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« Does using the inversion to ask questions in French always sound formal? (#717)
Asking someone’s age in French in a way that sounds natural (#719) »

What on earth does “t’as-tu” mean in the French of Québec? (#718)

7 February 2014 by OffQc

In the last entry (#717), there was an example of a yes-no question using the inverted form as-tu:

As-tu mal à la tête?
Do you have a headache?

Even though this question uses the inversion, it still works at the conversational level of French in Québec. You can read more about when the inversion is used and avoided in Québec in entry #717.

Another way that you may hear people ask as-tu questions is with the formulation t’as-tu. This formulation is an informal one that you may catch people use during everyday conversations.

Below are some examples. I’ve translated them into informal English to help convey the feel of the t’as-tu form:

T’as-tu vu ça?
Didja see that?

T’as-tu une cigarette?
Ya got a cigarette?

T’as-tu une blonde?
D’ya have a girlfriend?

T’as-tu peur?
You afraid?

All of those questions could have also simply been asked with as-tu rather than t’as-tu. So, where on earth does t’as-tu come from then?

The t’as part of t’as-tu is a contraction of tu as. This contraction occurs very frequently in French, and not just as part of the formulation t’as-tu but anywhere tu and as come together.

The -tu part of t’as-tu is the famous yes-no question marker so prevalent in the French of Québec.

All the questions above can be answered with yes or no. We can understand the -tu part of t’as-tu as meaning “yes or no?” like this:

T’as-tu une blonde?
= Tu as (oui ou non) une blonde?

How is t’as-tu pronounced?

The t’as part sounds like tâ, or like “taw” using an English approximation. The -tu part sounds like tsu. That’s because tu is a tsitsu word, and you remember all about those tsitsu words… right?? So, t’as-tu sounds like tâ-tsu.

Similarly, as-tu sounds like â-tsu.

It’s not necessary for you to adopt t’as-tu to make yourself understood by the Québécois. As-tu is always good. (It’s important to understand t’as-tu though because you’ll be hearing it.) And, of course, you can always use est-ce que, or just make your voice rise at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes-no question.

These questions all ask the same thing:

As-tu compris?
T’as-tu compris?
T’as compris?
Tu as compris?
Est-ce que t’as compris?
Est-ce que tu as compris?

How’s that for variety?

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Posted in Entries #701-750 | Tagged as-tu, blonde, cigarette, contraction, conversation, earth, est-ce que tu as, français québécois, headache, mal de tête, prononciation, pronunciation, Québécois French, statement, t'as-tu, tsitsu, voice, yes-no question | 6 Comments

6 Responses

  1. on 7 February 2014 at 12:12 Paul Gutman

    Comme quelqu’un qui a grandi parlant “québécois,” (Une variété rurale), j’ai l’impression que la formule “Tu as compris?” est l’option la moins utilisée au Québec. (En France, je crois que c’est ce qu’on entend le plus souvent.) L’option “As-tu compris?” est normale ici, mais on entend aussi (parfois) “T’as compris, toi?” (“T’as compris, toé?”)


    • on 7 February 2014 at 12:21 OffQc

      Oui, je suis d’accord. J’ai la même impression que toi.


  2. on 7 February 2014 at 14:21 Benjamin

    Just stumbled upon your blog and I love it. As a French person, I sometimes wonder what Canadian French expressions mean. It’s always funny to discover new words.


    • on 7 February 2014 at 14:40 OffQc

      It’s fun to see how speakers in different parts of the world use a single language, isn’t it?


  3. on 7 February 2014 at 15:38 Miguelina

    Merci!!


  4. on 7 February 2014 at 18:50 LoupNordique

    Mais c’est tu cute lá!



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