Why is British English So Hard to Understand?

If you have spend anytime talking to British people, you have probably asked yourself the question “why is British English so hard to understand?”

I totally understand your pain. Us Brits do some weird things that make understanding us, and our British English, quite a challenge for language learners.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. I’ll show you the reasons you are struggling to understand British English and some things you can do to make it easier to communicate with British people!

Most people think that there is only one “British accent” and that all British people sound like Hugh Grant and Benedict Cumberbatch. We all have a posh accent and we speak very clearly and politely. I hate to break it to you but this is 100% not the case.

Even though the UK is a small place, there are so many different accents that you will hear and most of them are nothing like what you learned in your textbooks. Linguistists reckon there is about 40, but actually there are way, way more than that!

They are all different and they all pronounce things in different ways, so there is no wonder that you are struggling to get to grips with them!

This means that you will really struggle to understand anyone who doesn’t speak in the RP accent (which is the accent you probably thought of when I said Hugh Grant)

For example, there are a number of big differences between northern and southern accents in the UK. For example, southern accents tend to use a long A sound in words like “bath” and “path” where as the north tends to use the short A sound.

The way you get over this issue is through exposure. You need to spend time listening to different accents as much as possible. Luckily, through the internet, it is easier than ever to do this.

Find something you can listen to that contains the British English accent you are struggling to understand and listen to it… a lot. You can try TV shows, movies, radio, YouTube videos, and my personal favourite, podcasts.

If you are not sure where to get started, here is a list of British English podcasts that I recommend:
British English Podcasts You NEED To Listen To!

The more you listen, the easier it will get. That’s why you should get started today!

British people love using slang and idioms when they speak. It is a playful way that we can use the language to express ourselves more freely.

That’s great for us, but for you it is a nightmare. You are probably wondering “Why do you use all these difficult words when there are lots of easier words you could use?”

It’s because we can. Having the freedom to express yourself in the way you want to is all part of the fun of language. It would be proper boring if there was only one way to express everything.

That’s why you are likely to hear expressions like “chuffed” (pleased) “knackered” (tired) and “keep your chin up” (stay optimistic) in daily life.

In order to start understanding us Brits, you have got to start learning these kinds of expressions. Even if you decide not to use them, understanding them when you hear them will make a huge difference to your understanding of British English.

You can pick up these kinds of expressions through conversations with natives, British media, and even online slang dictionaries. I also recommend my free British Slang guide, that you can download now, on the link below:
Get the BritSpeak A-to-Z of British Slang Here

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but adding a few of these quirky expressions to your language database will help you understand British English so that you can communicate with British people more easily!

It’s no secret that us Brits run our mouths at lightning speed when we are trying to communicate. Maybe you have seen the famous clip of British singer Adele speaking so fast that even I struggle to keep up. If not, check this out:

When you hear things like this, it can feel impossible to keep up with what is actually going on in conversations. Catching every single word will make your head spin. Heck, even catching a few words might make you feel like you just read a whole book in 2 minutes.

One thing you need to understand, and you are not going to like this, but it is not the native speakers responsibility to slow down. It is your responsibility to keep up.

Now, I am not saying that if you ask us to slow down, we will say no! We are usually pretty reasonable people and will try our best to make it easier for you. However, if you want to understand British English, you need to put the effort in and build up your listening skills.

Just like everything else, it comes down to exposure. The only way you are going to get up to speed is through lots of listening and building your confidence over time.

I recommend starting slowly, like you can change the speed of videos on YouTube and Podcasts on spotify. Try them at 50% speed to start off with and then when you are comfortable with that, speed things up a bit. Repeat this until you are confidence at 100% speed.

You could also try content that has a transcript. Lost of podcasts (including the BritSpeakPod) will have a document you can download that is like a script for everything you hear. Try listening and reading at the same time for a while to see if this helps you understand more!

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One complaint I always hear from language learners is that British people never actually say what they mean. That’s true. In general we use very indirect language when we communicate.

This can end up leaving you confused, and causing misunderstandings, especially if you are more used to direct communication in your own culture.

British people really value politeness and avoiding confrontation. This means that direct and blunt language is considered quite rude. This is why we use really indirect expressions to soften anything we say that might be troubling for the other person, you know, stuff like requests and criticisms.

For example, “you made a mistake” will probably be replaced with “Something looks a bit off here” and if you don’t read between the lines, you might not realise we are trying to tell you to fix something.

British speakers also tend to use “hedging” phrases like “I was wondering if…” or “Perhaps we could…” when making requests. We don’t want to be too forceful when suggesting things, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t want to do the thing we suggest!

In order to combat this, you will need to learn to read between the lines. The words we say are not the full picture. It’s often more about the way we say it. Pay close attention to things like intonation, word stress, body language, and facial expressions to find out what is really being said.

The other thing you need to do is ask for clarification if you are not sure. It is perfectly OK to ask Brits to explain a little more, or asking follow up questions to make sure you are on the same page. The more you do this, the more you will be able to understand how we use British English to communicate with each other.

Out of all the things on this list, this will be the most challenging thing to get used to. This is because it is just as much about culture as it is about language. Just try to remember, that we are trying to avoid causing offence and over time, you will get used to it.

When it comes to actually producing the sounds, Brits can be a bit of a lazy bunch. It is proper common to find us shortening words by missing out letters or sounds.

You know, things like “I’m” rather than I am, or “Can’t” instead of cannot. And, of course, “innit” instead of isn’t it.

We also push different words together to make one sound. This is called reduced speech and it is really common in British English. The results of this are sentences like…

“A-Hafta-Gowta-Lundun-Tuhmoruh” which is how we would say “I have to go to London tomorrow. It goes from 7 words to 5 sounds. This can be proper confusing if you don’t know what is actually going on!

We also don’t pronounce vowel sounds in a lot of words. We end up using a weak vowel sound, which is also known as a schwa. This means that if you are not prepared for it, the word you hear might not match with the word in your head and end up leaving you confused.

We say “tuh-Mo-ruh” rather than “to-MO-rrow” and “buh-NAA-nuh” rather than “ba-Na-na” which can also be a bit baffling if you are not ready for it.

All of these (and more) will make it hard to catch what British people are saying. If you want to improve your understanding of this, start exposing yourself to natural British English and paying attention to any sounds that you are not used to.

Just like above, TV shows, movies, YouTube, and Podcasts will be your best bet. Active listening practice will help you get to grips with this aspect of British English.

Just like everything else, it will take time and patience to get it right, but you need to do the legwork if you want to get to the goal.

Ready to conquer the complexities of British English and communicate confidently in the UK? My private lessons are tailored to your unique needs and designed to accelerate your progress. Here’s how I can help you

1. Personalized Coaching: Benefit from one-on-one instruction with me. As an experienced coach I specialise in British English. You’ll receive individualised attention and feedback to boost your speaking and comprehension skills.

2. Flexible Scheduling: I understand your busy lifestyle. My private lessons offer flexible scheduling options to fit your timetable. You don’t even have to take lessons at the same time each week!

3. Confidence in Communication: Gain the confidence to engage in conversations with native speakers and navigate real-life situations in the UK seamlessly.

Don’t let the challenges of British English hold you back. Take the first step toward fluency by enrolling in my private lessons now.