how to speak (and understand) ‘canajun’, eh
Contents
1. Phrases
2. Money
3. Sales Tax
4. Booze
5. Food
6. Signs (road and business)
7. Functioning in English/Using your French
Canadians and Americans often assume that we speak the same language—English. But, as I soon discovered when I went
to Grad School in the United States, there are some differences that can cause confusion. And, while Canadians have become
familiar with, and often use, American terms due to the influence of American film and TV, Canadian English may be less
known to Americans. So, with a little help from an ASTR document entitled “Canadian vs. American English”, here are some
hints to help you navigate the distance between our two versions of the Mother Tongue.
Let us begin with that iconic Canadian interjection, “eh” (pronounced like the first letter of the alphabet). It has been argued that
“eh” has ten different meanings, the most common ones being “pardon?” (as in a request for repetition) and as a tag, as in “I’m
Canadian, eh.” I won’t go into all of them here, but two others you may hear are the “narrative eh” (“I’m going to ATHE, eh, it’s
in Montreal this year, eh, and it should be fabulous, eh!”) and as a reinforcement of an exclamation (“How about that fabulous
ATHE Conference in Montreal, eh!”).
Here are some other “translations” to help you out.
American Word or Phrase
Canadian Equivalent
NapkinServiette
Canadians will use both terms, but Serviette generally refers to a paper napkin
CheckBill
In Canada, we pay bills with a cheque. Most servers will translate “check” to “bill” but to avoid confusion, ask for the bill.
SodaPop
If you ask for a soda, you will likely get Club Soda. While both are used in the US, depending on the region, pop is most
common in Canada.
SilverwareCutlery
Silverware in Canada is generally used to refer to cutlery made of silver.
Restroom/Bathroom
Washroom (in Quebec you will also see Toilet)
After all, in public washrooms, we don’t go there to rest or to bathe.
Hot TeaTea
If you ask for tea, it will be assumed that you mean hot tea. If you want iced tea, you will have to ask for it specifically. Also, you
will find that iced tea is almost always sweetened in Canada, so if you want unsweetened iced tea, be sure to say so. In many
restaurants, you are likely to get canned pre-sweetened iced tea.
American Cheese
Processed Cheese
Most Canadians will make the translation but saying “processed” will be clearest.
Canadian Bacon
Back Bacon
Most Canadian restaurants will translate if you ask for Canadian Bacon. But, you may also get what is called Peameal Bacon
if you order Canadian Bacon; this is a cured (as in slightly pickled) low fat bacon rolled in cornmeal (it used to be peameal and
the name has stuck).
Wheat Bread or Toast
Brown Bread or Toast
After all, white bread is also usually wheat. I remember the first time I asked for brown toast in the States, and my server said,
“Doesn’t it get brown when you toast it?” I was stymied.
Parking Garage
Parkade (parking + arcade)
You will find that Canadians use both terms.
Candy FlossCotton Candy
Do you guys really use cotton instead of sugar?
Freeway/ExpresswayHighway
As in the TransCanada Highway. ‘Nuff said.
GrillBBQ
In Canada, the noun has become a verb. If you ask for BBQ in Canada, as in pulled pork with BBQ sauce, you are not likely
going to be understood.
Other notes
“You’re Welcome” vs. “Uh-huh”: While in the United States, “uh-huh” has become acceptable as an informal form of “you’re
welcome”, it is rarely used in Canada, and may even be considered somewhat rude. Some also frown on “No problem” but you
will hear it from some clerks and servers.
In Canada, dates are written most commonly as DD/MM/YY, but you may occasionally see the American form of MM/DD/YY.
To avoid the confusion, you will now often see YY/MM/DD. In fact, most Canadians will simply spell out the month: July 30,
2015 or 30 July 2015.
Money: the Canadian nickel, dime and quarter are the same size as the US coins. You will find the Beaver on the nickel, the
Bluenose II sailboat on the dime, and the moose on the quarter—and the Queen on them all.
However, Canada no longer has the one cent coin. Prices will be rounded up or down to the nearest nickel at the cash,
unless you pay by debit or credit. (Yes, your debit card should work here.)
Canada also has
• a one dollar coin, called the Loonie because it depicts a Loon (copper in colour and larger than a quarter)
• a two dollar coin, commonly called a Two-nie (copper in the centre and silver surrounding it and larger than the Loonie)
The five dollar bill is blue, the ten is purple, the 20 is green, and the 50 is red. Sir Wildred Laurier is on the five, Sir John A
MacDonald on the ten (the first French Canadian Prime Minister and the first Prime Minister, respectively), the Queen on the
twenty, and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King on the fifty (PM from 1935-1948).
Please note that while some merchants may accept US currency, most will give change in Canadian currency. They may
or may not give you a fair exchange.
In Quebec, you may find prices written with a comma where the period is used in English-speaking Canada and the United
States. In such cases, the dollar sign appears after the numbers. Thus, $1.50 becomes 1,50$.
At the time of this writing (2 July 2015), the U.S. dollar was worth $1.25 Canadian.
Why is my bill so much more than the posted price? The sales tax in Canada, or HST (Harmonised Sales Tax) is 13%. It
helps to pay for universal medical care and education, among other things.
