SINGLISH WORDS & PHRASES WE'VE ADOPTED! 🇸🇬Brits In Singapore

[@eileenstacie]

LOL when I heard the " come I clap for you" ....that is so Singapore. LOL

[@SyazanaLopez]

eileenstacie hahaha i know right!

[@RonLarhz]

Ikr. Can feel it.

[@fredchin1421]

That's the equivalent of "someone give this guy a medal".

[@EastOceanAquatic]

really? i though that is a 9gag meme phase

[@csy897]

@@EastOceanAquatic Sgag. But my favorite too. The NK leader "Come I clap for you" meme.

[@Ranger629]

"Your head lah" that is the most Singaporean thing I've ever heard. Hahahaha

[@GeorgiaCaney]

Haha 😂

[@LonesomeBossDaily]

I think it kind of means 'in your dream'

[@rolandlwtay]

An even funnier and somewhat uncouth version of this would be “your backside lah!”

[@kit888]

I think it is a direct translation from Chinese.

[@anwaarmohd6498]

Originally from Malay ," Kepala otak kau!" Your head's brain. Now, shortened to 'Your head!" An insult to disagree with somebody's thinking /mindset/opinion. Meaning "you are mistaken to think that way" Implies something wrong with your brain.

[@MrDMTvs]

Confirm plus chop is a higher level of double confirm

[@GeorgiaCaney]

Haha absolutely

[@hironyx]

confirm plus chop money back guarantee

[@blackhorse7553]

Confirm plus guarantee...

[@isienna]

No one says that anymore

[@Razorwindsg]

@@isienna shows the age and generation hahah

[@mavericklimsk]

"Die die" started from the Singapore Armed Forces slang. It means after you died from doing something, you still got to raise from the grave and complete the task. Death is not an acceptable excuse from finishing something.

[@rollie206]

I would have thought it was from the Malay language like most of our Singlish terms. Die-die is just a literal translation of Mati-mati, also used in exactly the same way.

[@foureyeswonder]

It’s also a direct English translation of the Chinese phrase ‘死死’ (si si), meaning you have to do something no matter what.

[@anwaarmohd6498]

@@rollie206 Yes, Malay phrase: Mati-Mati, Die-Die. another meaning of Mati is 'the end'. For example: Jalan Mati, dead end of a road. So, Mati-Mati, means until the end. In a context: Until the end, he still wants to do that.

[@rollie206]

@@foureyeswonder But that's not proper chinese though. And even this Chinese phrase sounds like a translation from Malay.

[@rollie206]

@@anwaarmohd6498 I think Malay has the biggest influence on our Singlish 'grammar'. If you speak Chinese, you'll see that it has even affected a lot of the Chinese spoken in SG.

[@shawnded]

Justin’s Singlish is fantastic!

[@gweejiahan9336]

Funny thing is, "See how" Is the most often response to "So how"

[@GabeWatchesAnime]

So how? See how lor!

[@nigeltan4699]

his pronunciation of singlish words is absolutely on point... esp 'liddat'.... georgia... your pronunciation is there as well but his is better haha... cheers to the both of you

[@GeorgiaCaney]

Haha oh wow I’m honoured 🙈

[@Siewperman]

You can use liddat by saying, “Eh, you don’t liddat can or not.”

[@owenlok2325]

I mean we say these but when we say it to ourselves it.gets kinda weird

[@Jinnlongg]

Wait long long is also commonly used in conversation as well. For instance when one believes that he will strike lottery or 4D, others will pour wet blanket on him by saying “you wait long long ah you kenna 4D”. You both are so cute, you guys can pass as full fledge Singaporeans. 😊💯🤙🏼

[@Joe-gf6vn]

Your "wah lau" is very on point. Now you have a semi-secret language to communicate with each other when you return to Britain 🙂

[@GeorgiaCaney]

haha I suppose we do :P

[@g3nroll]

@Georgia "Chope" as meant today as "reserve' in Singapore, or 'dibs" in America; however, decades back, chope also meant time-out. We used to play "catching" or "high ball" and we'll utter, when needed, "chope!" with a victory sign to signify time-out.

[@jiarui1312]

U guys really fit into the culture of singapore!!!! wahlao eh, confirm, correct, die die. the way u guys describe is 100% singaporean! thumbs up!!!

[@jc6757]

Yes, pls do a "Liddat" T-shirt! You can have a variety as well: 1. Liddat Lor. 2. Liddat Lah! 3. Liddat Can? 4. Liddat Meh? 5. Liddat Ah? 6. Like this and Liddat.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

I literally designed a Liddat Lor t-shirt two years ago haha. Need to dig those back up!

