Welcome to Texas! We have visitors in town right now from Germany, England, and Italy and just about everybody they have met here so far has welcomed them with a friendly Welcome to Texas, y’all! Once again I am reminded that Texans really are a very friendly bunch – and of course Texans first and Americans second. I am really grateful that my adopted home for the past seven years has made my friends and family feel so welcome here! By the way, this friendliness should get its own post in my Only in Texas series 
Between getting my sister addicted to Sonic Cherry Limeades, touring West Texas, eating way too many burgers, steaks, and Tex-Mex, we’ve also discussed how to talk like a Texan. Want to learn how to speak Texan yourself? Here’s a little introduction for you.
- Howdy = hello. This comes more natural for some people than others. Most people “in the city” really only use it when they want to sound Texan on purpose. If you hear it, it will probably be in combination with another very popular Texas expression (y’all), as in Howdy y’all!
- (All) y’all = you. This is by far the most common! If you want to use “you” to adress more than one person, you need to add at least one, preferably two “all”, as is (all) y’all. Say you want to find out about this evening’s plan. Turn to the group of people you are talking to and you could say something like So, what are all y’all doin’ tonight?
- Coke = any kind of soda. This one is less intuitive, or at least it is to me. I’ve actually ordered a coke before and was asked what kind I wanted. I was a little perplexed because I assumed “coke” = “Coca Cola”. Apparently, that doesn’t have to be the case. So, if you have people over and they ask Do you have any cokes? they probably want to know if you have any sodas and what kind.
- I’m fixin’ to do something = I intend/am getting ready to do something. This one is almost as common as y’all. At first, I didn’t really get it. Like, what do you have to fix? But you hear it often enough around here, so I’ve gotten used to it. Of course “fixing” can be used as “I’m fixing myself a salad”, but when used in combination with another verb, it means that you’re getting ready to do something. An example? Somebody calls you to ask if you’re on your way. You could answer No, but I’m fixin’ to leave now. Makes sense?
I’ll throw one of the more common Texas idioms in here for free. These idioms will get their own post one day 
So, do you really wanna talk like a Texan? Then try throwing This ain’t my first rodeo!* at your conversation buddy next time they try to explain something to you that you already know. Say, you’re having a BBQ and somebody keeps trying to explain to you how to grill your steak. This would be a great opportunity to turn around and say This ain’t my first rodeo, buddy! Depending on how serious you can manage to get that one out, you might get a few laughs or they’ll just quietly wonder where you learned you to speak Texan :)
Want more conversational Texas expressions? Check out the first post I wrote about how I learned to blend in here: Do You Speak Texan?
So, my Texan friends, did I forget anything? Got anything wrong? Chime in with comments below!
*Thanks to Austin, our BBQ buddy, for reminding me of this fun expression. I hadn’t heard it in a while
© 2011, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.
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Don’t forget gonna = going to (sort of like fixing to). I’m gonna go to the store later.
True
A staple just like the “wanna” 
I love the plural and possessive forms of y’all: y’alls (or is it y’all’s?)
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Yes!!
I think it’s “y’all’s” in the possessive, as in “Is that y’all’s car?”
BTW, Have you heard this one: that dog won’t hunt? I think it means something going to fail.
Ana recently posted..Only in Paris- Texas
Never heard it
But it does sound like something you could come across here 
I’ve totally heard this!
Awesome
Yeah, this is very common for people in sales…i.e. “Take a look at this deal and see if it makes sense…” Response: “That dog’ll hunt.” Yes, there’s a deal here.
Several more colorful Texas sales-speak:
“Lipstick on the pig” — Fixing something up…ugly house (pig) with a new paint job (lipstick).
“Snake in the grass” — Inconspicuous conniving person
“Ground floor tenant in a 2-story outhouse” — About to get pooped on
“Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered” — Pushing for profit is beneficial, but greed is detrimental
“Arguing with swine about how his breath smells like crap” — Arguing with someone that can’t be convinced due to personal attachment to the debate.
These are hilarious!! Thanks for sharing! I’d heard some of them, but some are totally new for me
Here’s a few more…. My grandmother always said “Ugly as a mud fence”, “knee deep in alligators”, and “thats better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick”.
