Dating and communication etiquette in the UK

Historically, there is a basic norm in the UK: no one start a conversation with a stranger on their own. Traditional English etiquette suggests that two people can only get to know each other through an intermediary. Surely nowadays it is impossible to follow such old-fashioned ideals, but it fully explains why it is so tough for a true British to get to know new people. ‘Nice to meet you’ or ‘Pleased to meet you’ are universal and almost obligatory phrases for them, but it means nothing. It is usually pronounced with a bit of awkwardness: the British don’t like to seem too ceremonial and traditional, but they also don’t want to give up on traditions and ceremonies. This is especially noticeable among the upper classes, but common British are also not really far from such patterns.

However, in the 21st century more and more British are showing a flaccidity from ossified fetters of tradition. Yes, their whole culture is built around preserving what was laid down by their ancestors, they even managed to preserve the monarchy establishment. It’s hard to imagine any other nation capable of such a thing. However, a lot of them desire to get rid of many strict and meaningless rules, so many British consider the opportunities of online dating. It applies to people of all ages, so it doesn’t matter how old you are or what you do, Dating.com will certainly help you find the right person in England and give you a chance to find one true soulmate.

When you’re talking to many Englishmen, you may get the impression that most of them share the same qualities: they are impassive, prim, closed, notorious, silent and a bit weird. During any conversation about relationships, they either begin to practice wit or snort contemptuously. There is an opinion that relationships as a concept live on the continent, but not on British Islands, that they don't see the middle ground between frank familiarity and respectful silence. However, after 10 minutes of chatting, all this turns out to be nothing more than a stereotype.

England: where traditions meet modernity

If you want to try your hand at dating the British, first thing you need to do is to deal with the fact that they have a lot of traditions and cultural features. Some have become a relic of the past, some are still relevant today. In many things, the inhabitants of the United Kingdom have gone far ahead of their neighbors, in some they prefer to remain conservative. Therefore, you should know at least the most general information about what they adore and how they live. It is the easiest way to build communication and relations with the British and turn dating into a fascinating adventure (even with not really adventurous inhabitants on the islands).

Excessive politeness

England is well known all over the world as a country of gentlemen, the royal dynasty and good manners. Surely it doesn’t mean that polite smile and how-do-you-do questions have deep meaning. Anyway, it is difficult to imagine a British seller, a waiter, a bartender, a consultant, etc., who wouldn’t meet you with a wide smile and a lot of kind words. But often excessive politeness and friendliness into a stream of unnecessary information, questions, tips and comments. It’s a common thing when buying some pasta and minced meat you will have to explain to a talkative and friendly cashier how exactly you are going to cook it.

Dating a woman or a man in England can be the same. You will be asked a lot of questions about your personal and daily life, because it's a social ritual. Don't be too surprised and don't take it too personally at the beginning. Also remember that in a conversation with all the British people there is never too much ‘sorry’, ‘excuse me’ and ‘thank you’. They will apologize even if you are the one who accidentally pushed them, stepped on their foot, dropped something. This sort of extra politeness is integrated in their language and linguistic traditions in general, where ‘how do you do?’ means simple ‘hello’.

English humor

The British are known for their exquisite and very specific sense of humor. They love to laugh at everything, including themselves. The concept of English humor as unfunny, flat and rather silly most likely appeared due the fact that British sometimes joke very subtly. For someone not native it can be almost impossible to catch the essence of the joke. A significant part of the jokes is based either on a pun or on the mentioning of certain facts related to the history of Great Britain, the national and social characteristics of the British, or, for example, contemporary events taking place in the country. There are almost no boundaries in traditional British humor. An Englishman can easily kindly laugh at a friend in a wheelchair, and he will not be offended. Quite the opposite, most likely they will laugh together.

The British are happy to laugh at themselves, so if you throw a slight joke, no one will be offended. Just be prepared to receive taunts in return.

But don’t be too scared. If you know English more or less confidently, English comedies will seem very funny. The classic comedians from Monty Python with abstract and absurd jokes are very popular, their sketch-stories for the British are literally a bible of humor. And don’t forget about Mr. Bean, silly and hilarious at the same time. Your degree of understanding the British humor is directly proportional to the level of English proficiency. So it is a very good way to impress any British date. They are familiar with a common misunderstanding of British humor, so your knowledge and taste will be much appreciated. The British are happy to laugh at themselves, so if you throw a slight joke, no one will be offended. Just be prepared to receive taunts in return. Dating.com here is a good place to find a lot of hilarious Englishmen and practice the art of funny small talk.

