Why British People Never Correct You!

I’ve read hundreds of social media comments under my videos that point out:

“An English person will never point out your mistake or correct you.

But a Polish person will always point out when you say something wrong.”

These comments are always written by other Polish people.

Maybe, you’ve also observed in your own experience a similar thing. That British people rarely correct you when you make a mistake in English.

A false conclusion

There is a problem here, however.

Although the observation may be true (British people don’t often point out your mistakes and Polish people do)

It leads people to a false conclusion.

The false conclusion is that Polish people are overly critical and judgmental, while English people are nonjudgmental and accepting.

What’s more, some people even go as far as to believe that there’s no need to learn English to a high standard since native speakers don’t care about mistakes anyway.

Unfortunately, none of the things above in bold are true.

Why not?

From my perspective, this conclusion overlooks a very important factor:

Cultural differences in communication styles.

The way Polish people communicate is worlds apart from how the English communicate.

In Poland, 🇵🇱

we are direct, straight to the point, and honest.

We are open and straightforward in expressing ourselves.

We say what we think and we think what we say.

Avoiding conflict is not usually a priority in Polish culture.

In the UK, 🇬🇧

we are indirect, subtle, and diplomatic.

We rely on nuance, tone and context to convey meaning.

We rarely say exactly what we think.

Avoiding conflict is a priority in British culture; directness is often seen as impolite or confrontational.

A massive difference

This is a massive difference, that can have a huge impact on your ability to understand and be understood by British people.

If you’ve lived in the U.K. and always felt like something was missing- and you couldn’t communicate with British people in a sensical way, this could be the reason.

The British style of communication can be very odd (weird), if you’re not used to it.

This difference in culture and communication style is the reason we cannot compare what Polish people say and what British people say at face value.

We have to add the cultural context to really understand what’s being said.

Let’s add some context then…

The fact that British people never (or rarely) point out your speaking mistakes does not mean:

• that they didn’t hear it,

• that they don’t care if you make mistakes

• that they aren’t judging you

• that they think you’re perfect just for trying

The fact that British people never (or rarely) point out your speaking mistakes probably means:

• that they are behaving within their expected social codes

• that they are being polite

• that they are avoiding direct confrontation in the form of pointing out a mistake

• that they don’t feel comfortable pointing out the mistake to you

The British way

Directly correcting mistakes—especially in casual, social contexts—is often seen as too confrontational and even impolite.

A British person’s silence about a language mistake doesn’t indicate a lack of judgment; it’s a conscious choice to remain polite and avoid conflict.

A British person can very often notice a mistake and may also form an opinion about it—but they very rarely express it openly. (That’s just the British way)

Change your mind

At first glance, it may seem that the English are kind and loving, while Poles are judgmental jerks.

Now that you understand the differences in communication styles, I hope you see that this isn’t the case at all.

This post might be intimidating…

What!? British people are silently judging me? They can hear my mistakes?

It can be scary, but don’t let it discourage you.

The British approach to indirectness isn’t meant to deter you—it’s their way of maintaining politeness and ensuring comfort in interactions.

For language learners, understanding this dynamic is crucial.

Misinterpreting British politeness as a lack of judgment can lead to complacency, while perceiving Polish directness as hostility can discourage seeking feedback.

Learn the culture

In reality, both approaches reflect different cultural values.

If you’ve grown up in a culture of direct communication, like Poland, the British style of communication will seem very strange and unintuitive.

You might not have even realized that the British have this communication style; you may have misunderstood them all along.

If you live in the UK or work with British people, I strongly encourage you to take the time to understand these cultural differences.

My dad ran a business in the UK for many years, his English was really good, but he still sometimes struggled to communicate effectively with other British people because of this massive cultural difference.

We often assume that everyone understands our communication style and that everyone else uses the same one.

This is far from the case, especially with the British style, and it’s something to be aware of.

Remember, learning the culture goes hand in hand with learning the language!

Think about it

I’ll leave you with a question.

Do you come from a culture of direct or indirect communication?

How do you communicate with other people?