What You Need to Know About Language in Montreal (Before Visiting or Moving)

Montreal is unique as a major North American city where the main language of everyday life isn’t English or even Spanish - it’s French. But how exactly language dynamics and etiquette work in the metropolis of French Canada isn’t remotely obvious if you’re new to the city. We hear a lot of questions: how French is Montreal, exactly? How much French do you need to move here? Do you need any French to visit? Is it rude to speak English to people? Let’s clear some things up.
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References:
Map of Quebec regions from: cartographyvec...

[@OhTheUrbanity]

We had good experiences with the Francisation program at Centre Saint-Louis a few years ago, but it appears that there's a longer wait list now *and* that the new sign-up system is only available in French (??): apprendrelefrancais.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/aiguillage/?apprendrelefrancais=true& Another course we've heard about: en.maisondelamitie.ca/cours-de-langues We're told that the English universities offer multiple French course options, including the French Language Centre at McGill: www.mcgill.ca/flc/

[@reclusivegamer3609]

As a newcomer to Montreal from another province, I tried the francisation route but I ultimately ditched it and took up self-learning instead. The government or the instructor I was assigned didn't seem receptive or take into the consideration that I was working full-time during the day, even though I requested evening part-time classes when I was enrolling. YMMV but to anyone thinking about moving here, be aware that it may not be the silver bullet that it's touted to be.

[@GraemeMacDermid]

I applied to Centre Saint-Louis but was placed at Centre Saint-Paul in Saint-Henri. I’m finding the time commitment, four hours a day, plus travel time to be a lot. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that it is available.

[@PatrioteQuebecois]

I have myself taught French at la Maison de l'Amitié. Very good place to learn.

[@dez7800]

@@reclusivegamer3609 It obviously isn't some kind of silver bullet! Every country/province/city has it's pros and cons! I loved living in Barcelona, life was better for a variety of reasons, but it also had its drawbacks... It really is about what's better for you! En espérant que ton apprentissage du Français progresse bien!

[@reclusivegamer3609]

@@dez7800 Nah I meant that the government-ran francization program isn't the silver bullet, not moving to Montréal. J'adore vivre à Montréal, je n'ai aucun regret ☺️

[@humanecities]

9:42 This is hugely important! Most people in real life are quite kind and thoughtful. Despite hearing online that Francophones would disapprove of my French, everyone in Montreal was perfectly delightful and spoke French with me. The internet is not a reflection of reality.

[@DarylShires]

“The internet is not a reflection of reality.” Et merci à Dieu pour ça! 🇦🇺🦘

[@kibaanazuka332]

Alongside that the OQLF isn't fully representative of how all Quebecers view French language from my experience interacting with Francophones. Most francophones ive interacted with are indifferent towards English and are more concerned with other matters in their life (like Quebec's Healthcare system or provincial infrastructure for example) than if a sign is french enough for them. Alongside even the francophones facepalmed over the Pastagate incident for how overzealous the OQLF was in its breauacratic enforcement of the law.

[@Imsemble]

@@kibaanazuka332 You are absolutely right on that. I'm a francophone who's very pro-French language and pro-independance and even I can tell you that a lot of measures in those laws are just for political posturing, don't do anything to protect French and no one actually cares about them. Like who cares if the sign says "Café Starbucks" if you still can't get service in French inside the building. All that we want is for the main and common language of our society to be French, like any other normal society.

[@debuthunter5389]

I always started with Bonjour, and if I had some basic into words in French I would use them. As long as you also act like a nice person, then people are overwhelmingly positive back. Leaving with a "Merci!" is always good. Zero issues as yet.

[@JBiggsofWSNC]

Amen!

[@petersilva037]

Quebec born and raised (bilingual) anglo. That video was really well done. I always start in French, and it's a fun secret-handshake thing for anglos to talk to eachother for a couple of minutes before we figure out we're both anglo. If you're obviously not from here, people understand, but that doesn't mean they can help, because most of Quebec only speaks French. In Montreal, "everyone" (exceptions exist) tries to be accomodating and usually can switch., Although you nailed that the further east you go, the closer Montreal gets to the rest of the province. Outside Montreal, it's not that people are less accomodating, they just don't have enough English to help. The longer you intend to stay, the more French you should learn.

[@acerIOstream]

The opposite happens to me, especially when I go to the states near the border. Takes a couple minutes of talking before we figure out we're both Québec francophones!

[@FirstLast-et3sw]

Plenty of Anglophones in RDP, and St-Leonard.

[@9grand]

No offense, but based of on name. No I have always found it interesting how many immigrant romance speaking families have decided to choose English in a French ( romance language )speaking society .

[@jsterreeteau6490]

Opposite for me as a francophone in New Brunswick , speaks in english at the counter then we realize we are both french speaking haha , work in french,listen to television in french, goes to Quebec city try to order at tim horton or mcdonald and have a hard time because we always order in english here in moncton 😂

[@petersilva037]

@@9grand I am old enough that I went to school pre bill 101. At that time, all immigrants went to the English system. That is just how it was. My dad spent years of his life in France and did his high school in a Lycée Francais. He spoke perfect French, much better than his English. My mother is from a German speaking country... and spoke a lot more English than French. English was their common tongue... Anyways, like all immigrants at the time, we integrated into English... I think that would be totally different today, post bill 101.

[@leopoldleoleo]

I love it when you apply your clear, reasonable, and humane style to all topics, not just urbanism. I feel incredibly lucky to be perfectly bilingual living here - I have a couple unilingual anglophone friends, and their experience of society just seems so limited - I can’t imagine living in a place without having access to all of it.

[@antonboludo8886]

That is right. Their experience will be very limited.

