A warm exchange in the elevator

Situation

You take the elevator in your building on a Monday morning. A neighbour is already inside. You have about a minute before the doors open at her floor.

The roles

AYouBThe neighbour

You
Listen
Bonjour ! Vous montez ou vous descendez ?
Hello! Going up or going down?
The neighbour
Listen
Bonjour ! Je descends, au rez-de-chaussée. Vous pouvez monter avec moi, je redescends en premier.
Hello! Going down, to the ground floor. You can ride with me, I'm getting off first.
You
Listen
Parfait, merci. Mon doux, il fait froid à matin !
Perfect, thanks. My goodness, it's cold this morning!
The neighbour
Listen
Hein ? J'ai failli rester sous la couverte. Et la neige qui s'en vient, en plus.
Right? I almost stayed under the covers. And the snow coming on top of that.
You
Listen
Vous avez vu la météo aussi ? Il paraît qu'il va neiger en fin de journée.
You saw the weather forecast too? Apparently it's going to snow at the end of the day.
The neighbour
Listen
Oui, je me suis habillée en conséquence. Tuque, mitaines, tout l'attirail.
Yes, I dressed accordingly. Hat, mittens, the whole works.
You
Listen
Vous faites bien. Moi, j'ai oublié mon foulard, je vais le regretter.
Good for you. Me, I forgot my scarf — I'm going to regret it.
The neighbour
Listen
Ah ! Vous allez devoir marcher vite. En passant, vous avez su pour la fête de quartier samedi prochain ?
Ah! You'll have to walk fast. By the way, did you hear about the neighbourhood party next Saturday?
You
Listen
Non, je n'étais pas au courant. C'est où, ça ?
No, I hadn't heard. Where is it?

vieauqc.com— 35 —

Simplifiez votre vie au Québec · Simplify your life in Quebec

vieauqc.com

A warm exchange in the elevatorDialogue 16

The neighbour
Listen
Au petit parc en arrière de l'immeuble. Il y a une affiche en bas, près des boîtes aux lettres.
At the little park behind the building. There's a poster downstairs, near the mailboxes.
You
Listen
Ah, je vais regarder en sortant. Merci de m'avoir dit !
Ah, I'll have a look on my way out. Thanks for telling me!
The neighbour
Listen
Ça serait le fun de vous y voir. C'est plutôt familial, on s'amuse bien chaque année.
It would be nice to see you there. It's pretty family-friendly, we have a good time every year.
You
Listen
Je vais essayer d'y aller, c'est promis. Bon, voici votre étage.
I'll try to make it, promise. Well, here's your floor.
The neighbour
Listen
Merci ! Bonne journée, et habillez-vous chaudement pour ce soir !
Thanks! Have a good day, and bundle up for tonight!
You
Listen
Vous aussi, bonne journée. À samedi peut-être !
You too, have a good day. See you Saturday maybe!

Vocabulary

à matinthis morning— Quebec everyday spoken form of « ce matin ».
mon douxmy goodness / oh my— A mild, very Québécois exclamation — softer than « mon Dieu ».
la couvertethe blanket / the covers— Common Québécois variant of « la couverture ».
la tuquea winter hat / beanie— The classic Quebec word for a knitted winter hat.
les mitainesmittens
tout l'attirailthe whole works / all the gear— Idiomatic — the full set of equipment for an activity.
en passantby the way— Slips in a side remark, like English « by the way ».
être au courantto be in the know / aware of— « Je n'étais pas au courant » = I hadn't heard about it.
ça serait le funthat would be fun / nice— Very common Québécois turn — « le fun » is used as a noun.

Culture note

In Quebec, the elevator isn't a silent space the way it is in some big cities: a hello followed by a small exchange about the weather or some neighbourhood news is completely normal, even between people who barely know each other. The climate, especially in winter, is a universal conversation topic — mildly complaining about the cold is a quick way to build a connection.

Web version

Translations, save words, play all.

A warm exchange in the elevatorWeb version ↗

vieauqc.com— 36 —

Simplifiez votre vie au Québec · Simplify your life in Quebec

›

Dialogue 16 / 369 · p. 35–36 / 742