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 ar e  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?

Moving To Canada? Here Are 75 Canadian English Slangs & Phrases You Must Know

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!

Moving To Canada? Here Are 75 Canadian English Slangs & Phrases You Must Know

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

Moving To Canada? Here Are 75 Canadian English Slangs & Phrases You Must Know

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

You might also want to read: If You Live In Any Of These 20 Cities, You Spend The Most Time Stuck In Traffic…

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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