I remember what my niece said at the airport, “Tita, in Singapore, do not pronounce the letter “R” when you talk.” That was Singapore lingo lesson no. 1 and she was right, because of the Chinese accent, “R” is not pronounced clearly. So you might hear them say, “Bus fare is 2 dollahs” with h to represent the airy “R”.

Singaporeans usually end of their sentences with “Lah”. I was told that this has no specific meaning, and more of an expression. “you wait here, lah”.

“Can/Cannot” is used instead of ok/not ok. When buying anything, the storekeeper may tell you, “5 dollars, can”? Or if you’re called for an interview, “schedule is on Monday at 9am, can?” of course, if you disagree, you say “cannot”.

“Handphone” is used instead of cellphone while “SMS” is used instead of text message. Which is probably better if you say “Send me an SMS in my handphone” rather than “Send me a text message in my cellphone”. To add value or load to your SIM, you say “top up”.

When asking for directions to the Comfort Room or Bathroom, you should use “Toilet”.

When ordering food you do not say Dine In or Take out, but you say “Having here or take away”.

I still have a lot to learn in the Singapore lingo,lah. Can! 