Podcast Summary: InnerFrench E105 – Le français québécois

Date: December 23, 2021
Host: Alexandre (occasionally called Benjamin in transcript)
Guest: Geneviève Breton (YouTuber: Ma prof de français)

Overview

This episode explores the differences between French as spoken in France ("français de métropole") and Quebec ("français québécois"), focusing on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and some misconceptions. Host Alexandre interviews Geneviève Breton, a language teacher and expert on Quebec French, offering listeners an engaging and detailed look into the linguistic, cultural, and regional distinctions that shape French in Quebec.

Episode Structure and Key Topics

• 00:00–07:32 – Host update, reasons for podcast hiatus, new course announcements
• 08:20–09:54 – Guest introduction & Quebec French context
• 09:54–13:33 – Differences across Canadian provinces and French registers
• 13:33–21:54 – Pronunciation distinctions (regional and between “France” and “Québec”)
• 21:54–23:57 – Grammatical particularities of Quebec French (notably, the “tu” particle)
• 23:57–32:59 – Vocabulary comparisons & “false friends” between France and Quebec French
• 33:20–End – Where to follow the guest; wrap-up

Detailed Breakdown & Insights

Podcast and Guest Introduction

• Hiatus explanation: Alexandre explains he moved apartments and worked on new InnerFrench courses, leading to a temporary break in content.
• Purpose of the episode: To explore differences between standard French and Quebec French for the large number of listeners interested in moving to Canada, or simply in the diversity of Francophone cultures.
• About Geneviève:
  • Specialist in informal Quebec French, focuses on real-life language as opposed to textbook French.
  • Runs the YouTube channel Ma prof de français.
  • Started the channel to fill a gap in French-learning resources on Canadian and informal French (09:09).

The Canadian Francophone Context

• Where is French spoken in Canada? (10:17)

  • French is the only official language in Quebec, but other provinces like New Brunswick (bilingual), Manitoba, Ontario also have francophone communities.
  • Quote:

    “Le Québec, c’est la seule province qui a le français comme unique langue officielle.” – Geneviève (10:55)

• Accents and Groups

  • Group distinctions: “Acadiens” in the Maritimes vs. “Québécois” (11:04).
  • Francophone minorities outside Quebec often have more English influence. Core vocabulary is similar, but with more Anglicisms and different pronunciation.

• Formal vs Informal Registers

  • Formal Quebec French is very close to that of France; most differences emerge in informal, everyday language (12:28).
  • Quote:

    “Plus on monte dans les registres de langues soutenues, soignées, moins les différences régionales sont perceptibles…” – Geneviève (12:28)

Pronunciation Differences

Regional Accents

• Each region of Quebec has its own accent and can be distinguished from cities like Montreal and Quebec City (13:47).

Comparison Exercise

• Alexandre and Geneviève read out the same words to compare accents: “la base”, “le climat”, “arrête, “enfant”, “princesse”, etc.

• Notable discovery: The “a” and “é” sounds, as well as the effect of the circumflex, are often more pronounced or preserved in Quebec French.

• Example: The word “arrête” pronounced with a longer “é” in some Quebec regions (15:31).

• Quote:

  “On a gardé deux ‘é’, le ‘é’ de ‘mettre’ et le ‘é’ de ‘maître’, ou de ‘arrête’…” – Geneviève (15:31)

• Nasal vowels are forward in the mouth in Quebec French, more “fermé” (closed) compared to France (18:09).

Perceptions of the Quebecois Accent

• French people sometimes find it “mignon” or “horrible”; in Quebec, this can be perceived as condescending or simply the result of lack of exposure (19:26).

• Quote:

  “C’est à la limite un peu condescendant parfois… la première fois qu’on est exposé à quelque chose, faut juste rester conscient qu’on peut garder nos commentaires pour nous…” – Geneviève (19:26)

Pronunciation of Pronouns

• The “L” in “il” and “elle” often disappears or becomes very light in informal Quebec French (“il vient” → “y vient”; “elle vient” → “a vient”) (20:37).

• Quote:

  “Notre L est devenu un peu plus ouvert, donc ‘elle vient’ ça va être un simple A. ‘Elle vient, elle peut…’” – Geneviève (21:15)

• Distinction with France: In informal France French, “il” often does become “y” (“il peut pas”), but “elle” remains pronounced (“elle arrive”), whereas in Quebec “elle” shifts as well (21:53).

  • “Y arrive” is acceptable in Quebec, not in France.

Grammatical Differences (22:16)

Interrogative "tu"

• Main feature: The use of “tu” as an interrogative particle, not as a pronoun, e.g., “On y va-tu?” (“Are we going?”)

• Geneviève traces it back to “-ti” from older French, originally a question marker, which over time became “tu” by analogy.

