Being Married to a Non-Brit « Singletrack Forum

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Being Married to a Non-Brit

91 posts & 56 voices | Started 6 months ago by joao3v16 | Latest reply from ratadog

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joao3v16 - Member

I've never spent more than a few weeks holiday in other parts of the world, so being married to a Brazilian for the past 18 months has been very eye-opening in terms of my British/English-ness.

HRH spends a lot of her time laughing at 'us' or with a look of disbelief on her face at some of the cultural differences.

Her favourite one is the English obsession with time, schedules, planning ... to her it seems like everything must be planned weeks in advance with a very specific start and end time and very specific details of who's invited ... cracks her up and drives her nuts at the same time.

What did other peoples better halves think of our English-isms?

Posted 6 months ago #
Junkyard - Member

I think they got annoyed at the way nobbers confused english and british and used them as interchangeable terms

Posted 6 months ago #
uplink - Member

My Mrs [Italian] still - after 27 years with me - needs reminding on a regular basis that I don't have 3 hours lunch break each day.

And she's a bit perplexed why we seem to be more bothered about the state of the Italian economy than they are.

Posted 6 months ago #
oddjob - Member

I've got mine drinking builders tea, but she still doesn't get custard.

Posted 6 months ago #
ebygomm - Member

Other half gets irate at UK people saying they're going to Europe as they're already there!

Posted 6 months ago #
ski - Member

My other half posts on here too, she has a hankering for stalking my posts, so might have to watch what I say on this one...

Love u Teresa, go on, say hi

Posted 6 months ago #
joao3v16 - Member

my wife does concede that if Brazil had got their act together and been more organised then their economy probably wouldn't be so far behind the "1st world"

our weddage was in Brazil - started almost 2 hours late ... that'd never happen here, we Brits can't cope without a meticulously adhered-to precise timetable events.

Posted 6 months ago #
wwaswas - Member

we Brits can't cope without a meticulously adhered-to precise timetable events.

I think we can, but only if it's a planned absence of such a timetable.

Spontaneous non-timetable adherence is what causes problems.

Posted 6 months ago #
vinnyeh - Member

Her favourite one is the English obsession with time, schedules, planning ... to her it seems like everything must be planned weeks in advance with a very specific start and end time and very specific details of who's invited ... cracks her up and drives her nuts at the same time.

this. My OH needs everything locked down well in advance, and flat refuses to just drop in on people if we're in the area. Thinks it's rude- she's not even keen on calling them up and saying we're close by.

Posted 6 months ago #
D0NK - Member

And she's a bit perplexed why we seem to be more bothered about the state of the Italian economy than they are.

Posted 6 months ago #
mudshark - Member

My Chinese wife doesn't get puddings but she knows Brits like them. So when my Mum came over she bought cake and custard thinking that's what she'd want.

She isn't very sentimental. Many Mums like collecting bits of their babies - hair the 1st time it's cut or whatever. She just bins everything and I had to rescue the 1st paintings my son came home from nursery with as wife thought them a bit rubbish and can't see why we'd keep them.

Posted 6 months ago #
LHS - Member

She laughs at people who get annoyed by people inter-changing the words english and british.

Posted 6 months ago #
jon1973 - Member

I think they got annoyed at the way nobbers confused english and british and used them as interchangeable terms

As if anyone else in the world cares.

Posted 6 months ago #
mugsys_m8 - Member

Mrs Mugsy (francaise)does not understand the need to set a time if we invite people for dinner. When in the UK she would specifically go out of her way to not mention a time if inviting.

However she loves the British for their sense of humour and eccentricity, mostly taking the mickey out of themeselves and not taking themselves too seriously.

I love Mrs Mugsy, can't wait to see her tomorrow after 6 weeks apart as I've been working overseas.

Posted 6 months ago #
uplink - Member

She laughs at people who get annoyed by people inter-changing the words english and british.

Indeed, my mrs calls everyone from the UK English
If I corrected her on anyone in particular, she'd just shrug and carry on, so I don't bother

Posted 6 months ago #
MrsMugsy - Member

mugsys_m8, you forget how I just don't get that people can ignore the elephant in the room and how most people seem to be so strung up about how much money they have and can show.

and you forgot how I don't understand why you wash the car at weekends.

...but I love you and can't wait to see you

Posted 6 months ago #
crispy - Member

Sometimes, I don't get you at all. You lot can be a bit odd with some stuff. Not bad odd. Just different odd. To me.

Otherwise you're alright.

x

Posted 6 months ago #
themountaingoat - Member

My Mrs [Italian] still - after 27 years with me - needs reminding on a regular basis that I don't have 3 hours lunch break each day.

Perhaps its these 3 hour lunch breaks that are the reason their economy is in such a state ?

Posted 6 months ago #
ourmaninthenorth - Member

mugsys_m8, you forget how I just don't get that people can ignore the elephant in the room and how most people seem to be so strung up about how much money they have and can show.

