERY young (13-14 year olds) kids i see drunk and smoking around the city was and still is shocking to me. I had to wait until i was 21, and even then you cant drink or be drunk in public in the USA.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    In denmark you can buy beer, mixed drinks, and cigarettes at 15, you can buy hard liquor at 15. It's also perfectly acceptable to drink in public.

    The amount of VERY young (13-14 year olds) kids i see drunk and smoking around the city was and still is shocking to me. I had to wait until i was 21, and even then you cant drink or be drunk in public in the USA.

    Yowsas! I remember going to the shop and buying a pack of smokes when i was a kid, probably 11 or 12 and lying to the shop keeper that they "were for my dad". They handed them over no probs, back then. They won't sell cigarettes to anyone under 18 now, it used to be 16 not that long ago.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,443 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    In denmark you can buy beer, mixed drinks, and cigarettes at 15, you can buy hard liquor at 15. It's also perfectly acceptable to drink in public.

    The amount of VERY young (13-14 year olds) kids i see drunk and smoking around the city was and still is shocking to me. I had to wait until i was 21, and even then you cant drink or be drunk in public in the USA.

    Yowsas! I remember going to the shop and buying a pack of smokes when i was a kid, probably 11 or 12 and lying to the shop keeper that they "were for my dad". They handed them over no probs, back then. They won't sell cigarettes to anyone under 18 now, it used to be 16 not that long ago.

    When I was little, my babysitter would send me across the street to the convenience store to buy her cigarettes, and they would sell them to me. I was probably about 11, too. Ah, the 80's!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited December 2016
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    In denmark you can buy beer, mixed drinks, and cigarettes at 15, you can buy hard liquor at 15. It's also perfectly acceptable to drink in public.

    The amount of VERY young (13-14 year olds) kids i see drunk and smoking around the city was and still is shocking to me. I had to wait until i was 21, and even then you cant drink or be drunk in public in the USA.

    Yowsas! I remember going to the shop and buying a pack of smokes when i was a kid, probably 11 or 12 and lying to the shop keeper that they "were for my dad". They handed them over no probs, back then. They won't sell cigarettes to anyone under 18 now, it used to be 16 not that long ago.

    When I was little, my babysitter would send me across the street to the convenience store to buy her cigarettes, and they would sell them to me. I was probably about 11, too. Ah, the 80's!

    aaah the 80's. good and irresponsible times had by all :lol:
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Kindy- (4years old)
    Primary school-Grade 1-7 (5-12 years old)
    High School - Year 8-12 (13-17/18 years old)

    I dont think anyone has brought up the legal drinking age. It's 18 here, and in Britain too i think. If you're old enough to vote, then you are old enough to drink.

    19 in all provinces except for Alberta, Quebec, and Manitoba. The age is 18 there.

    I think Canada is more in line with Aus, than the US. Do you use the metric system over there?

    Before my parents left Germany, they were tossing up between Canada and Australia, but the cold winters there put them off. They arrived here in the middle of one of our hottest summers on record, and regretted their decision to come here an hour after landing lol

    We use both. Like our distances are generally in KM and for trade purposes, we use KG as our weight. But you will see things such as 'I weight 143lbs' or '$5/lb' for goods.

    We are part of the Commonwealth and we were a former British colony but we also have a close relationship with America so we use both.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    UK drinking ages:

    At 18 you can buy your own alcohol and drink it in a pub/bar.
    At 16 you can drink beer, wine or cider that an over 18 has bought for you in a restaurant, as long as you're having a meal there.
    At 5 you can drink alcohol at home (legally!)

    Cider in the UK always contains alcohol, I think US call it hard cider?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    UK drinking ages:

    At 18 you can buy your own alcohol and drink it in a pub/bar.
    At 16 you can drink beer, wine or cider that an over 18 has bought for you in a restaurant, as long as you're having a meal there.
    At 5 you can drink alcohol at home (legally!)

    Cider in the UK always contains alcohol, I think US call it hard cider?

    I used to love when my parents had visitors when i was around that age, because they always brought out the egg advocaat... I went around and finished the dregs in all of their glasses when they wernt looking! I remember clearly the first time they had Jägermeister, I wondered why they were drinking cough medicine :confounded:

  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:

    They aren't :open_mouth::wink: :laugh:

    It's like saying Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are all England. *duck and run*
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:

    They aren't :open_mouth::wink: :laugh:

    It's like saying Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are all England. *duck and run*

    Haha that's a very common one!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I used to think America and Canada were the same country (Canada was in the US), Blasphemous I know :open_mouth:
    It's the same as people assuming New Zealand is part of Australia :anguished:

    They aren't :open_mouth::wink: :laugh:

    It's like saying Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are all England. *duck and run*

    I've mentioned this before, but I have a naturalization certificate for an ancestor who immigrated for Wales (during the 1840s), and he is identified as being born in Wales, England.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Oh one more thing I'm curious about.. Most of us call Americans "yanks", is that offensive to you guys?
    British people are Poms.

    And while I'm here lol it's pronounced oZZy, not Orrrssie/Arssie :smiley: