Some Sweet As Slang

Some Sweet As Slang

One of the best and most beautiful parts about visiting a foreign country is basking in the new language.

I don't know if you knew this, but they mostly speak English in New Zealand. (Though the diverse population also speak Maori, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, etc.)

But it's a very special English. A better English.

Why is it better? Let me give you a few examples of the sweet as Kiwi slang they use here.

YES!

Here are a few of the most common phrases in Kiwiland to basically express how it feels every day to be in New Zealand!

Sweet as
Awesome, good, great, cool, etc.
Did you go skydiving? 
Yeah!
Sweet as!

 Keen
Game/Down/Eager
Hey bro, you wanna grab some fish and chips?
Yeah mate, I'm keen.

Choice
Fantastic
Those waves are choice!

 Churs
Cheers/Nice/Thanks/Goodbye etc.
Welcome to the island, mate! Churs!
Thanks, it's great to be here!

 Mean/Bad
Awesome
You hungry? Deb makes a mean burger. 

 Done and dusted
All done
Well that's that done and dusted! Have a good one!

NO!

Even the Kiwis have specific slang for when they're tired or sad or grossed out. Check it out!

Cut/Gutted
Devastated
I dunno, I'm just gutted, mate. I'm cut after that breakup.


Scodey

Rotten or gross
Check out this dead fish!
Ew, that's scodey!


Crook

Unwell
You comin' tonight!
Nah, I'm feeling crook after the Thai food...


Knackered

Very tired
You wanna go out for ice cream?
Sorry, not tonight, mate. I'm knackered.


Dodgy

Suspicious
You'll wanna clear out. Some dodgy characters hang around here.


Pack a sad

To sulk
Oh, don't pack a sad, I was just messing with you.  
Lost the plot
To behave irrationally
I dunno, mate, I told her to leave and she just lost the plot!

Friendly Phrases

These are some words and phrases you might use with your friends, or "mates" on the island!

 Bro
Pretty self-explanatory, but extremely common
Hey, bro. 
Bro, you've gotta see this.
That's some choice stuff, bro.

 A dag
Someone amusing
HAHA! You're a dag, bro. 

 Yoos
Plural of "you"
(Kinda like y'all but better)

Wally
Silly goose
What are you doing, you wally?
Dancing!
...That's not dancing, bro.

 Taking the piss
Make fun of
You're not serious?
Nah, I'm just taking the piss.

 Bags
Expression of ownership (like dibs)
Back to the bus!
Bags on front seat!

Kiwi Version of American Terms

Sometimes it's easy for things to get lost in translation when you visit a foreign country, even an English  speaking one! Here are some guides to help you navigate the language here. 

Maccas
McDonald's
Oi, let's grab some midnight Maccas. 

 Chilly bin
Cooler
Just toss those leftovers in the chilly bin and we can dive into those tonight.

Togs
Swimsuit
Throw on your togs and let's get off to the beach!

Dairy
Convenience store
Ah, no! I'm outta Tim Tams. Better run to the dairy!

 Jandles

Flip Flops
Toss your jandles into a bag for the beach.

Docos
Documentaries
Do you like watching docos? They've got a mean doco on Netflix right now.

Tramping
Hiking
Where ya been, bro?
Just tramping about.

Most Common Phrases

Obviously, every country has their own version of the basics, like "thanks" and "you're welcome", etc. Here's the New Zealand phrases you'll need to know!

 Ta/Churs
Thank you
Hand me that pen, would ya? Ta. 

That's alright
You're welcome
Thanks, bro. 
That's alright.

 She'll be right
It will be fine
I don't think we'll make it in time. 
Nah, she'll be right. 

Exaggerations

Everyone likes to give their stories a little flair with expressions of extremes, and Kiwis are no exception! These are some terms you might hear on the streets here.

Heaps
Lots
There are heaps of sheep all over the island.

 Chocka
Full
These are just chocka calories and I don't even care. 

Cheap as chips
Inexpensive
Did you end up getting that sushi?
Nah, bro. I got some Thai food instead. It was cheap as chips. 

 Flat tack
As fast as you can
Seriously... are we gonna make it?
I'm driving flat tack here! 

Lastly...

Last but not least, three uniquely Kiwi phrases that only the truest of Kiwis can pull off.

Proud Jafa
Auckland resident
Where are you from?
Oh, I'm a Jafa. You're from the South Island though, aren't you?

 Do the mahi, get the treats
Work hard to play hard
I'm knackered. I think I've just been working too hard. 
Well, you know how it goes. Do the mahi, get the treats. 

Kia ora
It means basically anything you want it to mean, depending on the tone
Can be hello, goodbye, thank you, you're welcome, my condolences, etc.
With that, I'll send you off with your new vocab chocka fun new phrases and heaps of Kiwi slang to help you fulfil your fantasy of belonging here someday.

 Kia ora!

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