Culture & etiquetteBy Clever Tourists · Published
Australians shorten almost everything, often by adding -o or -ie to the end: afternoon becomes arvo, a service station becomes a servo, breakfast becomes brekkie. Once you know that pattern and a few dozen common words, everyday Australian English is easy to follow. This guide groups the words you'll hear by situation, with an American equivalent for each. We spent four weeks in Australia in early 2023, from Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road to Alice Springs, Queensland and Sydney; meanings are checked against Cambridge and Collins and the Australian National Dictionary Centre at ANU.
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"G'day" is a real greeting, not a tourist-board joke, and it works at any hour. The other one that catches visitors is "How ya going?", which means how are you. It isn't asking about your travel plans; answer "Good thanks, you?"
"Mate" is used for friends, strangers and customers alike, so don't read anything into it.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| G'day | Hello | Hi | Any time of day, from anyone |
| How ya going? / How are you going? | How are you? | How are you doing? | Shop staff, café counters, hosts. Reply "Good thanks, you?" |
| Mate | Friend; friendly form of address | Buddy, man | Strangers, staff, friends; used for everyone |
| This arvo / sarvo | This afternoon | This afternoon | "See you this arvo" |
| Cheers | Thanks, or bye | Thanks, bye | Leaving a shop, getting off a bus |
| Hooroo | Goodbye | Bye | A casual goodbye; not every Australian uses it |
"No worries" is the standard reply to thank you in Australia. It also means "sure, I can do that" and "don't be concerned." You'll hear it dozens of times a day.
Buying drinks has its own word. A shout is a round, and "my shout" means "I'm paying." If someone shouts you a drink, return the shout.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| No worries | You're welcome; no problem; sure | No problem | After every thank you |
| Cheers | Thanks | Thanks | Taking change, a coffee arriving |
| My shout | I'm paying | It's on me | Pubs, coffee, lunch with locals |
| Your shout | Your turn to pay for the round | Your round | Group drinks |
| To shout someone | To buy them a drink or meal | To treat someone | "I'll shout you a coffee" |
| Fair dinkum | Genuine; honestly | For real | Emphasizing that something is true |
| Rapt | Very happy | Thrilled | Good news |
Australian café culture is serious, and coffee orders have their own names. A flat white is espresso with steamed milk and very little froth; a long black is espresso poured over hot water, close to an Americano.
"Chips" can mean fries or packet chips, so menus often say "hot chips" for fries. Ketchup is called tomato sauce, or just sauce. BYO on a restaurant sign means bring your own (usually wine).
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brekkie | Breakfast | Breakfast | Café menus, hotels |
| Flat white | Espresso with steamed milk, little froth | Close to a small latte | Every café |
| Long black | Espresso over hot water | Americano | Every café |
| Hot chips | Fries | Fries | Menus, fish and chip shops |
| Chips | Fries or potato chips, by context | Chips / fries | Snack aisles and menus |
| Tomato sauce / sauce | Ketchup | Ketchup | "Sauce with that?" at a pie shop |
| Snag | Sausage | Sausage, hot dog | Barbecues, fundraiser stalls |
| Sanga / sanger | Sandwich | Sandwich | "Sausage sanga" at a barbecue |
| Barbie | Barbecue (the grill or the event) | Cookout, grill | Weekends, parks, beaches |
| Chook | Chicken | Chicken | Roast chook at the supermarket |
| Capsicum | Bell pepper | Bell pepper | Menus, supermarkets |
| Lollies | Candy | Candy | Shops, servos |
| Esky | Cooler | Cooler | Beach days, barbecues, road trips |
| Stubby | Short 375 ml beer bottle | Bottle of beer | Pubs, barbecues |
| Middy | A medium beer glass (285 ml) | A small draft | Pubs; glass names change by state |
| BYO | Bring your own alcohol | BYOB | Restaurant signs and menus |