[@FreeEagle-zh7js]

Alors ils ne veulent pas apprendre la langue ? Quoi, ils ne sont pas intéressés ? Ou pensent-ils que c'est trop difficile à apprends ?

[@stephcorn5567]

Vision honnête et lucide de la situation linguistique à Montréal. Bravo.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Merci!

[@TheNmecod]

I’m glad you had a nuanced conversation on the importance of french in Montreal and Quebec. We don’t expect immigrants and new comers to know french, we expect them to put in the effort to learn our language.

[@qcpresto]

We kind of expect them to be fluent in french after a few years. Minimum is not enough.

[@GSPA100]

You're all so pathetic with these language laws. It's disgusting. Adapt to your country, not your own dictator rules.

[@loicklaroche6816]

@@GSPA100😂😂😂

[@MrGpButler]

@qcpresto Some of the happiest months of my life were spent in the summer I lived in Montreal. It got me from being able to speak a little French to being able to have basic conversations. But nonetheless, 5 years of high school French and 1 year of university French, plus that summer in Montreal and listening to French music ( I like Lynda LeMay), watching French tv with French subtitles, and reading French articles in Le Devoir, I still am not bilingual. Sometimes people struggle with a second language, although, I'm sure living there would make a big difference.

[@PatG-xd8qn]

​@@GSPA100 If you move to Germany, you must learn German. If you move to Japan, you must learn Japanese. If you move to Québec, you must learn french Learning a language isn't that hard, you can't ask people to make an effort for your own laziness.

[@shday1]

I've lived almost 30 years in Montreal (West Island) and my interactions with francophones have been overwhelmingly positive, despite being practically unilingual. Recently moved closer to downtown (NDG) and hope to finally use (and learn) more French.

[@MILOPETIT]

Just try and sneak a few "tabarnak" into your vocabulary, you'll see how delighted quebecois are to hear you swear in their specific dialect

[@jeancharland3858]

Quel cpmmentaire idiot !

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

I spent 4 semesters (1.5 years) of French at community college, went through the entire French in Action series, and spent 5 days in Montreal Jan 1 to Jan 5, 2007. And I never once had to use French.

[@jeancharland3858]

Je remarque aucune volonte de votre part a utiliser le francais que vous avez appris. J,y remarque meme une certaine resistance et meme une certaine fierte a ce sujet.

[@MILOPETIT]

@@jeancharland3858 Ta gueule Jean c'est de toi que tu parles

[@Imsemble]

As a bilingual francophone, I really find this video to be the most accurate and well-made on this subject. Anyone who comes to Montreal should see this. I'm so glad you guys feel happy here in QC and that everyone has been nice to you, and it doesn't surprise me because you really seem to respect and enjoy the fact that you live in a place where the language and culture are different. Whenever I speak to someone from elsewhere and feel that attitude, it instantly makes me smile and I want them to feel welcome. I think many francophones are the same. Cheers and see you on the streets!

[@elenir234]

I am a US American living in Montreal - I speak French fluently, go to university in French, have mostly francophone friends. People can't tell I'm Anglo when they meet me. I agree with everything you said in this video! I will say that I have met a lot of anglos who do not want to and do not make an effort to learn French, some from Montreal, but the majority are transplants from Anglophone Canada or the US. In general, Ι am resistant to any ideology that forces minority language speakers to confirm to a more powerful linguistics hegemony, so I am both a bit frustrated by those anglophones and at the same time by Québécois nationalists who think 6 months is sufficient for refugees to learn French. It's a complicated situation for sure!

[@dompling]

I like your comment. I'm definitelly on the Québécois nationalist side 😜 (meaning I am proud of the language and the province as a whole) and I don't like hearing people speak in english even when I know they can speak french very well (they are my friends or coworkers). It's like they feel "better" or like more "international"/"jetset" when they speak english... 😬 I do think that 6 months is not enough at all to learn any langage indeed.

[@cablechaud]

Montreal is still plagued with anglophones more inclined to impose their long-standing linguistic hegemony than embrace French as the common social channel of communication in this corner of the world and it enrages me as much now as it did 30 years ago.

[@aichaalfilalya2937]

It’s better to bilingual

[@jeanjacques9365]

Yeah 6 months is only reasonable for people with good education and that commit to it full time... Which is almost impossible for most immigrants. Also the classes are for the most part poorly adapted to reality and any fluency expectation but just like language classes in schools it's easier to just use the notebook than it is to try and change the way it's done.

[@joenroute9646]

the problem even after 10 yrs they still favour English in a French speaking society. No francophone would not that in ROC

[@MisdirectedSasha]

One thing I've found from living in Ottawa and passing back and forth between Ontario and Quebec is that the social cues on the two sides of the river are subtly different in a way that goes beyond just the language. It's not a huge difference, but some things that people might be self-conscious of on one side are normal on the other, the process of forming friendships goes a little differently, etc. The cultural difference goes a bit further than just the language.

[@Game_Hero]

a bit?

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

@@Game_Hero a lot?

[@Game_Hero]

@@bobbiusshadow6985 more than that, "a lot" is an understatement.

[@iamanisland]

That’s a very interesting point. You’ve piqued my curiosity. I would love it if you could give an example or two of those differences.

[@languagesrainbow2070]

Bravo pour votre français ! Continuez comme ça

[@Lifelikesky]

I would have been nice to mention that, the proportion of Quebec residents who can converse in English and whose first language is French reached 42.2 per cent in 2021, compared with 31.4 per cent in 1991. Et je doit dire que votre francais est tres bon, tres facile a comprendre. Merci pour la video 🙂

[@archthelegend]

Très bonne vidéo! Bon choix de plans de vue, bonnes explications.

