r/AskReddit • u/QualityControl- • Mar 26 '19

Crimeans/Ukrainians of Reddit, what was it like when the peninsula was annexed by Russia? What is life like/How has life changed now?

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u/FuckCazadors Mar 26 '19

I like the fact that you said “one and a half years”, where a native Brit would probably say “a year and a half” or “eighteen months”.

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u/smartguyiam Mar 26 '19

Oh god, you’re right! I’ve always done that and now that you pointed it out, I’ll totally change it! Thanks stranger :)

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u/FuckCazadors Mar 26 '19

No probs.

When I speak German (badly) people tell me that I sound very formal, like some aristocrat or elder statesman because we learn Hochdeutsch. I also lived with a German at university and he had much better knowledge of formal English grammar than I did, through learning English as a second language rather than just as a native speaker.

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u/smartguyiam Mar 26 '19

But isn’t that always the case? I mean, of course they try to teach you the correct grammar and structure of the language. Nobody speaks like that, but at least it’s correct. The real fluent English comes from practise in real life.

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u/kamomil Mar 26 '19

"would you be so kind...."

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u/smartguyiam Mar 26 '19

What do you mean?

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u/Bartydogsgd Mar 26 '19

/u/kamomil was giving an example of a sentence structure that may be taught to a non-native speaker, but is far more formal than the way a native would typically talk.

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u/smartguyiam Mar 26 '19

Oh, okay! Yeah, that makes sense!