The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Australians are not very formal, so greetings are casual and relaxed – a handshake and a smile are appropriate. However, while an Australian may say, 'G'day' or 'G'day, mate', this may sound patronising from a foreigner. Visitors should simply say the traditional 'Hello' or 'Hello, how are you?
Morn – Morning
This is an informal way of saying 'good morning', and can be a great way to show someone that you are friendly. It is also commonly used amongst friends who greet each other in the morning. Instead of saying 'good morning', you might hear them say “Morn!”.
It surely sounds strange to those who are familiar with American or British English, but it is a very common expression in Australia. G'day is a shortened form of 'Good Day' and it is the equivalent of 'Hello. ' Mate means friend or buddy and it can be used to address your friend or a total stranger.
Australians use a lot of slang words, one of the more common words is g'day. G'day is an abbreviation of good day, a general greeting.
While some Australian speakers would pronounce “no” as a diphthong, starting on “oh” as in dog and ending on “oo” as in put, others begin with an unstressed “a” (the sound at the end of the word “sofa”), then move to the “oh” and then “oo”.
Too easy means something along the lines of that is easy to do and no problem (also known as no wakkas!). Example: After ordering a coffee, the waiter tells you that it is “too easy”.
Hooroo = Goodbye
The Australian slang for goodbye is Hooroo and sometimes they even Cheerio like British people.
Ciao has also permeated Australian culture, becoming a popular greeting among descendants of Italian immigrants. It is also common in some varieties of South African English.
“Mate” is a popular word for friend. And while it's used in other English-speaking countries around the world, it has a special connection to Australia. In the past, mate has been used to address men, but it can be gender-neutral. In Australia, you'll also hear mate used in an ironic sense.
Ta. 'Ta' means 'thank you'.
Certainly if you're in the US, your mother is your “mom” – short for “mommy” and in the UK, Australia and New Zealand it's “mum” – shortened from “mummy”.
1. G'day. One of the first things you'll hear when in Australia, is the classic “G'day, mate”, which is basically the same as saying, “good day”, or “hello”.
Howdy's another one that you might hear sometimes from Australians, but I think this one is a lot more American, and the only reason that Australians might say it is if they watch a lot of American TV and they hear this all the time, or they're kind of just being a little jovial, you know, a little humorous, like “ ...
Contributor's comments: The term 'povo' comes from the word poverty. Contributor's comments: [North Geelong informant] I would also say that this is used to describe someone who is tight arsed but not necessarily poor. Contributor's comments: poor and despised person: "Take no notice of him - he's just a povo."
Bonza. Meaning: (Adjective) Bonza is one of the most common slang words Australians use to describe something as cool.
Yeah nah is a commonly used Australian phrase and colloquialism. The phrase yeah nah means 'no', but it allows the speaker or writer to ease into their response so as to not come across as too outspoken, or brash.
Yeah nah yeah = yes. No wonder you're confused! A commonly-used word here is mate, which normally means friend. But pay attention to the person's tone when they say it – sometimes, it's used in a passive-aggressive way, and it probably means the opposite of friend!
It's "good evening", or the non-time specific "g'day". Contributor's comments: I grew up in Brisbane, and have never, heard 'Goodnight' as a greeting.
“Cheers, mate” is the same as the English word, Thank You, while “No worries” or No drama” translates to “You're welcome” in Australian slang. If you notice, the word “mate” is often used.
And so, in Australian English too you'll often hear people say “Saturday”, they'll reduce it down to just “Satday”, “Satday”. So, instead of having one day of the week that has three syllables, “Sat-ur-day”, every single day of the week has two syllables.