In both standard French and Québec French, the terms voiture and automobile refer to a car. For a slightly more formal expression, you could use the word véhicule (vehicle). However, when it comes to colloquial language, Québec French introduces the term char, which is not commonly used by speakers from Europe or Africa. Instead, they might prefer expressions like la bagnole, la caisse, or la tire. In English, a similarly casual translation for char would be ride.
Interestingly, in standard French, the word char refers to various types of horse-drawn vehicles, including the Roman chariot from antiquity. Additionally, the phrase char d’assaut translates to “tank.”
In Québec French, the term char, when referring to car, is considered as colloquial and as a loan word from English, with its first recorded use to describe a motor vehicle dating back to 1907.
Examples of Char in context
- J’ai vu un char de police patrouiller dans notre quartier hier soir.
- I saw a police car patrolling our neighborhood last night.
- Mon ami a acheté un nouveau char, et il est vraiment impressionnant.
- My friend bought a new ride, and it is really impressive.