using euros

Republic of Ireland, sure. The others use sterling.

Ireland is part of the eurozone (euros are the currency there). Northern Ireland and Scotland are part of the United Kingdom (Great Britain), so they use the British pound. The same euro bills and coins are used in every eurozone country. With the coins, each country has its own design on one side, but they are all accepted interchangeably in every eurozone country.

English notes can be used throughout the UK. NI and Scotland notes aren't liked too well once you're a little ways from the border.

It's a trick question. Nobody in the Euro zone, which includes the Republic of Ireland, but not the UK, except France (I think), uses Euros. Everyone uses Euro. According to the central bank that issues them, the official plural of Euro is Euro (like sheep and sheep). If you don't believe me, look at a note. It says "10 Euro" or "20 Euro", etc, not "Euros". And the reason for this is simple. Not all languages make plurals by adding an 'S'. I read somewhere that some irrelevant French commission has decreed that the plural should be Euros, but then no one pays attention to the French, anyway.

Aw, c'mon, Lee. Did you have to spoil a perfectly good and informative post with that last bit of nastiness?

Some stores in teh UK will accept Euro currency - I believe Marks & Spencers does - but don't expect a great rate. Most places in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England & Wales will only take Sterling.

Lee, thanks for this piece of knowledge! I'm interested in linguistics and this this was very informative and far from "nasty".

The same euro bills and coins are used in every eurozone country. With the coins, each country has its own design on one side, but they are all accepted interchangeably in every eurozone country. It is always interesting to examine a handful of coins and see where they came from and try to imagine what course they followed to end up where the did.... And if you find one from Vatican City it's a keeper as they issue very few.

Norma, I just think people should use the proper terminology. It's Euro, is that so nasty? And you're from Montreal, an irrelevant part of Canada, right.

We seem to be communicating at cross purposes, Lee.

As long as I have enough of them, I don't care what you call them. Euro your way. I'll row mine.

Isn't it euro not Euro?

Maybe there is a past souring the discussion between a couple of folks, but I rather appreciated the clarification on Lee's part. And yes, you can use any Euro in any country where it is the currency, and we had no issues using our Scottish euro (should say pound. again, my error) in London (in 2007). Edited and explained below: My bad as it was typed without attention as two three-year-olds wreak havoc.

Note to self: Scotland has finally made the break, but London still politely accepts their euro.

I'm enjoying the comedy here. Its getting funnier and funnier.

I was just in England and Scotland a couple of weeks ago, and I am pretty sure they both still use the pound, not the euro. We were advised to get rid of any Scottish pound notes while still in Scotland (though technically you don't have to, they just aren't nice about accepting them in England sometimes), but coins didn't matter.

I have to ask: what is a Scottish euro bill. Its been two years since I have been there and I don't remember any such thing. There were bills from the Bank Of England, The Caledonian Bank, and the Royal Bank Of Scotland. Is the Scottish euro something new?

Euro/pound, what's the difference - probably got them from Pam's bank who didn't know that Great Britain and UK were the same and that Wales was part of it. And why do some people capitalize Euro, we don't capitalize dollar, do we?

This is looking more and more like a Seinfeld routine.

I guess I capitalize Euro because I'm in the habit of seeing it capitalized. I read a lot of German, and Euro is capitalized in German (as are all nouns). Incidently, Bank of America and Travelex capitalize Euro (all currencies) on their exchange websites, Wells does not.

Should I buy Scottish euros and pounds before I go to Scotland or trust the ATMs at the airport will be working and full? Had to revise my prior geography lesson regarding Great Britain and the United Kingdom as they are one and the same. Who knew?

Better deal on both if you buy them in Whales: source Jonah.

This prompted me to have a look at the European Central Bank website. From what I saw, in English the word "euro" is used for singular and plural (and NOT capitalized). The euro banknotes do not say "Euro," but "EURO." "EURO" is not used by the ECB in ordinary writing, however. In German it is "Euro," in French it is "euro" for one, "euros" for more than one. In English, the ECB generally uses "euro banknotes," "euro coins," or simply €5, €10, etc. when discussing the currency.

"Great Britain and the United Kingdom as they are one and the same. Who knew?" To go even more off topic, afraid they are not. Knew they were not but had to look it up to find the difference! http://blog.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/2011/08/whats-the-difference-between-uk-britain-and-british-isles/

In case anyone is interested, the following tips on how to identify the issuing country of a specific banknote are excerpted from the 20 Feb 2012 edition of the Telegraph: All Euro banknotes have a one-letter, eleven-digit serial number located on the back at the top right and bottom left corners of every denomination. The letter indicates which country issued the banknote. For a couple of years now, some Germans have insisted on holding on to euros issued in their own country and passing on those backed by southern states. They know from not too distant history what it feels like to be left holding worthless paper which used to be official currency. All euros are backed by the European Central Bank but the serial numbers prefixed with X may be regarded as most secure because they are issued by Germany. N is also a good prefix, because these come from Austria. P, L, U and Z prefixes may also be favoured because these are issued by the authorities in Holland, Finland, France and Belgium.
If you share widespread fears that the euro cannot last in its present form, you might want to avoid notes with the prefixes F, G, M, S, T or Y. These are issued by Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece.

My bad. I meant to say the pound sterling in regards to the earlier comment.

Americans are used to making plurals by just adding a "s" regardless of whether the plural for Euro is Euro. They will say Euros like it or not. In French one way to form a plural is to add a "s" and one way to make a plural in German is to add a "s"

Last I checked we were speaking English on this forum so Euros should be the plural.

