🇬🇧 Learning English Again: My One Year in the UK

When I moved to the UK, I expected rain, tea, and polite small talk. What I didn’t expect was that I’d spend the first few months feeling like I was learning English for the second time. I already spoke English fluently — or so I thought — but British English turned out to be its own charming, confusing, and occasionally hilarious universe.

The Vocabulary Plot Twist

My first shock came when someone told me they lived in a flat. I nodded politely, wondering why they were describing the shape of their home. Then came the food:

chips weren’t chips, they are French fries,
crisps were chips,
biscuits were cookies,
and pudding could mean any dessert, not just the creamy stuff.

Even cars had their own anatomy. The boot was the trunk, the bonnet was the hood, and petrol was gas — except you never call it gas, because gas is… well, gas.

The Spelling Maze

British spelling felt like someone had sprinkled extra letters everywhere for decoration. Suddenly everything had a u: colour, favourite, neighbour, behaviour. Words ended in -re instead of -er: centre, theatre, metre. And don’t get me started on travelling with its double L.

I have always known the different versions of spelling, in my mind, as a non native speaker, I find switching between the two versions harmless – until a colleague in UK pointing out that I misspelt some words (when I use the US version.

I found myself double‑checking emails to make sure I wasn’t accidentally switching between two spelling systems like a malfunctioning robot.

The Diary Incident

One of my favourite misunderstandings happened at work. A colleague asked, “Can you put it in your diary?”

I froze. My diary? Why would I write a meeting in something meant for secrets, emotions, and teenage heartbreak?

Turns out, in the UK, a diary is simply a calendar or planner. So yes — in Britain, everyone casually writes meetings in their “diary,” and nobody thinks it’s weird.

The Word “Brilliant”

If there’s one word that defines British enthusiasm, it’s brilliant. Everything is brilliant. Your idea? Brilliant. Your lunch? Brilliant. The weather (even when it’s clearly not)? Somehow still brilliant.

After a few months, I caught myself saying it too — and that’s when I knew the transformation was complete.

Everyday Expressions That Tripped Me Up

I learned to queue instead of “stand in line,” to ask for the loo instead of the bathroom, and to order takeaway instead of takeout. People would ring me instead of calling, and everyone was constantly knackered, which sounded far more dramatic than just being tired.

And then there was cheers — a magical word that means thank you, goodbye, no worries, or sometimes all three at once.

Work and School Surprises

Professional life came with its own dictionary. People updated their CV, not their résumé. Students did revision, not studying. They got marks, not grades. And the biggest twist: a public school in the UK is actually a private school. Try explaining that to anyone outside Britain.

The Two-Dialect Life

By the end of the year, I had become bilingual — in English. I switched effortlessly between British and American vocabulary depending on who I was talking to. I could queue for a takeaway in my trainers while someone rang me on my mobile, and it all felt perfectly natural.

Living in the UK didn’t just teach me new words. It taught me that language is culture — and sometimes, the best way to understand a place is to get confused, laugh at yourself, and slowly learn why everything is suddenly “brilliant.”