10 SINGLISH WORDS & PHRASES I'VE ADOPTED 🇸🇬 | BRIT IN SINGAPORE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Here's 10 Singlish words and phrases that I've adopted living in Singapore! 🇸🇬 What's your favourite singlish word? Comment and let me know!!
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So...how’s my singlish?😂 Tell me what your favourite singlish words are and remember to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed this video!😊
"lah"
Idk is that a sound or word , hmmmm😂
I think you've got all the phrases in the bag except for walau considering how these phrases are extremely difficult for non singlish speakers
wah...as an ang moh your singlish very good liao lah. but hor...maybe you can level up by trying to speak singlish from start to end. e.g.. like a conversation in your office.
you: "wah lao eh...you siao or what...like that can meh..later boss reject how. don't sabo me leh...i kana butter not you kana lor...
colleague: can want lah...this want can chin cai want. boss ok want
you: can can can CAN your head ah
Maybe you could try challenging yourself to have a conversation in this manner...😁
Nice video!
Dear Georgia.. just for laughs:-
British English vs. Singlish
WHEN GIVING A CUSTOMER BAD NEWS
Britons : I'm sorry, sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater you want in your size, but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.
S'poreans : No stock liao.
RETURNING A CALL
Britons : Hello, this is John Smith. Did anyone call for me a few moments ago?
S'poreans : Hello, who call?
ASKING SOMEONE TO MAKE WAY
Britons : Excuse me, I would like to get by. Would you please make way?
S'poreans : S-kew me.
WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO PAY
Britons : Hey! Put your wallet away, this drink is on me!
S'poreans : No need lah.
WHEN ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Britons : Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to enter through this door?
S'poreans : (pointing at the door) Can ah?
WHEN ENTERTAINING
Britons : Please make yourself right at home.
S'poreans : No need shy shy one lah!
WHEN DOUBTING SOMEONE
Britons : I don't recall you giving me the money.
S'poreans : Where got?
WHEN DECLINING AN OFFER
Britons : I would prefer not to do that, if you don't mind.
S'poreans : Don't want lah
IN DISAGREEING ON A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION
Britons : Err...Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you're coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about the issue .
S'poreans : You siao ah?
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE TO LOWER THEIR VOICE
Britons : Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice? I'm trying to concentrate over here.
S'poreans : Shuddup lah!
WHEN ASKING SOMEONE IF HE/SHE KNOWS YOU.
Britons : Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for sometime. Do I know you?
S'poreans : See what, see what?
WHEN ASSESSING A TIGHT SITUATION
Britons : We seem to be in a bit of a predicament at the moment..
S'poreans : Die liao la!
WHEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED
Britons : Will someone tell me what has just happened?
S'poreans : Why liddat ah?
WHEN SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WRONG
Britons : This isn't the way to do it. Here, let me show you.
S'poreans : Liddat also don't know how to do!
Sabre Cruz you forgot all the ta ma des and sibei sway and sibei jialat
Sabre Cruz thanks dude you made my day gonna give you a like
Thanks for your hard work!
Sabre Cruz
👍🏻😁 I’m Chinese from EU. It’s so funny to read 😂
Asking someone to make way, I prefer shouting “seeoo ah!” - translation: I’m coming through, carrying something hot and you might get scalded if it gets on you (even though I may not be carrying anything hot at all).
It’s actually rather cute. I like it that she’s making an effort to blend in
Flu Go Away bish i thought there was a tiny piece of hair on my screen
@@lmwodoecj me fucking too! Lmao stupid pfp
This makes me want to live in Singapore. The way they shorten sentences is smart.
Singaporean here!!! Singlish is rly unique yes!!!
Please do! Even Nas Daily came over to Singapore and made their base here!
i live there and its crazy
Ikr
Smart, kinda like how basketball Americans do, I guess lmao
I’m a Singaporean and I uses these terms all the time, but never realised how funny it sounds from a foreigner prospective. Hahaha! U had me laughing!
the.j4.joy eh true leh
"I uses" - comfirm Singaporean
note to myself, shouldn't use singlish with my french accent :D
Sebastien Tixier No no let us enjoy it :P it is actually nice to hear foreigners using it hahaha
the.j4.joy agree I am Singaporean too!
"die die" basically means something you definitely needs or must have or do. so something like ( even if it kills you, you still wanna get it) " is this something you die die must have?
the "lao sai" part got be laughing hahaha.
Its usually "die die must try!"
