Many French dialects pepper Atlantic Canada’s coastlines. The phrases and accents you’ll hear will vary from mainland Québec to Saint-Pierre, from Acadian communities in Nova Scotia to the Magdalen Islands, and back again. A few handy phrases—said with a smile—can go a long way.
Nasalized vowels are very common across these French dialects. Often, when you see the letter N written in a word (such as bonjour) you don’t make the full “nnn” sound. Although there isn’t really a close equivalent in English, some of our borrowed French words use this sound, such as in lingerie. This guide uses an italic n to show when a nasalized vowel should be used and a bold n to show when to make the full "nnn" sound. Keep practicing and soon it will come more naturally!
Greetings
- Bonjour [bohn – djoor] = "Hello"
- Bon matin [bohn – mah – tihn] = "Good morning"
- Bonne après-midi [bohn – ah – pray – mee – dee] = "Good afternoon"
- Bon soir [bohn – swar] = "Good evening"
- Bonne nuit [bohn – nooee] = "Good night"
- Au revoir [oh – ruh – vwar] = "Goodbye"
- À bientôt [ah – bee – en – toe] = "See you soon"
- À la prochaine [ah – lah – praw – shen] = "See you next time"
Questions & Answers
- Comment vous appellez-vous? [cum – uhn – vooz – app – ell – ay – voo] = "What’s your name?"
- Je m’appelle ____. [djuh – mah – pell ____] = "My name is ___."
- Comment ça va? [cum – uhn – sah – vah] = "How are you?"
- Ça va bien. [sah – vah – bee – ehn] = "I’m fine."
- Parlez-vous anglais? [par – lay – vooz – uhn – glay] = "Do you speak English?"
- Non [nohn] = "No."
- Oui [wee] = "Yes."
Special Expressions
- On y va! [oh – nee – vah] = "Let’s go!"
- Santé! [sahn – tay] = "Cheers!"
- Salut [sah – loo] = a multi-meaning phrase that could be used for hello, goodbye, or cheers
- Bienvenue [bee – ehn – veh – noo] = "Welcome"
- S’il vous plait [seel – voo – play] = "Please"
- Merci [mer – see] = "Thank you"
- De rien [duh – ree – ehn] = "You’re welcome"