[@alicia49999]

Also don’t forget “ Liddat win liao lor “

[@fazer8511]

Why u so liddat?

[@Sgscouser]

There a rap titled "Why u so lidat" in the 90s kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJKaqadvmrF_f80

[@absnbuns]

Well done with the pronunciation . I learn a new thing. Hello Talk seems useful. As for "Come I clap for you" personally i haven't used or really hear people around me say that. Good video for people coming to Singapore.

[@nanaserena]

I've been homesick recently and thank you for making me feel better! Love your channel!

[@chenlianghe]

Wish you guys have more and more subscribers cuz you guys are just such wonderful human beings. The effort to assimilate is impeccable.

[@pennychan1662]

Both of you nailed the intonations of those singlish words so well, I'm impressed!

[@aRandomUserName321]

Thank you for providing the dose of singlish which is sorely missed from where I'm at.

[@wheeinflower]

Laughed at "Come I clap for you". Was not expecting that hahaha!

[@tammytan1902]

Omg the way you said 'walao eh' is legit. I LOVE IT. If I close my eyes and hear you two say it again, I'd think you were Singaporeans!

[@annabeth3017]

Aww idk why but its so cute hearing yall say them

[@kimchikoalaa714]

"So how" and "see how" are efficient but they didn't come about because of efficiency :D It's actually one of those phases we translated directly over from Chinese slags, efficient regardless!

[@RaZeyLWindBladE]

"Where got...." you basically use this when you are being indignant. "Sure not..." used when you are unsure or questioning someone's opinion. Recently, there's also Stupiak, kinda like basically a term used to describe someone who is stupid and deserves to be Batman-slapped (piak!) and also Shiok, a term used to describe something that is really satisfying. "Ger-rek" is a term used by most malay fellas who are in the their 30s to describe something that is great. (its actually the word great but mispronounced). Its all really colloquial.

[@RonLarhz]

Stupiak is from "the noose" Comes with stufreak and stuflick.

[@RaZeyLWindBladE]

Theres also the word "kena", *kaa-nuh*. Its a malay word, describing getting hit or a meeting the mark. It fits with a lot of 'eureka' moments, or hitting the jackpot kinda stuff. Eg: Sure kena! / confirm kena! ( sure hit! ) Haiyah kena arrow! ( got chosen to do something, that is not to liking ).

[@Laimetart]

Once had a Canadian friend visit for a few days, he couldn't stop saying "so SHIOK ahhhh" for the rest of the trip after he heard it.

[@uncletan888]

Nope. Is ' sure or not' or ' sure bo '

[@chris9879]

The only time i heard about stupiak was from the noose. We dont really use the word stupiak in daily convo (I think).

[@paulineng6177]

I really like how Justin said liddat, his expression is hilarious.

[@cherie88cc92]

Some of these phrases like “see how” I don’t even realise it’s not accurate English and after studying in the states for four years now I’m just realising that I never say that to my american friends hahhaa I miss home so seeing these videos are helping me cope with that haha

[@limxuanting4632]

so cute, glad that you guys have caught on with our culture!

[@Hamidmahdi]

Dabao 打包 is one of the Chinese words they've adopted, I guess. I heard it so much when I lived in the mainland. And Aiyo sounds similar to a word they use here in Korea--"aigoo" 아이고. Sometimes people use it when they feel shocked, annoyed, or when something gives them a headache. Kind of like saying, "good grief."

[@TheSoundOfYourHeartbeat]

It actually comes from the Chinese expression 哎哟! which sounds like aiyo exactly in Hanyu Pinyin.

[@Hamidmahdi]

@@TheSoundOfYourHeartbeat I know it’s Chinese originally. But I had kind of forgotten the phrase until seeing this video and then realized how similar they sounded.

[@fashnfun]

you guys are so cute when you say those singlish words!

[@Yu-rj7sc]

It has been 9 months since I move to Singapore and I still don't know most of them(most of my colleagues are local)! Very helpful!

[@melvinseetoh4403]

Like what you mentioned, Singlish is all about efficiency, so some seemingly normal expressions are really nuanced and most foreigners will never know what Singaporeans mean. A simple example is "ok ah", which has so many meanings depending on the inflection, could be just a reassurance - "I taught you everything already, so ok ah?" or maybe one is meaning to say, I'm alright - a: how are you feeling? b: ok ah And even the word "one" - I'll leave you guys to figure that one out

[@PetraGreene]

This is funny 😂 I love seeing expats trying to incorporate the local culture into their life. I also love how you’re so interested in the language, enjoying it but youre not mocking it.

