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What does “mon cadran” mean in Québec French?

In Québec, a cadran is an alarm clock. So “je mets mon cadran à sept heures” means “I set my alarm for seven.” In France, the same word means only the round face of a clock or watch — the part with the numbers and hands. French people from France say mon réveil for an alarm clock. Same word, but a different meaning on each side of the Atlantic.

Right at the start of his work-from-home routine, the speaker says: “Habituellement, je mets mon cadran à sept heures du matin, mais je retarde un peu mon réveil.” (“Usually I set my alarm for seven, but I push back my wake-up time a bit.”) Notice that cadran refers to the alarm clock device, while mon réveil here means the act of waking up — two related words used in the same breath. In France, cadran keeps only the dial sense: le cadran d’une montre is the face of a watch. In Québec, people extended the word to mean the whole alarm clock — a common and natural local shift. If you are learning French for France, say “Je mets mon réveil.” If you are in Montréal and someone says “mon cadran a pas sonné,” they mean “my alarm didn’t go off.” Both are correct in their own place.