How to Use Australian Slang

As an Australian living in the US, I'm often asked for funny Australian sayings and Australian slang. Here's how to use local slang to talk like an Australian:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Start with your greeting. Australians love to say "G'day," which is a shortened version of "Good day." "G'day" is usually followed by "Howzitgoin?" which roughly translates to "how are you?"

2. Never use a person's full name. Australians love nicknames, especially ones that don't make any sense. This is why we call redheads "blue" or "bluey" and overweight people often get the nickname "slim." The easiest way to make an Australian nickname is to add "O" to the end, like "Dave-O" or "Johnno." It's also popular to add "azza" to the first sound in a name - Jasmine becomes "Jazza," Shannon becomes "Shazza," and Aaron becomes "Azza."

3. Don't worry too much about gender. Australians call everyone "mate," male or female. When you're traveling in Australia, you'll often hear groups of women referred to as "guys" or "you guys." It's perfectly acceptable.

4. Add "o" or "ee" sounds to ordinary words to sound more Australian. The bottle shop is called the "bottle-o," and afternoon is shortened to "arvo." Breakfast becomes "brekkie" and Firefighter becomes "Firey." Yes, barbeque does become "Barbie," but be warned, Australians never use the word "shrimp". It's called a prawn.

5. Avoid the number one mistake US travelers make when visiting Australia: pronouncing "Aussie" wrong. It's Oz-ee with a hard z sound, not Oss-ee. Think "The Wizard of Oz." Now that you know how to speak like an Australian, enjoy your trip to Australia!

[chefbob]

on 10/19/2009 Cute!