French Phrases

In “French”	One Pronounces/Hears
Où est…	oo eh…	When you want to ask where something is…(Ou est le Hyatt, etc)
Caribou	Care-ee-boo	This is a Quebec beverage traditionally associated with the Winter Carnival in Quebec City. It is made from red wine, hard liquor (usually whisky) and maple syrup or sugar. It is a useful beverage for keeping warm when you’re totally lost and can’t find where anything is (see Où est above).
Tabernouche	Tab-er-noosh	In addition to mon Dieu (which is mild like “drat”), this is a way to swear without using a bad word. Quebec French uses liturgical items like chalice and tabernacle as their most drastic swears. In this case an alternate form has developed as a circumlocution to express frustration without being too crass.
Salut ! Bonjour Bon soir Bonne nuit	Sa-loot Bon-joor Bon s-war Bon noo-ee	You need to be polite – you are north of the 49th after all, and we are known for being polite – so use these four to greet people in shops, taxis, hotels, etc. The first is a generic hi or bye, the second means hello during the day, the second is hello or goodbye in the evening and the fourth is good night.
Les Habs or Les Habitants	Laze hab Laze hab-ee-taunt	This refers to the première local religion of Montreal: hockey. The Montreal Canadiens are known as the Habitants or the Habs; this refers to the subsistence farmers who lived on the banks of the St. Lawrence river in the early days of the European settlement here.
The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ)	Usually just the abbreviation is used : Ess Ah Queue	The sale of alcohol in Quebec is a state-run monopoly. These are the stores where alcohol may be purchased. Beer may also be purchased at local grocery stores. And there is more good news. There is an SAQ in the Complexe Desjardins– the complex that houses our hotel.
Combien	Kom-b­­ee-en	How many/much. Useful at the SAQ.
Tempête de neige vague de chaleur	Tom-pet de nay-je Vag de cha-lure	The first we will not need for our meeting – it means snowstorm; the second, which we are hoping for, means heat wave.
Tourtière	Torte-yair	This is a meat pie made with….well, it depends. My mom made it with beef, veal, potatoes, and various spices. In our house it was served always with ketchup, but I doubt that this is traditional. http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/tourtiere-quebec-meat-pie/
Monsieur (M.) Madame (Mme.)	Miss-your Mah-damn	Did I mention politeness? Unlike other parts of the country, where people introduce themselves and call you by first names, such is not the case in Quebec. You will often find that once people know your name, they will still refer to you somewhat formally. The diminutive Mademoiselle, which you may have learned in school, is really not used by adults any more, except with children.
An ‘eh” sound in words where you would not expect it, such as Oui - Oué Toi - Toué Moi – Moué	Way Tway Mway	This long ‘A’ sound is a remnant of the 17th century French (Joual) preserved here in Quebec, even though some locals see it as uneducated speech, you will hear it a lot. Yes You Me
Puis-je vous aider?	Pwee-zuh voo eh-day Or Pee-zuh voo eh-day	Not to fear, this is a good thing – one usually hears this in a store – it means May I help you?
S'il vous plaît Merci	Seal-voo-play Mare-see	Excuse me, but have I mentioned the importance of being polite? Up here we always say please (if it pleases you) and thank you.
PQist(e)	Pay-key-st	A person who favours the Parti Quebecois which works for Quebec sovereignty.
Dépanneur	Day-pan-err	This term refers to a convenience store. The origin of the word is a little unclear, but most people say that it comes from the France French expressions, “en panne", which means "out of order" and dépaneur which means “repair technician.” So if you are out of milk in Quebec, get it fixed by going to the dépaneur.
Il fait froid !  (En joual: i fa frette !) Il neige.	Eel fay f-raw (or) Ee faw fr-et Eel nay-j	OK, just in case, this will let you say how cold it is like a local. The first with froid is French French, but the one with frette is how the locals will often say it. Either way, it’s cold! And should there be a light dusting of snow, you can use the last expression to say that it is, in fact, snowing.
Là	Lah	This word means there but its usage can throw you off and have you thinking, “Where?” Oftentimes, this word comes at the end of a sentence and means nothing at all – like “Dépêche-toi la.” Which simply means “Hurry up, eh?” This shows the similar usage of “eh” among Anglophone Canadians, which may also prove useful during your stay.
Poutine	Poo-teen Or Poo-tin	A French Canadian delicacy invented in 1957 by Warwick, Quebec restaurateur Fernand Lachancemade. It is made from a combination of French fries, thick chicken gravy and cheese curd. Actually it can have a multitude of variations, but it is not for the lovers of low carb food. http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/poutine.html
cabane à sucre or tire sur la neige	Ka-ban-a sue-kra Tier sur la nay-je	Literally, the first term means sugar shack, but in Quebec it refers to a great custom of pouring heated maple syrup (made in the sugar shack) over fresh snow and then using a popsicle stick to wrap the syrup around the stick as it hardens. If you make it back to Quebec in late February or March, it is an event not to be missed. http://montreal.about.com/od/seasonalattractions/a/Sugar_shack_all.htm
Tête carrée	Tet car ray	Literally, the expression means blockhead, and it is normally reserved for Anglophones who make no effort to speak French while in Quebec. So…make an effort!