Understanding Canadian Slang and Key Words

Every language has slang or key words you should understand to be a fluent speaker or help make yourself understood when you travel. English and French-Canadian are no exceptions.

In Canada, there are some English sayings that other language speakers may find unusual, and sometimes confusing.

Here are some examples:

• “Eh,” pronounced “ay” is a very common English word, particularly in Eastern Canada, but may seem odd to speakers of other languages. It is often used at the end of a sentence to mean “Isn’t that right?”
• “What you saying?” is sometimes used to ask someone “What are you doing,” or “What are you up to.
• “Chesterfield,” can mean a sofa or couch, particularly among older Canadians
• “Give ’er,” can mean “work hard”, working hard, or how much work people have to do
• “Twofer,” often refers to a case of 24 beers as opposed to 12 bottles
• “Double-double,” when you order coffee with two sugars and two creams; you can also order a “triple-triple”.
• “True,” doesn’t mean something is true or correct; it is used instead of saying “Ok”
• “Bum,” refers to someone’s hind end; this word is also common in some European countries for the same part of the anatomy
• “Clicks,” the slang word for kilometer
• “Toque,” a wool knit cap
• “Hollywood North,” a name some Canadians now use to describe Toronto due to its growing movie-making industry

Some words or phrases you might find helpful in French-Canadian:

• “Char,” refers to a car
• “Masgasinage,” doesn’t refer to massage, but to shopping
• “Souper,” doesn’t mean someone who eats soup, but to dinner itself
• “Serviette,” means napkin; “serviette en papier,” is a paper napkin
• “Ben La!,” is a common word for “Well there,” but also has other meanings
• “Cinq-A-Sept,” when a group gets together to meet at a bar
• “La Bise, ”you’ve probably seen this done in many movies...the phrase for an air-kiss on the cheeks when two women or a woman and a man greet each other
• “Aubaine,” means a sale
• “Diner,” actually means lunch