80 Ridiculous Times Americans Proved They Had No Idea How It All Works Outside America

Pointing at a 900-year-old building and asking if it's an "authentic replica." No, we didn't tear down 12th-century architecture to build a Spirit Halloween. It's just still there.

Not me, but there was documentary on TV about tourism and one tour guide guy said Americans always ask if city of Dubrovnik was built for the Game of Thrones series.

A woman asked me if we had the same problems with vikings in Denmark as they have with black people in the US south.

She also thought that people were speaking gibberish (Danish) instead of English to annoy her.

Back in 1999, I bought a car in L.A. and traveled across the US for a few months. One night, someone broke into my car and stole some stuff, so I called the police. After I explained to him that I am from Germany and here for a trip, he asked me if I drove the car from there to the US. Another time on the same trip, when I went to Burning Man, someone asked if we have electricity and indoor plumbing in Germany.

Not European but I had an American ask me about the “CNN Tower” here in Toronto. They thought that the Canadian National Tower was instead named for a cable TV channel in a foreign country. Not all Americans but always an American. lol.

Location Portugal:

When we were in restaurant American couple walked in, and the manager told them that they don’t accept cash, only card payment.

American man said : how about american dollars?

No one was surprised.

Not what was said but what an Anerican did. Arrived at Inverness Airport and, according to the take, drove round the highlands for around 2 weeks in their hire car. On returning said car they complained about its performance (it was a Ford Fiesta). Upon investigation it was determined that the chap didn't realise it was or knew how to drive a manual and drove hundreds of miles with car engine howling as he was stuck in second gear....

Random guy in New York upon learning that I was from France: "So am I the first Black person you've ever talked to?"

US exchange student at my university in England: "How do you guys know how much money you have if you don't use dollars?"

My USAmerican partner, who is generally a very smart man, could not wrap his head around the fact that even young children in my family could understand "military time". As if counting to 24 was an especially hard task for a 10 year old...

An American coworker, upon learning that my family is Italian: "Oh so you're from New York?"
That one really threw me off, ngl.

As a German I was asked how I can possibly cross a street safely as a pedestrian when there are no speed limits for cars whatsoever.

Someone “corrected” my English, when I said I’m from the Czech Republic. He said: “here we say Czechoslovakia.”.

“Do you have electricity in France?”
Sure that was 25 years ago, and it was a 15 year old asking, but still.

"Why is your municipal holiday 9/11? Are you celebrating the attacks?"

No, my friend. The place where I was born got their status as a city/municipality over two decades before the attack, it just happened to be on September 11th.

As a Dutchie, an American corrected me on the pronunciation of Gouda cheese.

One seemed to believe that Europe is a country and each nation is just a state. They got confused when I told them that Denmark was a different country than Sweden (where we were)

”But you’re both part of Europe right?”.

I'm a Canadian who moved to a small town in the USA and oh boy. My father in law asked me if they have malls and stuff in Canada. If we're allowed to own property and land. I had a coworker who was legit confused over how I have a college degree from Canada. She thought that America was the only country with colleges.

Was waiting in line to check into a Premier Inn in Inverness, and this American guy asked two of the receptionists "what clan y'all in?"

Fought so hard to not groan.

"What do you mean by that we are going to walk there?".

An old one: i studied in the early 90s, and rented a room in a larger place. An American Girl would rent one of the other rooms. She came, and brought her own mattress, since she believed we all sleep on hay in Europe, and explained to us what a mattress was. Then proceeded to ask if there's a phone in the city she could use. She turned out to be a really nice person, but learned rather quick that her assumptions were a tiny bit off.

I had an American tell me as a Brit that “you’re just a little b***h who can’t get over the fact you lost your empire”. I was quietly reading a book on a train at the time, and I don’t think I’ve had a single thought about empire in my life outside of history books. It was all a bit strange and he was weirdly angry about me.

When Halo 3 came out I was playing online. Im irish. Speaking to a bunch of Americans and they were really surprised that ireland had xboxs. They then asked me if we had cinemas here 🤣🤣.