[@supreme87878]

Oh! That accent! I believe both of you know much more local stuffs than any other expats living in Singapore! From the hawker food to the singlish! Boleh lah!

[@DonYang73]

Your pronounciation of wah lao and alamak is pretty good. 👍

[@farbrena]

“See how” is like a direct translation from Malay “tengok macam mana” which mean the same thing!

[@I9s7lam5is-S3tu1pid]

Farhana Riduan it’s Cantonese for dai theem

[@leftclot]

wow this is actually so accurate. I never realized smthing as simple as confirm is smthing unique to sg also. that's cool

[@enimsajnil]

i feel like they should check out episodes of Phua Chu Kang, especially now they are more comfortable with Singlish

[@raeious3974]

it was delightful watching this as a Singaporean!

[@hironyx]

you should google for the song "why you so like that?" will definitely increase your singlish power.

[@ohjianda4173]

this video is sooo accurate the explanation too , most videos can't do proper exact explanation . goodjob!!!!

[@Jaymino_]

Fantastic! Enjoyed this so much. You two have adjusted so well to Singapore culture showing the open-ness you have.

[@robertbennett-lovsey7806]

"Like your father owns the road" is one of my favourites. Cross between walking around like you own the place / to describe someone doing something somewhere without a care in the world / to tell someone off for obnoxious behaviour.

[@clarissalin7212]

Your grandfather road ah

[@tuesdae666]

Omg this was hilarious. Georgia's wah lao eh was completely on point. And yes, do a liddat lorr t-shirt.

[@n2blaze467]

British Accent so Robotic! Water=wotah Tuesday =chuesday Harry Potter =Herwi Pottah Night=Noit 😂😂

[@isabelleseah7711]

Never even realised some of em' were Singlish until pointed out HAHAHA THIS IS SO INTERESTING

[@marcang4403]

your "Wah Lau Ehhh" is sooo authentic!

[@edwardlim82]

I'm a local Singaporean. My favourite Singlish is 'Don't play play!'. It basically means don't under-estimate on something 😀

[@LS-sh2st]

to put in perspective, 'die die' means the extend of commitment- that one need to do it even if you are about to die. also can be used when being challenged. example when somebody tries to be funny and wanted to cut your queue / line, you are committed in your refusal to allow that, u would say -"die die also i don't let you cut me' , or , 'i die also don't let u'..

[@cevindevy]

“Wah...liddat also can ah?!” You guys are so cute and funny saying those singlish words.

[@laineyl8752]

R.I.P. Siva Choy

[@mindseyeseenema4770]

Thanks for the video. Really enjoy it. You guys should also do mock-up conversations just using Singlish. Singaporean will find it heart-warming. Ppl outside Singapore and Malaysia will find it out of this world.

[@deathdragonslayer1]

U guys missed out one that's very common - "Win liao lor" ...Which translates to "you're in deepsh*t", or to express that the situation is dire. E.g. Tom: "I overslept for over an hour and missed an important job interview" Me: "Win liao lor"

[@sitihumaira2276]

Ive never heard that in Singapore before 😅 my friends also never say before one.

[@cloudwavering]

Georgia’s “Walao wei...” iconic!

[@msjnaomi]

another one of my faves that my brother adopted from NS (army) was "THEN?!" which is rhetorical for "so why aren't you doing it?" example: "eh its 2pm and you're still here?? what time is your meeting?" "2pm." "THEN?"

[@GeorgiaCaney]

Haha yess I used to laugh a lot when my colleague used this. I’d be telling a story...”THEN!??”

[@leeboonkang2]

Kiasu comes from hokkien “kia su” which in chinese(pa, shu) means kia=afraid, su=lose, which generally mean afraid of losing out.

[@thereselisa]

Awesome video 🤣 'liddat' was my fav! Singlish as how I share with foreigners is "a mix of Mandarin, Malay, dialects (Hokkien, Cantonese, etc) translated to English" Example: "可 以 吗?" = "Can or Not?" -- efficient and fast 🤣

[@justglenc]

You can try “The Coxford Singlish Dictionary” at Kinokuniya which explains alot of the terms used. Also “Can” is quite versatile, just Google Image “Singlish Can” to see examples, lol

[@lucaschew5875]

"Chope" is an expression of a sound. From the action of the rubber stamp being stamp on the desk. Most ppl pronouce it as "Chop". With the stamp. it means evidently, physical or black and white. its final. Hand gesture of chopping the hand also points to "Chope"

[@ELZY]

omg please do more of this! you guys forgot about double confirm..PLUS CHOP!!!! hahahha and "come I clap for you" had me rolling

[@Desp0]

Make that shirt Georgia! Unlike many condescending expats who mocked at our accent.. you guys are so fun loving. Love you guys you both are so funny, keep making those videos and thanks for loving my country’s unique lingo!