Very cool! I had no idea there were so many more
I love “ugly as a mud fence”, but I have no idea what a mud fence really is… any help here?
Thanks for sharing! I love learning new expressions… and usually learn them quite quickly (I’ve got a whole “series” about all what I’ve learned at work so far…). I loved the last one – this ain’t my first rodeo!
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Thanks! That’s my favorite too
And you can always combine it with another one, like: This ain’t my first rodeo, y’all! 
I don’t think my family has anything to do with Texas, but my grandpa always used to say “howdy.” Sometimes I do too just because just because it makes me think of him. I wonder if it’s commonly said elsewhere in the States as well, or if Gramps just liked saying it for fun. Hmm.
That’s sweet! Maybe it is a Southern thing in general and not just a Texas thing?
Love these! They never get old.
And yes, for any of you non-Texans reading this, they are all real. Especially the Coke one. Drives my Canadian husband crazy. And BTW, I am addicted to Sonic Diet Cherry Limeades too. Soooo good!
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Thanks! I’m glad I got it right
I looooove the Diet Lime Limeades and just had weened myself off before my sister came to visit. Now, I am hooked again and I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts lobbying for Sonic to open up stores in Europe 
Hi! I love your posts on speaking Texan–I think you nailed us
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Thank Jan
I just hopped over to your blog and wanted to wish you all the best on your move, but Blogger wouldn’t let me comment for some reason. I wish you a great start in Deutschland!!
Love this list of Texan-isms! And they’re so true too. I’m going to try to remember the rodeo saying and use it! I do use “that dog don’t hunt” and must have learnt (!) it from my momma who is from Oklahoma
Debbie Beardsley recently posted..Burgundy France – Land of Plenty
I know, right? I’m still trying to find a way to use the rodeo saying at work sometime to see people’s reaction
So, “that dog won’t hunt” is also used in Oklahoma, hm? I wonder if they imported it from Texas or the other way around…
Thanks, Sabrina! I still have some time before I go…I’m on my way now to get some Mexican food
Enjoy!!
Hearing someone say this with a Texan accent would definitely make me smile “This ain’t my first rodeo, buddy!” For me, a guy from Europe, the southern accent sounds so funny.
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I’ve sort of gotten used to it
But it still makes me smile sometimes – especially when these kind of expressions come from older people or people a little outside the cities since they tend to have a stronger accent.
Funny! Growing up in the South, all of these are pretty familiar to me. I love, love, love- This ain’t my first rodeo… which i try and use whenever I can!
Let me know how it goes! Do people look at you surprised when you hit them with a “This ain’t my first rodeo”?
I love Texas hospitality. I hadn’t heard the one about the rodeo before, but I like it – very Texan and I love hearing “y’all” in the Texan drawl.
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I do too! And the fact that they made my family and friends feel so welcome here, really meant a lot.The Texan drawl… I know! Hard to imitate
Maybe you’re born with it.
A number of those phrases are ubiquitous across the South. I grew up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and heard/used most of them. The key thing is breaking out the diphthongs and, heaven help us, triphthongs on the vowels.
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Yep, that’s when the Southern drawl really shows
So, all of these are all across the South? How fun! I bet they pronounce them slightly differently in every state.
Very funny post
How did you end up in Texas? I used to live up the street – in Oklahoma – for 5 years(ages ago). And they use the same expressions up there on the other side of the Red River. Another one is “pop” – I suppose from soda pop – only they shorten it to pop rather than soda. Oh, and “sit” – everything is always sittin’ somewhere… the cup is sittin’ on the table, the flowers are sittin’ in the window sill… – oh and of course, we’re not foreigners, but furriners. That said, I do agree, Texans (and Okies) are very friendly.
Hey Sophie! Glad you found me
I came here as an exchange student, met my boyfriend (from Rome out of all places), came back for grad school, and stayed on for a job. It’s crazy how time flies by! It’s been seven years and I am still here! I had no idea they used the same expressions in Oklahoma!! Haha, they use the “sittin’” here as well – for everything! Too funny! And I love your spelling of the furriners 
I was wondering if there is a phrase that texans would yell about texas. As in showing pride for either living or having been born in Texas. Maybe like Texas forever or something. anyone know what i mean?