Tea, culture and food

Stereotypes about tea and English breakfast in the United Kingdom are not that exaggerated. Of course you know about the famous tradition of five o'clock tea. In the 21st century it is no more than a relic, but true British will never miss afternoon snacks, and it will be made according to all the rules.Tea should be strong, with some drops of full-fat milk or even cream. When an Englishman asks you if you want some tea, this is exactly what you’ll get. Not everyone has a tea with breakfast and not everyone prefers traditional English breakfast, but still some parts will be included in their daily routine.

Traditional British cuisine is quite a thing. Fish and chips, crumpets, Yorkshire pudding and scotch egg are familiar all over the world. But there are a lot of dishes that can become a huge surprise for those who never took a bite of a true black pudding or beef Wellington. Food is also a very comfortable way to build a communication with any Englishman. They love to eat and feel pleased when you’re evince any interest in such an important part of their lives. If you were given a family recipe for any dish, you can assume that the mission is complete, you definitely attracted your date.

Language and traveling

While driving through the towns and villages of England, you can see a lot of lovely places with absolutely ridiculous names. It is another old and traditional British feature, when correct pronunciation of the name is often beyond the power of the British themselves. There are names, surnames, places, towns, rivers and mountains, pubs and festivals that have a huge difference between written and pronounced language forms. There is neither logic nor spelling rules, just tradition. Doesn’t matter how well you know the rules of English pronunciation or spelling, you will never guess how to say these things correctly. It can be a common problem when you’re moving from chatting and texting at Dating.com to a verbal conversation. But even though dating English people is more complicated than dating American women or men, there is no reason to be afraid, any British will be very polite and understandable in this matter.

They can be a bit clumsy in real life, so a lot of British start their dating journey on the internet, because online communication provides an opportunity to learn about interests, hobbies, some character traits of your date immediately.

Pub, beer and football

Such a phenomenon as pub culture is extremely widespread in England. It is quite unique and just a little close to a German attitude to drinking culture. You can find people of all generations in pubs, especially in small towns. Coming to a pub to have a pint of beer after work is just one of many activities and rituals. A traditional English pub in the UK is a whole subculture, science and art at the same time. In a local pub everyone knows each other and, most importantly, they all know the owner who most often works as a bartender himself. Or it can be his relatives or friends. In a traditional English pub, the bartender also serves as a waiter, a cleaner, and a dishwasher. Tipping in pubs is not accepted, but if the bartender was nice and welcoming, it would be a good gesture to treat him with a pint of beer. Ordering a drink, you can also softly add something like ‘and one beer for you’. The bartender will include it in a bill and then, when he is drinking something, he will most likely meet your gaze and cheer you with a smile. It automatically makes you mostly welcome in this particular pub.

Among the visitors of a traditional pub, you will find both young men and women, as well as the elder generation. Whether an Englishman needs to buy an inexpensive car, to rent a room or to get a job, first of all he will go to a pub to talk with the owner and guests. Almost all of them know each other and treat their neighbors and friends as a family. Fathers bring their sons to a pub to teach them how to communicate as an adult and familiarize him with the basics of beer culture, which is also important for any British. Preferences mean nothing. All British, especially the older generation, are proud of their native beer and know everything about it. So if your possible date is talking about anything around pub culture, don't try to share some googled information, it will be most likely awkward. The best way is to ask questions and show interest, for a true British it will give you a lot of points among other users of Dating.com. The same situation is with football. Not all of them are interested in it, but all of them show good knowledge of current affairs and news about the Premier League.

Tips for online dating in England

As you can see, dating a British person can be a challenge, but it is also a very interesting and fascinating process. So the beginning is usually online dating. There are a lot of British people on Dating.com, they are not unicorns at all and finding a british gay man or an older person is easy. They can be a bit clumsy in real life, so a lot of British start their dating journey on the internet, because online communication provides an opportunity to learn about interests, hobbies, and some character traits of your date immediately. Also, preliminary communication lowers down almost all the awkwardness in offline dating, it allows people to feel much more confident.

