Our Local Lingo

À cause tu fais simple de même? T’es dans les patates!

Quebec French is a language riddled with regional particularities. In Saguenay, we’re especially proud of our notably colourful and unique way of speaking. Just because we’re both speaking French doesn’t mean that we’re speaking the same language.

Here’s a useful mini glossary to prepare you and help you recognize the typical expressions d’icitte!

Saguenay sayings

Expressions from Saguenay that you won’t hear anywhere else, unless you find a Saguenénn, of course!

Words for outdoor activities

In Saguenay, we take every opportunity to play outside and make the most of the nature all around us. This is why we have so many words for this topic!

When you’re out on the fjord in the summer, we se grèye (from the verb gréyer: get dressed, clothe [oneself]) in a flotte (life jacket) for safety. When you’re on a snowmobile in the winter, make sure you have a well-insulated soute (snowsuit). When it rains, we put on our gobeur boots (rain/rubber boots).

By the way, you can take a look at the Your First Saguenay Winter Survival Guide to prepare yourself to face the cold and to discover why we love the winter so much in Saguenay! ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR FIRST SAGUENAY WINTER!

Stereotypical expressions

À cause tu fais simple, là?… Let’s break down this short sentence that’s packed with meaning!

In an interrogative sentence, “à cause” means “why”: “À cause weren’t you at school today?” In a declarative sentence, it means “because”: “I missed school à cause of the snowstorm.”

The phrase “faire simple” means “to play the fool or the imbecile.”

The interjection “là” is often used at the end of a sentence for emphasis, to make a bigger impact. But be careful because the expressions “là” and “là! là!” are sometimes used to make fun of the Saguenay accent—use it wisely!

To sum up, the sentence, “À cause tu fais simple, là?” means, “Why are you playing the fool, huh?”

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Qualifying expressions

We refer to a person or situation as being d’adon or plaisante when they’re nice. You can also say that ça adonne bien (that’s good) when a situation turns out well: “Marie came by with a blueberry pie for me. It’s always plaisant when you adonnes bien (get along well) with your neighbours.”

If you tell someone they’re botte, you’re saying that they’re capable or skilled at something: “Jacques is really botte when it comes to fishing, he caught a beautiful walleye!”

Some regional geographic expressions

There are multiple ways to access SagLac (contraction to refer to the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region).

Located 211 km from Quebec City and 464 km from Montreal, Saguenay is easily accessible by car via route 175, which crosses the Laurentides wildlife preserve, nicknamed Le Parc.

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Where does the fascination with blueberries come from?

The region of Saguenay is known for the quantity and quality of one little fruit that grows here: the wild blueberry. So much so that residents in the region are nicknamed Bleuets in reference to the specific fruit!

This fascination with blueberries is so present that it influences the daily vocabulary. For example, we will call something a talle when it can be found in abundance, referring to the talles (clumps) of blueberries: “Look at the moose hiding behind the talle of spruce!”

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Quebecer expressions

The use of certain expressions has spread across Quebec as a whole over time. Here are a few examples.

The contraction: à c’t’heure (à cette heure, at this time) means “now”: “Pierre moved to Saguenay. À c’t’heure, he’s on time to work every day!”

Ayoye! is an interjection used to express shock or pain: “Ayoye! Julie is looking swelle (pretty, gorgeous) in her new soute!”

The interjection coudon or coudonc is an expression of surprise, impatience or resignation: “Coudon, there’s still a long time before winter comes!”

Expressions about the weather

In Quebec, the weather is the main topic of many conversations. It’s normal to talk of the weather in general, for example, as an ice-breaker when meeting someone for the first time.

In the summer, several outdoor events take place whether there’s beau temps, mauvais temps (so, regardless of the weather conditions).

Often we talk about it being frette when it is extremely cold. Some would say that frette is colder than cold. In other words, when it’s a normal cold, it’s just cold, but when the wind picks up and it’s especially glacial outside, it’s frette!

Expressions with vivid imagery

Some Quebecer expressions convey an idea by evoking a vivid mental image.

This is the case, for example, with the sentence: Les bottines doivent suivre les babines, often used in politics. This means that actions must follow words.

The expression Attache ta tuque isn’t restricted to use in the winter. It means to be prepared to face a given situation: “Attache ta tuque, crossing the fjord by bike is a big challenge!” If the situation is particularly intense, we can add de la broche to make sure that the tuque is bien attaché. “Attache ta tuque avec de la broche, you’ll avoir de la misère (have a hard time) finishing your test!”

Être dans le champ or dans les patates doesn’t mean spending a day in the fields. It means that you’re in the wrong!

Finally, if someone invites you to tirer une bûche, we don’t expect you to go chop down a tree in the forest to make bûches (logs). You’re simply being invited to join the group!

Some verb adjustments

Some verbs have been created and are used very creatively.

So, the verb capoter can have several different meanings depending on the context. For example, it can express a strong feeling of joy, but also anger and anxiety. The emotion being expressed is even stronger when ben raide is added afterwards: “Good news, I’m moving to Saguenay. Je capote ben raide (I’m super excited)!”

The verb s’enligner, from the word ligne (line) means that one is working toward a goal or preparing for something: “Saturday we’re enligne to go visit the Pulperie de Chicoutimi as a family!”

Next, the expression magasiner is preferred over “faire des emplettes” or “shopping.” But remember that you don’t magasine for food: you do l’épicerie!

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As long as you get it!

In Saguenay and elsewhere in Quebec, the French language is characterized by colourful and fascinating expressions, each better than the last.

This glossary is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some popular expressions, in no particular order:

  • Tuque = beanie/knit hat
  • Mitaine = mittens
  • Capine = hood
  • Culottes = pants
  • Soute = snowsuit
  • Bas de soute = snow pants
  • Chandail = T-shirt or sweater
  • Coton ouaté = hoodie
  • Skidoo = snowmobile
  • Char = car
  • Cotter = curb
  • Allô = hello
  • Blonde = partner
  • Chum = friend or partner
  • Gaz = gas
  • Ustensiles = silverware (forks, knives)
  • Piastre = dollars
  • Suçon = lollipop

Now it’s your turn! Discover other expressions in your conversations with Saguenéens!

À cause are you still hesitating ? Fais pas simple, don’t be silly, choose Saguenay!

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