Expression library
« Ben voyons donc »
No way! Oh, come on! Come on, it’s OK.
How do you say “no way” in Québec French? « Ben voyons donc ». You’ll also see: « voyons donc », « ben voyons ».
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Heard
« Ben voyons donc »
Literally
Well, let’s see, then.
Means
A reaction. Amazed: “No way!” Flat: “Oh, come on!” Kind: “Come on, that can be fixed.”
Say back
« Ben voyons donc! »
No way!
Captions on
Answer in the YouTube comments: Which mood would you use it in today?
Literally “well, let’s see, then”, it is a reaction: amazed, flat or kind. The tone tells you which.
Watch it in a full episode
When to use it
Familier. « Donc » has no k sound here.
Example lines
- « Mais voyons donc! »Oh, come on!Usito, « donc »
- « Tu es capable, voyons. »You can do it, come on.Usito, « voir »
Practise it
2 questionsWays to say it
| Québec | « Ben voyons donc » Familier |
|---|---|
| Standard | « pas possible », « allons donc » Fine everywhere, including in writing. |
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Sources
Where the facts in the video come from.