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Beer, wine and spirits come from a bottle shop, which everyone calls a bottle-o, and a service station is a servo. EFTPOS is the name for card payment at the counter, and you'll see it on checkout signs.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle-o | Bottle shop; liquor store | Liquor store | Buying beer or wine for a barbecue |
| Servo | Service station | Gas station | Road trips, late-night snacks |
| EFTPOS | Card payment at the counter | Card terminal | Signs at checkouts, "EFTPOS only" |
| Op shop | Charity secondhand shop | Thrift store | Main streets in every town |
| Heaps | Lots; very | Tons; really | "Heaps of time", "thanks heaps" |
| Tradie | Tradesperson: plumber, electrician, builder | Contractor | Conversation, ads |
Out of the cities you'll hear about "the bush" and "the outback." The bush is any wild, uncleared country; the outback is the remote, dry interior. Hiking is bushwalking. For road rules, our driving in Australia guide covers what an American license allows.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ute | Car-style pickup with a tray | Pickup truck | Country roads, building sites |
| The bush | Wild, uncleared land | The backcountry | Day trips, fire warnings |
| The outback | Remote, dry inland Australia | The remote interior | Central Australia, the Northern Territory |
| Bushwalking | Hiking | Hiking | National parks, trail signs |
| Give way | Yield | Yield | Road signs |
| Car park | Parking lot | Parking lot | Signs, directions |
| Return ticket | Round trip | Round trip | Trains and ferries |
Thongs are flip-flops in Australia. Nobody will blink if you say you forgot your thongs at the beach. Swimwear has several names depending on the state: togs, bathers, cossies and swimmers all mean a swimsuit.
One American habit to drop: don't say you "root for" a team. In Australia "root" is crude slang for sex. Australians say they barrack for a team instead. Also note that an entrée on an Australian menu is the starter, not the main course.
| What you'll hear | What it means | US equivalent | When you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thongs | Flip-flops | Flip-flops | Beaches, pools, everyday summer wear |
| Togs / bathers / cossies / swimmers | Swimsuit (the word depends on the state) | Swimsuit | Beaches and pools |
| Budgie smugglers | Tight men's swim briefs | Speedo | Beaches; it's a joke name |
| Jumper | Sweater | Sweater | Winter, Melbourne evenings |
| Entrée | Starter | Appetizer | Restaurant menus |
| Barrack for | Support a team | Root for | Sport talk |
| Root | Crude slang for sex | (avoid it) | Why you don't say "root for" |
| Footy | Australian rules football or rugby league, depending on the state | Football | Weekend sport, pubs |
| Reckon | Think | Figure | "I reckon it'll rain" |
| Dag | Unfashionable or goofy person, often fondly | Dork | Teasing between friends |
| Bludger | Someone who lets others do the work or pay | Freeloader | Usually as an insult |
| Dunny | Toilet, originally an outdoor one | Outhouse | Rural areas, joking |
Return the shout. If someone buys your drink in a round, buy the next round. Skipping your turn is how you earn the word bludger, and it is noticed more than any slang mistake.
Tipping is not expected. Staff are paid a full wage. Rounding up for good table service is appreciated but never assumed; at a café counter or a pub bar nobody expects anything. Our Australia tipping guide has the details.
First names and "mate" are normal with almost everyone, including staff, and the ANU's Australian National Dictionary Centre notes that mate implies equality and goodwill. Friendly and direct is the tone to aim for.
Arvo means afternoon. "See you this arvo" means see you this afternoon, and it's sometimes squeezed to "sarvo."
A servo is a service station: a gas station that usually sells snacks and drinks too.
It means how are you. It's a greeting, not a question about your trip. Answer "Good thanks, you?"
Flip-flops. Thongs are the everyday name for rubber sandals with a strap between the toes.
A bottle shop, the Australian name for a liquor store. It is where you buy beer, wine and spirits to take away.
Tipping isn't expected because staff are paid a full wage. Rounding up for good table service is appreciated but never assumed.
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