[@dj21d]

I moved to Montreal two years ago from another Province and this is 100% accurate to my experience. I've also been taking the Francisation courses since arriving here and it has helped a lot with gaining the confidence to open a conversation in French. It was thanks to your channel as well, as some other great youtubers (Paige Saunders + The New Travel), I made the choice to come here and I have zero regrets. Thank you as always for all the informative and well produced content.

[@e815usa]

Beautiful presentation! As an American who visits Montreal often and knows basic French, I found it very educational and enjoyable. Thank you

[@aichaalfilalya2937]

They have a lot of Americans who come to Montreal

[@EB-yp1wu]

Wow jai tellement aimé votre chaîne avant cette vidéo mais quand vous avez commencé à montrer comment vous parler en français ça m'a fait chaud au cœur. Je suis anglophone moi aussi et je vis à Québec depuis 6 ans. Je viens des États Unis. C'est toujours beau à entendre d'autres anglos surtout qui parlent bien comme vous autres. Je me sens moins seul. J'ai bcp du respect pour vous!

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

Former anglo Montrealer here, who lived in mostly English areas (NDG, Lasalle, Ville-St-Laurent) but also a couple years in predominantly franco St-Bruno. I speak a bit of French and franglais. Because I learned what little French I know on the street, my accent isn't too bad. I've never had a language problem, ever. If I'm not sure, I always open in French. People are kind and accommodating.

[@aichaalfilalya2937]

You can always practice your French

[@goldorackconceptionwebmark4319]

Pourquoi t’es pas aller vivre en Ontario? Les Anglo qui font ça (se cacher dans leur quartier Anglo et pas apprendre le français) j’ai aucun respect pour ça

[@legroscwlss7456]

est ce que tu vis encore à montréal ?

[@knarf_on_a_bike]

@@legroscwlss7456 Je ne crois pas. J'habite á Toronto avec ma blonde qui ne parle pas Français de tout. Nous aimons notre apartement et notre quartier. Et le demanagement c'est trop cher pour nous. Probablement nous reston à Toronto. (excuse ma Français 😉)

[@Naktya7]

I have lived all my life in Montreal and yet, I still learned things from this video

[@user-mrfrog]

Je profite de ce forum pour vous féliciter de vos efforts et progrès en français! Bravo!!!

[@wollin20]

In a way, English in Montreal is very alike Spanish in Los Angeles : As a Mexican/Hondurian/etc. monolingual immigrant, you can live/survive in LA (the percentage of speakers of Spanish there as their mothertongue is much higher than English in Montreal, but in Montreal everyone except probably kids has some proficiency in the minority language, unlike in LA). It all depends on your intentions on the long run. Then, of course, why emigrating to Quebec if you want to keep speaking English in the first place? Learning a new language is possible at every age and is always a lot of fun, it makes you feel younger and smarter, and it's not only a feeling, it's actually refreshing in all senses. So, switching to French (while being able to use English everyday) should become one of your major reason to emigrate to Montreal, and certainly not a reason to hesitate to do so. For the rest of Quebec (and if you live in Montreal, you will go there), learning French is necessary. Of course, for tourists, it's just as important as learning some German before visiting Berlin : it's up to you, it absolutely depends on the kind of contacts you want to establish or not with locals.

[@pcongre]

Sounds really similar to Barcelona where i grew up Just a few differences i've noticed: 1. Whatever your strongest language is, most locals say hi/bye+thanks in Catalan 2. Whatever your strongest language is, most locals talk to children and pets in Catalan 3. There is a 'third element', other than the "class tension" between Cat-phones (stereotypically middle class)/Spa-phones (stereotypically either low/high) -> there is a kind of pervasive "tourism fatigue", meaning locals really tend to avoid places perceived to be too tourist heavy = harder to practice your language skills as a tourist than elsewhere, in any case? (...a bit like the case of quebec city vs montreal that you mentioned come to think of it, only probably more extreme^^)

[@dez7800]

I lived in Barcelona last year during 5 months as a student exchange and I 100% agree! Though I didn't realize it when I was there since Hola is the pretty much the same in Spanish and Catalan, and a lot of people used ''ciao'' for ''bye''.. Also since I speak french, the usage of merci was normal for me haha I only learned a bit of catalan while I was there, but my spanish improved quite a lot. One thing though is that after a month of being there, all my languages (french, english, spanish, a little catalan) were getting mixed in my head, it caused a bunch of funny moments haha I loved the city though and I will go back at some point. Catalunya ❤

[@jfrancobelge]

@@dez7800 As a French speaker with notions os Spanish, my impression of Catalan is that it sits somewhere between French and Spanish - especially written Catalan.

[@dez7800]

@@jfrancobelge It indeed has similarities with both but it really is its own thing haha Learning Spanish has helped me understand Catalan better (Italian too!) but only enough to get the sense of some sentences a little..

[@pcongre]

@@dez7800 right, I was a bit unclear in hindsight, sorry : ) I meant in case a newcomer wanted to integrate by learning Cat in particular, like e g an ex girlfriend of mine from another country tried to do when we lived there (Spa is arguably used pretty much everywhere in the city anyway, whether some want it or not^^ ...a bit like Eng is the norm in most of Canada, I guess?) and by 'hi/bye' I guess I meant "greeting/farewell expressions" or the like? Because even if 'hola' sounds almost the same in both languages, most expressions don't... bon nadal vs feliz navidad, 'déu vs adiós, etc etc ; )

[@midcenturymoldy]

@@jfrancobelgeI remember thinking the same thing when I visited in 2006. An example that comes to mind is “sortida.” Sortie + salida.

[@debuthunter5389]

I'm literally moving there in 2 weeks. However I was just there last month for the first time for work, and really enjoyed the place, and the language.

