You’re probably already familiar with at least one of the meanings of d’abord in French: “first (off).”
Example:
D’abord je me lève, puis je me brosse les dents.
Informally, there’s another meaning of d’abord used in Quebec that you’ll want to learn.
At the end of a sentence, d’abord can often take on the meaning of “then.”
Example:
Tu sais que j’aime pas ça. Pourquoi tu fais ça d’abord?
You know that I don’t like that. Why do you do that then?
D’abord here is really just another way of saying alors.
[This entry was inspired by the character Fred in La Galère, season 2, episode 2, Radio-Canada, Montreal, 21 September 2009. Here, she said, “Why do you look sad then?” Can you now say this in French the way Fred might have said it?]
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