# How is life in Canada different from life in the US?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-life-in-canada-different-from-life-in-the-us/107048>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 3, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-life-in-canada-different-from-life-in-the-us/107048 "2002-05-03T12:41:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@Nenya\_Elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nenya_Elizabeth)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-life-in-canada-different-from-life-in-the-us/107048/101 "2002-05-12T11:20:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Icerigger \*  
> In the USA we say he is in **the** hospital. Canadians say he is **in** hospital.

This may indeed be a mediaism, but it’s got a basis in “real” life, I think. I’ve never heard it used by the man on the street, but the doctors I work for write and say it quite frequently. However, they are South African & English, so I’ve always assumed that it was more of a British or S.A. thing to say. Which, of course, may be why you’re hearing it if you’re hearing eastern Ontarian radio, that region being more Old World than we in the boonies of the West.

Always thought it was quite a neat phrase, myself. 🙂

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**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-life-in-canada-different-from-life-in-the-us/107048/102 "2002-05-12T15:55:47Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Icerigger \*  
> \*\*Being close to Canada, just across Lake Erie I listen to Canadian radio and a couple of language differences come to mind.
> 
> In the USA we say he is in **the** hospital. Canadians say he is **in** hospital.
> 
> In the USA we say I am in **5th grade, 6th grade** etc. Canadians say I am in **grade 5, grade 6**. \*\*

I’ve never heard Canadians say the hospital thing either, bit I have heard the grade thing. I’ve also heard Americans say that too, though so I don’t think it means a differnence between Canada and the US.

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