Lah, Leh, Lor – What?
As an expatriate in Singapore, you must have heard ubiquitous injections of the words' lah', 'leh,' and 'lor’ in nearly all conversations you overhear. Well, congratulations – you’ve been exposed to Singlish, Singaporeans’ colloquial twist on English!
As an expatriate in Singapore, you must have heard ubiquitous injections of the words' lah', 'leh,' and 'lor’ in nearly all conversations you overhear. Well, congratulations – you’ve been exposed to Singlish, Singaporeans’ colloquial twist on English!
What is Singlish?
But let’s take a step back – what is Singlish, exactly? Singlish is a patois (dialect) that takes its influences from Singapore’s four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil.
And you might be surprised to know this, but in 2017, 27 Singlish words were included in the Oxford English Dictionary! So, there's no reason for you not to learn some key Singlish phrases.
A brief guide to Singlish
Here are five of the most common Singlish terms you’ll hear, with Singlish conversation examples.
Lah, leh, lor
'Lah,' 'leh,' and 'lor' are all discourse particles placed at the end of a sentence. Each term serves a different purpose, and it all depends on tone, syntax, and context.
Lah – Brings about a sense of exasperation.
“Just do it like that lah."
Leh – Demonstrates a tinge of uncertainty.
“I didn’t know you had to do it like that leh."
Lor – Signifies a sense of resignation.
“I didn’t have a choice, so I did it like that lor.”
Makan (mah-kahn)
Makan is the Malay word for ‘to eat.’ You can use this Singlish term to invite your colleagues or housemates out for a meal. For example, "Let's go makan at twelve today.”
Bojio (boh-chio)
Did someone forget to invite you to hang out? You've got to use this Singlish term on them then! It signifies disappointment and a little bit of anger that you weren't part of the activity. For example,
Housemate: “I had a wonderful McDonald’s meal yesterday.”
You: “Bojio!”
Kaypoh (kay-poh)
You can use this term when someone is nosy; it works as a verb and an adjective. For example, "Yes, I went to the bar alone. Why are you so kaypoh?” and “Don’t kaypoh lah.”
Siao (see-ow)
'Siao’ is the Hokkien term for 'crazy.’ It’s also used most frequently as an exclamation when something has gone wrong. For example, you might hear your colleague saying, “The boss wants us to work overnight? Siao!”
There are more words, but I want to keep this post short.
Tell us what other Singlish words you heard!
Rent from Land lord or Colive?
With as many ex-pats entering Singapore, the issue of living space has taken a new shape. Like every new entrant in any new country, the expatriates in Singapore face some common issues of living spaces on their house hunt or room hunt. Just when most of the ex-pats were preferring to reside in HDB houses or condominiums, the new wave of co-living trends hit the market with its dominance.
Rent a room from landlord or co-live? What's best for individual expats in Singapore?
With as many expats entering Singapore, the issue of living space has taken a new shape. Like every new entrant in any new country, the expatriates in Singapore face some common issues of living spaces on their house hunt or room hunt. Just when most of the expats were preferring to reside in HDB houses or condominium, the new wave of co-living trend hit the market with its dominance.
Being living in Singapore for almost a decade as single, I'm familiar with almost all sort of residential options available on the island. Whether it is renting a whole apartment with your friends or colleagues or renting a room from a live-in landlord or staying in a co-living environment like the one offered by ADOBHA, all the options has its one pros and cons.
To make it easier for you to decide, I have listed the pros and cons of renting from a live-in landlord and renting from co-living space provider like Adobha.
Co-living
Pros
Shared facilities: Kitchen, wifi, Housekeeping, laundry and other daily utilities in a secured frame are intriguing enough to rely on co-living spaces. You don’t have to spend lot of money buying these items.
Lively ambiance: Sharing a space with some "random" person and embracing their lifestyle and culture emits a familiar vibe. Living with someone from a different background and culture fills the void of living in an alien country.
Independence: Renting from a co-living space provider comes with little or no restrictions which means you can live your life your way without any hesitation.
Renting a Room from Landlords
Pros
Usually landlords keep their rent charges quite low due to the limited facilities they offer.
Cons
Restrictions on facilities usage: Renting a room from landlords implies living under some restrictions. Most of the landlords restrict the use of kitchen and have curfew hours. I have heard from some tenants; some super genius landlords switch off the Wi-Fi after 9 pm!
Environment: Living with landlords invades your personal space and privacy. Furthermore, when the landlords are loud and have children, the environment of the space becomes noisy and chaotic.
No visitor policy: Most of the landlords don't allow visitors and have pre-set deadlines for entry/exit, which in turn leads to a mundane and rigid life.
Less documentation or No documentation: Most live in landlords don’t issue you contract or stamp-duty certificate and of course no rent receipts. Since no paper work, in case of difference of opinion, you don’t have any documents to protect your interest.
Don't let a mere set of rules and restrictions define your way of living. Book your co loving space with Adobha and enter the new style of living spaces.