What English Learners Should Know About American Culture

To speak a foreign language like a native speaker, you need not only to learn grammar rules and vocabulary but also to understand the culture. The cultural and lifestyle aspects are especially important for those who plan to go study abroad or live and work there. In this article, I cover all the things international students should know about American life and culture. And for those of you who are still sorting out their grammar and vocabulary knowledge, I’ve included a discount for an intensive English course with Venya Pak in this text.

Personal Borders

Americans are very friendly and open people. They are happy to make new friends, chat to strangers in the elevator or in line, and always happy to help you find your way around if you ask for help. However, they also have a very strong concept of personal space and personal borders.

First of all, it refers to physical space — if there is enough space, you should not stay too close to other people, including when you are in a queue or public transport. Polite distance between strangers in the USA is about 1.5–2 meters, however, it totally depends on the situation.

Furthermore, Americans highly value their privacy and the common phrase “I need some space” refers also to emotional space. They do not like personal questions from their buddies and colleagues, trusting only family members and their best friends with information about their wellbeing, problems, or challenges. Questions about age and appearance, personal finance or intimate life are off limits. In formal situations, such as a job interview or a university application, the range of topics considered private may be even wider. It includes religious beliefs and political views, parenting and marital status, etc.

Tolerance

As private life is kept private, people in the USA are more focused on their personal matters and spend less energy on judging others and criticizing their life choices. An American will never waste their time and efforts on telling you how to live, where to work, or what to wear.

In many other cultures across the world, it’s common for older people to teach youth how to live and judge them within a certain stereotypical model of a perfect life. For example, in post-Soviet countries, most parents expect their children to finish school, go to university, get a degree and take up a job related to that degree. They would consider it strange or even worrying if their child decided to skip the higher education stage and open a business instead, or go into a totally different career path from the one in which they got a degree. In the USA, people are way more open-minded and have more freedom to act as they like, as long as it does not break the law or cause any trouble.

It means that they welcome the diversity of lifestyles, including tolerance towards different nationalities, beliefs, sexual orientations, etc. Since moving to the USA, I learned that tolerance is not just being okay with people looking or behaving differently. It’s about accepting and respecting somebody else’s choices. When I understood and accepted that, I actually stopped discussing people behind their backs. I learned not to care too much about the choices of others and to focus on myself instead.

Of course, there are still some cases of racism and other kinds of discrimination, and the recent movement Black Lives Matter is yet further proof of numerous unresolved issues. However, the nation takes pride in their tolerance and acceptance of all people. They work hard to resolve any issues and find the best way to make every part of society happy.

Small Talk And Speaking To Strangers

Being focused on their personal lives does not stop Americans from being chatty and friendly towards strangers. That’s why the concept of small talk is so popular in the USA. If you’ve read my article on small talk last week, you know that personal life, sex, appearance, and financial troubles are among the taboo topics which are never discussed with strangers, colleagues, or buddies. Instead, people usually speak about recent news (no politics, economics or religion, though), arts and culture, hobbies and interests, or travel plans.

Small talk is supposed to be harmless so Americans will never say anything negative or offensive to you. Even your good friends may not comment on your unhealthy look or financial trouble unless you share your problems with them and invite them to comment and give you advice. Remember, even when classmates or colleagues ask you “How are you?”, it’s usually just a polite way to greet another person and start a conversation rather than an invitation to share your news and worries (unless you really want to do so).

On the other hand, people in the USA often compliment others around them. Even walking on a street, you can hear how nice your jacket is or how lovely your haircut is from a stranger. If you want to behave like a native speaker, do the same and try to say positive, not negative things to others.

The culture of small talk helped me to become more social and get to know my neighbors. I’m now more open to meeting new people and feel easy about speaking to strangers.

Time is Money

I’m sure you have heard the phrase “Time is money” and it’s a very important concept to understand if you are dealing with Americans. In this country, people try to be as productive as possible and do not like being late or having to wait for others.