Im from Singapore. You are awesome. It seriously tickles us pink listening to you say these words. LOL. You make people smile and giggle without telling a joke. I mean this in a good way.
Malaysian here, and I agree loads 😂
I've had a british customer say "so at this point we cannot do anything (about it)?" Replied, "yes, unfortunately." He responded, "Aiyoh eh"
HAHAH I found it so funny and it just made the situation funny rather than serious. Was really thankful for that. I find Koreans and Japanese are grateful and proud when you speak their language well. For me, I'm happy even if you acknowledge that Singlish is a language, I mean you don't even have to use it well hahahha
Stephanie C
Ikr!
you definitely got the gist of it!
thought i'd add on for better understanding:
1) can/cannot: not exactly yes/no, but rather able/unable. "can give me $5?" "cannot."
2) die die: as in, a must before one dies, or even at the risk of death. one for the bucket list. "this laksa is die die must try!"
3) can ready: short for "can already". to indicate that something is just now ready or has been ready for some time. can also be a question. "walao eh, how long you need to put on your make up?" "can already la. lets go."
4) ask you ah: "ah" performs the role of a question mark. it's funny because singlish has caused so much verbal shortening, a sound needs to be added to indicate that the prior two words are a question, to express doubt, or to seek an affirmation. in longer sentences where intent is obvious, the "ah" is usually dropped. "ok, here's $5." "really ah?"
5) blur: having all the qualities that may lead others to assume you have blurred vision. basically being unaware of one's situation and surroundings.
Props to you for your efforts in trying to integrate with the locals and you sound so cute lol 😂👏👏👏
You are really amazing and cute in the way you use Singlish. I love how you explain them accurately. I have listed some further information for you regarding the terms you mentioned in the video for future references:
1) Chiobu can be used on any girl, does not have to be Singaporean.
2) Die die is used in the context of an ultimatum of a personal preference. So an example would be let's say if someone were to ask you what is the first thing you do in the morning, and then you say, "I die die must drink water because I will be sibei thirsty."
3) Alamak is also used frequently in Singapore, especially among the Malay community.
4) Can ready is actually "can already" spoken in a really fast way, meaning it is so fast that you ignore "a" and "L" of the word "already". It does not have to do with the word "ready".
5) As for makan, you are right in that it means eat. It comes from the Malay language, not Malaysian. So just to clarify, Malay is a race/language/culture while Malaysia is a country.
Thank you for appreciating the efficiency of Singlish. It saves a lot of time and effort when communication with others. =)
Makan is the malay* word for eat 😂 Malaysian is a nationality, malay is a race
Yes sorry I realised I made the mistake whilst editing haha
Ya laaaaa but is ok takpe takpe :D
LittleHampie89 stop right there. We never use "Austronesian". We call ourselves Malay. When do you use "Austronesian"? I only come across the term when reading on wiki.
LittleHampie89 If like that we have a right to claim Madagascar and Taiwan.
Like what dorkiecookie said, Malay is a race and also the language :)
You're so cute and funny!! I love the fact that you're trying to blend in. Honestly, when you look back, you'll remember everything with a smile. Kudos!!
"to the point" is the best description of Singapore-English. In a nut shell, its born from a culture of different ethnic groups with different languages, trying to communicate in an unfamiliar language. As a result, only key words were memorised. Very astute of you to notice it!
you are grasphing singlish really well. the three years there is starting to make you a local. in another 3 years your british accent might even start to fade. very unique and interesting.. hence the increased views on youtube.
JLC Driveway Ramps, *english
LOVED THE VID!!! Try to practice and take note of the four tones in Singlish (thats if you haven't picked Singlish up entirely yet in the past year). So like for your phrases "ask you ah" and "tell you ah", your tones where... ask(1st tone) you(3rd tone) ah(2nd tone), when it should be 1st, 1st, 2nd tone.
Nice large blue eyes. Kudos for blending in with us. The effort is priceless!
Steady pom pi pi!
another common singlish words we Singaporeans usually use is “ your head! ”
it basically means like “ dont be stupid!” or " are you out of your mind? ” 😂😂
Haha yes love that one!
