Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively， you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.

說英語(yǔ)不僅僅要語(yǔ)法正確。想要有效地使用英語(yǔ)，你需要了解語(yǔ)言使用國(guó)的文化。如果你在美國(guó)說英語(yǔ)，那么下面這些注意事項(xiàng)是你應(yīng)該記住的。

General Points to Remember

需要記住的事項(xiàng)

Most Americans only speak English： While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish， most Americans only speak English.

Americans have difficulty understanding foreign accents： Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you！

大部分美國(guó)人只說英語(yǔ)：盡管現(xiàn)在越來越多的美國(guó)人能說西班牙語(yǔ)是事實(shí)，但是大部分的美國(guó)人只說英語(yǔ)。

美國(guó)人在理解外國(guó)口音上有困難：很多美國(guó)人不習(xí)慣外國(guó)口音。這就需要你們交談雙方都有耐心才行。

Conversation Tips

交談溝通秘籍

Speak about location： Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger， ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example， “Oh， I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says its a beautiful place to live.” Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.

Talk about work： Americans commonly ask “What do you do？”. Its not considered impolite in some countries but is a popular topic of discussion between strangers in America.

Talk about sports： Americans love sports！ However， they love American sports. When speaking about football， most Americans understand “American Football”， not soccer.

談?wù)摰攸c(diǎn)：美國(guó)人喜歡談?wù)摰攸c(diǎn)。和陌生人說話的時(shí)候，可以問問他們從哪里來，然后找到自己跟那個(gè)地方的聯(lián)系。比如：“啊，我有個(gè)朋友在洛杉磯學(xué)習(xí)，他說那地方很漂亮?！边@時(shí)大部分美國(guó)人就會(huì)很樂意談起他們居住或者到過那個(gè)特殊的城市或地區(qū)的經(jīng)歷。

談?wù)摴ぷ鳎好绹?guó)人通常會(huì)問，“你是做什么工作的？”在某些國(guó)家這樣的問法會(huì)被認(rèn)為是不禮貌的，但在美國(guó)不是，這只是陌生人之間聊天的一個(gè)流行話題。

談?wù)撨\(yùn)動(dòng)：美國(guó)人超愛運(yùn)動(dòng)！然而，他們喜歡美國(guó)的運(yùn)動(dòng)。如果說到足球，大部分美國(guó)人會(huì)理解成“美式足球（橄欖球）”而不是足球。

Addressing People

對(duì)人的稱呼

Use last names with people you do not know： Address people using their title （Mr， Ms， Dr， etc.） and their last names.

Always use “Ms” when addressing women： It is important to use “Ms” when addressing a woman. Only use “Mrs” when the woman has asked you to do so.

Many Americans prefer first names： Americans often prefer using first names， even when dealing with people in very different positions. Americans will generally say “Call me Tom” and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.

Americans prefer informal： In general， Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances.

對(duì)不認(rèn)識(shí)的人要稱呼他們的姓：用他們的頭銜（先生、女士、博士等）加上他們的姓來稱呼人。

稱呼女性的時(shí)候通常用“女士”：稱呼女性的時(shí)候用“女士”是很重要的。如果對(duì)方要求你稱呼“夫人”，那再照辦好了。

很多美國(guó)人喜歡被叫名字：美國(guó)人通常喜歡用他們的名字，甚至是和身份非常不同的人打交道時(shí)。美國(guó)人通常會(huì)說“叫我湯姆”，然后真的希望你用他們的名字來稱呼他們。

美國(guó)人不拘小節(jié)：通常情況下，美國(guó)人喜歡非正式的問候，提到他們的同事和熟人的時(shí)候，他們喜歡使用名字或昵稱。