There are many things to be annoyed about you French, but these are two of the reasons I like you all so much..!

In France:

"How much was your new house"
"500,000"
"Pff. You paid too much"

In Britain:

"So, do you mind me asking how much you paid?"
"Well, the market was so strong that everyone was going in at least 20% over the asking price. It's the only way to get Timmy into the right school."
"Tell me about it, it was the same when we bought the new Range Rover - why wait, we thought. Let's just put it on the remortgage"

Posted 6 months ago #
10pmix - Member

Mrs 10pmix is Spanish. She thinks that the British are all incredibly anal and rule focused. I can live with that after spending too many times queuing at the Spanish Embassy trying to get someone to even give us the time of day (we made the mistake of getting married in New York which they didn't like at all).

What I can't live with is her complete hatred of all British comedy. She called Monty Python "70's rubbish" and just last night said Blackadder was "for old people". Its grounds for divorce.....

We have Spanish TV in the house. If you've even seen that Fast Show Channel 9 entertainment show spoof where the host is dressed as a sailor, Paul Whitehouse comes on a comedy painter and decorator saying "slippy slop" over and over to rapturous applause... that is Spanish tv.

Posted 6 months ago #
SaxonRider - Member

My mail-order bride just doesn't understand English.

Posted 6 months ago #
joao3v16 - Member

My mail-order bride just doesn't understand English

I do a lot of my shopping online, including for my wife (dating website)

Posted 6 months ago #
uplink - Member

My mail-order bride just doesn't understand English.

You probably forgot to install the random phrase generator before you inflated her

Posted 6 months ago #
Leku - Member

Mrs Leku (Basque) regularly used to use the expression 'I can't be asked' to clients.

It was then pointed out that it was actually 'I can't be assed' and not one to use at work.

Posted 6 months ago #
Cougar - Member

I had to rescue the 1st paintings my son came home from nursery with as wife thought them a bit rubbish and can't see why we'd keep them.

Proper made me giggle, that.

"Why've you thrown these out?"

"Well obviously, the composition is all wrong, he's gone outside the lines, he's spelt 'mummy' with one 'm', and the logos on the tyres are misaligned. I just don't know where we went wrong with him."

Posted 6 months ago #
Cougar - Member

It was then pointed out that it was actually 'I can't be assed' and not one to use at work.

"Arsed," ITYF.

Posted 6 months ago #
coffeeking - Member

My eastern European friend is somewhat perplexed by why we don't use our women more. "It took me ages to get around to the fact that I couldn't just tell my female flatmates that I wanted a sandwich and have them bring it to me"

Posted 6 months ago #
gavtheoldskater - Member

my wife's Cornish, she does'nt get why so many of the english who come on holiday down this way are such rude tossers to the locals.

Posted 6 months ago #
matt_bl - Member

My wife's Polish. She freaks when she sees Brit girls going out in their 'knickers', even when it's snowing.

She thinks we should be more direct in conversation as well, Poles can be incredibly direct!

Matt

Posted 6 months ago #
ononeorange - Member

Mrs O is from the Philippines – the attitude to time there probably makes the Brazilians look quite uptight! To her absolute credit though she has adapted well to my endless terror that I might one day be 2 seconds late for something, although she is amused by it. We’ve got to the point now where going back home for her can be quite frustrating.

She did ask me early on in our relationship why I bothered stopping at roundabouts in the car and didn’t just continue regardless; I made her have lessons!

But importantly she regularly quotes bits of Python AND finds Father Ted hysterical. So that’s all good.

Posted 6 months ago #
uplink - Member

She did ask me early on in our relationship why I bothered stopping at roundabouts in the car and didn’t just continue regardless; I made her have lessons!

She's right though, there's no requirement to stop at most roundabouts, just give way

Posted 6 months ago #
wrecker - Member

my wife's ~~Cornish~~ English, she does'nt get why so many of ~~the english who~~ her country folk come on holiday down this way are such rude tossers to the locals.

FTFY

Posted 6 months ago #
Macgyver - Member

Well the trips to the passport/immigration office in Croydon are a bit of a downside. It's a hole, people must really want to be here to put up with that place.

Mrs Macgyver still isn't used to the weather in Britain after 7 years here. That comes from an upbringing in the warmer climes Texas and the Bahamas I guess!

Sadly I do get caught out in front of englanders when I use americanisms such as "filling up the car with gas! Damn this bilingual conumdrum.

Posted 6 months ago #
grantway - Member

Ive just lernt Thick-ism?

Posted 6 months ago #
CountZero - Member

Other half gets irate at UK people saying they're going to Europe as they're already there!

No, we're an island nation off of the coast of Europe. Same applies to various island nations off of the American mainland, like Cuba or Jamaica.

Posted 6 months ago #