American Phrases Explained

I think we can all agree that Americans do and say some pretty strange things. Here is a list of some of the common words and phrases that Americans say and what they actually mean to say.

“Hi, How are you?”       

 A lot of Americans use this greeting when they run into old friends or meet  someone new. However, when Americans ask ‘how are you’ they aren’t normally expecting you to answer honestly. If you’re causal acquaintances with the person asking, the usual reply is, “I’m good. How are you?” That being said, if you’re  close to the person asking and you’d like to answer honestly, you can.

 

“What’s up?”

 “What’s up” is another common greeting that can mean different things depending who is asking. For example, if your classmate walks in and says ‘what’s up’ they really mean hello. In that situation, the usual responses are either “What’s up” back or “Not much. How about you?

However, if someone texts you ‘What’s up’ they can either mean to say ‘hello’ or ask you ‘what are you doing?’ If you are available and want to meet up with the person texting you, it is a good idea to let them know that you are available. For example, you can reply, “Not much. Thinking about doing something later though. How about you?” If you don’t want to hang out with them you can reply that you’re busy.

 

“What do you do?”

Asking someone ‘What they do for a living’ is considered rude and intrusive in many cultures. However, in the United States it’s a very common question used to get to know new people and is considered small talk. The question means, “What do you do for work?” It is acceptable to answer that you are a student or scholar studying/working at Iowa State University.

 

“I don’t care”

Many Americans use “I don’t care” as their go-to non-confrontational answer to everything. “Where do you want to eat?” “I don’t care.” “Do you want to meet tonight or tomorrow night?” “Honestly, I don’t care.” “What movie do you want to go see?” “I don’t really care.”

 Most of the time when Americans say ‘I don’t care’ they don’t mean it in a negative way. They actually mean to say that they don’t mind and are O.K. with either option. It can also mean that they will be happy with whatever choice you make.

 

“Really?”

Americans often use ‘Really’ to express surprise or interest rather than doubt at a statement. For example, if you tell someone, “I’m going to Chicago this weekend!” and they say, “really?” They aren’t questioning whether or not you’re actually going to Chicago; they’re expressing their interest and inviting you to tell them more.

 

“IDK, IDC and LOL”

IDK is a common acronym used in text messages and occasionally used in vocal conversations. Acronyms are words/names formed as an abbreviation from the initial components of a phrase or a word, usually individual letters. For example, NASA is an acronym for National Aeronautics and Space  Administration.                               

 IDK stands for ‘I don’t know’, IDC stands for ‘I don’t care’ and LOL stands for ‘laughing out loud.’

 

“Pop”

‘Pop’ is the common word used in the Midwest for carbonated soft drinks (Pepsi, Coke, Sprite). If you travel around the United States you may hear many different words for soda. For example, in the South, ‘coke’ or ‘cola’ is used to refer to all types of soft drinks. Many other places use the word ‘soda’ to represent soft drinks.

 

Do you have any words/ phrases you’d like to add? Comment them below!