{"id":13478,"date":"2020-01-27T11:05:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T16:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=13478"},"modified":"2025-11-20T12:48:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T17:48:37","slug":"quebecois-your-complete-guide-to-understanding-canadian-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/quebecois-your-complete-guide-to-understanding-canadian-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian French vs European French: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding the Key Differences Between Canadian French vs French<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you know European French, is it worth learning Canadian French?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, that depends. You could go to Quebec just knowing European French<\/a>, but what happens when someone asks you this question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTs\u00e9-tu si ta blonde est pr\u00eate \u00e0 embarquer dans le char?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be thinking, euh\u2026 Quoi?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear not; by the end of this article, you\u2019ll be able to fully understand exactly what that means. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And although Quebecers would be flattered if you spoke French during your visit, learning about Canadian French and its history is the best way to really <\/strong>impress (and understand) them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Canadian French vs French debate doesn\u2019t just play out in Montreal or Marseille; outside of Canada and France, you\u2019ll find plenty of opinions on the \u201ccorrect\u201d dialect in regards to Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois vs French. In the Caribbean, Africa, and other overseas territories and former colonies of the French Empire, Canadian French vs European French is still debated among locals.
This article will help you find the answers to a few important questions. Can French natives understand Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois French? What are the main differences between Canadian French and French? Does learning one give you a head start to learning the other? Let\u2019s take a look!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of French in Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s explore a little more about where Canadian French originates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explorers from provincial France arrived in Canada in the mid-16th century and founded a colony there, bringing the French language<\/a> with them. British colonies appeared in North America around the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

France then ceded the regions of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the Hudson Bay Area to Britain as part of the Treaty of Utrecht, giving way for English to become the dominant language in these regions. When Canada was formed in 1867, English was the language of the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This left the French-speaking community surrounded by English speakers in the US and Canada, and isolated from their Francophone cousins in Europe. With a huge reduction in immigration from France, modern vocabulary no longer found its way to French-speaking Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019ll see, this isolation is key in the history of Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois because it meant the language evolved differently than European French.
That\u2019s the story of the divergence of the French language<\/a>. If you\u2019re interested in the entire history of the original French language<\/a> \u2013 how it started, where it spread, and its lasting legacy in the modern world \u2013 check out our article that spans centuries and gives you a more complete picture of the Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois vs French dynamic, and much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Differences Between Canadian French and French<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are so many ways that the two types of French are different, but it\u2019s easiest to split them into three groups: pronunciation<\/strong>, grammar<\/strong>, and vocabulary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s have a look at some examples from each group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pronunciation of French in Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The difference in pronunciation is one of the most obvious to spot. Like the diverse accents throughout France, the French you hear in Quebec has a distinct sound that gives it its identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lots of French Words Become Shorter in Canadian French<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One key difference in Canadian French is contractions<\/strong>: words are shortened, merged, or sometimes just disappear altogether in spoken Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois.
So, if you hear ts\u00e9<\/em>, the speaker actually means tu sais<\/em>. S\u2019a<\/em> replaces sur la<\/em>, and believe it or not, chu<\/em> is the Canadian French form of je suis<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s see some more examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n