That kind of colloquailism is narrowed only to very native people in that region.

[Tarheel]

I might say that I am unfamiliar with their manner of speaking and that I don't understand everything they say.

 

[emsr2d2]

No, actually their dialect is what they are using and part of it is close to my dialect.

In post #1, you said you understood 70% of what they were saying. Is that because the words they were using (in that 70%) are the same words used in your dialect and the other 30% are different, or that it's a different dialect completely but you were able to work out 70% of it?

 

[Silverobama]

In post #1, you said you understood 70% of what they were saying. Is that because the words they were using (in that 70%) are the same words used in your dialect and the other 30% are different, or that it's a different dialect completely but you were able to work out 70% of it?

Yes and yes.

Because I didn’t talk with them for a long time.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes and yes.

Because I didn’t talk with them for a long time.

The answer to both questions can't possibly be "Yes". I suggested two completely different explanations. If you didn't speak to them for long enough to answer the question, most of what you wrote (about the language side of things) in post #1 is unnecessary. Just say "I had trouble understanding them".

 

[Tarheel]

Because I didn’t talk with them for a long time.

Does that mean you talked to them only briefly?

 

[tedmc]

Why use "colloquialism" (which is misspelt by the OP), which is not a common word, when you can use "dialect"? People speak a dialect, but they don't speak "colloquialism".

 

[emsr2d2]

Why use "colloquialism" (which is misspelt by the OP), which is not a common word, when you can use "dialect"? People speak a dialect, but they don't speak "colloquialism".

The OP said they understood about 70% of what was being said despite the locals speaking a different dialect. It clearly had a lot of crossover with their own dialect. However, the colloquialisms were the things causing the OP problems.