[@lot3oo]

Thank you for talking about the online situation with the english news coming from a very small (and often biased) bubble, and the whole anglo sphere / franco sphere being completely separated online. It's an issue that's causing a lot of tension for sure! Merci à vous pour la superbe vidéo bien informée! Montréal, c'est votre ville à vous 100%. À mes yeux, vous êtes déjà des québécois de Montréal! ❤

[@noseboop4354]

Hey guys, this was a very informative video and a nice surprise of a non urban topic. This was briefly touched in the 'mean people on the internet' section, but it bears mention that there has been a long history of conflict between British and French, often with draconian measures of banning the other's language and religion, hence why people can be so bitter about it. And this isn't limited to Quebec, places like Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia had banned French and indigenous languages and religion at various times.

[@raphbrightpainting1235]

The governments of Quebec have never prevented an English speaker from going to Engilsh school. Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia prevented French speakers from having their french schools.

[@PhilipSalen]

Montreal residents are fortunate to have easy access to 2 of the most important and common languages in the world. If I lived there I'd want to speak both. In my home city Bethlehem Pennsylvania, I am fortunate that I get to speak 2 languages, at least professionally, English and Spanish on a routine basis. Even if my Spanish isn't completely fluent and flawless, I believe that the Spanish speakers that I'm talking to appreciate the effort.

[@elizabethpatitsas565]

Anglo Montrealer just here to say that my experience of attending public consultations for bike lanes etc has been positive - the information will be presented in French, but the Q&A is bilingual - some people will ask questions in English and the planners/politicians will respond in English and nobody seems fussed about it. Also: the presentations are fairly accessible as a French language learner - there's usually a power point that helps to follow along. Note: I live in the Plateau.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

Fair points! I've listened to quite a few of the recordings online and they're fine to understand. It's probably more of a mental barrier than a practical one.

[@BetterYet]

I visit Montreal often. I've had a rough go with not speaking french in stores in Laval and Montreal . A couple of times I was even treated rudely. I discovered that if I announced at the start that I am visiting from Winnipeg, everyone who could, happily switched to English. Or they found a colleague who could. It turns out that their intolerance has to do with locals, not visitors. Crazy.

[@pirlouit9334]

Indeed people will be understanding if they got that you'rE a visitor. Otherwise, they will take it as if you live in Quebec, you should speak French.

[@cooljonathan]

Thank you for including that section of you two speaking in french. It made me much more confident in my pronunciation.

[@parasharkchari]

Funny thing for me is that when I lived there, the language I used surprisingly often was my native language of Tamil. Montreal is full of Sri Lankans who sought refugee status from the civil war. I got to use Tamil more out in public in my one year in Montreal than in my 20 years of living in Chicago.

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

That's probably because of the circle of people you interacted with, more than anything else

[@goldorackconceptionwebmark4319]

Ouais mais tu devrais pas vraiment t’en vanter trop, on est justement tanné de ces affaires là. Si tu veux vivre ta vie comme un Indien et parler ta ´langue’ et l’anglais QU’EST-CE TU FAIS AU QUÉBEC!??????SERIEUX QU’EST-CE TU FAIS CHEZ NOUS??!! pourquoi t’es pas resté chez vous tabarnac !????? Dans le fond t’es juste venu siphonner notre argent et gonfler les statistiques linguistiques anglophones de tes anciens colonisateurs 🇬🇧LOL Quand tu viens au Québec tu parles Français sans ça t’auras jamais notre respect. C’est un visa que tu t’es fait donner pas un droit de colonisé avec toi pis tes amis, c’est pas le Nouveau Pakistan d’Amérique ici c’est le Québec et on parle Français!

[@lisab8277]

I loved this video! We are U.S. retirees who have started spending our summers in Montréal, probably our favorite city in the world. I often feel weird about using my Tarzan French there in daily interactions when practically every Francophone I encounter speaks excellent English, but your video has encouraged me to speak more French anyway.

[@noralofts]

I am curious about the new health laws and English. Do you have any news? Not much coverage in the rest of Canada 14:14

[@Laineyk]

Keep away from Quebec, you never know when they will just let you die because of speaking English

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

"my Tarzan French" .. lmao .. thx for the laugh

[@FreeEagle-zh7js]

Je pense que si quelqu'un veut vivre là-bas, il doit être prêt à s'adapter à la culture et à la langue. Je vais bientôt y vivre, et devinez quoi ? J'ai commencé à étudier le français non seulement pour montrer du respect aux Québécois, mais aussi parce que j'aime la langue et parce que le Québec est ma province préférée au Canada. Je me sens toujours chez moi à chaque fois que je regarde des vidéos sur le Québec, je suis captivée par l'endroit et ses merveilles, surtout en hiver, surtout la ville de Québec.. Je pense que j'ai encore beaucoup à apprendre, mon défi est d'écouter, mais je ne vais pas arrêter d'essayer jusqu'à ce que je l'apprenne complètement, car comme je l'ai dit, j'aime la langue, en fait, je suis très passionnée par elle...

[@superboss3758]

i know this is anecdotal, but as a francophone, if i hear you speaking french with an english accent, i`ll keep speaking to you in french until you explicitly give up. switching to english because the accent is slightly irritating won`t help the decline of the french language in North America

[@corsacs3879]

i get the same thing as a brit in france, when i go to paris the second they clock my accent or i pronounce (usually a loanword from english lol) a word with an english accent they swap to english. i speak french perfectly fine and i know they don’t like speaking english so there was no reason for that! if you want me to speak french then help me to do so 😭

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@corsacs3879 The hardest thing for native language speakers is to understand someone pronounce things differently so they take that load off of themselves and put it onto you buy themselves speaking a language with an accent. It requires less effort and also people overestimate their abilities so they feel like they speak better English than you speak French regardless of if it's the case or not.

