| Lesson 1. Getting Oriented to Singapore English in Daily Encounters |
| Your first days in Singapore can feel fast and noisy: announcements echo in the MRT, cashiers speak quickly, and you hear can, already and lah everywhere. In this lesson, you stand in that first-week space and learn how to stay calm and decode what is happening around you. You listen to short scenes at the station, on the platform and at a convenience store, notice how Singapore English sounds different from British English, and focus on the key words you really need to catch. You get a gentle introduction to common sentence endings like can and is it, and to particles such as lah and meh, so they start to feel familiar, not scary. You also practise simple, natural clarification questions that locals actually use. By the end, you can handle basic daily exchanges and ask people to repeat or explain without feeling childish or over-formal. |
| Lesson 2. Introducing Yourself in a New Singapore Office Team |
| Now you walk into your new office on day one. People greet you warmly but quickly, speak with different local accents and throw in acronyms you have never seen before. In this lesson, you practise giving a short, clear self-introduction that sounds confident but not over-formal in Singapore. You listen to realistic team introductions and pantry chats, notice how colleagues describe their role, projects and background, and learn how they ask friendly questions like You from which country and How long you here already. You also see typical internal acronyms and job titles, and get phrases to check meaning without stopping the conversation. By the end, you can introduce yourself, understand others when they introduce themselves in local style, and handle first-day questions and small talk without freezing or talking too much. |
| Lesson 3. Ordering Local Food at a Hawker Centre with Confidence |
| Hawker centres are the heart of daily life in Singapore, but the first time you hear kopi o siew dai, cai png and tapao, it can feel like a different language. In this lesson, you follow a lunchtime scene at a busy hawker centre and learn exactly what to say from the moment you look for a seat to the moment you pay. You decode common menu words, drink codes and stall signs, and understand questions like Eat here or takeaway and Can spicy or not. You practise ordering simple dishes, customising sweetness and spice, handling chope culture and sharing tables politely. You also learn how to show respect to hawker uncles and aunties using friendly but simple English. By the end, you can walk into a hawker centre, order food and drinks using local terms and manage basic follow-up questions without panic. |
| Lesson 4. Using Food Small Talk to Connect with Colleagues |
| In many Singapore offices, real relationships are built over makan. People bond while queueing for bubble tea, comparing hawker stalls and joking about who is most kiasu about lunch deals. In this lesson, you step into pantry and lunch conversations and learn how to use food as a safe, friendly topic to connect. You listen to colleagues inviting each other to makan together, talking about spice levels, halal options and vegetarian needs, and sharing weekend cafe tips. You notice how Singaporeans mix direct questions with warmth and how they tease each other without sounding unkind. You practise starting small talk, asking about dietary restrictions politely and responding when people check if you can handle the weather and chilli. By the end, you can join food chats naturally, avoid awkward comments and use simple humour and curiosity to build stronger relationships at work. |
| Lesson 5. Making Requests and Saying No in a Hierarchical Office |
| Singapore workplaces can feel more hierarchical than many European offices, yet emails and spoken requests are often short and direct. In this lesson, you practise balancing that mix. You follow a story where you need to ask your boss for time off, push back on an unrealistic deadline and respond to a junior who wants your help. You learn how simple words like can and cannot carry a lot of weight, and how phrases such as can, but maybe need more time and let me get back to you soften refusal. You also notice the local use of already, yet and still in sentences like I sent already and You receive yet, so you can understand colleagues more easily. By the end, you can make requests and say no or not yet in a way that is honest, respectful and recognisably Singaporean in tone. |
| Lesson 6. Joining and Leading Short Singapore-Style Meetings |
| Many Singapore meetings are short, fast and packed with acronyms, yet disagreement is often expressed very gently. In this lesson, you sit in a weekly team meeting where people switch between formal and informal styles. You learn phrases for starting and closing a meeting, giving a quick update, asking targeted questions and checking action points. You hear how colleagues show cautious disagreement with expressions like maybe we can consider another way and I’m not so sure about this part, and you practise using them yourself. You also work with short written agenda items and minutes so you can link spoken comments to written summaries. By the end, you can join discussions without staying silent, express small doubts without sounding aggressive and, when needed, briefly lead part of a meeting in a way that feels natural in a Singapore context. |
| Lesson 7. Juggling Email and Chats on a Busy Singapore Workday |