Missing a "lah"
Zulfadhli Junary true 😂
In malaysia we would say. 'kepala kau' which is kinda rude.Haha it's a direct translate tho
fiqterrifiq It was actually adopted from the malay saying "kepala otak kau". We malays in Singapore like to say that to each other and somehow the other races adopted it.
i died when u kept trying to do add AH to everything OMFG LAUGH DIE ME X'D
'Fat Die Me' actually is a direct translation from the Chinese term 肥死我 :)
Ivan ya lor. Fat Die Me considered Singlish meh ??? 🤔
@@mommyeileen hahaha i was surprised as well. But where else on earth will you use it?
I like to use "jialat" (can be used to describe any troubling/tragic situation) and "sian" (means "tired" in Hokkien, but mainly used now to mean "bored" or to convey a sense of weariness).
I love that you use "laosai"! Hardly anyone I know says that out loud; makes you legit! Keep up with that Singlish!
Omg you’re damn cute!!! Thanks for making the effort to respect and integrate into our society! We need more people like you! Love watching your videos, keep it up! :)
The moment she made an impersonation of "can ah" hahahahahha that cracked me up a lot! You're so entertaining to watch, in a good way :))
Omg! You got me laughing at lao sai! Hahaha, it really does sound peculiar in your accent😂
I don’t know if you ever encountered these terms too, but like
“Bojio” or “abu den?”
Bojio meaning, you didn’t invite me to something.
Abu den is like... err “what else did you think it was gonna be?” in a sarcastic way??? 😂
ALLAMAC HAHHAHAHA too cute Georgia xD
I'm moving to SG soon and ur explanation is actually helping me a lot to understand. thx!
How cute when you're trying to pronounce those words in your accent, at least you try! Big thumbs up hahaha you're the first youtuber who just let the ending song finished. hahaha
Hahaha, I can't help laughing. Laugh die me or 笑死我 . Good observation, Georgia !
You had me at " lao sai".. lol. I grew up in the UK and have been living in Singapore for 20 years.. so I can roughly understand what you've gone through...however being an Asian , people thought I was " atas". Loved this vid, I had a good chuckle with your impressions
renato yap
Usually if u just say u grew up in uk ppl would let it go liao. Only bo liao ppl would be so petty/snowflake to take offense.
jeremy emilio
So what did u get for O lvl n A lvl? Got proof? Lol. Only half bucket water ones like to act atas.
You see michelle chiong n syz eng chi n singlish all so good but u no see them hao lian.
RonLarhz
Ok, I need a translator, to translate that comment into normal English for me XD
I can’t understand shit.
From “catch no ball” you are catching it... steady poon bi bi! 😜
this is the cutest and most wholesome video ever
Hahaha omg gonna die laughing... you sounded so cute! :) great that you’re enjoying singlish!
Thank you for the wonderful video! I am learning a lot. I want to try these expressions with local friends! Thanks again!
You are indeed a Chio bu :D
Here are some other useful Singlish phases and words you can consider to use
1. Lets go Kai Kai ... or, Let's go Walk Walk ... aka Let's go out for a stroll / date
- in a real world usage, u could also say this to another person "wanna go kai kai?"
2. Siao Lang ... aka Mad Crazy Person (derived from Chinese hokkien dialect)
3. Mai Lah... or, Dun Wan... aka Nope... aka NO4. Behkan... aka Incompetent
5. Sabo ... short form of "Sabotage", example if your work colleague is doing a job task however if handled wrongly or incorrectly by him/her could lead to you receiving the blame of the project, you could say to him/her in advance... "Please don't make any mistakes otherwise I could get the blame...." or you could just say "Do your job properly ok, don't sabo me hor"
Hope this is helpful :)
Hamstar Dont forget sabo king 😂
Let’s go Kai Kai is what I tell my dog lol but it’s just Cantonese
Brilliant! Totally enjoy ur vids. So amusing for a local to hear your observations.
Wow i didnt even realise some of these words / phrases were considered singlish because they are still technically English but i guess i use it on a daily basis and its like "in my blood"😅. Enjoyed watching this video! Interesting to see it from a more personal non-Singaporean pov.👍
The ''triple Can'' is the most powerful of all confirmations
can can can!! you've gotten a new subscriber. because your singlish is on point!
The context of "die die" refers to something one desperately must do even if it causes one's death, but used with artistic licence (and not literally) of course. It basically conveys strong desperation. It's a loose translation of the Chinese phrase "死都要" ("si dou yao", transliterally "die also must"). An equivalent English phrase would be to "put it on one's bucket list".
For example, when you're recommending a fantastic restaurant that deserves that once-in-a-lifetime try, you tell your friends that it's "die die must try".
