Metropolitan French vs. Quebecois: Key Vocabulary Differences
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If you’ve ever studied French in school, you almost certainly learned Metropolitan French.
That’s the French spoken in France.
But if you travel across the ocean to the Canadian province of Quebec, you might be surprised. The French spoken here - Quebecois French - sounds different, and we use a lot of different words.
Think of it like the differences between American English and British English.
An American says “elevator” and a Brit says “lift.”
In the same way, a French person says voiture (car), but a Quebecer might say char.
If you’re planning to visit Quebec or want to speak with native Quebecers, knowing these vocabulary differences is incredibly helpful.
Keep reading, and I’ll explain the most important ones you need to know.
Table of Contents:
Why are there different words?
Why don’t people in France and Quebec use the exact same words? It all comes down to history.
French settlers arrived in Canada in the 1600s. They brought the French language of that time with them. In 1759, the British conquered the territory, and Quebec was suddenly cut off from France.
Because of this isolation, Quebecois French kept many older, traditional French words that eventually died out in France.
At the same time, Quebec is surrounded by English-speaking provinces and the United States. So, Quebecois French naturally borrowed some English words. We also adopted words from the local Indigenous languages to describe things that didn’t exist in Europe, like certain animals and weather patterns.
Everyday vocabulary differences
To get you started, let’s look at some of the most common everyday words. If you use these in Quebec, locals will instantly be impressed!
Here is a simple table comparing English, Metropolitan French, and Quebecois French:
| English | Metropolitan French | Quebecois French |
|---|---|---|
| Car | La voiture | Le char |
| Boyfriend | Le copain | Le chum |
| Girlfriend | La copine | La blonde |
| Watermelon | La pastèque | Le melon d’eau |
| Socks | Les chaussettes | Les bas |
| Beverage / Drink | La boisson | Le breuvage |
| Shopping | Faire du shopping | Magasiner |
| Cell phone | Le portable | Le cellulaire |
Notice how some of these words are completely different! For example, if you want to say you are going shopping with your boyfriend in Quebec, you would say it like this:
Je vais magasiner avec mon chum.
Où as-tu stationné ton char?
The confusing meals of the day
This is probably the number one thing that confuses French learners when they come to Quebec! The names for the meals of the day are completely shifted.
Quebec actually uses the traditional meal names from 17th-century France, while modern France changed their meal names over the centuries.
Here is how it works in Quebec:
- Breakfast is le déjeuner (In France, this is le petit-déjeuner)
- Lunch is le dîner (In France, this is le déjeuner)
- Dinner is le souper (In France, this is le dîner)
If you invite a Quebecer to dîner, they will show up at noon for lunch. If you want to invite them for an evening meal, you must invite them to souper!
Qu’est-ce qu’on mange pour le souper ce soir?
Je mange un sandwich pour le dîner.
English influence and anglicisms
Because Quebec is surrounded by English speakers in North America, you will hear English words mixed into everyday sentences. We call these “anglicisms”.
For example, Quebecers often use the word cute instead of the French word mignon, or fun instead of amusant.
Ton chien est vraiment cute!
However, there is a very interesting twist! Even though Quebec uses a lot of English slang, the Quebec government works very hard to protect the French language.
Because of this, Quebec actually avoids many English words that people in France use all the time!
Here are a few examples where Quebec uses a strict French word, but France uses an English word:
- The weekend: France says le week-end. Quebec says la fin de semaine.
- The parking lot: France says le parking. Quebec says le stationnement.
- A stop sign: France says un stop. Quebec says un arrêt.
- Spam email: France says le spam. Quebec says le pourriel (a mix of poubelle and courriel).
Fun expressions to know
Finally, to really sound like you know your Quebecois French, here are a few fun phrases and idioms you won’t hear in Paris.
C’est le fun
In France, you might say c’est génial or c’est amusant to say “it’s fun.” In Quebec, we literally say “it’s the fun.”
Jouer au hockey en hiver, c’est le fun.
Tomber en amour
In France, to fall in love is tomber amoureux. In Quebec, we use a literal translation of the English phrase and say tomber en amour.
Je suis tombé en amour avec cette ville.
Pantoute
This is a very common spoken Quebecois word. It comes from the older French phrase pas du tout (not at all). We smushed it all together to create pantoute. You use it at the end of a sentence for emphasis.
Je ne suis pas fatigué pantoute.
By learning just a few of these regional words, you will connect much better with the locals in Quebec. Don’t be afraid to try them out!
Have you ever been confused by a word in Quebecois French?
