Words
| This section includes inline links to audio files. If you have trouble playing the files, see Wikipedia Media help. |
The "Quebec" audio samples here are not necessarily from speakers of Quebec French, which has distinct regional pronunciations of certain words.
| English | French | Quebec accent | Northern French accent |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Français | /fʁãsɛ/ | /fʁɑ̃sɛ/ |
| English | Anglais | /ãɡlɛ/ | /ɑ̃ɡlɛ/ |
| Yes | Oui (si when countering an assertion or a question expressed in the negative) | /wi/ | /wi/ |
| No | Non | /nõ/ | /nɔ̃/ |
| Hello! | Bonjour ! (formal) or Salut ! (informal) or "Allô" (Quebec French or when answering on the telephone) | /bõʒuːʁ/ | /bɔ̃ʒuːʁ/ |
| Good evening! | Bonsoir ! | /bõswɑːʁ/ | /bɔ̃swaːʁ/ |
| Good night! | Bonne nuit ! | /bɔn nɥi/ | /bɔn nɥi/ |
| Goodbye! | Au revoir ! | /ɔʁvwɑːʁ/ | /o ʁəvwaːʁ/ |
| Have a nice day! | Bonne journée ! | /bɔn ʒʊʁne/ | /bɔn ʒuʁne/ |
| Please/if you please | S’il vous plaît (formal) or S’il te plaît (informal) | /s‿ɪl vu plɛ/ | /s‿il vu plɛ/ |
| Thank you | Merci | /mɛʁsi/ | /mɛʁsi/ |
| You are welcome | De rien (informal) or Ce n’est rien (informal) ("it is nothing") or Je vous en prie (formal) or Je t’en prie (informal) | /də ʁjẽ/ | /də ʁjɛ̃/ |
| I am sorry | Pardon or Je suis désolé (if male) / Je suis désolée (if female) or Excuse-moi (informal) / Excusez-moi (formal) / "Je regrette" | /paʁdõ/ / /dezɔle/ | /paʁdɔ̃/ / /dezɔle/ |
| Who? | Qui ? | /ki/ | /ki/ |
| What? | Quoi ? (←informal; used as "What?" in English)) or Comment ? (←formal; used the same as "Pardon me?" in English) | /kwa/ | /kwa/ |
| When? | Quand ? | /kã/ | /kɑ̃/ |
| Where? | Où ? | /u/ | /u/ |
| Why? | Pourquoi ? | /pʊʁkwa/ | /puʁkwa/ |
| What is your name? | Comment vous appelez-vous ? (formal) or Comment t’appelles-tu ? (informal) | /kɔmã vuz‿aple vu/, /kɔmã t‿apɛl t͡sy/ | /kɔmɑ̃ vuz‿aple vu/, /kɔmɑ̃ t‿apɛl ty/ |
| Because | Parce que / Car | /paʁskə/ | /paʁsøkø/ |
| Because of | à cause de | /a koːz də/ | /a koz də/ |
| Therefore | Donc | /dõːk/ | /dɔ̃ːk/ |
| Maybe | Peut-être | /pœt‿aɛ̯tʀ/ | /pøt‿ɛtʁ/ |
| How? | Comment ? | /kɔmã/ | /kɔmɑ̃/ |
| How much? | Combien ? | /kõbjẽ/ | /kɔ̃bjɛ̃/ |
| I do not understand. | Je ne comprends pas. | /ʒə nə kõpʁã pɔ/ | /ʒø nø kɔ̃pʁɑ̃ pa/ |
| Yes, I understand. | Oui, je comprends. Except when responding to a negatively posed question, in which case Si is used preferentially over Oui | /wi ʒə kõpʁã/ | /wi ʒø kɔ̃pʁɑ̃/ |
| I agree | Je suis d’accord. D’accord can be used without je suis. | /ʒə sɥi d‿akɔːʁ/ | /ʒə sɥi d‿akɔːʁ/ |
| Help! | Au secours ! (à l’aide !) | /o skuːʁ/ | /o søkuːʁ/ |
| Can you help me please? | Pouvez-vous m’aider s’il vous plaît ? / Pourriez-vous m’aider s’il vous plaît ? (formal) or Peux-tu m’aider s’il te plaît ? / Pourrais-tu m’aider s’il te plaît (informal) | /puve vu m‿ɛːde s‿ɪl vu plɛ/ | /puve vu m‿ede s‿il vu plɛ/ |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? | /u sõ le twalɛt/ | /u sɔ̃ le twalɛt/ |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? / Est-ce que vous parlez anglais ? | /ɛs kə vu paʁle ãɡlɛ/ | /paʁle vu ɑ̃ɡlɛ/ |
| I do not speak French. | Je ne parle pas français. | /ʒə nə paʁl pɑ fʁãsɛ/ | /ʒə nə paʁl pa fʁɑ̃sɛ/ |
| I do not know. | Je ne sais pas. | /ʒə (nə) se pɑ/ | /ʒə (nə) sɛ pa/ |
| I know. | Je sais. | /ʒə se/ | /ʒə sɛ/ |
| I am thirsty. | J’ai soif. (literally, "I have thirst") | /ʒ‿e swaf/ | /ʒ‿e swaf/ |
| I am hungry. | J’ai faim. (literally, "I have hunger") | /ʒ‿e fẽ/ | /ʒ‿e fɛ̃/ |
| How are you? / How are things going? / How is everything? | Comment allez-vous? (formal) or Ça va? / Comment ça va ? (informal) | /kɔmã t‿ale vu/ | /kɔmɑ̃ t‿ale vu/ |
| I am (very) well / Things are going (very) well // Everything is (very) well | Je vais (très) bien (formal) or Ça va (très) bien. / Tout va (très) bien (informal) | /ʒə vɛ (tʁɛ) bjẽ/ | /ʒə vɛ (tʁɛ) bjɛ̃/ |
| I am (very) bad / Things are (very) bad / Everything is (very) bad | Je vais (très) mal (formal) or Ça va (très) mal / Tout va (très) mal (informal) | /ʒə vɛ (tʁɛ) mal/ | /ʒə vɛ (tʁɛ) mal/ |
| I am all right/so-so / Everything is all right/so-so | Assez bien or Ça va comme ci, comme ça or simply Ça va.. (Sometimes said: « Couci, couça. », informal: "bof") i.e. « Comme ci, comme ça. ») | /ase bjẽ/ | /ase bjɛ̃/ |
| I am fine. | Ça va bien. | /sa vɑ bjẽ/ | /sa va bjɛ̃/ |
| (How) can I help you? / (Do) you need help? / We need help! | (Comment) pourrais-je vous aider? Avez-vous besoin d'aide? Nous avons besoin d'aide! |
Read more about this topic: French Language
Famous quotes containing the word words:
“Ever the words of the gods resound;
But the porches of man’s ear
Seldom in this low life’s round
Are unsealed, that he may hear.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone; You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
“There sighs, lamentations and loud wailings resounded through the starless air, so that at first it made me weep; strange tongues, horrible language, words of pain, tones of anger, voices loud and hoarse, and with these the sound of hands, made a tumult which is whirling through that air forever dark, as sand eddies in a whirlwind.”
—Dante Alighieri (1265–1321)