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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Does using the inversion to ask questions in French always sound formal? (#717)
Posted in Entries #701-750, tagged comment, conversation, formal, français québécois, informal, inversion, où, pourquoi, quand, Québécois French, question, question word on 6 February 2014| 4 Comments »
To invert, or not to invert, that is the question.
Did you learn that questions using the inversion automatically sound more formal in French? This isn’t always the case in the French of Québec. In fact, you’ll hear the inversion used quite often when questions are asked in everyday conversations.
The questions below all sound perfectly conversational despite the fact that they use the inversion:
Veux-tu un lift? from entry #707
Do you want a lift?
Pourrais-tu me donner dix piasses, s’il te plaît? from entry #382
Can you give me ten bucks, please?
En veux-tu? from entry #382
Do you want some?
As-tu mal à la tête? from entry #382
Do you have a headache?
Me l’apporterais-tu, s’il te plaît? from entry #382
Can you bring it to me, please?
Sais-tu comment ça s’est passé? from entry #318
Do you know how it happened?
However!
Using the inversion with question words (comment?, pourquoi?, quand?, où?, etc.) does sound more formal in French, even in Québec. In regular conversations, the inversion is typically avoided in these kinds of questions.
None of the conversational questions below use the inversion:
Comment t’as su? from entry #712
(as opposed to comment as-tu su?)
How did you know?
How did you find out?
Pourquoi vous me dites ça? from entry #318
(as opposed to pourquoi me dites-vous cela?)
Why are you telling me this?
Why are you saying this to me?
C’est arrivé quand? from entry #318
(as opposed to quand est-ce arrivé?)
When did it happen?
Il restait où? from entry #318
(as opposed to où restait-il?)
Where was he living?
You’ll also sometimes hear question words get thrown to the end of a question, like in the last two examples above.
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