Expression library « Attache ta tuque! » Brace yourself!
How do you say “brace yourself” in Québec French? « Attache ta tuque! » . You’ll also see: « attachez vos tuques » .
Familier Short, 1:00. Published Oct 26, 2026.
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Literally
Tie your tuque on. A tuque is a knit winter hat.
Means
Get ready, brace yourself: something intense is coming.
Say back
« Attachez vos tuques! » Brace yourselves! (to a group)
Play 1:00 , the Short Attache ta tuque! Why Québec ties on a hat before trouble, captions on Captions on
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Answer in the YouTube comments : What’s coming this week that makes you say « attache ta tuque » ?
« Attache ta tuque! » literally asks you to tie your tuque on, the Québec knit winter hat (a word in print since 1726). It really means: get ready, brace yourself, watch out. It is the familier cousin of « attachez vos ceintures » , buckle up. To a group: « Attachez vos tuques! »
Transcript
Transcript × What’s said in the video, line by line. The narrator speaks English.
Julie « Attache ta tuque! » Narrator Tie your tuque on? In a car? What does she mean? Jacob « Ma tuque? Il fait pas si froid! » Narrator Literally, « attache ta tuque » is: tie your tuque on. A tuque is the knit winter hat, a Québec word in print since 1726. Narrator What it really means: get ready, brace yourself, watch out. Narrator It’s the Québec cousin of « attachez vos ceintures » : buckle up. Julie « Attache ta tuque, y a des cônes jusqu’au pont! » Narrator You’ll hear it before anything intense: a bumpy ride, a traffic jam, a storm, a big week. Jacob « J’suis en retard pour la job. » Narrator Your turn: a snowstorm is coming tonight. What do you tell your friend? Julie « Attache ta tuque! » Narrator To a whole group: « Attachez vos tuques! » Narrator It’s familier: friends and family. Narrator Follow for one Québec expression every weekday. Narrator You heard it. Now you know it. When to use it Familier: friends and family. It’s the Québec cousin of « attachez vos ceintures » , buckle up.
Example lines « Ma tuque? Il fait pas si froid! » My tuque? It’s not that cold! From the Short « Attachez vos ceintures! » Buckle up! From the Short « Attache ta tuque, y a des cônes jusqu’au pont! » Brace yourself, there are cones all the way to the bridge! From the Short
Practise it 2 questions
1. What does « Attache ta tuque! » mean? To go shopping. To shop around. Brace yourself! Convenience store. Often « le dép » . 2. Familier or standard? Familier Standard
Ways to say it
Québec « Attache ta tuque! » Familier Standard « accroche-toi » Fine everywhere, including in writing.
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