For this reason, Singlish often sounds somewhat monotone to foreigners. For example, instead of saying “I LIKE this a LOT,” you’d speak each syllable with more or less the same amount of emphasis, just like “I like this a lot. "
For example, “can you do that?” in Singlish would be phrased as “you can do that meh?”
Prepositions are words that describe the relationship between verbs and nouns and nouns and nouns. Prepositions include words like “before,” “after,” “in between,” and “throughout. " So the English sentence “he sat in front of her” might be reduced to “he sat front her” in Singlish. Verb conjugations are the different forms of verbs for different uses, like we go versus he goes. So instead of saying “he goes there everyday,” you’d say “he go there everyday. " The use of plural words is infrequent in Singlish. If you can get across your meaning without uses the plural form of a noun, use the singular. For example, “I ate grapes” would be “I ate grape. "
For example, “I don’t want that” would be “don’t want,” and “finish already” could mean “I finished already” or “they finished already” depending on the context.
Do a search for Singlish dictionaries to find resources for building your Singlish vocabulary. A good resource is http://www. singlishdictionary. com/.
Arrow: to order someone to do something. “My boss arrow me to do this for me!” Maken liao?: have you eaten already? Sian ah!: I am very frustrated. Alamak!: Exclamation of unhappiness. Oh ya hor!: Oh yes I agree with you. Why you like that one?: Why do you act like that? Can meh?: Can this task be done? Wah lau!: Wow! Buay Tahan: I can’t take it! Blanjah: to treat someone to a drink or meal.
“Leh” is used similarly to “lah” but the tone it puts across is more like you’re trying to get someone to understand something. It’s an exclamation of frustration, as in the statement “I don’t know leh!” “Liao” is a frequently used expression that means “already,” as in the sentence “I did that liao leh!” “Hor” asks for the listener’s agreement, as in the phrase “This nice hor. "
You could also study abroad in Singapore, or visit for an extended period. Immersion is one of the best ways to learn any language.
Visiting or living in Singapore for an extended period of time is a situation where it would appropriate to try to learn Singlish. Learning it will help you understand those around you without them having to switch to standard English for your benefit.
