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

Stefan Molyneux; Charlie Kirk
@StefanMolyneux/X; Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Far-Right Podcaster Gets Epic Fact-Check After Claiming Charlie Kirk Never Called Anyone A 'Fascist'

Stefan Molyneux, an Irish-born Canadian White nationalist podcaster who promotes conspiracy theories, White supremacy, scientific racism, and the men's rights movement, jumped to MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's and his fellow hatemonger Charlie Kirk's defense on X.

Writer Peter Rothpletz (Peter Twinklage) shared Trump's widely criticized Truth Social post about Rob Reiner after the actor, writer, director, philanthropist, and activist and his wife were murdered.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tucker Carlson; Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson Dragged After His Conspiracy Theory Prediction About Trump's Speech Is Way Off

Former Fox News personality turned far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson was widely mocked after he made a bold prediction about what President Donald Trump would announce during his primetime address to the nation on Wednesday—namely that the U.S. would go to war with Venezuela.

But it turns out Carlson was very, very wrong. The speech was nowhere near that consequential and Trump spent the majority of it complaining about former President Joe Biden.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; JD Vance
Andres Kudacki/Getty Images; Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images

AOC Has Iconic Reaction After She's Asked If She Could Beat JD Vance In 2028 Presidential Election

New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had quite the response to recent polling that suggested she could beat Vice President JD Vance in a hypothetical 2028 presidential election.

A new poll from The Argument/Verasight shows Ocasio-Cortez narrowly edging out Vance in a hypothetical 2028 presidential matchup, with 51 percent of respondents backing her and 49 percent supporting him.

Keep ReadingShow less
marathon runner on starting block
Braden Collum on Unsplash

People Break Down The Greatest Comeback Stories They've Ever Heard

At the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, runner Billy Mills won the 10k meter race—the first and still only runner from the United States to win Olympic gold in the 10k.

Mills is a member of the Oglala Lakȟóta tribe of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux Nation) from Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Mills' Mother Grace died when he was 8 years old and his Father Sidney died when he was 12.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Work In Someone Else's Home Share The Most Revealing Things They've Noticed

Going into strangers' homes isn't the most fun thing to do.

I always get nervous.

Keep ReadingShow less