This weekend we watched "Priceless’ (Hors de Prix?) with Audrey Tautou. We noticed that instead of “oui” there seemed to be a lot of use of the word “si” (as in Spanish/Italian). Was wondering if this is a current trend, or was it particular to the locale? As best I could tell the story took place in Monte Carlo and Nice.
“Si” isn’t colloquial, it’s a positive response to a negative question.
Exactly. So a question “Tu n’as pas faim?” – “You aren’t hungry?” Would be answered “Si, j’ai faim.” – “Yes, I’m hungry.”
Ed
FWIW, “si” is used in France, but not in Canada; we just say “oui,” or “mais oui” for emphasis.