Say What?: Lingo In Canada That Immigrants Need To Learn

English and French are the two major languages spoken in Canada. Despite that, most of the people in the country know how to speak English, a language that is spoken all over the world. This has made immigrants able to adapt easily and communicate well with the people in the country. Immigrants in Canada definitely know that to be able to get by, one has to be able to communicate properly especially in a new place so they can get information on things that they do not know about.

Despite English being a widely spoken language in Canada, there are things that immigrants still have to understand. The country also has its own lingo and so immigrants should also learn the local lingo for them to be able to understand what the locals are saying and how they can also communicate well with the locals. There are plenty of lingo in Canada, given that English is such a dynamic language. Here are some of them.

Eh?

This is pronounced as “ay”. It is quite a common term and is a classic. It is often used daily by plenty of locals. The term is used by a person when he or she does not quite understand something or if they cannot believe that something is true or real. It is also used by people if they want the other person they are speaking with to respond. It is said to be the Canadian version of the United States’ “right?”, “what?”, and “huh?”.

To get to the goal, I must take fifteen leaps, eh?

Loonie (or a toonie)

When someone in Canada says that they have a loonie, it means that they have a coin worth $1. This term is taken from a bird that is native to Canada and can be found on one side of the $1 coin.

The toonie is a term used to call the coin worth $2. This name is taken from the loonie and was tweaked so that it sounds rhyming.

It is important to understand that loonies and toonies in Canada are used to refer to money (the coins with certain value) and they are far from the terms loonies and toonies that are used in the United States (which often refer to cartoons).

All I got is a loonie. I wonder what I can buy with it.

I’ll give you a toonie if you grab me a beer from the fridge.

Timmies

When someone in Canada uses the term “Timmies,” they are referring to Tim Hortons, the famous coffee and food chain. Everyone in the country knows Tim Hortons and it is the best place to get Timbits, which is actually donut holes. These are perfect with the chain’s coffee.

I got some Timbits from Timmies. Wanna have some?

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