When you are coming for a meeting with an American, be sure to arrive on time. Being late by more than 15 minutes will be considered offensive. If you know that you may be running late, call to notify the other person so they can put their time to better use. Also, try to leave earlier for important meetings. It’s better to arrive a bit earlier than to be late for a job interview or meeting with your business partners.

Love for doing things quickly leads to the huge popularity of the “on-the-go” concept. Americans often have their coffee, breakfast or lunch on the go, grabbing it in the nearest coffee shop. Having a proper sit-down meal on a typical working day is not common.

I noticed that living fast makes you decide more quickly. When I was starting my first business back in Russia, I considered it a life-long decision and treated it as something I would stick with for the rest of my life. Now I see that it’s possible to have two, three or even more businesses. When I get an idea, I try it fast and see if there is a market for it and whether I want to invest my time, money and efforts into this enterprise further. If the feedback is positive, I go on with it. If not, I move on and have no regrets. Read how to test your business idea in a couple of days in my previous article.

If you also never have enough hours in a day and cannot figure out the way to fit English classes into your busy schedule, check out our bite-sized online English course “Master English Grammar Like a Native” with Venya Pak. It’s an easy-to-follow course that will help you sort out the articles and conditional clauses. Right now, you can save $10 on your booking if you use promo code AMERICANCULTURE10 at the checkout. Don’t miss a chance to finally sort out English grammar!

Competition

Competition is one of the key elements of American culture. Children are encouraged to work hard to become the best in class in school, sports, and other hobbies. Top universities also offer a competitive environment: first, the best students from all over the world compete to get accepted, and they try to become the best of the best at exams.

Later, that competitiveness thrives in the offices. Many companies encourage their employees to compete in getting monthly and quarterly goals met and exceeded. Furthermore, there are some prizes, like an employee of the month, to encourage people to work harder and stay at work longer. According to many studies, workers in the USA put in more hours than any other country, except for South Korea. Often, success can be measured by how many hours you devote to your work, school or project. Millennials have started to change this attitude in recent years, asking for a better work-life balance. But the work-your-heart-out ethic is still predominant in many American companies.

This can be both a good and a bad thing. Healthy competition motivates you to work harder and achieve more. For example, after moving to the USA I realized that there are no limits to how much I can earn, it depends simply on the number of hours I put into work. Travelling around Silicon Valley, I met a lot of people who earn 10x and even 100x times more than I do, and we are not that different. They may be more hard-working, or luckier, but eventually, we are all just humans and it’s possible for everyone to make their dreams come true.

At the same time, competing all the time can be stressful, causing anxiety, overworking and burnout. Check out my recent text on dealing with burnout if you think you may be overworking yourself.

Independence

Everybody knows how much Americans love freedom and independence, it’s not a coincidence that one of the biggest national holidays here is Independence Day. They start developing independence in children very early, encouraging them to take part-time jobs, help around the house, and go off to summer camps. Furthermore, after high school, students often travel cities and states for university or college. Young people celebrate their independence and aim to start living on their own as early as possible.

Another manifestation of American independence is the way they speak up at meetings and work discussions. People here are not afraid to present their ideas to their bosses. It’s normal to ask questions and discuss tasks before taking them on, to be sure that everybody understands the purpose of the project and their role within the team. If you are going to work in an American company, remember that and know that your opinion actually matters.

Summary

American culture is based on the principles of independence and tolerance. People here respect each other and focus on their own lives and goals. It’s not common to share your personal life with strangers, only your best friends will directly speak to you about some troubles or challenges. If you are working or studying in the USA, you will discover how competitive American culture is. It encourages overworking and long hours, making people eat on the go, appreciate their time more, and be more determined and focused all the time. For those who share this on-the-go lifestyle, I offer a $10 off the online course “Master English Grammar Like a Native” with promo code AMERICANCULTURE10. Understanding American culture will help you better understand American English, the way people speak and the expressions they use. The context always matters!