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The common language spoken in Québec – Québecois – can be easily identified by its distinct accent. You can say that Québecois is as different from Parisian French as North American English is from British English. The Québecois language has seven accents that differ based on the place where it is spoken. In the north, a deep Acadian accent can be observed. When you reach the Trois-Rivières region, an expansive accent can be heard. When you go near the American border, curt patois is spoken. The general rule is, the farther you are from the cities the deeper your accent becomes. This is why Québec ‘s most remote regions still have the pre-revolutionary “rolled” sound.
Why does this language sound different from Parisian French? It is because the language in Québec did not go through the same changes as its mother language in France. Québecois retained its historical accent while Parisian French changed over time. For that reason, Modern Québécois is characterized by 16th-century accents and modern English tendencies. Interestingly, many words and phrases were made because of accidental slurs of English words and phrases, examples include aldress (all dressed), poutine (put-in), and so on. The historical accents mixed with English words made the language somewhat pleasing to the ear although some people have a hard time understanding it. To make it even more challenging, Quebecers are known to be fast talkers, they usually slur or put two different words together.
Common Pronunciation tendencies in Quebec French
/i/ becomes /é/
Pronunciation : 2
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| toi | toé |
/u/ becomes /eû/ in front of a consonant
Pronunciation : 6
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| une plume | une pleûme |
/è/ become /a/…
Copy of Pronunciation : 2
| FRENCH | QUEBEC FRENCH Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| chercher | charcher |
/i/ often becomes /é/ in front of a consonant
Pronunciation : 7
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| vite | véte |
/ou/ becomes /ô/ in front of a consonant
Pronunciation : 8
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| il roule | il rôle |
/ê/ becomes /AY/
Pronunciation : 5
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| une bête | une bAYte |
/e/ becomes /é/
Pronunciation : 3
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| dehors | déhors |
/è/ becomes /é/ when it’s final
Pronunciation : 4
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| la terre | la tére |
/a/ becomes /ô/
Pronunciation : 1
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| là | lô |
Slurs in Quebec French
/ou/ often becomes /u/
| FRENCH | QUEBEC FRENCH Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| un bouchon | un buchon |
vowels /i/, /u/, and /ou/ are often dropped
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| allumer | allmer |
/u/ often becomes /i/
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| une culotte | une kilotte |
/re-/ at the beginning of words… sometimes becomes /ar-/
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| revoir | arvoir |
/j/ is often replaced by /ch/
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| je suis | chwui |
/le/ and /la/ often become /l’/
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| le torchon | l’torchon |
| la vaisselle | l’vaisselle |
Other pronunciation tendencies in Quebec French
/or/ is very often transformed into /aor/
Pronunciation : 19
| French | Québec French Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| d'abord | d'abaor |
final /r/ is often transformed into an /é/
Pronunciation : 21
| French | Québec French Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| le comptoir | le comptoé |
the ends of words are often dropped– especially words ending with /re/ and / le/
Pronunciation : 20
| French | Québec French Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| le cercle | le cerk |
long and nasal vowels are often transformed into a more open and nasal sound
Pronunciation : 18
| French | Québec French Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| blanc | blawn |
addition of an /s/ or /z/ sound after a /t/ /d/ or /u/
Pronunciation : 17
| Québec French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| je dis | je dzi |
How to pronunce the verbs Être and Avoir
The verbs être and avoir are pronounced quite differently by Quebecers and are often almost inaudible in quick speech. Below is a table demonstrating English, International French, and common Québec pronunciations:
Être (to be)
Verbs : 1
| ENGLISH | QUEBEC FRENCH Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| We are | (use “on” form instead) | |
| You are | /tay/ | |
| They are | /iyson/ elles sont/eson/ | |
| He/She/It is | /yay/ | |
| /elay/ | ||
| /onay/ | ||
| You (pl.) are | /vzêt/ | |
| I am | /shui/ |
Avoir (to have)
Verbs : 2
| ENGLISH | QUEBEC FRENCH Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| We have | (use ‘on’ form instead) | |
| You have | /ta/ | |
| He, She, It has | /ya/ | |
| /ela/ | ||
| /ona/ | ||
| I have | /shé/ | |
| They have | /ihyon/ | |
| /ezon/ | ||
| You (pl.) have | /vzavé/ |
Québecers also have the tendency to use the simple future tense all the time rather than using the verb aller to differentiate future events. For example:
Verbs : 3
| ENGLISH | QUEBEC FRENCH Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
| You’ll see him tomorrow | Tu le verras demain | |
| I’ll go a bit later | J’irais tantôt |
