【推荐3】British people often feel embarrassed about replying to offers with the word “no”. It feels impolite for them, especially when speaking to strangers. This can be very confusing (不解的) for people from other countries, especially if they are not fluent (流利的) English speakers.

One of the first things you learn when you start studying English is how to answer if somebody offers you something. “Yes, please” and “No, thank you” are probably the best-known phrases in the language. Yet British people often say, “I’m all right, thanks” when you offer them something. When they say this, they mean that they have already got everything that they need and don’t need anything else. This is a way to say no without being impolite. However, British people often say “all right” when they want to say yes to an offer. The same word can be used in different ways to say both yes and no, and sometimes differences in pronunciation are the only clues (线索) to understanding.

Mandy is an assistant in a shop selling gifts and tours to tourists. “It’s very difficult to understand what British customers want,” she says. “I ask them if they want to buy something and they tell me that they are all right. Often when I ask if they want to go on a tour, they say, ‘Maybe later’, but really they don’t want it and may never come back to the shop.”

“Even when they want to say yes, it’s confusing,” says Mandy. “They say, ‘Sure’ or ‘Why not?’ instead. Why can’t British people just say what they mean? It’s so confusing!”