Written by Ana María Valero

After months of searching, finally, the long-awaited job in Canada arrives, and you wonder: what will the first day at work be like, what will you have to say as soon as you arrive, what will you hear from your colleagues or bosses, will you be able to adapt quickly to Canadian English, among others? 

This often happens to immigrants who are new to the country and doubt their English skills. Is this your case too, because in this article I prepared a guide of 10 essential phrases, recreated in an everyday work context, that you can use that first big day at work and thus ensure a long and successful career path in your new Canadian life. What are they and how does it all work? Read with me to the end. 

The American vs. the Canadian Accent

Let's start by remembering that in the job interview there were other talented candidates who demonstrated their language level, but the one who, even with your American-style learned English, managed to impress the recruiters was you, and that happened because you answered with confidence, so these 10 phrases will be easy for you to learn.

What happens is that now in your new linguistic environment the phonetics you will hear will be somewhat different, as you will frequently come across the canadian raising (Canadian raising), a distinctive feature of Canadian English that affects the pronunciation of diphthongs containing the vowels /aɪ/ and /aʊ/.

When these vowels appear before silent consonants (such as /p/, /t/ or /k/), they are pronounced with a higher vowel. For example:

• The word "about" usually sounds like "a-boot" instead of "a-baut" as in American English. Is that understood?

At our Planeta Immiland accountaccount, we always share interesting facts about Canadian English and French expressions so that you can adapt to the language. At the end of the blog, you will find all our social platforms, so you can explore and follow them. Read on!

10 essential phrases in hallway conversations and technical topics

On your first day of work in Canada, you might use the following 10 essential phrases to get by, depending on the context:

Hallway conversations

• "How can I help?" (how can I help?): this is a phrase that demonstrates politeness and willingness to assist in front of your coworkers or bosses. If you pass someone in the hallway of your workspace, don't hesitate to use it.

• "I'm available to help". (I'm available to help): this is another good phrase to demonstrate proactivity and collaborative attitude, this phrase is very useful to use in more informal situations.

• "Do you need a hand with that?" (do you need help with that?): this phrase serves to offer help in a friendly way. It is common in quick conversations at work.

• "Lovely weather, hey" (beautiful weather, isn't it?): Canadians often use "hey" at the end of a sentence as a sort of conversational marker. In this case, commenting on the nice weather is a friendly way to start a conversation on the first day of work.

1. "Hi, I'm Ana from Planeta Immiland Education team. What department do you work for?" (Hi, I'm Ana from Planeta Immiland Education team. What department do you work for?): this is an essential phrase to break the ice when starting a conversation, introducing yourself and discovering more colleagues.

Technical issues

1. "Let's discuss the project". (let's discuss the project): now the phrases are more specific to your position, this one, for example, can be used when discussing specific details of a project with your colleagues or superiors.
2. "Can you clarify this for me?" (can you clarify this for me?): if you have doubts or need more information, this phrase is very useful.
3. "When is the deadline?" (when is the deadline?): this phrase is widely used at work, feel free to use it to make sure you meet your deadlines.
4. "Could you help me with this task?" (could you help me with this task?): this phrase is highly valued in the Canadian work environment, as it demonstrates politeness to ask for assistance or clarification on a specific task.

Are there more phrases? Of course there are many more and all of them are very useful for adapting to the language in your new workplace. In our English courses, we prepare you not only linguistically, but also so that you can get by in the general Canadian culture. The results are very comforting. I invite you to to learn more about our language courses here.

Important: speaking English the Canadian way facilitates the integration and linguistic adaptation of immigrants and opens doors to better pay, promotions, new friends and more confident and effective communication with their employers and their peers in general.

If you would like to become more fluent in English, you can join our Conversation Club. This space allows you to listen to different accents and learn to distinguish them from Canadian English, as we have native teachers who will guide you in the process.

Thank you for reading to the end. If you liked this topic, share it with your acquaintances and encourage you to improve your English with Planeta Immiland, the first language school focused on English and French for immigration purposes in Canada.

See you in the next blog about jokes and local expressions in English!

With love,

Planet Immiland