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« Example of RENDU seen in an ad in Montréal (#890)
Canceller un rendez-vous (#892) »

What does Y’A-TU mean as used in Québécois French? (#891)

23 January 2015 by OffQc

Y’a-tu quelqu’un?
Is anybody there?

What does y’a-tu mean in this question?

During conversations, maybe you’ve noticed that il y a is almost always pronounced colloquially as y’a (sounds like yâ).

Y’a-tu quelqu’un?
= Il y a-tu quelqu’un?

The tu after the verb here signals that we’re being asked a yes-no question.

Y’a-tu quelqu’un?
= Il y a-tu quelqu’un?
= Il y a-[oui ou non] quelqu’un?

In the song Maudite jalousie (listen on YouTube here), Kevin Parent sings:

Y’a-tu quelqu’un qui peut m’expliquer?
Is there anybody who can explain to me?
Can anybody explain to me?

A question beginning with y’a-tu…? means the same thing as one that begins with est-ce qu’il y a…?

Y’a-tu quelqu’un que ça intéresse?
Est-ce qu’il y a quelqu’un que ça intéresse?
Is there anybody who’s interested? Is anybody interested? Is there anybody who cares? Does anybody care?

Y’a-tu vraiment une différence entre les deux?
Est-ce qu’il y a vraiment une différence entre les deux?
Is there really a difference between the two?

Do you remember how tu is pronounced by most Québécois? It sounds like tsu. Y’a-tu sounds like yâ-tsu.

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Posted in Entries #851-900 | Tagged français québécois, il y a, Kevin Parent, Maudite jalousie, Québécois French, tu, y'a-tu, yes-no question | 1 Comment

One Response

  1. on 25 January 2015 at 19:48 Tim

    This post reminds me of the song “ya tu d’la biere icitte”. When I first started studing QC French I had a hard time translating the title of that song. The tu as a yes or no question is certainly unique, and can def be a little confusing to non natives. Thanks for all the great post. Your site has helped grow and progress so much!



Comments are closed.

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