OffQc | Québécois French Guide

You probably know that all four of these French verbs can be used in the sense of to live, to reside: habiter, vivre, résider, demeurer.

There’s a fifth verb that can be used, however. It’s a colloquial usage.

During a conversation, a woman said in French an equivalent of I don’t live far. She didn’t use any of the four verbs listed above. She used instead the fifth, colloquial one.

Here’s what she said:

J’reste pas loin.
I don’t live far.
(or: I live nearby.)

The verb rester can be used in the same sense as the other four above.

Note also that she didn’t say je ne reste pas loin; she said j’reste pas loin. The ne was omitted, and the vowel sound of je dropped.

Additionally, you’ll notice that when reste is pronounced spontaneously, it sounds as though it were spelled resse. This is because the final st consonant cluster gets simplified into just an s sound.

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The OffQc book C’est what? will help you get your bearings in the colloquial variety of French spoken in Québec and pave the way for further independent study. You can buy and download it here.