[@pirlouit9334]

Totally agree with you on that, I really can't understand people switching to English when people try to do their best to speak French.

[@corsacs3879]

@@jeanjacques9365 yes i can definitely see this as the case, especially in paris. i live in a much smaller french city and they will stick to french regardless so it’s definitely a mindset developed in paris, undoubtedly because of the huuuge amounts of tourism there and the general french pride in their language.

[@brianking8080]

As an American who has visited Quebec, Montreal and Paris, I was amazed by how welcoming French Canada was to anglophones. Everyone seemed to just want to get by and be helpful, so would switch to english as soon as they could smell it. When I was being shy in a shop in Montreal an employee came over to me and, in a very French accent said "I think you speak english?" Which totally disarmed me. In Quebec City, I was surprised how enthusiastically the immigrant population embraced the French language. In an ice cream shop, there were some Hispanic employees and when I couldn't understand their French, we both switched to Spanish and had a great time (neither of them spoke English). I always remind English speakers to have reasonable language expectations. If you would be okay with an ESL friend saying to you "Yesterday, I take my car to the repair," then your efforts to speak outside of your native language will probably be just as welcome and understood. Anyone who insists non-natives speak their language perfectly is being pernicious. Great content as always!

[@filanfyretracker]

how different are the two Frenches? like is France and Quebec similar to US and England with regards to English. Where it the same language but there is lots of different words for common things. (ex in the US english a store gets its stuff delivered by a truck, in UK english its delivered by a lorry)

[@Imsemble]

@@filanfyretracker Yeah, it's pretty comparable except because we are a smaller population in QC and we are not an independent country, there is less representation than, let's say, UK English compared to American English, so people are less acquainted with it. But the level of difference between the two is pretty much the same.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

I spent 4 semesters (1.5 years) of French at community college, went through the entire French in Action series, and spent 5 days in Montreal Jan 1 to Jan 5, 2007. And I never once had to use French.

[@Christian_Martel]

@@filanfyretracker Like other languages, the more formal you write or speak the closer France French and Quebec French are.

[@danielbougie8890]

Bon travail comme toujours!

[@Marcus-ss4gn]

I am an immigrant and I spent 2 years trying to establish myself in Vancouver. Even though I made around 80k/year this money is barely enough to pay rent, buy gas and groceries here, nothing more. So I decided to move to Montreal this April. I don't speak French, but I'll apply to a French course and try to learn it in a year. Finally, I hope to find a job in my field after learning the language. I am scared, hesitant and unsure about the whole plan, but I will do it. Living in cities like Vancouver and Toronto psychologically destroys you. The life is like some form of Neo-feudalism. Landlords are like the medieval local lords, and everybody else is pretty much peasants who pay %50-70 of their income to the local lord for the privilege of existing in his domain, and they try to live with the rest of their wages so that they can work for the feudal lord one more day, one more month, one more year. It is a never-ending cycle here in Vancouver, unless you die or your employer fires you. Imagine rents for 1 bedroom apartments in the city for $3000? It is scary to study French at this age, but I will do it. Staying in Vancouver is much worse. I truly hope it works out.

[@jeanjacques9365]

There really is no age to learn a language, the conception that it needs to happen in childhood is false the only harder thing is nativelike pronunciation but fluency is very achievable. So long as you keep working on it and asking for feedback and speaking it as much as you can it'll be fine. The hard part is to move past the plateau everyone reaches when you start be able to do small conversation but can't quite go in depth about things. It's around the same time people move from "wow, you are great!" for attempting any French and saying 2 words to "i'll switch to English or i'll just move on from this interaction because understanding you requires effort". That said, good luck and i hope you pull it off!

[@Marcus-ss4gn]

@@jeanjacques9365 Thank you for your response. Honestly, I know even if I succeed my French will always make it obvious that I'm an immigrant, but who cares in Canada? As long as people understand what I say, and I can do my work in finance I should be fine.

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@Marcus-ss4gn To be fair if you use any of the local slang people you work and interact with will never give you a hard time for your accent (unless they genuinely can't understand). I would say focus on speaking though. Written emails and such can be corrected with softwares etc. but no one wants to use a machine to speak to someone and you'll see that French isn't as hard as it appears in the written form since most of the difference in spelling for conjugating and such can't be heard anyways.

[@zop3]

As a francophone Montrealer, I really appreciate your detailed and nuanced take on the language in the city. Keep it up!

[@rick_271]

As a French-Québécois from Montreal this is a refresher! Don't worry about the learning curve, French is one of the hardest language to handle well. Especially if your first language isn't Latin rooted like Spanish, Italian or Portuguese. Schools all over the Province of Quebec have 4 out of 10 high school students fail their Évaluation ministérielle de la langue française after 11 years of studies in Junior+High. So to be able to learn French in half the time at twice the age is quite a feat, Beau travail!

[@bjdon99]

I have always been impressed by the bilingualism of most people who have grown up in Montreal. For an Anglo, to stay there and not have to move to boring Toronto, you’ve got to be fluent. Luckily the Anglo schools there do a great job teaching French. For a Francophone, if you want a future that involves anything beyond the borders of the province, then becoming fluent in English is a great asset. I always find that it is the Francophones living in the rest of the province that have great angst about the status of French in the province, and not those living on the Island.

[@ryke_masters]

I work in the provincial civil service and serve a lot of anglophones, and we also have no idea how the six month rule is ever going to be applied. Seems unlikely to me that most public servants would go through the obvious hassle (and disservice to customers and citizens!) that enforcing it strictly would involve.

