5 Common French Expressions: French from France vs French from Quebec

Living in Canada for six years, I’ve noticed that many French expressions are used in Quebec differently than in France or in Europe.

Here, I will share five expressions that confused me, the most as a French speaker.

1) Allô

If you learned French in France, you know that “allô” is used when you answer the phone.

The use of “allô” in Quebec is quite different. It comes from the English word “hello”, and it’s used exactly for that, to say “hello”.

Allô is also used both in written and spoken French.

So, don’t be surprised if you hear this word in Quebec or other French-speaking provinces.

2) Bienvenue

The literal meaning of “Bienvenue” is “welcome” in French.

In Quebec, we use this to say welcome as in France.

However, “Bienvenue” is also used to say “you are welcome” following a thank you.

For example:
-Merci beaucoup
-Bienvenue

French Course for Beginners 

In my self-paced beginner course, I cover all these differences between French from France and French from Quebec. 

Click here to see my course curriculum. 

3) Bonjour

Similar to "bienvenue", “bonjour” is also used differently in Quebec. It is used as a form of greeting to say "hello".

But in Quebec, Bonjour is also used to say “goodbye”.

4) C'est beau

In France, we use “C’est beau” to describe something “beautiful”.

But, in Quebec, "C’est beau" has different meanings and it can be used in various contexts. The most common meaning is “ it’s good”.

For example:
-Qu’est-ce que tu en penses? (What do you think?)
-Je pense que c’est beau. (I think it's good.)

5) Par exemple

The literal meaning of par exemple is, “for example”. 

Be careful, in French, "par exEmple" is written with “e” not “a”.

For example:

Je lis les auteurs québécois, par exemple Michel Tremblay et Nelly Arcan.

(I read quebecois writers, for example Michel Tremblay and Nelly Arcan.)

But in Quebec, "par exemple" is also used to say “but” which can be translated into French “cependant, par contre”.

For example:

Fais comme tu veux, mais viens pas te plaindre, par exemple.

(Do as you like, but don't come to complain to me.)

Watch my video below for their pronunciation. 

Thank you for reading my post! Which French expressions do you find interesting? Do you know other French words used differently in Quebec? Let me know in comments.

About me

Umut Incesu, PhD (he/him)

Tumu Learning