While Americans buy beer in six packs, which are available in Canada, you will also hear Canadians talk about a “two-four”,
which is a case of 24 beers. We can also buy in 12 packs and, in some cases, 18 packs. Try Steam Whistle, Keith’s, Upper
Canada, Moosehead.
A small bottle of alcohol is referred to as a Mickey. Americans call it “a pint”.
Rye: Canadians refer to blended whiskeys (what Americans often call Canadian Whiskey), such as Canadian Club or Crown
Royal, as rye even though they are not pure rye whiskey. Scotch, Bourbon and Irish whiskey, however, are referred to by those
names.
The fish “walleye” is called “pickerel” in Canada.
Poutine: a French Canadian dish made from French Fries, Cheese Curds and Gravy. This is poutine at its purest. In recent
years, the rest of Canada has gotten on the bandwagon, and you will see some pretty wild versions of Poutine with things like
chili, BBQ Chicken, jalapeno, to name a few. Makes the purists crazy.
And don’t miss out on the famous Montreal Bagel while you are here. The hotel has them on the breakfast buffet, but you can
also get bagel sandwiches in the take out lunches in the conference area. And, you can take them home by the dozen from St.
Viateur Bagels—freezer bags supplied.
Bienvenue au Quebec
“Kay-bec” or “Ke-bec”
The majority of Quebec residents speak French as their first language. However, you will find that in Montréal many people will
speak English as a courtesy, especially those who work with the public. The next page contains some common phrases that
will help you to deal in a small way in French. Please note that there are some differences between Quebecois and European
French.
All provincial government signs in Quebec will be exclusively in French, while commercial signs in some areas will be in French
(in large font) and English (in smaller font). Signs in Old Montréal are almost exclusively in French.
If you do use French, it is common to “tutoyer” (that is, to use the informal second person pronoun “tu” instead of the
more formal “vous”) for the English word ‘you’) in alregardless of age or status (exceptions include the workplace and the
classroom). In France, using the tutoyer at all times would be considered impolite. Some vocabulary also differs, especially
in informal circumstances: for instance, un char for “a car”, rather than une voiture. There are also differences in expressions:
for instance, C’est beau (literally “it’s nice”) for “OK” or “fine”. But most differences between Quebec and European English are
related to pronunciation. You will also sometimes here English words interjected in a French conversation (such as “OK” as in
“alright”.
Although English speakers will often greet strangers in French, it may be considered pretentious and overzealous for a nativeEnglish speaker to continue a conversation in French with other English speakers. Local English speakers may also refer to
streets by their English names rather than their posted French names, although this is not as common as it was many years
ago (examples: Mountain Street for rue de la Montagne, Pine Avenue for avenue des Pins.)
Phrases for Around Town | Basic Questions
English Phrase
French Phrase
Pronunciation Guide
Where is...
Où est
oo ay
How much is it?
Combien ça coûte
cohm-bee-en sa coot
What is your name?
Quel est votre nom
kell ay vote-reh no
Where are my shoes?
Où sont mes souliers
ooh sohnt may soo-leeyay
Who’s the blonde/brunette stranger (female)? Qui est l’inconnue blonde/brune
key ay lay-cuh-nu blohnd/broone
Who’s the blonde/brunette stranger (male)?
Qui est l’inconnu blond/brun
key ay lay-cuh-nu blohn/broon
Do you speak English?
Parlez-vous anglais?
par-lay-voo ohn-glay
I don’t speak French.
Je ne parle pas français
zhen parl pah frahn-say
I don’t understand.
Je ne comprends pas
zhen comp-rohnd pah
Please repeat.
Répétez, s’il vous plaît / Pouvez-vous répéter? rep-et-ay, seel voo play / poo-vay-voo rep-et-ay
What?
Quoi?
kwah
I would like...
J’aimerais...
zhay-mare-ay
I’ll have...(restaurant)
Je prendrais / J’aimerais commander...
zhe prahn-dray/zhay mer-ay comm-an-day
The bill, please...
La facture, s’il vous plaît (Cdn)
la fahc-tuhr, seel voo play
What is it?
Qu’est-ce qe c’est / C’est quoi ça? (Cdn - familiar) kest kuh say / say kwah sah
What is your name?
C’est quoi ton nom? (Cdn)
kest kwah tone nohm
My name is...
Je m’appelle... / Mon nom est
zhe mah-pell / mohn nohm ey
Pleased to meet you.
Enchanté (man) / Enchantée (woman)
ahn chan tey
Where are the bathrooms?
Où sont les toilettes?
oo sohn ley twahlet
How much does it cost?
C’est combien? / Cela coûte combien?
sey cohm-beyn / sey la coot cohm-beyn
May I speak to...?
Puis-je parler à...?
pwee-zhe par-ley-ah
Who is there?
Qui est là?
kee ey la?
Who is it?
Qui est-ce?
kee es
Can you help me?
Peux-tu m’aider? Pouvez-vous m’aider?
pehr-tu may-day / poo-vey-voo may-day
Good luck!
Bonne chance!
Bohn chans
And you?
Et tu?
ey too