Ah Teresa, I almost spit my coffee out onto the keyboard. Where did you ever hear such nonsense? This is so not true. Living in Germany, I think I might have heard of this. I haven't until I read your post. Add the s or not, it just doesn't matter that much. Getting your panties in a twist about it is silly. Chastising people one way or the other is also silly. Having an attitude though of "this is an English speaking board, so it should have an s" is rather arrogant. When I see the word Euros, then it is usually in the context of Americans posting about Europeans, which I dislike as much as Germans calling us Amis. Thus, I prefer using the correct form which is euro, when talking about money, but at the end of the day, a bag of rice fell in China too, and no one cared.

I think it's interesting to see where the notes were issued. All the ones I have are from my trip to Spain - mainly €5 and €10. Only 1 is Spanish. Most are German, several are Dutch, and 1 from France. FWIW - Teresa quoted from a newpaper article.

I believe "Great Britain" includes the island only: therefore is England, Scotland, Wales. "United Kingdom" adds Northern Ireland. ????

Great Britian is the geographic name of an island. The United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland is the name of the country, a political entity.

Scotland does NOT use euro.

The Central Bank of Ireland decided there would be no s plural used in its literature prior to introduction of the euro and hence this is the use that is more prevalent there. However if you say 8 euros and 50 cents rather than 8 euro 50 cent no one is going to be confused and no language police will arrest you.

A lot of sound and fury here. Let me add to it: I interpreted the page 1 comments on the Helpline being an English-language site as merely stating the obvious. No insult seemed intended, but I guess things like that depend on the reader's perspective. If speaking the language of a country (in my case, butchering the local language, but at least I try), I try to follow their grammar and pronunciation. If speaking in English abroad, I stick with English grammar. In English, the online Merriam-Webster, uses "euros" as the plural of "euro," not capitalized. Just like the English plural for "dollar" and "pound. A quick search on Google showed a clear preference among official and unofficial sources for use of "s" in the plural for English-speakers. "Euro" is both singular and plural in official, legislative EU documents, but several sources cite cases where the "s" is used in less formal communications. I presume those are written in English, but they could be in French.

And the plural of sheep is sheeps.

Merriam-Webster (online or normal) is American, not English. Perhaps American dictionaries capitalize it because most Americans do?

Dictionaries are written by committee. He who dares to stand alone dares to be correct. Ed, 1968, op cit.

Lee,to me, euro(s)have more in common with dollars and pounds than with sheep, but that may well be closer to the original root word. (I will say that I have been fleeced a few times when exchanging dollars for euro/euros.) Let's agree to disagree on this. Nigel, my source had it lower-case. I have no idea whether most Americans capitalize or lower-case the "e". Ed, please give us a definitive ruling, so we can wrap up this silly discussion and move on to something sillier.

I'm unanimously ambivalent, but speaking the Queen's English myself, don't particularly care what the riff-raff, hoi polloi do amongst theirownselfs. I shall soon run for high office.

Languages are always changing and evolving. What was once considered incorrect can become the norm through common usage. So languages, like dictionaries are both formed by "committee". When I am in a foreign country I like to follow their norms and adhere to their cultural preferences out of respect and a desire to learn and be seen as courteous. Language is a big part of that. Using the accepted currency and calling it the correct name would also apply. One person's unsolicited opinion does not make me one thing or another. There is no correct answer to the Euro, euro, euros debate.

More seriously, I speak most of the major languages fairly well and have always heard and read 'euro' amongst the native populaces. Beats me.

Ed for dogccatcher, er, chief animal control warden?

Yes, I was merely quoting from a newspaper. Any opinions expressed in the article (which, if I remember correctly, was published at the height of the "Greece is going to take down Europe" hubbub) are not mine. I was only mildly interested in how to tell which notes were issued by which country, in the same way that I and other Americans spent a few years checking the backs of the new quarters to see which state was represented. Idle curiosity, that's all. I didn't mean to create such a kerfuffle!

On a dictionary reference, as P. O'Toole says in "Good Bye Mr Chips," "Webster or Oxford."

Who would imagine so much huffing and hooting over the use or non-use of a single letter "s"? But it is important. Because you know, if you say "Euros", you will instantly be severely chastized, called an "Ugly American", directed to go eat at the nearest McDonald's and issued a fanny pack, baseball cap, and shorts (or if it's after the US Labor Day, white pants for women) by the "European Committee for the Prevention of Creeping Americanisms and Cultural Sensitivity Promotion". Whereas those who say "euro" in the plural will instantly receive an invitation to an off-the-beaten path, locals only restaurant were they will experience authentic local culture and be congratulated on how well their clothing choices help them blend in, their brilliant choice of moneybelt strategies, and how they are obviously a more culturally aware, more sophisticated and more physically attractive "traveler" than all those other "tourists". And then once they take off their jackets, the locals will marvel at the savy layering of clothing underneath and generous use of waterproof garments, offering more praise on their authentic European manner of dress, whilst simultaneously wondering how they themselves ever managed to stay dry and warm using any other types of clothing.

Tom, you just made my day (night?) - thank you. A good laugh is good for what ails ya.

Tom for the win! You even managed to get a "whilst" in there amoungst all that verbiage, well done. You only left out a Shengen reference but still......

Whereupon discovery of how lightly this "euro-speaking" traveler had packed their culturally-appropriate yet stylish and water-proof clothing into a single carry-on, they would instantly benefit from a waving of the Schengen 90/180 rule. OK, how's that? Did I forget any other Blue Bookisms?

Well said, Tom. You captured the absurdity of this discussion perfectly.

This all presupposes that one wants to be linguistically sensitive.