How to Talk Minnesotan

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: July 26, 2019 References

Although most people in Midwestern states have an accent, films like Fargo have made the Minnesotan accent popular to imitate. Many Minnesotans emphasize long vowel sounds, like “O” and “A,” to create a distinctive sing-songy way of speaking. After practicing the accent, add common Minnesotan phrases to your conversation to up your authenticity. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be speaking like a native Minnesotan in no time!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Mastering the Accent

1
Tense up the corners of your lips and keep your jaw stiff. Tighten the corners of your mouth and limit the amount you move your jaw when you speak. Try to maintain a slight smile while you’re speaking– it will enhance your vowel pronunciation and make your voice sound friendlier.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Changing the shape of your mouth will help you naturally speak with a Minnesotan accent so it doesn’t feel too forced.
2
Draw out long “O” and “A” sounds. Keep your tongue near the bottom front of your mouth while you’re speaking, so your vowels sound more drawn out and emphasized. When you say a word with a long “A” or “O,” hold the sounds for longer than you normally would to make them sound Minnesotan.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Try saying the words “snow” and “road” like “snooa” and “roooawd” to emphasize the “O” noise.
- Practice the long “A” sound in words like “wait” and “save.”
- Try saying the word “bag” with a long “A” sound so it’s pronounced “bayg.”
Advertisement
3
Emphasize the “ah” sound in a nasal voice. Position the tip of your tongue against your bottom teeth so your voice sounds a little bit nasally. When you say a word that has the “ah” sound, draw it out a little longer than you normally would to add emphasis to it.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Practice the “ah” sound so the word “father” becomes “faahther.”
4
Enunciate the “R” sound in words. Keep the tip of your tongue right behind your teeth so your voice has a nasal quality to it. Stress the “er” or “ar” sound when you say words like “are,” “work,” or “further.” Be sure to pronounce the “R” clearly if it’s on the end of a word, like “mother” or “meter,” rather than dropping it.^{[4]
X
Research source}

Tip: Combine all of the emphasized sounds into one sentence like, “Father drove the car straight down the road,” to practice the accent.
5
Vary the inflection of your voice when you speak. Try varying the pitch and tone throughout your sentence so it goes up and down. Many times, Minnesotans end their sentences on an upward inflection so the sentence sounds inquisitive, but it may vary per region. Practice changing the inflection of your sentences so they sound sing-songy.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Listen to the way native Minnesotans speak so you can hear examples of how their voices fluctuate. Try streaming Minnesota Public Radio programs online to get a sense of native Minnesotan speech patterns.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using Common Phrases

1
Use “yah” or “you-betcha” when you agree with something. Emphasize the “ah” sounds in each phrase to intensify your Minnesotan accent. Rather than saying “yes” or “I agree,” replace it with “yah” or “you-betcha” instead. If you want to stress the accent more, add “oh” in front of either phrase to sound more like you’re from Minnesota.^{[6]
X
Research source}
2
Say “ope” when you accidentally bump into something. In the Midwest, many people use the phrase “ope” as a replacement for or in addition to “excuse me.” Pronounce the phrase like the word “open” with the letter N. If you need to get by something or you accidentally touch someone, you can say, “Ope, excuse me,” when you pass around them.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Combine “ope” with phrases like, “I’m gonna sneak past you real quick” or “can I squeeze by” to sound more Minnesotan.
3
Refer to a group of people as “you guys.” While people from other regions say “you all” or "y'all," Minnesotans tend to say "you guys." Whenever you need address an entire group of people to get their attention, say something like, “Hey, you guys over there.” Minnesotans tend to use the term “guys” regardless of the gender identity of the people they're speaking to.^{[8]
X
Research source}
4
Exclaim “for cute” when you want to say “how wonderful!” If someone tells you something that you enjoy, you may say something like, “Oh, for cute!” to say that you like it. Pronounce the word “for” like the word “fur” to make it sound more Minnesotan. Usually, “for cute” is used as a response to someone else’s statement rather than being used on its own.^{[9]
X
Research source}

Tip: You can replace “cute” with any adjective to change the phrase. For example, if you’re disgusted by something, you may say “for gross” instead.
5
Ask for a “pop” when you want a soda. Even though many people will call it a soda, people in the Midwest tend to call the drink a “pop” or “soda pop.” Order pop when you’re at a restaurant or when someone offers you a drink to sound like you’re from Minnesota. If you want specific flavors, you can say things like “orange pop” or “grape pop.”^{[10]
X
Research source}
- "Pop" is a general term, so if you want a specific brand of soda, you can still call it by name.
6
Call something “different” when you don’t like it. Minnesotan phrases tend to be slightly passive-aggressive, which is called “Minnesota Nice.” Rather than actually saying you don’t like something, use more subtle language like, “different” or “interesting,” so it doesn’t sound harsh.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Minnesotans may combine syllables in words, so if you say “different,” drop the letter E in the middle and pronounce it like “diffrent.”
7
Say “uff da” when you’re surprised at something. Pronounce the phrase like “oof-dah” whenever someone says something that’s shocking or surprising. Whenever you would say something like, “that’s not good” or “oh no,” use the term “uff da” instead. Hold out the vowel sounds when you say the phrase so your accent sounds more authentic.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- For example, if someone says, “I lost my wallet,” you may reply, “Uff da, that’s rough.”
- "Uff da" is a Norwegian phrase that was popularized by settlers who immigrated to Minnesota from Scandinavia.

Community Q&A

Question

Is this true, or just stereotypical?

Community Answer

The more rural the area, the more true these things are. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the accent is much less noticeable, and you probably won't hear anyone say "spendy" anyway - but it does exist in other less-populated parts of the state.
Question

Can I follow this if I'm already a Minnesotan?

Community Answer

Yes.
Question

Does Minnesota have a different accent than Wisconsin?

Community Answer

Yes, but it can be difficult to discern unless you've spent some time around one accent or the other.

Warnings

Avoid doing a stereotypical Minnesotan accent around people from the state since they may see it as disrespectful.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2