Especially in Germany. If someone is going to drive around at 250 km/h, you want them to know what they're doing. Driving here isn't like taking Mom's minivan to the mall.

Licence is a correct spelling.

#18, you should check your own knowledge of the English language before mocking other people's spelling. If you spell "license" in the USA, it doesn't mean everybody does. In Europe, we usually learn British English, where the correct spelling is "licence". Since English is your mother tongue, you should have known about these differences in spelling.

American English is our “Mother Tongue”, not British English. So, learning that in British English you use ‘license’ as a verb and ‘licence’ as a noun is not really necessary here, since ‘licence’ in America is incorrect.

40, you're right. Learning the difference isn't necessary, BUT if you're going to attempt to correct someone in a different country, it is necessary.

Agreed, BUT Americans tend to think their way is the right way.

51, and? That doesn't justify it. Okay, so if an American was to think the earth was flat, they wouldn't be corrected because they're American, and Americans think they're always correct? That makes no sense.

No. You are over analyzing this. It's not about whether or not they would be corrected. It's more about whether or not they would take the time, or feel it's necessary, to learn about different types of spelling in the English language when they feel like their way of spelling is the right way of spelling.

61, I stand by what I say, if you're going to correct someone in a different country you have to know the differences. If not, you'd be wrong. If he were correcting another American, then it wouldn't matter.

Right. Like I said before, I agree. They should know the difference if they are going to correct people in other countries.

all i can say when americans learn to fluently speak a second language (more than the misserable 10% now) you can go arround making fun of other peoples spelling(people from other countries that is) my native and main tongue is spanish.

What would be the purpose of Americans learning to fluently speak another language when: 1) Most of the people who come to America from another country learn to speak English. 2) When we vacation in other countries, many of the people speak English. 3) Most Americans do not plan on living in another country, which might be the only reason an American should learn to fluently speak a language other than English? There would be no purpose.

86 - It's beneficial to be taught another language because it influences you to another culture and may also lessen the ignorance that seems to be common amongst the monolingual.

Beneficial, yes. Necessary, no. Common, apparently not. Ignorance is common in general, not just when it comes to the monolingual. Now, I am done hijacking this thread. =)

I didn't say that it was specifically directed to the monolingual. Listen to Precious and the others. They make good points, you know.

yafuckyourlife - the logic you're using to defend the commenter is pretty weak. #18 called someone out on something and was wrong, due to flat-out ignorant arrogance. They completely deserved to be shot down. No-one is expecting Americans to go out and learn Swahili for a 10-day vacation in Kenya, but to fail to recognise that there are variations in your own language is almost unconscionable. Remember though, that as an American travelling abroad and expecting people to speak English, you're relying on everyone else in the entire world to be better educated than you, just so you can get through your day without having to break an intellectual sweat. That is a cause for humility if ever there was one. The fact that Americans tend to think their way is the only way is sort of the point - it's ridiculous, arrogant, and most importantly, wrong. This is actually a French website, so the notion that what is correct in America makes a scrap of difference here is also completely irrelevant.

90, wow. So, people who go to America need to learn another language for people such as you, who believe learning two languages isn't necessary, won't have to do it? Because of idiots like you, English was my third language. I was forced to learn it because other idiots were to lazy to learn my first or even second language. Zebidee, I couldn't have said it myself. :) Twin, SO I am the brains?

What do you call a person that speaks two languages?...... Bilingual What do you call a person that speaks three languages?......Trilingual What do you call a person that speaks only one language?... American

Apparently in the future China's going to be calling the shots (due to massive advancements)...And whilst some Chinese people can speak English, don't you think it's better to talk on their turf? Just learn language for that reason, or because you like it. Even if you only do it to be smarter than your friends it's good..

Oh you Brits and your inferior spelling :p No need to freak over someone not knowing the difference between British and American, but if you're going to correct a posters spelling, make sure to google the word before making yourself look like a jackass...especially when it says in the FML that the OP is from a different country!

because it is

#170 - Spot on. The British English spellers don't care which version people use - we understand both. The problem comes when some mouthbreather calls us out for it without taking one second to check their arrogant assumptions.