[@kibaanazuka332]

It honestly feels like a rule that is going to be officially on the books but everyone proceeds to ignore it from the fact that it's realistically difficult to enforce in any practical means whatsoever.

[@Laineyk]

I know people who’ve been hung up on, from tax questions, hydro and healthcare. Imagine not being able to reach a medical professional because you’re English . Disgusting

[@pirlouit9334]

@@Laineyk Why ? They just need to learn French. And there is an exception for medical urgencies and it's widely known.

[@johnloncar7785]

I love Montréal. I remember being in Federal Court and listening to counsel switching back and forth entre les deux langues officielles dans la même phrase

[@desip66]

As much as I love Verdun, I wouldn't suggest it as a place to learn French. It feels like the entire West-Island is emptying into here. Nowadays I hear English about as often as French.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

It’s not the most French place in the city but francophones still outnumber anglophones by roughly 3 to 1 based on the census

[@louamorin4246]

Verdun used to be mostly English speaking until the 1960's when the demographics changed.

[@desip66]

@@OhTheUrbanity I trust your numbers but I'll add that Verdun is a big place. I live near the corner of Wellington and Hickson, a block down from De l'église, basically downtown Verdun where are all the fancy restaurants are, and this area seems to be gentrifying pretty hard. The restaurant on the corner of my street, Janine, has a lineup every single morning regardless of the weather, I've seen people there in a blizzard, the restaurant just brings out blankets, and when I walk by, more often than not, I'm hearing people speaking English. Mind you the breakfasts start around 30 bucks so it might be a money thing, the new people moving in seem to have a lot of it.

[@GlennFiddles]

It is easy to forget that many parts of Montreal had majority English-speaking populations for decades and decades until the late 20th century. Montreal was about 80% English speaking in the 19th century. Even some of the eastern boroughs like Rosemont had significant English-speaking populations until the 1980s. Always good to do the research when complaining about all the Anglos pouring into your neighborhood and diluting the 'true' character of the place. We've been here a long time too and are a legitimate part of the city's linguistic heritage and the story of the Montreal we all know and love.

[@victorlee2398]

Many allophones and anglophones do not respect the French fact and the desire to protect French. They usually like to ask this question: Why don't the francophones learn English, is it so hard?

[@nickmtl75]

Bien fait. Cependant, vous devriez commencer la vidéo en expliquant que l'unique langue commune et officielle au Québec (et donc aussi à Montréal) est le français et que cela est dans la Charte et dans la Loi. Et aussi mentionner que le Québec est une NATION.

[@thomas_ao]

I think the main reason for the french and english "rivalry" in Montreal comes from how francophones have been seen as second class citizens in Canada (even in Quebec at times) for the betterpart of our history. That's why this reluctance toward english is mainly expressed by the older generations (boomers and up) and not by younger generations who are generally more open. So, if you at least try to speak french, that's enough for most francophones because we know the language is hard and takes time to learn. If you don't want the conversation to switch to english, don't be afraid to mention it, most people will be glad to help you learn their language!

[@otsoko66]

Yup. Speaking poor French is never taken as rude -- but refusing to even try to speak French is seen as insulting. Francophone Montrealers are really accommodating if you speak French with an accent (much MUCH more than, say, Parisians.)

[@robk7266]

That's interesting. I saw a video about this topic and in the 70s, Quebec passed a bunch of laws requiring French in jobs, signs, services, ect. Pretty much all of the anglophones left Quebec after those laws were passed.

[@HweolRidda]

My dad worked in Montreal in the 1950s. He said anglo Canadians were second class citizens...and the Quebecois were third class citizens. The "elite" were British.

[@Crackrzz]

​@@robk7266my mother lived there in the late 60s & early 70s, and she didn't learn much French at all. She came back home to Nova Scotia because my brother needed specialized care for a heart condition, and the IWK was opening at the time.

[@MrLuchenkov]

​@@robk7266Some left, the vast majority stayed.

[@Gleamings]

Oh my god this is such a throwback to when I moved around Europe, your tips for learning the language and actually starting to speak were great

[@Gleamings]

Accepting that youll sometimes sound funny or stupid is ny favorite

[@Crackrzz]

​@@GleamingsThis intimidated me once when trying to order at a food court and wanted to let someone ahead of me, trying to explain I was reading the menu and trying to decide.

[@antoineharvey-boudreault5565]

i never get this one. Like english comes from across the sea just as much french

[@Ziraffo]

bravo pour vos efforts d'apprentissage. C'est en pratiquant qu'on s'améliore!

[@PotatoToon]

The large majority of us french quebecers will lose our minds if we meet anglophones that learned french and can make understandable sentences, as well as integrating themselves into the Quebec culture and traditions. Kind of like those videos online of people shocking other people in their language. It is very important for us to keep our language and identity.

[@fleodo2038]

To be honest I was scared, I first thought it would be a classic angryphone 😉 argument basicly saying : French is bad, this is how to live in english in Montréal. But the vidéo was pretty good ! Basicly, we francophones, wants people to learn French. We want some effort, a little one if you are just staying to study, a big one if you live here for many years. And we don’t like people who are not making any effort, and there is unfortunately really common in Montréal. The main lack of your video is the understanding of all this laws and régulation around langage : it’s because French has always been in danger in North America, and it’s in decline at the moment we are talking. That’s why there is laws and people concerned about the langage you are speaking. My take : if you don’t speak French but you are ready to learn it and make a effort : come and quebeckers will welcome you. If you don’t want that and just live in english : go to the Rest of Canada, it’s a beautifiul country !