I hadn’t heard of anything like that, so I am glad that Aubrey already confirmed that below. I have heard the “born and bred” before
People here seem to identify with the local football teams a lot, so if you hear things – even when travelling in other cities/states – it’s usually about that. For example, if you’re from Lubbock where the university team are the Red Raiders, and run into somebody in Houston that’s also from Lubbock you might get a “Go Raiders!”. But that’s not really related to the state per se I guess…
Born and bred…yeah…and in sales many customers will ask where you’re from, and a proud “Dallas, born and bred” is my response…Texans like dealing with Texans.
And a true Texan can tell the difference between east Texas (Dallas, Houston) accents and west Texas (Midland-Odessa, Amarillo) accents…someone without the ear can tell if someone is from east Texas if they call a creek a “crick”
…and I didn’t know that accents were that different within Texas either! I guess it makes sense since it’s a huge state. I’ll listen for the “crick” next time I head east
Candace, I am a native Texan, and to answer your question, no. There is not really a particular phrase we use to express our pride of our state. But, as for me, on those rare occasions when I’m asked if I’m from Texas, I’ll often respond with “Born and bred!” as a proud affirmation.
Sabrina, the part about Coke is so funny! I’ve had this conversation a few times, and our way of referring to soda really doesn’t make sense. For instance, I could open the refrigerator and say to a visiting friend, “Do you wanna Coke?” and they would respond “Sure, what do you have?” In this case, it’s exactly as you said, “coke” refers to any type of soda. On the other hand, if I wanted a Coca-Cola at a restaurant, I would tell the waiter I want a “Coke” and no further explanation is needed. I would never ask for a “Coca-Cola” here at home; it actually makes me chuckle to think about doing so.
That’s because you know what you’re doing
In retrospect I have to smile about many things I said when I first moved here and I thought I understood the words, but totally didn’t get the meaning 
Haha! True. I’ve always thought that language differences make some of the funniest memories while in a foreign country. Love your blog, by the way
Thanks
You just made my morning!
In addition to “fixin’ to” (preparing to), there’s “just fixin’ to” which means I’m gonna be doin’ it r’at now (immediately).
Good point! The “fixin’ to” is one of my favorites… it actually started creeping my vocabulary
Sabrina, I am so enjoying your experience of Texas as an outsider. As a native Texan, I love to see what others think of what we consider to be our “own little country.” It’s funny how regularly I say the things that you listed here and although I know they are “Texan,”they just seem like a part of language to me. Heck, I even have a T-shirt that says Not My First Rodeo. I say that all the time. Off to read some more and so glad to have met you.
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Thanks!!
I’m so glad you found your way over here. Seriously loved the Cowboy Jesus on your blog! Too funny! It’s one of these quirky things that I couldn’t imagine seeing anywhere else. You have a T-shirt with Not My First Rodeo” on it?? That’s awesome. I think I need to get one for Marco. He’d love that.
Hi, Sabrina,
Lived in Texas most of my life – work for Siemens and have lots of delegates and visitors – so enjoy seeing us through their eyes (it’s enlightening and amusing…). One expression that I didn’t see included is “all hat and no cattle” – simply means all talk and no substance…
Best wishes!
Sharon
Oh, that’s a good one! I’ve never heard it, but it fits so well
Thanks for sharing! I agree with you. It’s always fun to see yourself through the eyes of another culture. There are quite a few American bloggers in Germany and I love reading about their impressions about what I thought everybody did, but turns out is very German 
My father in law always says “out yonder” which is pronounced “ouchyonder” which means way over there. My husband uses the all hat and no cattle often; it’s not a nice thing to sy about someone though do be careful when you use it! I love this post. I think I’m going to compile all my husbands sayings for my blog as a language primer for travellers to texas! Lol!
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Out Yonder? I have to remember that. And all hats and no cattle is a bad thing? Thanks for the heads up! It sounded kind of innocent and funny to me. Yes, write a post about your husbands sayings. I’m sure there are so many more I have never heard of. I’ve been thinking I need to do an update to this post including all the information in the comments alone
When I think of Texan the first thing that comes to mind is “I’ll tell ya what”". To me that’s how every Texan starts a sentence. A fun post!
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I’ll tell ya what
You’re so right!!