Here are 5 new examples of spontaneous French from conversations or that I’ve overheard someone say in Montréal.
1. Y’est moins dix.
It’s ten to.
(Il est moins dix.)
It was ten to three (14 h 50) when the person said this. You’ll often hear il est pronounced as y’est (yé).
Dix gets dziduated in Québec. It sounds like dziss.
2. Y’a moins de choix que la dernière fois.
There’s less choice than last time.
(Il y a moins de choix que la dernière fois.)
This person was talking about how there was less to choose from in a shop compared with last time. Il y a is generally pronounced y’a in regular conversations.
3. Y’a pas de quoi être fier.
That’s nothing to be proud of.
(Il n’y a pas de quoi être fier.)
The opposite of y’a is y’a pas, which is generally how you’ll hear il n’y a pas pronounced during regular conversations.
4. Excusez!
Sorry!
A man knocked over his chair by accident in a restaurant, making a lot of noise. He apologised to the people around him by saying excusez.
Maybe you’ll remember the elderly lady who burped behind me and said pardon, ‘scusez to the people around her.
5. Ciao!
Bye!
Ciao is used very frequently in Montréal to say “bye.”
In the original Italian, ciao means both “hi” and “bye.” Francophones in Québec use it to say “bye.”
Urban French
La banlieue, c’pas pour moi. The burbs aren’t for me.
If ever there was an example of urban French, this would have to be it.
The image is of an advertisement, seen in a métro station, for urban condos located in Montréal.
No lawns, please and thank you!
