Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Most Obvious Signs That Someone's An American

Tourists
man and woman standing beside concrete seawall looking at beach

Whenever we visit a foreign country, we always want to try and blend in with the locals.

But be it our clothes, our accents, or just our scared, vacant expressions, sometimes, blending in is simply impossible.

Particularly for Americans.

Indeed, American tourists have several unfortunate stereotypes associated with them, which people all over the world can spot instantly.

No matter how hard Americans may, or may not, try to hide it.


Redditor Ermland2 was curious to hear what people considered the telltale signs someone was American, leading them to ask:
"What’s an obvious sign someone’s American?"

It's All In The Greeting.

"In Salzburg I went to grab something from the drug store."

"As I was checking out I said hello to the cashier (thinking there was very little difference between how I said it and how Austrians say it)."

"She immediately started speaking to me in English and I asked her how she knew I spoke English."

"She deadpan stared me in the eye and goes 'hellloooo'."

"I just about died laughing since I'm a very stereotypical friendly American that says hello exactly like that."

"One of my favorite memories from that trip."- Ted_Dance_Son

"‘Hey, how are ya?'."- vorifo2709·

"Che Strano"!

"An Italian told me that Americans walk confidently in the wrong direction."- MagazineOk6401

kevin hart running GIF by ADWEEKGiphy

Can't Deny This One...

"They want ice in their water."- gianna_in_hell_as·

Just A Turn Of Phrase

"'How's your day going?;" or 'how are you doing?' in completely random circumstances."- KanyeWest_Official

"Incredibly loud but incredibly friendly."- Caozpox

Captain America Lol GIF by mtvGiphy

Sometimes They Do Actually Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is

"I worked as a cashier in a touristic place in Paris."

" I always recognized Americans because they were kinda friendly to me and they always left tips."- Aterakel

Asking Questions They Don't Want The Answer To

"Retail worker here, not living in the US."

"I can generally spot an American because they greet me with 'hey how are you?"

"And since I usually have the standard 'tired from life' retail worker expression at first I thought they were mocking me so I didn't know how to react."

"Took me a while to realize they weren't really expecting an answer lmao"

"Mind you, might just be my personal experience but it's happened too many times for it to be a coincidence."- 8Eriade8

"When I lived in Spain, the barista at Starbucks immediately knew I was American because how polite I was."

"I asked him how he knew I was American and he told me, 'In Spain, we don’t usually respond with ‘Good, and you.’ Americans are so polite whereas Spaniards will just say ‘Give me my coffee'."

"So, I stopped responding nicely and baristas wouldn’t speak to me in English anymore."

"Culture clash!"

"I just want to clarify and say that my story only really applies to a niche people in Spain."

"This does not represent the whole country."

"Just a few rude bad apples."

"For the most part, people in the country are nice and people in the city too."

"The barista was simply remarking on Americans and our penchant to be overly polite."

"Customer service have to deal with a lot of rude and unkind people, same in America."- Agitated-Coyote768

Adventure Time Coffee GIF by hoppipGiphy

What Are You Smiling At?...

"The gentle grins you give to strangers if you make eye contact with them as you pass by, at least in the Midwest."

"Was not well received in Germany."- Vkazioa

...And What Are You Looking At?

"Eye contact."

"Maybe a smile and a 'how’s it goin?'"- A_Man_Who_Writes

Keep Your Distance

"How much personal space they give themselves."

"Americans like at LEAST an arm's length."- Zonerdrone

Get Away No GIF by Kathryn DeanGiphy

"When You're Not Strong, I'll Be Your Friend..."

"According to the cia- when training to be a spy- you have to unlearn how to lean."

"Americans tend to lean on things when standing still."- chonesmcskidds

It's All About The Volume

"To quote a Latvian woman I met at a hostel: you hear them coming like the thunder."

"More often than not, if they’re talking and laughing louder than everyone else, they’re American."- MCRN_Lopez

The Truth Behind The Grin

"One American I've met was a bit stereotypical in some regards."

"He was on a biking tour from Sweden to Palestine, had an unusual beard, huge white teeth, was extremely friendly and a bit loud, and he literally carried a bucket of peanut butter with him because he said that was the most efficient way to carry energy for his travel."

"I was an intern at a software company that just got bought by a huge American company (Warner I think) and one time some executives were visiting, walked through our office complimenting all the developers loudly and then disappeared again."

"My general impression of Americans I've met in person is that it's difficult to see what you guys really think and feel, because you seem to hide it behind a layer of aggressive cheerfulness."

"So when I see someone radiating that, I expect them to be from the US."- Netcob

Snl Smile GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy

Of course, not everyone is ashamed of being an American, and will make no trouble hiding it.

Then again, even if they did, they most likely wouldn't have been able to fool anybody...

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less