Quebec real estate glossary · French to English
Promesse d'achat = Promise to purchase. The official form is the promise to purchase. You will also hear offer to purchase, which means the same thing in everyday English.
En bref, en français : La promesse d'achat se dit promise to purchase sur les formulaires officiels de l'OACIQ. En anglais courant, on entend aussi « offer to purchase ».
The OACIQ, the body that regulates real estate brokerage in Quebec, publishes its mandatory forms in both languages. The English name of the form is Promise to purchase. The companion form is called Counter-proposal to a promise to purchase (CP).
Educaloi, in its English legal capsules for the public, uses offer to purchase for the same document. Neither is wrong. If you are signing a brokerage form, you will see "promise to purchase" at the top of the page.
Why the word "promise" matters
In English elsewhere in Canada, an "offer" often feels informal until accepted. In Quebec the document is a promise: once accepted and its conditions met, it binds both sides toward the sale. The vocabulary reflects the civil law, not a translation quirk.
The related words
- Counter-proposal: the seller's answer changing a term, on its own form.
- Conditions: financing, inspection, sale of the buyer's current home.
- Deed of sale: the notarial act that comes later and actually transfers ownership.
Say it in a sentence
The word on its own is rarely the problem. These are the sentences you will actually hear, and what they become in English.
| Vous entendrez | In English |
|---|---|
| J'ai déposé une promesse d'achat conditionnelle à l'inspection. | I submitted a promise to purchase conditional on inspection. |
| Le vendeur a répondu par une contre-proposition. | The seller answered with a counter-proposal. |
| Ma promesse est conditionnelle au financement. | My promise is conditional on financing. |
The mistake we see most often
The mistake is treating it as a trial balloon. Buyers used to markets where an offer feels informal will sign to see what happens, then try to walk away without a condition to rely on. In Quebec the accepted promise commits both sides once its conditions are met. If you need an exit, it belongs in the conditions, in writing, before you sign.
Where this fits in a Quebec transaction
Buying or selling in Quebec means signing documents that exist in both languages, written under civil law rather than common law. A word-for-word translation is sometimes right and sometimes actively misleading. The full list is in our Quebec real estate glossary, French to English.
Related terms
- our full guide on the promesse d'achat
- offre d'achat in English
- deed of sale in English
- multiple offers
Questions we get asked
How do you say promesse d'achat in English?
Promise to purchase, which is the name of the official OACIQ form. Offer to purchase is the common everyday equivalent.
Is a promise to purchase binding?
Once accepted and once its conditions are fulfilled, it commits both parties toward completing the sale before the notary. It is not a casual expression of interest.
What is a counter-proposal?
It is the form used when the seller accepts the promise but changes a term, such as price or occupancy date. The OACIQ form is the Counter-proposal to a promise to purchase.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. We work in French and in English. Tell us about your project.