• Quote:

  “Notre fameux ‘tu’ interrogatif… ce n’est pas un pronom personnel… c’est vraiment une particule interrogative et ça vient du ‘ti’…” – Geneviève (22:16)

• Used with all persons: “Vous voulez-tu manger?”, “On y va-tu?”, “J’ai-tu dit…”.

Vocabulary – Essential Differences (24:01)

Transport

• France — “une voiture”, “un vélo”
• Québec — “un char” (informal), “une auto” (neutral), “un bécic” (childhood slang for bicycle; now “vélo” is common too)

Clothing

• Shoes: “des souliers” in Quebec, which sounds old-fashioned in France but is still widely used in Quebec (25:30). Also common in Belgium and Switzerland.

Romantic Partners

• Girlfriend: “ma blonde” (regardless of hair color)
• Boyfriend: “mon chum” (from archaic British English; in Quebec, also means a friend in different contexts).
• “Chum de gars” or “chum de fille” specifies platonic friendship (27:23).

Expressions

• "Il mouille" = "Il pleut" (it's raining) (28:04)

To Chat

• “Jaser” (to chit-chat, to have a casual conversation) and “piquer une jasette” (to have a nice chat) (28:30).

False Friends

• Meals:

  • France: “petit déjeuner” (breakfast), “déjeuner” (lunch), “dîner” (dinner).
  • Québec: “déjeuner” (breakfast), “dîner” (lunch), “souper” (dinner/supper).
  • Belgium and Switzerland follow the Quebec system (29:17).
  • Quote:

    “C’est vous les Français qui avez changé vos habitudes…” – Geneviève (29:44)

• “Bienvenue” for “you’re welcome”: considered an anglicism in Quebec, officially discouraged, but widely used (30:30). “De rien” and “il n’y a pas de quoi” also exist.

• “Le dépanneur”

  • Quebec: Corner shop for essentials if supermarkets are closed (31:35)
  • France: Breakdown mechanic for cars.

• “Liqueur”:

  • France: always alcoholic drinks.

  • Quebec: can be both alcoholic (in liquor stores) or, informally, means soft drinks (sodas) (32:24).

  • Quote:

    “Faites pas le saut si vous entendez un petit Québécois qui demande de la liqueur à ses parents. C’est pas un jeune alcoolique…” – Geneviève (32:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “La première fois que j’ai entendu un accent de la Provence, j’ai trouvé ça tellement joli et chantant. C’est cliché. Probablement que quelqu’un de Marseille… dirait ‘revenez-en, c’est comme ça qu’on parle.’” – Geneviève (19:26)
• “Faut juste rester conscient qu’on peut garder nos commentaires pour nous, des fois.” – Geneviève (19:26)
• “Notre fameux ‘tu’ interrogatif… c’est tellement économique et pratique. Je peux l’utiliser à n’importe quel sujet, n’importe quel temps de verbe…” – Geneviève (22:16)
• “Faites pas le saut si vous entendez un petit Québécois qui demande de la liqueur à ses parents. C’est pas un jeune alcoolique…” – Geneviève (32:50)
• “Le mot ‘chum’… pour eux [les Américains], ça sonne aussi archaïque… c’est de l’anglais britannique.” – Geneviève (26:51)

Where to Find the Guest

• YouTube: Ma prof de français – main platform
• Also available on Facebook & Instagram (less frequently updated)

Conclusion

This episode gives an accessible yet detailed overview of the unique features of Quebec French, debunking stereotypes and emphasizing the importance of cultural context. Whether considering a move to Canada or simply wishing to enrich your French, this conversation between Alexandre and Geneviève is both educational and entertaining, filled with warmth and linguistic curiosity.

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment Description | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–07:32| Podcast business, update on hiatus, Intro to episode | | 08:20 | Start of guest segment; Geneviève’s background | | 10:17 | French in other Canadian provinces explained | | 12:28 | Similarity of formal French (France/Québec); differences appear informally| | 15:22 | Pronunciation exercises and discussion | | 18:09 | Nasal vowels – “princesse”, “enfant”, etc. | | 19:26 | Perception of Quebec accent by French natives | | 20:37 | Pronoun pronunciation (“il”, “elle”) differences | | 22:16 | Quebec’s interrogative “tu” explained | | 24:01 | Vocabulary showdown: vehicle, shoes, “chum”, “blonde”, etc. | | 28:30 | “Jaser” & “piquer une jasette” | | 29:07 | False friends: meal names | | 30:30 | "Bienvenue" as “you’re welcome” | | 31:35 | “Dépanneur” compared in France and Quebec | | 32:24 | “Liqueur” as soda | | 33:20 | Where to find Geneviève online |

For a deeper dive, including transcripts, visit innerfrench.com/podcast.