OffQc | Québécois French Guide

I’ve been asked many times over the years if people in Quebec say moé and toé instead of moi and toi. Numerous learners have also asked if they themselves should use moé and toé. In this entry, I’ll talk about my impressions and the social “value” attached to moé and toé.

For those of you who live in a French-speaking community far from Quebec, you may hear moé and toé used with a frequency that I wouldn’t even know how to comment on. The rules may be different there, and the social value of moé and toé may not be the same as in Montreal or elsewhere in Quebec. My impressions below are from a Montreal perspective.

It’s not my intention here to pass judgement on any individual speaker. I hesitated many times before hitting the publish button on this post because I know all too well that writing about certain aspects of language online can lead to misunderstanding. Describing moé and toé is one of those areas that I find challenging to write about. But it’s a risk that I’m going to take here with the intention of helping you.

Lacking in prestige

Many French speakers will tell you straight out that moé and toé are bad French. Although I don’t believe in “bad” language, the negative value attached to moé and toé is a very important concept to grasp.

Moé and toé sound uneducated to many speakers’ ears. Broadly speaking, these pronunciations are associated with the working class, or with a “rough” crowd. For these reasons, moé and toé lack social prestige.

From a Montreal perspective, I can say that moé and toé sound very unrefined and, yes, even uneducated. I’ll even risk adding that it sounds decidedly unclassy for a female to say moé and toé.

A parallel?

I think we can draw a useful parallel of social prestige between moé and toé and the English word “ain’t.” Many English speakers would classify “ain’t” as bad English, and I don’t think many of you would recommend that learners of English use it themselves when they speak.

A bit of nuance should be added here, however. On a rare occasion, you could hear moé or toé used by a speaker you wouldn’t otherwise consider uneducated, working class, or “rough.” Deliberate attempt to create comic effect? Moment of anger? Perhaps. But rare.

Again, I think we can draw a parallel to the English word “ain’t.” You may not use “ain’t” yourself, but it isn’t impossible for you to use it on a rare occasion if you were trying to create some sort of special effect in your speech.

My recommendation

Right. So I still haven’t answered that nagging question many of you have: Should I, a learner of French, use moé and toé when I speak?

I will say no.

As a learner of French, use only moi and toi.

With moi and toi, you’ll never make a social slip-up. Ever. You now know the negative weight that moé and toé carry with them. You’ll be forgiven for any linguistic faux pas you make, but many speakers in Quebec would find it absurd to hear a learner say moé and toé.

That said, do learn to recognise the pronunciations moé and toé. They’re sometimes used in song lyrics because of the “rustic” feel they convey, which makes them better adapted to some kinds of music, like folk or country.

You may also hear moé and toé in stand-up comedy, or even see them in literature, such as in direct speech in certain novels or comic books.

To conclude

My apologies to those who’ve asked me this question in the past and to whom I’ve given an unsatisfactory answer, or an answer that lacked sufficient nuance. I may have even contributed to the confusion in the past by not being detailed enough about this in other places I’ve published online.

I find it terribly challenging to describe certain aspects of language in writing because of all the variables to consider.

The only real way to “feel” moé and toé the way a French speaker does is to immerse yourself in a French-speaking environment. I understand that this is impossible for many of you, however. In that case, I hope this entry provides some guidance and helps to clear up doubt.

Or did I just go and make it all complicated on you? 😉