Requires some adjustment that's all

• It is basically English with simplified grammar.
  You will notice this when you take a bus for instance. Don't come with phrases like "Excuse me, could you tell me the fare for Orchard Road?". The driver won't have any clue what you talking about. Keep it simple "Going to Orchard Road, How Much?".
  
  A lot of words and expressions have different meanings as well.
  
  Some examples.
  1) "Where are you calling from". In Singlish this means "What company are you with?".
  2)"A" does not mean 1 in Singapore. Example
  Not "A coffee please" but "One coffee please"
  A coffee can be 1 coffee but also 10 coffees.
  3) A phone is answered with "Hello". The caller is then expected to start the conversation. Asking which person is on the line raises mistrust.
  4)"I go already" means "I went aready" instead of "I am on my way".
  5)"Have you taken your dinner" means "Have you eaten your dinner".
  6)People greet each other with
  "Have you taken your lunch". This does not always require a similar answer.
  7) A person can be "blur" or confused.
  8) Plural is often omitted. "We sell car"
  
  Hopes this helps a bit.

  Herman 03 Feb 2009, 03:39 - Report

Singlish