[@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102]

My mom grew up in Montreal in a bilingual Yiddish/English speaking anglophone Jewish family. The Jewish neighborhoods in big cities like Montreal and Toronto tend to be quite unique and extremely walkable in character because Orthodox Jews are not allowed to drive or take public transit anywhere on Shabbat. They also have to have a kosher butcher/grocery store, kosher restaurants, & mikveh (ritual bath) nearby & enough Jews in the neighborhood to form a minyan (prayer quorum of 10 adult men). Therefore most Orthodox Jews in the diaspora live in large high density urban neighborhoods close to synagogue and other Jewish communal institutions. Many of Canada's most celebrated urban neighborhoods today such as Kensington market in Toronto & Mile End in Montreal were built by the Jewish community & maintain a distinctly Jewish character today.

[@Swiss2025]

Jewish community is also in Outremont .

[@Oxirador]

That was some class A french. Your time and effort to learn our beautiful language is paying off! Keep the good work! :D

[@looldrole]

As a french speaking person that lived in Montreal : good review. By « preferred » understand that people can get mad if you cannot speak french and live there (or are Canadians).

[@ridenhour1]

I really like your videos. Your channel was the reason I visited Montreal last year after going to adult French classes for 3 years

[@s.thomas3289]

As a « de souche » French-Canadian Montréaler, It is probably the most accurate and rational video have I seen. Very good job and bravo! Never I feel a bias of some sort and you guys cites facts only. Greatest advice here : don’t read internet comments. Just live it and judge by yourself. Nothing is perfect in life, but generally, the positive outweighs the negative.

[@SnapDash]

Anglo Canadian from outside Quebec here: I lived in Montreal for about six months just before the pandemic hit (working on the REM, actually!). I had no trouble at all, even with basic French from high school and a few courses later in life. If anything, it was too easy to get by with just English, much as I was trying to up my French! I would read the news on French, and ask coworkers for words occasionally. They thought it was cute that I was working on my skills, but I didn't get up to the point of defaulting to French with them. In an alternate world without that C-19 wrench in the works, maybe I'd still be in Montreal, and with better French language skills to boot!

[@danieldaniels7571]

This is the last channel I expected to dive into this subject, and I’m glad you did. I’m from Arizona, and married an anglophone from outside of Montreal who grew up in a German speaking household in a majority Anglophone community. We went there for a couple weeks in 2003, and I quickly noticed the local disdain for anglophones. I avoided it by speaking broken Phoenician Spanish as I picked up the local dialect of French, sort of mixing them. This tripped out my wife, who was struggling to remember French from when she lived there, as locals seemed to mostly understand me and reacted much more positively to me than they did her. The local culture in Montreal and Quebec around language is one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever experienced.

[@simonmayer2575]

Bonjour! Félicitations pour votre représentation réelle de la situation linguistique sur l’Ile de Montréal! Votre petit reportage sera bien utile pour les touristes ainsi que pour les nouveaux arrivants qui désirent demeurer à Montréal et découvrir également l’hospitalité des Québécois ailleurs dans la province!

[@reilandeubank]

This reminds me of my trip two Quebec City for my 8th grade french class. I was just a young american asking for un cheeseburger, s'il vous plait, and the cashier responded with "would you like ketchup with that?" XD

[@louisrobitaille9384]

Quand ça se produit, continuez à parler en français. La personne retournera au français.

[@reilandeubank]

@@louisrobitaille9384 c’est logique, mais à l’époque j’étais tres jeune, timide, et moins bon en français que maintenant 😅

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@reilandeubank Most of the time it's seen as doing you a favor and it's done because you started with French, people don't often think about other people practicing their French. There is also the aspect of workers wanna move on with their work so if it's faster to use English because there is "too much" hesitation or because the pronunciation is too hard to understand they'll just switch. If you want to practice your French you have to be sort of explicit about it otherwise most workers that are able to will switch.

[@reilandeubank]

@@jeanjacques9365 that’s very understandable! I would definitely do the same thing in their shoes, it was just a little jarring in the moment and I look back on it fondly ;)

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

"Well.. uh.. Je prefere de la mayonaise and a dash of ketchup in my burger."

[@angela86753]

I live in Ontario and I LOVE MONTREAL! Been there many times and hoping to go back again this Summer. Clean, fun, vibrant city

[@AlexTurpin]

Fantastic video as usual and it was wonderful to hear full sentences in your French!

[@ponfed]

To all my anglophone peeps who are trying to practice their french.. if you want to practice french, just tell us. We love when you try but we will switch to english to accommodate you because we feel it's just nice to do. But if you tell us "J'essaie de pratiquer mon français" personally, I will slow down and enunciate to let you practice and get used to it.. Personally, if you try.. you don't even know how much I love it and how it makes me feel seen and respected. I will bend over backwards to either help you with your french, or just help you. Respect goes a long way..

[@aurionson]

One of the best MTL language guide IMO. It's even useful to someone that lived in Quebec outside Montreal but moved here, like me.

[@kirikoudiouf4485]

maybe it's just me but as a francophone the reason i might switch to english if an anglophone speak to me is that sometime it just comes out of nowhere and i'm taken off guard to the point I don't really know in what language you just spoke to me, so going by accent I assume it's english. Just keep on going in french and I will understand i'm just a bit slow sometime lol

[@hirsch4155]

A also got a great visual tour of the city during this video , great shots ❤

[@robfj3414]

What a great video! Not quite your usual subject but a nice look at your experience of Montreal and the Province of Quebec so far. I’ve always had a dream of spending much more time in Quebec. Not in spite of but because of the language which I’m still devoting time to learning.

[@kleeenco]

I am so grateful for this video, have been considering a move there for awhile. Merci!

[@Game_Hero]

Why not move elsewhere in Québec for the authentic Québécois experience?

