The CBC’s Canada Writes published an interview about OffQc today. Take a look when you get the chance. They asked me why it’s difficult to learn French the “traditional” way, how to keep your ears and eyes fresh, as well as some questions about me and the blog.
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When French borrows a word from English, it often becomes masculine in French. But when you’re listening to French spoken by the Québécois, have you noticed that some borrowed words became feminine instead?
Here are just 7 seven of them:
- toast
- job
- joke
- pinotte
- sandwich
- traite
- bullshit!
Below are examples of how you could hear these words used. The examples were all written by Mario Bélanger in his book Petit guide du parler québécois, which I reviewed in an earlier entry.
For each example, I’ve included a translation into English.
Je veux une toast et un café.
I want toast and coffee.
Tu as une job qui te plaît.
(remember: tu as contracts to t’as in conversations)
You’ve got a job that you like.
C’est pas grave. C’est juste une joke.
It’s no big deal. It’s just a joke.
J’ai le goût de manger des pinottes.
I feel like eating peanuts.
Veux-tu une sandwich au jambon?
Do you want a ham sandwich?
C’est à mon tour de payer la traite.
It’s my turn to treat.
Cette publicité, c’est de la bullshit!
(bullshit is pronounced boulechitte)
This advertisement is bullshit!
For the words job and sandwich, a masculine form exists too (la job, le job; la sandwich, le sandwich). During regular, everyday conversations in Québec, you’re more likely to hear the feminine form. The masculine form of these two words appears more frequently in writing.
