Anyone coming to Australia for studies, holidays or business trips should really get a good grasp of these words before coming. Australia is a multi-cultural country. The English in Australia is different because they pronounce their ‘vowels’ differently. It’s better to know a little bit of their English before coming or else, you might not get what you ordered in a restaurant or you might reply the wrong answer or you might hurt people and even land yourself in big trouble!
People will never tell you the way you should talk but they will rather look at you. Some may think that you know the ‘right’ way but you are pretending. Anyone going to Australia should be familiar with these basic words.
-----------------MEETING PEOPLE-------------------
Greetings
Australians are very easy-going and the established Australian greeting is ‘G’day’. It may vary from ‘How are ya?’ and ‘how ya goin’ mate – orright?. They will say it very fast.
All it means is how are you or how do you do? Expected answer is ‘Good, how are you?’ It is always recommended to ask as it’s more polite.
Farewells
Most common farewell is ‘See you later or see ya’. Australians will tend to use ‘See you later’ more often although some may use ‘Catch you later’ (more cool). However, if you are new to the country, it’s better to say ‘See you later’.
Common Things To Hear
’No Worries’: You are bound to hear this quite a few times in the conversation. Don’t panic! They tend to use it very often. It simply means ‘No problems’ or ‘That’s OK’. However, it is not really recommended to use this term if you are new.
‘Good on Ya’: Well done
----------------EATING-----------------------
Brekkie: breakfast. Don’t confuse this with a name of a dog!
Vegetarian and Vegan: Big Difference
A vegetarian is someone who eats eggs, fish and drinks milk. A vegan is someone who does not eat fish and eggs. Please make sure you emphasise if you are vegan or vegetarian in a restaurant or take-way.
Entrée: This is a starter on a restaurant menu.
Mains: Main Course.
Stubbie: A small beer bottle.
Brunch: Lunch and Breakfast combined together. It is mostly enjoyed during weekends.
Example: Would you like to go for brunch tomorrow? It simply means let’s go to eat something at around 11am tom?
BYO: ’Bring Your Own’ alcoholic drinks. Some licensed restaurants have this option where you can bring your own alcoholic drinks, mainly wine.
Chips: Mostly referred to as French Fries.
--------------TERMS AND COMMON WORDS IN CONVERSATIONS---------------
Bloke: describing a young adult male.
Example: ‘That bloke the other night’. They won’t say that man but some may say ‘that guy’.
Cheap as chips: simply means it is very cheap. By the way, chips are not that cheap! Example: Cds are cheap as chips.
Telly: Television. Some might say TV but most in conversations they will say ‘telly’. Example: Did you watch that on the telly yesterday?
Footy: Football
Loo: Toilet
Chemist: Pharmacy
Lay-by: cash deposit payment for a reserved article.
Kiwi: New Zealander
Lollies: sweets
Milk Bar: General store
Mongrel: horrible person
Thongs: rubber sandals
These are the most common terms that you will come across. It’s important to learn them and use them appropriately. I hope that this will help anyone coming to Australia to understand their English properly.
It will also help those who are going to dine in restaurants to have a better understanding of the term they use. Most important is when you meet people. Understanding what the other person has to say is important to make new friends and meet new people.
Please print a copy of this and keep it handy with you if you are travelling to any part of Australia. Always remember that the first impression will remain the last impression. So a small difference in the way you talk can mean a big difference to somebody else.