Thanks Amber

Moi aussi!

Spoken French/vocabulary in Quebec are quite different than the more formal French spoken in France, altho' the two parties can usually have some kind of conversation. There is a lot of slang and local expressions in Quebec French, and some words sound more nasal and drawn out. It's common in QC for instance, to say French Fries instead of les pommes de terre frites even if you speak almost no English and there are some words/expressions that linger from centuries ago that the French in France have long abandoned. It would be something like saying "thou" or "thee" vs. you. I know some people from Quebec who felt they were really looked down on when in France. I guess I was luckier, as I am obviously an Anglo, trying to speak French. I was never treated rudely in Paris. I took French (the formal kind, not QC French) from age 11 to age 19 and trying to sing along with this, even though the lyrics are right in front of me....phew...it's hard! I love Quebec, and being immersed in a different culture and language when I'm there, and I love the McGarrigles.

Okay, but what in this song is typical Quebec French, which part of the lyrics or pronunciation?

no it was frecnh gyana song but every frnch speaking singer cover it

The most obvious Quebecism in this song is: - "Quand y fait frett' j'fais pas du ski" which in standard French would be: -"Quand y fait froid j'fais pas du ski" There are also some Americanisms that aren't used in Europe: -"Parce que j'chauffe pas de convertible - au prix du gas c'est bien pénible" which translates in French French: - "Parce que j'conduis pas d'cabriolet - au prix d'l'essence c'est bien pénible" As for the accent, other than the distinctive Montreal nasal twang, the Sisters are slightly rolling their 'r's, which already sounded somewhat old fashioned back then but it's part of the vintage, timeless charm of their songs.

@@madeleinehague648 ….you write « the two can have some kind of conversation » ……Wow! I am québécois and in addition of living and working in France where I was doing business with grads of « les grandes écoles » I never had « some kind of conversation ». We had normal conversations exactly like an English Canadian or an American would have a normal conversation with a British citizen. Different accents and sometimes different expressions like elevator vs lift or trunk vs booth. In addition to my six years working in France, I travelled at least 10 times in France and have French friends with whom I still have normal conversations instead of what you describe as « some kind of conversations » I am curious to find out the reason why you think that way? Do you speak French? Is your level of fluency allows you to truly identify the differences between a French from Paris, Marseille or Martinique (the three have very different accents) VS a québécois? Or you just report the false information you heard from the rest of Canada?