Land of the Rockies…
Home of the Niagara Falls…
Creator of maple syrup and poutine…
Country of gorgeous lakes, insanely cold weather and exciting ice hockey matches…
Of course, you know which country we are talking about.
CANADA, a peaceful nation blessed with a rich history, well-mannered Canucks (Canadian people), highly urbanised cities and breathtaking natural beauty. If you are moving to Canada, you can definitely look forward to a wonderful rich expat life.
You might also want to read: If You Live In Any Of These 20 Cities, You Spend The Most Time Stuck In Traffic…
Canada is deservedly proud of its multicultural social ethos, thanks to the plethora of races, religions, languages and nationalities that now call this charming country their home.
On the languages front, large Canadian cities like Toronto and Vancouver are full of people speaking a number of languages – right from Punjabi and Mandarin to Tagalog and Arabic. About 21% of Canada’s population speaks French, particularly in Québec.
But of course, as with most Anglo countries, the language that continues to hold sway in Canada is ENGLISH. Consider these facts:
- English is one of the two official languages spoken in Canada
- English has over 26 million native speakers in Canada, constituting 57% of the total population
- Over 86% of Canadians are able to converse in English
- 75.4% of them speak English at home
Put all of this together and you will realise that if you speak and understand English in Canada, you will do just fine!
Like other Anglo countries (check out our article on Australian English!), Canadian English is also full of interesting phrases and unusual colloquialisms that make it truly unique!
So, without any further delay, let’s dive into the mysteries and joys of anglais Canadien! Print out this guide, put it in your knapsack and get ready for your new Canadian adventure!
You might also want to read: If You Live In Any Of These 20 Cities, You Spend The Most Time Stuck In Traffic…
Canadian Vocabulary Every Expat Must Know
Canadian English is an odd duck.
The language is an interesting variant of American and British English. It also includes influences from First Nations languages, French and other languages.
So if you’re going to Canada anytime soon, here’s a list of useful terms that might come in handy. These are the words and phrases that are uniquely Canadian and often that’s jokes (hilarious or funny)! Master them and you will sound like a local in less time than you can say a-boot time!
Are You Hungry?
Canada has gifted the world plenty of amazing culinary delights, from poutine and Timbits to Nanaimo bars and butter tarts. If you are planning to explore the gastronomic scene there, here’s a quick vocab guide to help you navigate your way around a restaurant or bar in Canada:
| Canadian English Term | Meaning |
| Double Double | an oversized cup of coffee with 2 creams and 2 sugars |
| homo milk | homogenised/whole milk |
| Tim Hortons’ Timbits | bite-sized fried-dough confectionery similar to American doughnuts but uniquely Canadian (they’ve been around since the 70s!) |
| serviettes | paper napkins |
| icing sugar | powdered sugar |
| two four | a case of 24 beers – cans or bottles |
| Mickey | A 26 oz bottle of hard alcohol (give or take) |
| chocolate bars | Chocolate candy |
| Molson muscle | beer belly |
| Kraft Dinner (or KD!) | macaroni-and-cheese |
| freezie | freeze (ice) pop |
| dépanneur | convenience store |
| Rotten Ronnie’s | McDonald’s |
| booze can | illegal after-hours bar |
| Caesar | cocktail (not a salad!) similar to a Bloody Mary but made with clamato juice |
| Clamato juice | clam and tomato juice |
| poutine | French fries (thin potato chips) covered with cheese curds and gravy |
| Tortière/tourtière | Meat pie |
| beavertail/whale’s tail | fried pastry dough smothered in toppings like Nutella chocolate spread |
| Nanaimo bar | multilayered brownie with icing |
| Butter tart | Sweet pastry shell tart with a filling of butter, sugar, syrup and egg, baked to get a semi-solid filling and crunchy top |
| Peameal bacon | Wet-cured, un-smoked back bacon made from trimmed lean boneless pork loin and rolled in cornmeal |
| Bumbleberry pie | Mixed berry pie (there is no such berry as a bumbleberry!) |
Mind Your Habits & Manners!
You’ve probably heard that Canadians are a very polite lot. It’s true! And they love to say sorry and pardon even if they’re not at fault!
With a Canadian, you can have a polite conversation – or even a friendly one – with the word eh. Canadians don’t mind it in the least! This classic term used in everyday Canadian conversations can indicate that you don’t understand something or can’t believe something is true. You can even use it if you want the other person to respond to something you said. It’s similar to ‘huh’, ‘right?’ and ‘what?’ commonly found in American and British English.
