# How do non-American native English speakers count seconds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014 "2020-08-01T20:09:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/21 "2020-08-03T16:21:49Z")
I just tried counting using Mississippi. When I got to 30, I checked my stopwatch and it was at 43 seconds. You have to count _fast_ if you’re using Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/22 "2020-08-03T17:21:36Z")
I suppose in German the challenge is to find a word short enough to say in only one second 😀 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/23 "2020-08-03T17:30:08Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I just tried counting using Mississippi. When I got to 30, I checked my stopwatch and it was at 43 seconds. You have to count _fast_ if you’re using Mississippi. I got 33.46 seconds using my usual “Mississippi” pace. So pretty good. I don’t think mind is particularly fast, and I pause between the number and “Mississippi.” ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/24 "2020-08-03T20:27:02Z")
In Spanish, at least in Peru, there is none. You just time it “uno…dos…tres.” Personally, I’ve committed to memory the beat of the Jeopardy tune I’m never more than 1 second off in a 30-second count- > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > That’s surprising. Off the top of my head I can think of episodes of “Friends” and “Big Bang Theory” where using Mississippi was a prominent plot point. Mississippilessly!!?? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/25 "2020-08-03T21:08:05Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Personally, I’ve committed to memory the beat of the Jeopardy tune I’m never more than 1 second off in a 30-second count- Nice! I never tried that before, but I got 32.89, so even better than my Mississippis! ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/26 "2020-08-03T22:57:09Z")
I got 33.43 so that does seem to be a good way to get to 30 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/27 "2020-08-04T15:18:42Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > In Australia I know of ‘One Mississipi …’ from TV but haven’t heard it actually used. We learned ‘One one thousand …’ at school, but most commonly I’ve heard ‘One aaaaaaaand Two aaaaaaaand …’ which is simultaneously less accurate and more annoying. Darn it, I was hoping to hear “one kookaburra, two kookaburra…” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/28 "2020-08-04T22:28:26Z")
Ironically, I was woken this morning by one kookaburra outside my window, then two kookaburra when one down the street replied. Lasted more than two seconds, so they need to keep working on their accuracy. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/29 "2020-08-05T04:24:50Z")
USian here. In my Chicago neighborhood we always used one one thousand, two one thousand, etc. I didn’t learn about one-Mississippi till much later. ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014/30 "2020-08-10T18:59:21Z")
In Croatian it’s one twentytwo, two twentytwo… _jen dvajzdva dva dvajzdva tri dvajzdva…_ I’m wondering if that’s a borrowing from German. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-non-american-native-english-speakers-count-seconds/917014.md?page=1)