| Singapore offices run on both email and fast chats, often at the same time. In this review and integration lesson, you spend one busy project day juggling messages from your boss, team and an external partner. You see typical email openings and closings such as kindly see attached and noted with thanks, and you rewrite overly soft or overly blunt drafts into a tone that feels local but still professional for you. You also read realistic WhatsApp and Teams threads full of abbreviations like tmr, wfh and cfm, and practise writing short, clear updates that match local style without losing your own voice. Throughout, you recycle phrases from earlier lessons about deadlines, can and cannot and meeting follow ups. By the end, you can choose the right channel, length and level of formality, and you feel less stressed when your phone, inbox and chat all light up at once. |
| Lesson 8. Solving Housing Issues with Landlords and Neighbours |
| Outside the office, housing is one of the biggest stress points for newcomers. In this lesson, your aircon starts leaking and your neighbour plays loud music at night. You practise writing WhatsApp messages to your agent or landlord about repairs, using common local terms like HDB, condo, PUB bill and bomb shelter. You learn how to describe problems clearly, send photos, suggest times and follow up politely if nothing happens. You also explore how Singaporeans often avoid direct confrontation with neighbours, and you practise simple, respectful language to raise noise or corridor issues without sounding aggressive. Along the way, you read short tenancy agreement extracts and building notices so that words like void deck and management office become familiar. By the end, you can handle basic housing issues in English that feels polite and firm enough for Singapore, whether you are messaging, calling or talking in the lift. |
| Lesson 9. Joining Conversations About Festivals and Local Life |
| Singapore’s calendar is full of festivals and public events, and these are safe, warm topics for small talk if you handle them with respect. In this lesson, you listen to pantry conversations and HR announcements around Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali. You learn common festival words, greetings and references like CNY, open house and long weekend, and see how colleagues ask each other about fasting, family visits and travel plans. You also practise asking curious but sensitive questions about religious practices and food restrictions without sounding kaypoh or rude. Short HR emails and posters help you understand how companies talk about Racial Harmony Day and National Day, and what people expect from colleagues at celebrations. By the end, you can join festival chats, schedule around key dates and show genuine interest in local life while staying away from risky political or racial comments. |
| Lesson 10. Disagreeing and Giving Feedback While Keeping Harmony |
| In Singapore, people value harmony and face, but that does not mean you must always agree. In this lesson, you practise the delicate skill of saying I do not fully agree or this is not working yet in a way that still sounds supportive. You work through two key scenes: a one to one feedback conversation with a colleague whose work is late, and a meeting moment where you need to question a suggested plan. You notice how small phrases such as I’m a bit concerned and maybe next time can send earlier soften the message, and how body language and tone support the words. You also learn how to receive feedback without becoming defensive, using short acknowledgement phrases common in Singapore offices. By the end, you can give and receive feedback, raise concerns and gently challenge ideas while protecting relationships in your multicultural team. |
| Lesson 11. Fixing Misunderstandings and Awkward Moments Politely |
| Even with the best intentions, misunderstandings will happen. Maybe your email sounded too blunt, your joke touched a sensitive topic or you misread a short chat reply. In this lesson, you learn how to repair these moments without making things worse. You follow short scenes where tension appears after a message or comment, and you practise noticing small signals that something is off. You receive useful phrases for naming the problem gently, apologising without over-dramatising, and explaining what you actually meant. You also explore the local idea of paiseh and how embarrassment or shyness may stop people from raising issues directly. By rewriting short emails and role playing quick corridor conversations, you gain confidence in taking the first step to fix the situation. By the end, you can handle awkward moments in a calm, respectful way that rebuilds trust with colleagues and neighbours. |
| Lesson 12. Choosing Your Singapore Voice Across Work and Daily Life |
| In this capstone lesson, you bring everything together and design your own Singapore voice. You work with three linked scenarios: writing to a regional director, messaging your Singapore boss and chatting with a close colleague or hawker. For each one, you decide how formal to be, which local phrases feel comfortable for you and when to avoid Singlish completely. You review key expressions from the whole course for requests, small talk, feedback, apologies and festival greetings, and you recycle them in new combinations. You also reflect on your strengths and blind spots in listening, speaking, reading and writing here, and set simple goals for your next months in Singapore. By the end, you can shift style smoothly between international standard English, professional Singapore English and light Singlish, using each one intentionally so that you sound clear, respectful and still like yourself. |