[@musiqfreq]

Here’s another, “abuden?”. It usually ends with a question mark. Go find out what it is then vlog about it in your next post! 😆

[@alui5362]

Very cool that you guys are picking up the lingo. :D Just wanted to add some bit of clarification- "Your head lah" (or alternatively "My foot lah") is something used to deride a person for talking nonsense. It's not really short for "it's in your head" - it's just a figure of speech that's directly translated from Mandarin, i.e. it's not really an abbreviation of a longer phrase. "Die die" also comes from a Chinese translation, but at least it is an abbreviated meaning of what would otherwise be a longer phrase - something like "even if you die trying... (this must get done)".

[@xllvr]

"Kiasu. The Singapore way of living." Fo sure LOL. The NTUC panic buying started again aft the 'circuit breaking' announcement

[@GeorgiaCaney]

*face palm*

[@alvahuang]

we're not even shy about it haha. thick skin.

[@nataliesophiechua3709]

Empty UC

[@lindseylim8026]

I've lived in different countries now. Trust me, kiasu is not unique to us. Kiasu-ism is everywhere. We are the only people who have a name for it.

[@Vachalen]

It's everyone, everywhere in the world. But Singapore has a word to describe it. Kiasu.

[@wendytan8384]

Lol...I’m a singaporean living in Thailand now. Wow it’s amazing you guys have picked up so much of our Singlish 😆

[@anitacher2412]

A new book has come out in the National Library called "Spiaking Singlish - A Companion to How Singaporeans Communicate" by Dr Gwee Li Sui. I'm currently reading it and it's written fully in Singlish. So maybe you guys should borrow it to learn more Singlish and how the words are used. It's an Ebook so easy to borrow.

[@manchild0123]

It’s very comprehensive and well done. 🙈🙈🙈

[@Daniel-ll7qq]

the beautiful thing about the Singlish/Manglish is that you can use it in Malaysia and they do understand what you say

[@crystal8537]

I started laughing the moment I clicked on your vid.... I love how u and Justin are tryna spill out all the singlish words so hilarious yet cute!!!

[@ctzt26546]

Most of the singlish came from our older generation when they are learning to speak English usually from direct translation of mandarin, bahasa etc. so it makes us what we are today. So much heritage! Haha 😆 but overall a very good video 👍🏼

[@msjnaomi]

OMG I LOVE "COME I CLAP FOR YOU" i use it all the time

[@clairexchoco]

i love how your intonations are so accurate!!!

[@kevina2907]

Guys, you must speak in a fast tone. You find it very funny and everybody feels very heart warming and close.

[@aidenOMS]

the "HUH?" at 6:45 =D

[@krazikatladi3729]

That is such a singaporean huh i'be heard from her. Hahahaha!

[@weichuenthechemist]

That huh: confirm + chop you know Singlish

[@epiphadipity]

also, y'alls "walao eh" is so fluent now I'm so proud of your Singlish HAHAHHAHA *wipes proud mom tears*

[@cyruslok78]

It is interesting to see ang moh explaining singlish phrases... come I clap for you...:D

[@CH-sk4ho]

You guys r best, ter-baik in Bahasa, almost “truly Asia” already, boleh boleh :)

[@jackson9143678]

"Alamak" and "Walao" are similar ("oh my goodness"), but "alamak" is used more in the context of surprise/shock and "walao" is more of disappointment/anger/resignation/bemusement

[@ga4171]

maybe you can do Common Singlish Abbreviations next round, like KLKK, SBC, TBC etc. Singlish has lots of abbreviations, some are rather related to vulgarity. SBC means ''simply don't care'', referring to someone's attitude, widely used in work place.

[@AsiaHikelopedia]

"Gahmen" is one of my favourites!

[@aggierants]

You guys are the most adapted ANG mohs in Singapore la. Come I clap for you two. Loll. But honestly, well done. X

[@GeorgiaCaney]

I mean probably not haha, just the only ones on youtube...

[@shanmugapriyas8004]

I see so many Malay references here. I would also like to point out that few words mentioned felt like a literal translation from Tamil as well. See how - we say 'paakalam', which means let's see. Aiyo- we use it exactly in Tamil as well to express exclamation I don't know if it's the Malay influence on us Tamils or the other way around, but thought worth mentioning.

