do you ever have hard time understanding british accent?

Question

i always have problem with understanding british accent.

like... i need a subtitle when i watch harry potter..

and i seriously had so much hard time understading

nowhere boy (john lennon's story film)


i don't know what to do to improve my listening skill

Answer 1

What exactly is a "British accent"? Britain has hundreds of accents.



If I were to ask, "do you ever have a hard time understanding the american accent?" wouldn't you wonder what I meant what an american accent was?



edit: You're addition comment shows you to be a typical ill-educated American and does you no favours.

Answer 2

There are hundreds of British accents and naturally some are harder to understand than others. Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, and Hugh Laurie (in his natural accent, not when he's playing "House") speak Received Pronunciation, the "educated" south east England accent, which is the closest you can get to a "standard" and no doubt the easiest to understand. The further north in the UK you go, the less like that it gets, and I even though I'm British have a trouble with a few of them. It might sound strange that we have hundreds of accents in such a small space but it's because we have a much longer history, for most of that time long-distance transport was impossible except for the rich who had a horse, there was no TV or radio so nobody knew what anyone else sounded like, so every little area evolved its own accent. How do you cope with Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagall? She's Scottish, though definitely the more understandable kind of Scottish. I have trouble with a few American accents - mostly from the "deep south" if they speak fast. I remember a case on Judge Judy involving people from Alabama which I had to listen to very hard to understand what was going on.

Answer 3

That's really funny. It's probably because you live in America (I guess) and there are so many accents there alone that you're just not fine-tuned into listening to British accents. I'm from Wales, have a very Welsh accent, but took 3 languages for my A levels, so have been exposed to so many accents i literally can listen and understand any accent now. Try listening to a British song (I suggest Lily Allen or Jamie T to begin with) with the lyrics and test yourself on how much you can understand!

Answer 4

The only way to improve your listening skills in that accent is to have more exposure to that accent. The more you listen (using movies with subtitles does help) the more accustomed you get to the different sounds of that particular accent and the more you will understand.

America and England do have different accents depending on the part of the country you are in so the "American accent" and "British accent" are really a variety of accents.

Answer 5

Depends where you are from and what type of english you are listening to!



If you are used to hearing American accents, say on TV, and English isn't your first language then yes, I guess it would be difficult. I suppose you could understand it better if you watch a lot of British films.



I am British and there are some British accents I find hard to understand!

Answer 6

British accents aren't so difficult for me.

Try watching a movie set in Scotland!

Answer 7

yes..i have....untill i get used to the person speaking...i need time..

but its more hard to understand scottish...british is a bit easier:(

Answer 8

ha ha you should try listening to someone from Scotland, Newcastle, Liverpool or Birmingham.

Answer 9

Nope not really