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What’s the “selfie” called in French? (#762)
6 gigs, ça fait beaucoup de selfies I saw this ad in the street from Vidéotron advertising a smartphone special. 6 Go Ça fait beaucoup de selfies 6 GB That’s a lot of selfies Sorry for the quality of...
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Surprise, it’s not just the Québécois who say “icitte”! (#763)
In Québec, you’ll hear ici also said as icitte. It’s considered to be a very informal way of saying ici. The other day, I walked past a dépanneur serving the Haitian community in Montréal. A small sign...
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The French expression that most makes me want to shove my falafels up...
I ate at a Lebanese restaurant with a friend this week. We sat at a table near the door. Just as we began to eat, a man entered the restaurant. He approached me and looked at what I had ordered. Then...
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Québécois expression on movie poster for “M. Peabody et Sherman” (#765)
In entry #753, we saw six different expressions used in Québec containing the words chien or chienne. One of the expressions we saw in that entry was avoir du chien. Here’s what you read in that post...
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Essential vocabulary to know when apartment hunting in Montréal (#766)
I saw this sign posted on the side of an apartment building. If you’re looking for an apartment to rent in Montréal, it’s a good idea to learn what everything on this sign means. appartements à louer...
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How do you say in French that you’re full after eating a lot of food? (#767)
Non, merci. Je suis rassasié. Wouf. Jude sends me a link about the use of the expression je suis plein to mean feeling full after eating. The author there talks about how je suis plein is not used in...
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What? What do you mean “par exemple” doesn’t mean “for example” in Québec?...
OK, that’s not entirely true. Par exemple does mean “for example” in Québec, but in the example below it doesn’t. On page 174 of her book Ah shit, j’ai pogné le cancer (tome 1), Maude Schiltz admits to...
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Rien que sur une gosse = nothing but on a testicle? (#769)
A little while back, we saw how the feminine word gosses means “balls” or “nuts” in Québec. Remember, in France gosses are kids; nothing to do with testicles. In Québec, you won’t want to use gosses to...
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Pick up after yourself! Using the verb “se ramasser” in French (#770)
I saw a sign today using the verb se ramasser here in Montréal, so let’s review this verb. First things first: pronunciation. The verb ramasser is pronounced ramâsser. That â sound in there comes close...
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Should you use the French words that the OQLF has chosen to promote? (#771)
Un selfie spatial Recently on OffQc, we saw the image of a sign in Montréal that used the word le selfie on it. The selfie is a photo taken of yourself with your phone. Meanwhile, the Office québécois...
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How do you say in French a four-digit number in an address or telephone...
How do francophones in Québec say the address numbers in the image? As a number on its own when counting, you probably already know how to say 7155 in French: sept-mille-cent-cinquante-cinq* But note...
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Operation Pothole to the rescue! (#773)
Opération nid de poule I saw this vehicle in a Montréal street the other day. On the side, it says: Opération nid de poule… Operation Pothole! Or as Rupert and Samantha would say: Operation Hen’s Nest...
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What does “office” mean in the OQLF’s name and is it an anglicism? (#774)
un gros party à la maison avec la gang de bureau The OQLF’s name in full is Office québécois de la langue française. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the masculine word office? Office is a...
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How do you talk in French about jeans that don’t fit? (#775)
Ah shit, mes jeans ne me font plus Maude Schiltz’s book Ah shit, j’ai pogné le cancer (tome 1) is such a treasure trove of French written in a down-to-earth, conversational style that I always have...
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Funny expression used in Québec related to pants that are too short (#776)
Yesterday, we looked at how to talk about jeans that don’t fit in French. Today, let’s look at a fun expression used in Québec related to pants that are way too short! First, know that in Québec the...
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Very cool tumblr to check out: Notre Québec au crayon (#777)
You’ll definitely want to check out this tumblr: Notre Québec : Un crayon français, des mots québécois French tumblr-er MarieBee (real-life Marie-Bénédict Jacquemin) picks a Québécois French expression...
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Blow jobs, crabs, condoms, the pill: How to talk about this stuff in French...
I was messaging back and forth with a reader of OffQc who was curious to know how to say “tic-tac-toe” (exes and ohs, noughts and crosses) in Québécois French. He wanted to know if the game is called...
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10 French phrases to learn and begin using right away (#779)
petit train va loin — slowly but surely 10 French phrases — random stuff you’ve asked how to say recently or things I’ve come across in conversations and wanted to share here. For number 4, I tried to...
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Check out these 27 French words from Québec on 3 unique postcards (#780)
I bought 3 really cool postcards yesterday. Feminine words are in black. Masculine words are in blue. Petit lexique québécois bibitte à patates (lady bug), pitou (doggie), maringouin (mosquito),...
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Do you use and pronounce these words like the Québécois? (#781)
Un conseil : Assurez-vous de bien barrer votre vélo. At the marché Jean-Talon in Montréal, a yellow sign advises bike owners to lock up their bikes: Assurez-vous de bien barrer votre vélo. Be sure to...
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