[@sigmagyat123-s6m]

Good job im from singapore and ur accent is commendable

[@Nathan-rp8cg]

"Lah" actually originated from Malaysia. You can speak in Singlish means you have no problem speaking in Malaysia.

[@rafflesstamford6118]

This is so amusing!! Thanks for the video

[@GeorgiaCaney]

thanks for watching!

[@valunaristic]

5:33 It's spelled dabao. Which is 打包 in chinese, which literally means takeaway.

[@hoyuejing]

there's a singlish dictionary made some time ago that i think you might find hilarious, not sure if they are still available but might be able to find it in the bookstore!

[@hoyuejing]

oh here's a good guide! it's on wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish_vocabulary

[@hoyaya]

Hi Georgia thanks for this interesting video! Love how you guys embrace Singlish so much! A lot of words like "see how", "so how", "aiyo" we directly translate them from the Chinese language. You will come across these Chinese words eventually since you are learning it now. Oh yeah, would really like to see you guys doing a video on lah, lor, leh, ah, mah and meh. Hahaha.

[@GeorgiaCaney]

We can try...haha

[@jonathanlee4305]

“Come, I Clap For You” wins, hands down!

[@49lumen]

Hi Guys, I much enjoyed watching your channel

[@gabrielvideo3852]

your singlish damn power la!! can be real singaporean liao. confirm plus chop.

[@lizaanual9166]

Die-die is from a Malay language which means Mati-mati. Not like "death" but like "Dead serious" . In a sentence, I would for example say " Mati-mati aku fikir awak sudah keluar rumah" which translates to " Dead serious, I thought you have gone out of the house." Therefore in Singlish, "Die-die, you must do" means seriously, you have to do it. Do it, because you have no choice.

[@TF_NowWithExtraCharacters]

My fav phrase has to be "You think I thought who confirm?" Also, a little old-school, but a schoolkid taunt I used to hear is "I smack you upside down inside out left right centre" (omit directions as desired). Your pronunciations are pretty great! The only one that's a little noticeably off is makan - the "a" sounds should be a little more open, like you're calling for you mum "Ma". Or the name Mark. Also, I kind of suspect "confirm" and "correct" may have some sort of military relation, just because of how similar it is in usage to "Affirmative." as a one-word response. Won't be surprised, given national service.

[@Mel-qw3ir]

Lol. LOVE IT! Funniest video i’ve not seen in a long time!

[@tecksunyong8209]

Both of you are so cute speaking Singlish. Loved it!🤣

[@shazza1401]

Hahaha... defo loved that! I was actually waiting for SIAO LIAO LAH! XD

[@hanriktan]

Makan = MA "pronounce Mars without the S", and as for KAN "pronounce Can't with the T sound" so it will be Ma-Kan

[@mehmetadembarissever]

Chope originated from chap (stamp in Malay). So it means you put your stamp of ownership.

[@musiqfreq]

mehmet adem barissever That’s actually “chop” (stamp). Chope, however, is to reserve. But it can also mean “time out” in children’s play. Like when one wants to stop a game (like police & thief, for example) to explain something, or take a toilet break or something. But nowadays, it more used for “reserving something”. Can even be used in “she loves that handbag so much that she choped it before anyone can buy it!” 😃

[@Alphidius]

We used to use this word "Oei" more often in the past. Now I don't hear it in use anymore. It's similar to "Oi" that Easteners use if I'm not mistaken.

[@Crest_SG]

3:34 "walao" in hokkien means , "My God!" I dun think i need to further explain because its seld explanatory

[@haresh911]

possible video idea: could you do an o level english paper 2 and record the process of you doing it and what you got? ahahaha itll be cool to see ur english standard in singapore (o levels are taken by sixteen year olds and its set by both singapore and cambridge examinations). ive seen ppl do it for other subjects

[@GeorgiaCaney]

omg imagine if i fail 😂

[@BrendadirkCramplescrunch]

Usually in CBD areas, I've seen name cards being used to chope during lunchtime. Even seen office passes, which seems like a security risk!

[@cayv7694]

Some explanation on how some slangs came about - "Your head la" - your comment/suggestion is so stupid/ridiculous/wrong, it can only occur inside your head(brain). "Die die" - Even if you are going to die, you have to eat this/finish this work/visit this place. Vendors do use "tapao" a lot on the locals, especially Chinese ones. You guys don't hear it much probably because they see you guys as expats or tourists so they don't use it on you guys.

[@Elementroar]

I hope it isn't too typically Singapore to get a kick out of hear other people speak Singlish XD I hope you two are doing well at home!