There are many words here that don’t always mean what we think they mean! Kenyan English is heavily influenced by the British…so sometimes we have to be careful how we say things, or we may not be understood!! English does not always seem to mean the same thing… Here are some of the differences:
What they say : What that means to us
Petrol : Gas
Gas : bottled gas for cooking
Paraffin : kerosene
To ring : to phone or call
To call : to visit
To queue : to make a line
Nappy : diaper
Torch : flashlight
Trolley : grocery cart
Flat : apartment
To let : for rent
Pudding : any kind of dessert
Chips : French fries
Crisps : potato chips
Serviette : napkin
Napkin : diaper
Football : soccer
Bonnet : hood of a car
Boot : trunk of a car
Spanner : wrench
Trousers : pants
Pants : underpants
Roundabout : traffic circle
Primary school : elementary school
Secondary school : high school
Chemist : pharmacy
And these next ones aren’t necessarily “British English“(or maybe they are??), but they are
said differently than what we’re used to :
Biscuit : cookie
Scone : biscuit
Mince : hamburger
Squash : fruit drink
Capsicum : green pepper
Courgettes : zucchini
So there’s a little English lesson…hope you learned something!! :)
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5 comments:
So if I ask for a napkin to wipe the pudding off of my pants, I might get some really funny looks?? :)
hahahaha you should do that!! :)
And then when they look at me funny, I'll tell them I'm with you! That should make you more friends, don't you think??
I like that Leona. Or if you're travelling... "I need to get a nappy from the boot for my baby" Doesn't quite sound like the English I know. :)
Ah, it was exactly the same in Australia! All the same words and confusions! We were so confused at first when we were there, and even when I came home, I confused some people, especially my mom when I called things by those words (you call something by a different word for a year, you get used to calling it that! Or at least I did). Capsicum confused my mom quite a bit, and boot and bonnet, those were my favourite mixups! How fun!
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