[Vocabulary] Metro

[pinkwang02]

Is "Metro" British English or American English?

 

[Raymott]

Is "Metro" British English or American English?

Metro | Define Metro at Dictionary.com
About Metro | Metro Trains

 

[emsr2d2]

If you're talking about the underground train system, then I don't think it's called the Metro in the USA and it's only called the Metro in a couple of cities in the UK. The London system is called "London Underground" or, informally, "the Tube".

The system in most of western Europe (France, Spain, Italy etc) is called the Metro.

There is a free daily newspaper in the UK called "Metro".

 

[MikeNewYork]

Is "Metro" British English or American English?

The names for subway systems in the USA vary from city to city. In New York City, it is the subway. In Washington DC, it is the Metro. In San Francisco, it is BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). In Chicago, it is the L (or El) because much of it is elevated above the ground. In Philadelphia, it is SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority). In Boston, it used to be called MTA, now MBTA.

 

[renard]

The names for subway systems in the USA vary from city to city. In New York City, it is the subway. In Washington DC, it is the Metro. In San Francisco, it is BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). In Chicago, it is the L (or El) because much of it is elevated above the ground. In Philadelphia, it is SEPTA (Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority). In Boston, it used to be called MTA, now MBTA.

It is the same here in Canada. Actually, the only "metro" we have in Canada is in Montreal, which is French. In Toronto, we call it a subway and in Vancouver, we call it a skytrain.

 

[Tdol]

Would you use Metro in AmE and Canadian English for the systems in places like France?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Would you use Metro in AmE and Canadian English for the systems in places like France?

If that is the name used in France, I would use it.

 

[Barb_D]

If that is the name used in France, I would use it.

Exactly - you call it what it's called. I can imagine that if I lived in a place like San Francisco, and I used the BART extensively, I may accidentally use my "home" word for the other place (call the Metro the BART out of habit) but I would be a slip of habit, not a belief that it should be called something other than the Metro.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Exactly - you call it what it's called. I can imagine that if I lived in a place like San Francisco, and I used the BART extensively, I may accidentally use my "home" word for the other place (call the Metro the BART out of habit) but I would be a slip of habit, not a belief that it should be called something other than the Metro.

I agree wholeheartedly. Were I to speak to a French speaker in America, I might use the word subway (understanding that that word is extensively known), but I would not expect that person to know BART, SEPTA. MBTA, or El.