Image by James Cridland
on Flickr.com.

“No worries.” Have you ever heard this phrase before?  If you have ever been to Australia or New Zealand, or met a person from one of these countries, you likely have heard this phrase before.  “No worries” is a very common Australian-English expression that means “do not worry about it”, “that’s alright”, “sure thing”, or “no problem.” The phrase is widely used in everyday Australian speech and represents the general feelings of friendliness, good humor, and optimism that is associated with the cultures of Australian and New Zealand.  This phrase is so common ‘down under’* that some consider it the national motto of Australia.

Americans, Brits, and other English speakers also use this expression, but not to the same extent as the Aussies** and Kiwis***.  So, you might be wondering, how exactly would this phrase be used?  No worries, I’ll tell you.  Here are some examples:

Teacher: Mark you didn’t turn in your homework.
Student: No worries, I have it right here.

Passenger: I’d like to go to Main Street please.
Taxi driver: No worries.

Mom: I forgot to pick up eggs at the grocery store.
Daughter: No worries, I’ll get some on the way home.

Now, that you have learned one of the most common phrases used by Aussies an Kiwis, here are a few more slang words for you to add to your down under vocabulary.

ace = excellent!
barbie = barbecue
bush = out in the open country, where few people live
dag = a funny person
g-day = hello
mozzie = mosquito
oldies = parents
reckon = absolutely!
snag = sausage
togs = swim suit
uni = university
yabber = to talk a lot

*down under = Australia is often referred to a “the land down under” because of it’s southern location on a map or globe
**Aussies = people from Australia are often called Aussies
***Kiwis = people from New Zealand are often called Kiwis