Online dating is also popular because it allows you to expand your social circle significantly, get you in touch with people from anywhere on the planet. Dating.com expands boundaries and provides a platform for international relationships. New experience, cultural and linguistic exchange. For example, international English and British English are very different, because the first one becomes more and more simple, and the second one is a treasure for someone who is looking for deep meanings in words. Different cultures have their own ideas about relationships, courtship, etc. So online dating is a ticket to such a rich and amazing journey.

Online dating is popular because it doesn’t require a lot of time, allows for communication more naturally, to have enough time choosing the line or coming up with a joke. It improves language and communication skills, and shows the proper way to present yourself. You can find yourself through online dating, and you can find your one true soulmate with the help of our website. So here are some tips that help to include yourself into the world of online dating and find a huge success in it:

1. Both for offline and online worlds first impression of a person is made by appearance. It doesn’t mean that you have to be a supermodel to get yourself a British date. Just for a note, their beauty standards are specific. But on the website, you have to start from a good photo on your profile. Good here means special so try not to follow stereotypes, but still avoid modern art. Just find a picture that represents who you are. Many people sign up for a professional shoot for a beautiful profile picture, so try to check this option;
2. After you have uploaded your photo, you should think about filling in the questionnaire. This is a very important milestone in online dating. Dating.com provides the opportunity to create a detailed picture of you, so other people can easily understand why you are interesting and why they have to take a chance with you. Your own page should be filled briefly, but thoughtfully;
3. Try to avoid cliches in communication and flirting, everybody is tired of that. Personal approach is the best choice, so you can just study the profile of a person and then find some hints that help to start a chat successfully;
4. Don't take too seriously everything that is said or written online. Some things have to be taken only with a sense of humor. Try not to focus only on one person or negative impressions. The best thing about Dating.com is the ability to choose, use its maximum potential;
5. Be yourself. It is always tempting to create an image on a dating site, a picture of a better version of yourself. But it simply doesn't work. Only talking to someone, you can see all the lies and exaggerations very quickly. Do not invent an image you don’t correspond to, the truth always reveals itself. Getting started with a lie is the worst idea in online dating, it kills the trust immediately and forever;
6. Often communication starts based on a common interest. Both of you like the same movie, band, book, album or TV-show. Profile research is good here too, it helps to find a first thing to talk about;
7. The distance doesn't matter, don’t trust those who say the opposite. The Internet significantly expands the boundaries for dating, so there is no need to communicate with a person living nearby. You can find a date from another city, country, continent;
8. Determine the purpose of dating for your own. Maybe you're just bored, or maybe you're looking for the love of your whole life. Knowing purposes help to build a better strategy;
9. Don’t forget about luck, it can choose everything for you, so there is no need to exclude this factor;
10. 10. Don’t focus on long chatting and texting online. In the end your dating process has to go offline to become more serious.

Online dating can be great fun. Your best shot on Dating.com can be very different. Someone just wants to spend time talking and flirting, someone desires to find love for a life. Don’t worry, both options are okay.

Dating in England with Dating.com

There are plenty of reasons to use Dating.com if you want to find your soulmate in the United Kingdom.

• Our website is a solid service that helped thousands of people to find their match and build a strong relationship. Dating.com is created especially for you. Our main goal is to bring romance, love and a taste of adventure into any corner of our world. This is what online dating is capable of and we do our best to make it work as good as possible.
• If you want to include flirting and romance into your daily life, but don't have a lot of experience and feel anxious about that, online dating creates a good safe space in such sensitive matters. Dating.com is developed to protect you from any bad experience in dating. All your data is well protected, same as all your conversations on our website and in our app. You can always avoid any unpleasant people just by blocking them and clearing your personal space from all the disturbing factors.
• We created wide screening procedures and searching algorithms, that help you to find the exact match. Dating.com analyzes your profile, interests, hobbies, all personal information you provide to find the person who will be interesting to you and fascinated by you. Our huge database of users provides wide opportunities and choice even for those whose criteria are very specific.
• Dating.com has a simple and user friendly interface, so you don’t need to spend a lot of time figuring out how everything works. We have been developing our service for 25 years, so all the experience we have is used for improving our users experience in online dating.

Dating.com has all the rights to be called one the best services for online dating in England. We help singles not only from the United kingdom, but from all over the world to find their mate and to build a solid relationship either for romance and adventure or for creating a family. We are the tool that can be used for your benefit, all you need to do is to create an account and enjoy online dating.