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What’s the difference between ICI and ICITTE? (#514)
Maybe during your study of French you’ve come across the pronunciation icitte in the sense of ici. What’s the difference between ici and icitte? Both ici and icitte mean the same thing: “here.” The...
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Would you like a cabaret with your Timbit? — or how to say tray in Quebec (#515)
Every morning around eight thirty, a lady at the hospital where I’ve been on the mend makes an announcement over the loudspeaker: Les plateaux sont arrivés! She’s letting the nurses know that all the...
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High frequency informal pronunciations in French: Y’A, Y’A PAS (#516)
An informal French pronunciation that you’ll hear used very frequently is the one for il y a. During regular conversations, listen for it pronounced informally as ya. Example: Il y a un problème....
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Urbania + anglophones (#517)
The latest issue of the magazine Urbania (from Montreal) is devoted to the theme of anglophones. I enjoy recommending the magazine Urbania as reading material in French. Each issue is devoted to a...
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C’était vraiment pas évident (#518)
On radio station FM 103,3 yesterday, a speaker talked about the snow that fell the night before in Montréal. She mentioned that driving conditions were difficult for those who took to the road in the...
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Une enfance très très le fun (#519)
Listening again to FM 103,3, I caught an interview with singer Karim Ouellet. Every year Radio-Canada “reveals” young artists worth discovering for their musical originality. Karim Ouellet was chosen...
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Being pegged as an anglo by Montréal sales clerks (#520)
Philippe asks about the shop clerks in Montréal: I am not shy about speaking French in stores, coffee shops, etc., but the problem is that most clerks peg me for an anglo immediately and respond in...
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Random informal French from 98,5 fm (#521)
Here’s some random informal French overheard on 98,5 fm that you can review or become familiar with. je suis là pronounced as j’suis là (sounds like chui là) je n’ai pas le choix said as j’ai pas...
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How to fill the gaps in your French vocabulary fast (#522)
Once you’ve learned all the basic vocabulary in French, it can be tricky knowing what vocabulary to learn next. A good way to identify the vocabulary that you still need to learn is by speaking aloud...
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Free French conversation groups at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montréal (#523)
The Grande Bibliothèque in Montréal is offering free French conversation groups for newcomers to Québec who want to improve their language skills. To register, go to the Grande Bibliothèque (métro...
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Expression québécoise : C’t'en plein ça! (#524)
Oui, c’est en plein ça! A fun expression from Québec that you can learn — c’est en plein ça. It’s an informal way of saying “exactly,” “that’s exactly right,” or c’est tout à fait ça in French. –...
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Je file pas! An informal expression from Québec (#525)
Overheard on the radio yesterday — a woman speaking about a friend qui file pas ce soir. That was her informal way of saying that he wasn’t feeling well. Many sources affirm that this expression is a...
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Using the expression SE TANNER DE in Quebec French (#526)
The radio is a good way to listen to spoken French, but I think it’s often overlooked. You can take a break from listening actively when music is played. On the radio yesterday, the host described the...
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C’est l’fun au boutte! (#527)
The French noun bout is pronounced bou. The final t is silent. At an informal level of Quebec French, you may however sometimes hear bout pronounced as boutte, with the final t pronounced. On...
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Comical text messaging in French from “Les Parent” (#528)
In the television comedy Les Parent, Thomas is the oldest of three sons in the Parent family. In this image (taken from the Les Parent Facebook page), we read a funny text message exchange between...
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What if… (#529)
What if, instead of spending 5 hours a week studying French and 20 minutes speaking it, you spent 5 hours a week speaking it and 20 minutes studying?
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What makes you uncomfortable in French? (#530)
Is it making a telephone call in French? Is it speaking up in a group setting where everyone is speaking in French? Is it ordering in French at a restaurant? Take heart — you’re not alone. I think most...
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Ça me vire l’estomac à l’envers (#531)
In an advertisement from the bank ING, listeners are reminded that tax season is approaching. Jokingly, the male speaker mentions that this upsets some people’s stomachs, his included! Ça me vire...
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Magasineuse compulsive — 200 paires de souliers (#532)
In the French of Québec, you’ll come across the verb magasiner in the sense of “to shop.” A shopper is un magasineur or une magasineuse. Here are examples of ways that I’ve heard these words used in...
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You didn’t learn Parisian French in school either (#533)
I often hear the complaint that Quebec French is difficult to understand because what you learned to speak in school was Parisian French instead. In fact, I don’t believe that you learned to speak...
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