Here are some more useful terms:
| Canadian English Term | Meaning |
| Canadian tuxedo | informal outfit consisting of a blue denim jacket and blue jeans |
| Pop | carbonated soft drink/soda |
| Washroom | Bathroom, restroom, toilet |
| Queue | Lineup |
| Tap | faucet |
| Canuck | Canadian person |
| kerfuffle | commotion, fuss or disagreement |
| keener | over-achiever, eager to learn |
| beauty | exceptionally great person |
Life’s Good In Canada
Bought a new car?
Need some change?
Hate Canada’s winters?
Love Canada’s winters?
Plan to study in Canada?
Load up on these terms first! Otherwise, you may accuse a Canadian of being a loonie and get strange looks in return!
| Canadian English Term | Meaning |
| Loonie | 1-dollar coin |
| Toonie | 2-dollar coin |
| parkade | parking garage |
| gas bar | petrol station |
| chinook | the warm wind that comes over the mountain during winter to melt the snow and raise the temperature |
| hydro bill | electricity bill |
| Toque (or tuque) | knitted hat |
| snowbirds | Canadians who head south to sandy beaches and tropical waters to escape winter |
| Toboggan | Snow sledge |
| writing a test | Taking a test, giving an exam
In Canada, the testee writes a test, not the tester! |
Just Hanging Out
The people of Canada are as social as the people of any other country. And when you consider that only about 10% of the vast Canadian landmass is actually occupied by humans, this seems amazing, doesn’t it?
Once you settle in Canada, you will surely develop a rich and rewarding social life. But make sure you know these words first to avoid awkward encounters and uncomfortable silences – whether you’re at a formal do or just hanging out with pals!
| Canadian English Term | Meaning |
| knapsack | backpack |
| klicks | kilometres |
| 6ix | Toronto |
| track pants | Comfortable sweat pants |
| runners | Comfortable running shoes/sneakers |
| thongs | Slippers, often worn to the beach |
| housecoat | Bathrobe or dressing gown |
| Stag | Bachelor party (US), Stag do (UK) |
| Stagette | Bachelorette party (US), Hen do (UK) |
| Darts | Cigarettes (not the bar game!) |
| Bill | Check (US) |
| Chesterfield | Sofa, couch |
| pencil crayons | Coloured pencils |
| What you sayin’ tonight | What are your plans for tonight? (informal) |
| True | Okay, fine |
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Home & Away!
No, this section is not about the famous Australian soap opera!
If you’re living in Canada, you need to acclimatise yourself to some strange-sounding words that you will hear every day in your personal and professional life.
Allons y! (French: let’s go!)
| Canadian English Term | Meaning |
| Hang a Larry | Turn left while driving |
| Hang a Roger | Turn right while driving |
| dinged | Fined money
(not damage to a car in an accident!) |
| Mountie | member of the highly-respected Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) |
| eavestroughs | rain gutters on the roof of a house |
| garburator | Garbage disposal, usually installed under a kitchen sink |
| fire hall | Fire station |
| deke | To avoid or dodge an object/person/conversation
topicphysical outmanoeuvring of an opponent in ice hockey |
| stickhandle | skilful controlling of the puck in ice hockey |
| pogie | On Government welfare assistance |
| give’r | Go for it, give it your best shot |
| Elementary school | Grades KG-5 |
| Middle school | Grades 6-8 |
| High school | Grades 9-12 |
| University | After-school college (different from ‘community college’)
Time measured in Years – First Year, Third Year, etc |
| Grade | School class |
What Makes Canadian English, Well, Canadian?
On the spelling front, Canadian English tends to combine aspects of American and British English. Canadian pronunciations too are influenced by British and American English (despite regional variations).
For the most part, Canadians tend to sound like Americans. However, there are some accent differences between Canadian and American spoken English, although they are not always easy to discern!
The best-known feature of Canadian English pronunciation is the phenomenon known as ‘Canadian raising’ which affects two specific diphthongs before voiceless consonants like f, k, p, s and t. This ‘raising’ makes the vowel in ‘out’ sound more like ‘oot’ to American ears (and hence the ‘oot’ and ‘aboot’ stereotype!).
Other unique features of Canadian pronunciations include the ‘low back merger’, which makes caught and cot sound similar and the ‘Canadian vowel shift’ which makes ‘bit’ sound a bit like ‘bet’ and ‘bet’ sounds a bit like ‘bat’!
OK, so now we know that Canadian English spellings and pronunciations are a charming mish-mash of British and American English.
Le fin!
So you’re new to Canada, eh? With this guide, you won’t feel like a newbie for long.
And don’t worry about fitting in. Canadians are among the nicest people you will ever meet. So even if you don’t warm up to the Canadian winter (-30° Celsius anyone?!), you’ll definitely warm up to the Canucks and to the uniquely charming Canadian English in no time!
You’re welcome!
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