Québécois

French (Québec)

Indo-European (Romance, Gallo-Romance, Northern French)

FamilyIndo-European (Romance, Gallo-Romance, Northern French) Speakers~7M ScriptLatin CountriesCanada (Québec, plus Acadian, Franco-Ontarian, Western communities) Official inQuébec (sole official); Canada (federal bilingual) Vitalitysafe

Québec French (français québécois) is the variety of French spoken in Québec and adjacent Francophone communities of Canada (~7M L1 speakers). It descends from 17th-century Île-de-France and northwestern French dialects (Norman, Picard, Poitevin) brought by the filles du roi and engagés, and developed in relative isolation from Metropolitan French until 1960. Distinct in its pronunciation (diphthongization, t/d affrication before /i/, /u/), vocabulary (char 'car', dépanneur, magasiner), morphology, and the joual urban sociolect. Strongly protected by Bill 101 (Charter of the French Language, 1977) and the OQLF.

Where it is spoken

20 core words in French (Québec)

Water

eau

/o/

Fire

feu

/fø/

Sun

soleil

/sɔlɛj/

Moon

lune

/lʏn/

Mother

mère

/mɛːʁ/

Father

père

/pɛːʁ/

Eat

manger

/mɑ̃ʒe/

Drink

boire

/bwɑːʁ/

Love

amour

/amuːʁ/

Heart

cœur

/kœːʁ/

Tree

arbre

/aːʁbʁ/

House

maison

/mɛzɔ̃/

Dog

chien

/ʃjɛ̃/

Cat

chat

/ʃa/

Hand

main

/mɛ̃/

Eye

œil

/œj/

Hello

allô

/alo/

Thank you

merci

/mɛʁsi/

One

un

/œ̃/

Good

bon

/bɔ̃/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Indo-European (Romance, Gallo-Romance, Northern French) languages

Meaning French (Québec)FrenchFrench (African)French (Belgian)French (Swiss)Classical French (17c., Bel Usage)Picard
Water eau /o/ eau /o/ eau /o/ eau /o/ eau /o/ eau /o/ iau /jo/
Fire feu /fø/ feu /fø/ feu /fø/ feu /fø/ feu /fø/ feu /fø/ fu /fy/
Sun soleil /sɔlɛj/ soleil /sɔlɛj/ soleil /sɔlɛj/ soleil /sɔlɛj/ soleil /sɔlɛj/ soleil /sɔlɛj/ solèl /sɔlɛl/
Moon lune /lʏn/ lune /lyn/ lune /lyn/ lune /lyn/ lune /lyn/ lune /lyn/ lune /lyn/
Mother mère /mɛːʁ/ mère /mɛʁ/ mère /mɛʁ/ mère /mɛʁ/ mère /mɛʁ/ mère /mɛːr/ mère /mɛʁ/
Father père /pɛːʁ/ père /pɛʁ/ père /pɛʁ/ père /pɛʁ/ père /pɛʁ/ père /pɛːr/ père /pɛʁ/
Eat manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ minger /mɛ̃ʒe/
Drink boire /bwɑːʁ/ boire /bwaʁ/ boire /bwaʁ/ boire /bwaʁ/ boire /bwaʁ/ boire /bweːr/ boère /bwɛʁ/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

French (Québec)
Je veux essayer un costume que j' ai vu dans un magasin en face de l'hôtel
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

French (Québec)
Je veux essayer un costume que j' ai vu dans un magasin en face de l'hôtel
Unë dua ta provoj një kostum pashë një dyqan përballë hotelit
Ես ուզում եմ փորձել կոստում որ տեսա խանութում դիմաց հյուրանոցի
हम होटल के सामने दुकान में देखल सूट पहिन के देखे के चाहत बानी
Аз искам да пробвам костюм който видях в магазин срещу хотела

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