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Is fucké a word in French? (#554)
A googler landed on OffQc with these search terms: is fucké a word in french Yes. It means “messed up” or “screwed up.” Although it’s derived from the English word “fuck,” the French word fucké doesn’t...
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Why are the Canadiens referred to in the singular in French? (#555)
Another « googlage » that led someone to OffQc: why are the canadiens referred to in the singular in french The Canadiens in question here are the Montréal NHL hockey team. You’ll very often find the...
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Magane pas tes organes (#556)
A government of Québec health campaign aimed at preventing young people from taking up cigarette smoking tells us: Magane pas tes organes Maybe you’ve seen these promotional images around town, like...
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Remember the dzidzu and the tsitsu? (#557)
In Québec, d gets pronounced dz before the French vowel sounds i and u. (dzidzu) And t gets pronounced ts before the French vowel sounds i and u. (tsitsu) Here are some dzidzu words: dîner (dzîner),...
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Le tsitsu — compare these word pairs (#558)
Even though the word pairs below have similar roots, take a look at how only one word in each pair is a tsitsu word. patinage / patin Patinage is a tsitsu word. Patin is not. 1. patinage (patsinage) 2....
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Informal pronunciations: j’suis + j’sois (#559)
In Cynthia Dulude’s video posted in entry #549, we hear informal pronunciations of je suis and je sois. Je sois is the subjunctive form of je suis. She pronounced je suis as j’suis (chui), and je sois...
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Le printemps s’en vient (#560)
Just when it seemed like spring wasn’t too far off, winter has returned to Montréal. The city has turned white again and the snow is still falling. On the radio, an announcer tried to reassure...
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Short video + transcription in French — café automatisé (#561)
Fido is a mobile phone company. – Bonjour. Un café, s’il vous plaît. – Pour un café régulier, dites régulier. Pour un cappuccino, dites cappuccino. Pour un café latte, dites café latte. – Café latte?…...
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Vélo Québec explains how to adjust your bike helmet (#562)
Listen to an explication in French about the correct way to adjust a bike helmet (ajuster son casque). Ce n’est pas tout de se mettre un casque sur la tête, encore faut-il choisir un casque à sa taille...
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J’parlais pas de c’te fois-là (#563)
Some overheard French on the métro earlier today — a girlfriend said to her boyfriend while boarding the train: J’parlais pas de c’te fois-là. I wasn’t talking about that time. j’parlais pas (informal)...
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Bye-bye chaussures ennuyantes, allô espadrilles branchées (#564)
Bye-bye chaussures ennuyantes Allô espadrilles branchées Bye-bye boring shoes Hello cool running shoes Une espadrille in Québec is a running shoe, sports shoe or sneaker.
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An informal way of asking: Qu’est-ce que tu en penses? (#565)
A question that comes up regularly in French conversations is: Qu’est-ce que tu en penses? What do you think (about that)? For example, maybe a friend has planned a travel itinerary for her trip to...
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Exploring new territory in French (#566)
Maybe you’ve been feeling pretty good about your French lately, you’ve made progress, your confidence has gone up, when, all of a sudden, you find yourself in a language situation with a francophone...
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Vous payez comptant? (#567)
As I waited in line to pay at a café in Montréal, the customer ahead of me tried to pay by debit, payer par débit, with his bank card. When you pay by debit with a bank card, the amount is withdrawn...
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SIIQ: Are you new to Québec? (#568)
If you’re new to Québec and looking for work, want to study, or need help integrating, you might like to mark the following in your agenda. At the Palais des congrès de Montréal, 3 and 4 May 2013, you...
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19-2: Some foul language (#569)
In a scene from the television series 19-2, we see police officer Berrof and his teenaged son get into a violent argument in a Montréal street. The teenaged boy walks ahead in the street ignoring his...
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C’est fucking louche! (#570)
Overheard in the métro — a young woman, accompanied by two of her friends, blurts out: C’est fucking louche! I don’t know what they were talking about but, whatever it was, it was fucking suspicious,...
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«Une gang de colons qui se grattent la poche» (#571)
Ben, in the television series 19-2, works as a police officer. He and his blonde have received two guests at their place for a get-together. The female guest, trying to be funny, makes a joke about the...
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Ricardo : pocher un œuf (#572)
J’suis maintenant prêt à pocher un œuf et j’ai besoin de trois choses — une casserole d’eau frémissante, un peu de vinaigre blanc… et un œuf! L’eau doit être frémissante, pas bouillante, sinon le...
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Ouvre la crisse de porte! (#573)
In 19-2, Ben and his blonde Catherine are in a fight. He’s recently discovered that she’s been taking la pilule behind his back — which explains why she’s not getting pregnant despite their efforts....
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