Or, when you're telling someone about a drink you love so much you must have it daily, you tell that person you "die die must drink".
It can also be used negatively, such as when the class punk keeps belligerently arguing with the teacher and stalling the class, you whisper to your friend "walau eh, this guy really die die must have the last say. Die die must argue to the end. Cannot shut up ah?".
Oh my god I can’t 😂
Your Singlish curse is legendary 👍🏻
Haha wow thanks!!😂
Enjoyed this so much. You unravelled these Singlish words to the point. I have a hard time explaining many Singlish words to my non-singaporean friends. Hope you settled here well.
I used to live in Singapore for 2y and the show is an absolute nostalgia
Many thanks
As a Singaporean, you are spot on! I didnt realise mm mm mm is a Singaporean thing! Hahaha well done!
You've assimilated so well by learning and incorporating so much Singlish within these years...!! Entertaining video... :D
Your video really caught my attention Georgia! You have made me so cautious of what i text here! Omg! But i do hope that you will enjoy your stay here. I have recommended your youtube to my friends. I literally rolled and teared after watching your video on "Hor". So hilarious alright?!
Guess we prefer to speak n text in short sentences. It really doesnt matter if we text in full actually. What matters most is that we can understand what each other means. Guess that makes Singapore Unique! Make more videos! Love them!
Great video! One of the best explanations of singlish words :)
Love your video! Thumbs up for knowing so much about it!
I never knew how funny our Singlish is until I saw this video. Gosh. Our language is like just all keywords from a sentence only. Lol! Though agree with you, the accent really makes a difference.
Lastly, thanks for not criticising our "English" and trying to adapt to it instead! :)
As a Singaporean, i don’t even know most of the Singlish words you mentioned 😂 but your accent is adorable! Just so lovely, you’re really sweet!
Your videos crack me up. Great stuff!!
"Die die" is almost always accompanied by the word "must" so it'll be something like "what food you die die must everyday eat" or "what drinks you die die must drink everyday"
As a born and bred Singaporean this was interesting to watch as a lot of phrases and sentence structures that we use become such second nature to us that I forget its a uniquely Singaporean thing
Well done Georgia.. its very endearing to watch...staedy lah!
Truly welcome to Singapore 🇸🇬 ❣️
I love your channel and few times i burst out laughing ! thanks
Thank you again! This is so helpful!
OMG Hearing you review these words is so funny, not in a bad way
I will be in Singapore for 8 days next month and this video is so helpful. Thank you!! 😊
You are too cute lah
Welcome to Singapore and enjoy our Singlish
Cheers
yah lor
Georgia is so pretty
Shannon Tan, *English
Thats the wrong way to use lah idiot
The way you said it, is so cute! Can lar
You're right that your accent with Singlish is quite odd, but I think it's cute. :)
maleman67 *you're
singapore360
Lol. Should say which one. I was like "your accent" is correct what. Then i realise u meant the first one. Oppsie. See too many 'murican do this that brain auto correct n missed it....
Georgia, this is just amazing. You've finally adapted Singlish in SG. It sounded cute when you're using it. Have a great Sunday today. Hope to meet you one of these days here in SG. =)
An old video but the "can or not?" - is somewhat a literal translation from Chinese. We say "ke yi ma?" when asking if something is okay, and the closest word would be "can". Some Singlish is very literal translation from Chinese to English
This is hilarious, subscribed after watching for only 10 seconds lol.
I'm impressed! Really enjoyed your video!! =)
I "die die" wanna watch this video again.
I "die die" must go shopping today.
Hahaha its nice to see you trying to learn our way of speaking. And to be honest you can really say them quite well! 👍
Very cute! You pretty much got all the important ones. When we had the honour of teaching a new Filipino colleague who just came to Singapore, the first words were "lao sai", "pang sai" and "walau eh!".
Just a little correction though, "can ready" is actually "can already".
‘ Die die ‘ in context refers to ‘ a must / really have to do so ‘
Eg. I am a huge fan of clean bandit, they are coming to Singapore next week, I die die have to go to their show!
J T
Can just use 1 word: absolutely.
Yr view from the outside makes perfect sense. Toodle-oo!
Omg you're so adorable saying those Singlish words hahaha I'm a Singaporean so it's so funny to me when other people say it!
"can ready" is actually a short form of "can already"! e.g. "Are the cookies done baking?" "Ya, can already!" but because we shorten it and say it fast we sometimes drop the "al" in already :-)
"hmm hmm" is just audible acknowledgement that I'm listening to you. Someone is talking to me, conversing and telling me his or her ideas. I'm like "hm hm"
"ah" is the same thing.
