Québec French expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you keep up on the street, at a party, on a date or at the dépanneur? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “to do some thumb”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
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Québec French expressions quiz
The 10 Québec expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what people in Québec actually mean by them.
faire du pouce
BeginnerWord for word: “to do some thumb”
To hitchhike
Quand il était jeune, il faisait du pouce pour monter à Québec. When he was young, he hitchhiked up to Quebec City.
Fine at workma blonde
BeginnerWord for word: “my blonde”
My girlfriend
Ma blonde a les cheveux bruns, pis ça mêle tout le monde. My girlfriend has brown hair, and it confuses everyone.
With friendsC’est plate !
BeginnerWord for word: “it’s flat!”
It’s boring
Il pleut toute la fin de semaine, c’est plate. It’s raining all weekend, it’s so boring.
With friendsTire-toi une bûche !
IntermediateWord for word: “pull yourself up a log!”
Pull up a chair, join us
Tire-toi une bûche, le souper est presque prêt. Pull up a chair, dinner’s nearly ready.
With friendsprendre une brosse
IntermediateWord for word: “to take a brush”
To get drunk
On a pris une méchante brosse au party de Noël du bureau. We got really drunk at the office Christmas party.
With friendsLâche pas !
IntermediateWord for word: “don’t let go!”
Keep going, don’t give up!
T’es presque rendu au bout du marathon, lâche pas ! You’re nearly at the end of the marathon, keep going!
Fine at workêtre aux oiseaux
IntermediateWord for word: “to be at the birds”
To be over the moon
Elle a eu la job de ses rêves, elle est aux oiseaux. She got her dream job, she’s over the moon.
Fine at workavoir son voyage
AdvancedWord for word: “to have your trip”
To be completely fed up
Trois heures dans le trafic ? J’ai mon voyage ! Three hours in traffic? I’ve had it!
With friendsÇa a pas rapport !
AdvancedWord for word: “that has no connection!”
That’s beside the point
On parle du budget, pis tu me parles de hockey ? Ça a pas rapport ! We’re talking about the budget and you bring up hockey? That’s beside the point!
With friendsTu me prends pour une valise ?
AdvancedWord for word: “you take me for a suitcase?”
Do you think I’m stupid?
Tu penses que je vais croire ça ? Tu me prends pour une valise ? You think I’ll believe that? Do you think I’m stupid?
Best avoided
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Is Québec French very different from France French?
The grammar is the same. Everyday expressions and some words are not: ma blonde is your girlfriend, whatever her hair colour, and le dépanneur is the corner shop. That’s why this quiz is Québec only.