We have changed our Canadian Idioms section! You will now find the idioms divided into sets by theme. Select a set below to start learning.
OK, so you move to Canada and all of a sudden you realize that people speak differently here. Each conversation is spiced up by phrases that sound familiar but actually don’t make much sense. Don’t worry; these are idioms (idiomatic expressions) and they’re at the core of every language. If you think about it, you use idioms every day in your 1st language. Canadian English uses idioms too.
Some idioms are transferable from one variety of English to another. For example, the phrase I’m broke, which means I have no money. You can go to the UK, the USA, Australia or India, say I’m broke and everybody will know what you mean. Some idioms, however, are specific to a local culture. For example, in Canada we say double-double, which means a coffee with double cream and double sugar. If you go to South Africa and say I want a double-double, you might get a few puzzled looks as it’s not an idiom used there.
Below you’ll find our most recent Canadian idioms lessons, as well as sets of lessons grouped by theme. We have cool infographics for you, quizzes, and discussion questions. You’ll also have a chance to share your favourite English idioms on the discussion forum.
Sign in to provide your answers or participate in the forums. Our moderators will be happy to answer your comments and help you use the idiom in context.