The elder generation usually understood various native language (Chinese, Malay & Tamil). English is introduce later as an official working language of commence. For effective communication, keyword is replaced in sentences by native language so everyone understands. I guess this is especially so when English is still new to adopt. So welcome to multiculturalism.
Hehe, just a small additional to your current knowledge of Singlish.
die die -- usually used with the word "must" behind it. e.g "What thing/drink/food, you die die must have when you travel"
can ready -- usually is "can already" but when you say it quickly, it sounds like "can ready". e.g "wah lau eh, wait for you until neck long liao leh, can leave ready?". After 5 mins and if they are still not ready, you can repeat "can ready?"
Blur - can be used to admonish someone "Oi! Dun blur ah!" (Asking someone to be on their toes) or "dun act blur ah!" (to stop pretending)
Another awesome vlog Georgia, well done with the Singlish....very good leh!
My pet peeve is : "atas"! Used to work with a chef who loves to go "make sure the dish looks atas!" If a dish is atas, the price will be atas! If not, it will be trying so hard to be atas!
"Can ready" is kinda shortened from "can already". So when we type we use the latter but when we speak it sounds like the former. Singlish kinda mixes Mandarin dialects and Malay together with English. For example, the "wa lao eh" expression is from the dialect Hokkien, while "atas" is from the Malay language which originally meant "on top/above" in the language.
This video is hilarious! You make them sound so funny~ 😂
This makes me laugh a lot !!! I'm a singaporean chinese but i do not really like to use Singlish :D Since I am aiming to be an author in the future, I tend to use complete sentences whenever I talk in English :) I really think you are really good at Singlish !! :))
I find it amusing to hear so many local phrases aptly illustrated from an ang moh .
Subscribing because of this. LOL on your Ah's impression.
So interesting because I didn’t even see some of these words as Singlish!!!
its amazing how you can teach singlish
Funny story for you... a friend of mine (local) went to Oxford for her studies for like 4 years. So she came back speaking English with a British accent. So we were out at an "atas" restaurant, and she was pointing at the menu and asking, with her British accent, "Does this dish come with mushrooms?". The waiter did a double-take and said "HAR??"... twice. I had to "help" her out by saying "This one got mushroom or not?" for the waiter to understand. So basically it's not really the words, more like the accent. And also, she was local, so it's a surprise to hear a British accent coming out of a local's mouth. So the waiter's surprise is not due to his lack of understanding English, it's a combination of the accent and the fact that a local Chinese girl spoke with a British accent. The waiter had no problems understanding other Caucasians at other tables with their American/Australian/English accents.
Atas actually means up, top or above (anything that means up). When its used as posh, only then it is describing a high end place. its 'above' everything else.
Ho Say Lah! U said it right to the point! Ur singlish now beri powderful oreadi!
Haha😂
"Welcome to Singapore"
Your “wa lau eh” is authentic!
I love your British accent and I'm from sg too :)
wa lao eh! integration on point! like ur channel!
"can ready" i think is "can already?"
Yasss but the ‘al’ gets dropped haha so just ‘ready’. At least from what I always hear!
it's just pronounced rly fast so it's actually "can a ready"
Lee Si Xian
Yup.i also think she might have missed it.
It is said really fast that a lot of times the al- gets dropped or almost inaudible
u r getting there, oledi.The more u use, the more singlish it becomes
Its quite good for a beginner..kudos
As a singaporean, this video is so damn hilarious. Props to you for picking up the lingo so well! :D
Another singlish word to add on your list: Bojio. You say this when your friend dont invite you to go out together. So like for example your friend went to Swensen without you knowing then you like, "Bojio!"
😂 nice job! Strange/wonderful thing about Singlish or the SG accent is when I'm overseas, when you hear just a phrase of it being spoken, you know they're Singaporean (90% of the time)
Fabulous mimicry!
Giving me some extreme flashbacks of my 2 years in Singapore. Your accent is like mine so it sounds good to me!
Wah U Singaporean liao ! Confirm man, chop chop ! 😊
"Fat die me" is a direct Chinese translation of "肥死我". It is usually used in the terms of Chinese than English. Also, it's not really "can ready" but rather "can already" shortened to "can 'ready". :) Hope this help.
Wah quite good sia keep it up !