Read this, Lah! Or Else This Post Spoiled Already! Haiz.

While the majority of people in Malaysia speak English, it's nothing like American English.  Sometimes with their accents, it was almost like they were speaking another language.  It took a little getting use to and still there were times when I had to ask over and over again what they were saying which made me feel pretty dumb and left them frustrated.  Aiyo!

We speak Engrish! Ha!

Malaysia-isms:

1. So how?  Ex. We have to meet at the train station at 6, but we have an appointment all the way on the other side of the line at 5:30 and it'll be a jam(rush hour), so how?  Pretty much we have a problem.  How do we fix it?  Some friends felt kind of like they were under attack.  Fix it!  Fix it!!  It didn't bother me, because I adopted this phrase pretty quickly and answered their so how with a so how, so how?

2. Lah.  To lah or not to lah, that is the question.  Kind of hard to explain this one.  It's normally put at the end of a sentence.  Most of the time for emphasis or to make things sound more polite.  Ex. Hurry laahhh!! I'm starving lah! When are you coming, lah?  I think it can be kind of endearing, when not overused.  It's cute.

3. Spoiled.  Ex. My phone is spoiled already.  Translation: My phone is broken.

4. Aiyo or Aiya!!  Most commonly used as exclamation for frustration.

5. Haiz. Means sigh.

6. Boleh. {Pronounced: Bow-lay} Malay word meaning can.  Malaysia boleh is the nations slogan.  People say can a lot over there.  Ex. Do you want to go to the store? Answer: Can.  Not yes I would like to go, just can.

7. Is it? This one still doesn't make much sense to me.  Ex. My friend told me there is a really big sale on at Time Square.  The reply to this would be: Is it?  What I get from it is it means something like oh really?


8. Last time.  They use last time for anything in the past.  It is not necessarily the last time this certain thing happened.  It just in fact happened sometime in the past... err... last time.

That's all I can think of right now.  Thought I'd share in case there is ever the slightest chance you ever go over to Malaysia, you will be able to understand that much faster! ; )