French Fun: The Real Spoken Language of Québec

by Steve Timmins

Packed with lively illustrations and hilarious literal translations, this entertaining guide offers readers an insider's look at the French language of Quebec through a collection of some of the most common and colorful idioms. Consists of words that are helpful in understanding everyday situations or for communicating on a more intimate level. The entries are listed in dictionary form for easy reading of common Quebecois words.

Genres: Nonfiction, France, Canada, Reference

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The layout is that of a standard dictionary but this, while alphabetical, is much more with origins of many of the phrases, especially when lifted from English, black and white illustrations, pronunciations, examples of when to use and more importantly when not to use particular words.
It is so completely not your average French class that you might want to hide it from your teacher. Read the samples out loud and you will quickly hear the strange sound of a Quebec crowd and the "average" people interviewed on the street. It's all very well to learn the pluperfect subjunctive but that won't help make you understood on the streets of Ste Anne de Beaupres while having a selection of these phrases will.
The author has a sense of humour, too, so we can enjoy learning the other birthday song and be "fou comme un balai". I like that phrase for happy as a lark or over the moon - crazy as a broom. Oh, and the words to O Canada are in there, too. It's light hearted enough that it can be enjoyed just as a dip into book. Loved it.

[Susanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and often very amusing. Useful.