I'm sorry that I don't know useless shit, like how 'license' is spelled in a different country.

It's obviously useful to know because it helps you avoid crap such as the above.

Zebidee, are we still reading the same thing? First of all, it isn’t that we can’t recognize that there are different variations in the English language, we are simply not taught about them, like other countries are. Second, it isn’t that we ‘expect’ people to know English, but because most people in other countries do know English, it makes it less necessary for us to learn other languages. Trust me, we are NOT relying on anyone else in the world, let alone the entire world like you said, to be better educated than us. Third, when did I say Americans way is the ONLY way? I believe I said we tend to think our way is the RIGHT way, which by the way was a slam on my own country. Ohthebloodygore, I am not even going to comment on what you said, because you’re taking what I’m saying how YOU want to take it, not for how I meant it. For the record, I am almost positive more than 10% of the American population speaks more than one language, considering we have almost double that in immigrants alone. But, I could be wrong. You should also keep in mind that the percentage is out of over 310 million people. For all you who are jumping on my ass because of what I said, yes, European countries learn more than one language, Americans don’t. Does that really mean we don’t care enough to, or is it more like it isn’t necessary for most of us and we aren’t taught that way?

yafuckyourlife - Just because someone isn't taught about different variations, doesn't mean they can't quickly check a spelling before they call it out, especially if the user is from another country. That's the main reason people get annoyed when people call out on spelling, it's because it'd take two seconds to check if they are right before they do so. Not because we believe they should know all the differences. Also, the way you phrased post #86 implied you expected everyone else to know English whilst on holiday. It might not have been how you meant it, but it's how it sounded.

189 Right, right, right. Agree! Again, it’s not that I expect them to know English; it’s that most of them already do know English. I was not trying to imply that I, or Americans, have an expectation for that.

yafuckyourlife - firstly, I want to make it clear that I wasn't having a go at you personally. I was using the word 'you' in it's most general sense, although looking back over my post it probably didn't read that way. From my own point of reference, Australians also have a pretty woeful record when it comes to languages. We're taught them for a couple of years, and that's about it. I feel it acutely being a foreigner in Germany who is so incredibly far from speaking the language fluently myself, but that means that every day I'm grateful for the fact that I can stumble my way through due to other peoples' skills which are greater than my own. While most of what you say is true, my main issue was in defending the indefensible, that in some way it is OK to be ignorant of these things by not being taught, or by merely getting away with it when travelling. I think we should be quite worried about systems that make that an OK situation. As for the original issue with AE vs BE, the thing that really gets old fast is when we get called out for something that isn't wrong, and is so easy to double-check. I think we're all good. What we need is a FML pub where everyone can go to laugh this stuff off. (We can make it somewhere where the drinking age isn't 21...) ;D

lmfao @ grammar nazis failing

Daughter :)

I thought it twas a girl.

The father owns her.

#21, it's not the instructor that passes you. The instructor just teaches you to drive. The examiner is usually someone else, from the police or a state agency, depending on the country you're in. The thing is that, when people fail this exam, they tend to blame the instructor. Just like in school, kids who have low marks tend to blame the teacher. But in this case, OP's instructor is her father. F their L.

Thank you, I was wondering why no one was pointing this out. The FML seems to be that she thought her father was a bad instructor, not that he was the one who failed her.

Agreed, perhaps Dad was too worried to see his girl on the road and failed OP no matter what. Or it could also be she was a bad driver. You really can't get the FYL or YDI down with this post.

TIJD, he didn't fail her. He taught her to drive. OP is blaming her failure on her father.

Ah, thanks. I must've made the assumption because where I learned to drive, you had to take and pass driver's ed or wait till you were 18. The final exam was given by your instructor, and he decided if you got your license or not. The pass slip served as your license till 18.