Greetings and small talk
| You'll hear | What it means | A natural reply |
|---|---|---|
| How ya going? | How are you? (a greeting, not a real question) | Good thanks, you? |
| Good weekend? | Did you have a nice weekend? | Yeah, pretty quiet. Went to the beach. You? |
| Getting a coffee, want one? | An offer to buy or fetch you a coffee | Oh, thanks, I'd love a flat white. |
| Not bad at all. | Often means quite good. Aussies understate. |
Small talk topics that are almost always safe: the weekend, the weather, sport (especially the footy), food and holidays. Avoid salary, religion and politics until you know people well.
In meetings
- Can I just jump in here? (politely interrupting)
- Sorry, could you run that by me again? (asking someone to repeat)
- Just to make sure I've got it right… (checking understanding)
- I'll take that one. (volunteering for a task)
- Let's take that offline. (discuss it later, not in this meeting)
Asking for help
Asking questions is seen as a good thing in Australian workplaces, not a weakness.
- Have you got a sec?
- Sorry to bother you, but could you show me how to…?
- When you get a chance, could you have a look at this?
On the phone
- Hi, it's Priya calling from Westside Plumbing. (introduce yourself and where you're from)
- Is now a good time?
- Sorry, you're breaking up. Could you say that again?
- Thanks for that, I'll get back to you by Thursday.
Polite emails
Australian work emails are usually short and friendly.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for sending the report. I've had a look and added a couple of comments.
Would you be free for a quick chat on Thursday arvo to go through them?
Cheers, Ana
Cheers is a very common, friendly sign-off. For clients or formal messages, use Kind regards.
Words to understand (but use carefully)
smoko (a short break) · arvo (afternoon) · flat out (very busy) · too easy (no problem) · she'll be right (it'll be fine). Find them all in the slang dictionary.
Applying for jobs?
For resumes, cover letters and interview answers written for Australian employers, try the free tools on our sister site, JobCall.com.au. Like this site, nothing you type is stored.