A Short Introduction To Quebecois French

Blog
18 July 2024
By Sarah Angela Almaden
Japanese House
Unsplash: Sondoce wasfy

Celine Dion. Did you know that she speaks French? She does! She even has songs in French. She also has interviews in French. That’s because she is French Canadian. She’s born in Charlemagne, Quebec. Quebec, one of the thirteen provinces of Canada, was a French colony. And its official language is French. Québecois French to be exact. Quebec is pronounced as ‘keh-bek’ not ‘quack-beck’ not ‘kweh-beck’ not ‘cue-bek.’



What is Québécois French
Québécois French, also known as Quebec French or simply québécois, is one of the many Canadian French dialects. This type of French is based on the regional dialects of Classical French spoken in Paris throughout the 17th and 18th century.

Where is it spoken
Québécois French, aka québécois, is the official and common language of the province of Québec in Canada. Most Québécois speak French. Québécois is what you call people who live in Quebec and or people whose ethnicity can be traced back to Quebec.

It is important to note that different areas of Quebec also have their own variations in speaking, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Is French still used in Quebec
As of 2021, it has been recorded that 85.5% of Québécois speak French at home. In addition, a report also says that over 90% of Quebecers consider French to be their first language.

The Office québécois de la langue française or OQLF (Quebec Board of the French Language) plays an important role in promoting and protecting the use of French as a common language in Quebec. However, this does not imply that the organization excludes, discourages, and discriminates against other languages used or spoken in the community.

Québécois French Vocabulary

  • good morning: bon matin (bohn mah-tahn)
  • the breakfast: le déjeuner (luh day-zhuh-nay)
  • the lunch: le dîner (luh dee-nay)
  • the dinner: le souper (luh soo-pay)
  • you’re welcome: bienvenue (bee-ehn-vuh-noo)
  • a cellphone: une cellulaire (ewn sel-yoo-lair)
  • it’s awesome: c’est le fun (say luh fun)
  • damn it: tabarnak (ta-bar-nak)
  • damn it: osti (os-tee)
  • damn it: sacrament (sa-kra-mah)
  • shut up: ferme ta gueule (fairm ta guh-yuhl)
  • the soccer: le soccer (luh saw-ker)
  • the shoes: des souliers (day soo-lee-ay)
  • a car: un char (uhn shar)
  • a soda: une liqueur (ewn lee-kuhr)
  • let’s go: envoye (ahn-vwah-yay)
  • hurry up: envoye (ahn-vwah-yay)