I was reminded of a frequently used expression in Québécois French yesterday when I overheard a mother scold her daughter here in Montréal.
The daughter had begun doing handstands and back arches at a bus stop in the street when her mother yelled:
Arrête de faire des affaires de même quand tu viens de manger!
Stop doing stuff like that when you’ve just finished eating!
Well that took all her fun away. I was impressed with her acrobatics.
Des affaires de même…
This wording almost sounds like serious business because of the word affaires, doesn’t it?
And yet, affaires simply means “stuff” or “things” here.
As for de même, it means the same thing as comme ça, which is also used in Québécois French.
des affaires de même
stuff like that
things like that
I like this next example written by Mathieu Pichette on a blog promoting travel in Sudbury and northern Ontario:
Bien sûr, pour faire des affaires de même, il faut connaître kekun de la place. Heureusement pour vous, je suis kekun de la place!
Of course, to do stuff like that, you gotta know someone from the place. Luckily for you, I am someone from the place!
