We’ve seen niaiser quite a few times now in the sense of to kid, to joke:
J’te niaise!
I’m just kidding!
J’te niaise pas!
I’m not kidding!
I’m serious!
The contracted j’te (from je te) sounds like ch’te.
We’ve also seen niaiser used in the sense of to waste time, such as in this video promoting the Québécois winter to European visitors.
The speaker there says pas l’temps d’niaiser (no time to waste, time to get busy, time to get going, etc.) because there are just so many things to do during a Québécois winter. (I thought we all just huddled inside and waited it out till spring, but ok.)
Now check out the image below. The owner of this beast is about to tear up some serious street because… pas l’temps d’niaiser.
The OffQc book C’est what? will help you to get your bearings in the colloquial variety of French spoken in Québec and pave the way for further independent study. You can buy and download it here.
