You already speak the language - Canada runs on English (with French in Quebec), so nothing to learn for survival. The fun is the Canadian vocabulary: a toque is a winter hat, a loonie is the one-dollar coin and a toonie the two, a double-double is a Tim Hortons coffee with two creams and two sugars, the washroom is the toilet, and kilometres are "clicks". Sentences often end in a friendly "eh?", and "sorry" is the national punctuation. In Quebec, bonjour and merci earn warm smiles. And the Indian community is so large that Hindi and Punjabi are heard across Toronto and Vancouver.
The five phrases that matter most
eh
ay
Isn't it? / right? (sentence-ending tag)
है ना?
loonie
loo-nee
One-dollar coin
एक डॉलर का सिक्का
toonie
too-nee
Two-dollar coin
दो डॉलर का सिक्का
toque
took
Winter hat (knitted)
ऊनी टोपी
I don't eat meat
I don't eat meat
I do not eat meat
मैं मांस नहीं खाता/खाती
All the phrases
Greetings and thanks
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
Hello
Hello / hi
hello
नमस्ते
How are you?
How are you doing? / How's it going?
how are you doing
आप कैसे हैं?
Isn't it? / right? (sentence-ending tag)
eh
ay
है ना?
Getting help
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
Thank you
Thank you / thanks
thank you
धन्यवाद
Sorry / excuse me (constant Canadian habit)
sorry / excuse me
saw-ree
माफ़ कीजिए
I do not understand
I don't understand
I don't understand
मैं नहीं समझा/समझी
Can you help me?
Can you help me, please?
can you help me
क्या आप मेरी मदद कर सकते हैं?
Food (vegetarian, Jain, allergies)
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
Coffee with two creams and two sugars
double-double
dub-ul dub-ul
दो क्रीम-दो चीनी वाली कॉफ़ी
Tim Hortons (the coffee chain)
Timmies / Tims
tim-eez
टिम हॉर्टन्स (कॉफ़ी चेन)
Donut holes from Tim Hortons
Timbits
tim-bits
टिम हॉर्टन्स के छोटे डोनट
Soft drink / soda
pop
pop
ठंडा पेय
I do not eat meat
I don't eat meat
I don't eat meat
मैं मांस नहीं खाता/खाती
Is this vegetarian?
Is this vegetarian?
is this vegetarian
क्या यह शाकाहारी है?
Directions and transport
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
Toilet / restroom
washroom
wash-room
शौचालय
Where is the washroom?
Where's the washroom?
where's the washroom
शौचालय कहाँ है?
Kilometres (in distance talk)
clicks
kliks
किलोमीटर
Parking garage
parkade
par-kayd
पार्किंग भवन
Shopping and numbers
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
One-dollar coin
loonie
loo-nee
एक डॉलर का सिक्का
Two-dollar coin
toonie
too-nee
दो डॉलर का सिक्का
Winter hat (knitted)
toque
took
ऊनी टोपी
Sneakers / sports shoes
runners
run-urz
स्पोर्ट्स जूते
Emergency
English
Local script
How to say it
हिन्दी
I need a doctor
I need a doctor
I need a doctor
मुझे डॉक्टर चाहिए
Save or print
Save the top phrases as a picture to send to your parents, or print the whole sheet.
The five phrases that matter most
Isn't it? / right? (sentence-ending tag) / है ना?
eh (ay)
One-dollar coin / एक डॉलर का सिक्का
loonie (loo-nee)
Two-dollar coin / दो डॉलर का सिक्का
toonie (too-nee)
Winter hat (knitted) / ऊनी टोपी
toque (took)
I do not eat meat / मैं मांस नहीं खाता/खाती
I don't eat meat (I don't eat meat)
Trips to Canada
We have no open trip to Canada right now. Tell us your dates and we will help you find one.
No - Canada runs on English, and every sign, menu and announcement is in it (with French alongside in Quebec). What you will enjoy is the local vocabulary: toque, loonie, toonie, double-double, washroom, parkade and clicks. Learn those seven and every conversation gets easier.
What are the most useful Canadian words?
eh (the sentence-ending "isn't it?"), loonie and toonie (the $1 and $2 coins), toque (winter hat), double-double (Tim Hortons coffee with two creams and two sugars), washroom (toilet), runners (sneakers) and pop (soda). These are starred or listed above with meanings.
Is French needed in Canada?
Only in Quebec, and even there Montreal and Quebec City switch to English readily - but a bonjour and merci earn real warmth. Outside Quebec, English is the working language everywhere; all packaging and official signs are bilingual nationwide.
Will Hindi or Punjabi be understood in Canada?
In the right places, absolutely - Canada has one of the world's largest Indian communities. Punjabi is the everyday language of Brampton and Surrey, Hindi-Punjabi run through Toronto's Gerrard India Bazaar and Vancouver's Punjabi Market, and Indian grocers and restaurants are in every big city.
Why do Canadians say "eh" and "sorry" so much?
"Eh" turns a statement into a friendly invitation to agree ("Cold out there, eh?") - reply with a smile and a "yes, freezing!". "Sorry" is social glue, used for everything from bumping into someone to politely starting a request. Both signal Canada's famously courteous, unhurried manner.
