Dennis Deery

Rumor has it the Irish speak English, as do supposedly we Americans. However, it’s not quite the same brand of English, as we’re constantly reminded. Our lesson this week involves time…

Today is Tuesday, September 5. If I was to refer to Wednesday, September 13 in conversation, I would usually call it “next Wednesday”. Not so here in Ireland. Next Wednesday, or properly “Wednesday next” refers to tomorrow, September 6 - truly the “next Wednesday”. If I want to refer to Wednesday, September 13, the proper verbiage is “Wednesday week”.

We’re also learning how very much slang we use as Americans, and are adjusting to using less of it in hopes of better communicating with people here. So, to the people who’ve asked if we’re going to start speaking with an Irish accent - yes, at the very least living here is going to change our language habits to some extent. No accent yet though!