[@nster3]

Salut! Si tu veux pratiquer ton francais, n'hesites pas à le dire, et d'insister! Je vais tout le temps changer en anglais pour t'aider, et j'ai la mauvaise manie d'insister que ça ne me dérange pas... J'oublie quelque fois que les gens veulent pratiquer leur français :P On ADORE ça quand tu veux aprendre. Je suis parfaitement bilingue, mais souvent les francophones vont commencer en anglais quand ils me voient (ancêtres indiens), les gens veulent vraiment te mettre à l'aise lol. There's a ton of anglo only speakers in Montreal and people don't seem to mind at all on the island most of the time. The younger crowd, techie crowd etc tend to do a LOT of franglais and I love it. If you don't look like a tourist, I WILL mix languages by accident

[@1957CRAZYDJ]

Hi, my mother language is french and the level you showed of your french is most than necessary in MontreL. as a frenchman, I am so happy to see an english spoken person trying to speak french. As we say here, if you know 100 words, you are OK. Great video, keep going.

[@frontier_etc]

Visited Montreal and Quebec City as American tourists. Got by just fine. One hiccup -- stopped by at a Ben and Florentine in Sherbrooke and they had trouble finding a waitstaff who could speak English. That was about it.

[@debuthunter5389]

A little more rural Quebec out there. Getting out of the main cities (and key tourist areas) can change things a bit for sure.

[@Swiss2025]

Sherbrooke has a polution of 300,000 inhabitants, english community and english university . Sherbrooke is located next to Vermont and all small cities in Eastern townships are mostly english . Magog, North Hatley, Coatcook, Knowlton etc Sherbrooke @@debuthunter5389

[@Redrally]

Oh God, every point you raised about how to learn French in Montreal hits home as someone living in a Slavic country and learning the local lingo "on the street". And I don't need it in my job since I work for an American company 🤷🏻‍♀

[@yagi3925]

A general principle anywhere in the world if you don't speak any of the local languages (there may be more than one) is to open by asking if they speak such or such other language (English or whatever). I'm just astonished that this basic principle of politeness needs explaining at all. So, in Montreal: "Excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais?" or any such opening phrase.

[@erins9271]

I think restaurants are a good place to practice conversational French. I find the servers want to practice English and I want to practice French so they will respond to my French in English and visa versa. I can read enough French that I can read street signs and menus. Speaking is like grade 5 French. Google translate is super helpful too.

[@hannofranz7973]

I'd love to experience the language realities in Montreal and Quebec as a whole. Unfortunately, it's not around the corner from Europe, so France is a much more practical destination. I love swapping from one language to another being a German living in Spain and speaking German, Spanish, English, French, Catalan and some Dutch. J'ai dédié plusieurs années a étudier le français au lycée il y a plus de cuarante ans. Plus tard j'ai étudié l'espagnol et laissé le français un peu derrière. Quand même, pendant toute ma vie j'si essayé de trouver des occasions de parler la langue dans les voyages ou par exemple en faire la connaissance avec des francophones dans mes alentours. C'est dommage que je ne puisse pas pratiquer la langue comme j'aimerais le faire.

[@racsito39]

As hispanophone, French seems familiar except when spoken to, but I was surprised when I visited Montreal a couple of years ago, I was struggling a little bit with English and two Canadians switch to Spanish to help me get by (I was ordering food). I fell in love with their people instantly. The rest of my trip was superbe.

[@jeromedufresne3621]

Quelle incroyable description de la réalité sociolinguistique de la ville de Montréal. Merci pour votre excellent résumé.

[@bobmarshall3700]

I spent several months in Montreal in 1974. On Saturdays I used to have a drink at a particular bar near where I was staying. There was a large group of regulars who worked at a local business and they would talk to each other in their preferred language, English or French. Obviously they could all speak both languages. So it was really strange to hear someone say something in English and someone else would answer in French and vice versa.

[@kiewies]

J'ai aimé ton video, merci!

[@palmsky1119]

Would love to vist Quebec in the future, especially Montreal! 😊

[@Imsemble]

If you ever decide to come, I really recommend visiting Quebec City as well if possible. There's nothing like it in North America!

[@palmsky1119]

@@Imsemble Yes, It's on my list! If you have any other recommendations I would really appreciate it 😄.

[@Swiss2025]

Charlevoix region ( Baie- St-PAul , MAlbaie , Tadoussac ) . It is about one hour drive ( 100 miles) from Quebec city with stunning mountains, parks ( PArc des hautes Gorges , Saguenay Fjord) , whale watching inculing Belugas and Blue whales , amazing food , arts ( Baie St Paul) .@@palmsky1119

[@aurelieb.6552]

​@@palmsky1119 If you drive from Montréal to Québec City => avoid the highway. The two highways cut straight through farmlands and forests, it's faster but you don't see anything. Instead, take the scenic and historical route along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River called CHEMIN DU ROY (The King's Road, Louis XlV's Road). It's amazing. It was built between 1660 and 1737 and it remained the longest coach/passable road north of the Rio Grande till the 1800s. Its panoramic views are breathtaking, you drive through all the old New France villages and fiefdoms with some of the oldest houses and streets in North America. Many churches, windmills, manors and other sight seeing stops along the road, local delicacies, boulangerie, fromagerie, antiques etc. Plan ahead so you don't miss anything. 280 kilometers, back then it was a 4 to 6 day trip by horse, today it will keep you busy for a full day if you stop along the way. On maps, it's called Route 138. Google maps, of course will try to direct you to the faster highways, you need to override that. 😉 Keep your road trip going past Québec City, right outside of town, Orléans Island is a true countryside gem filled with historical sights and scenery. Further East, the Charlevoix region is God's Country all the way to Tadoussac. An absolute must see! Bon voyage.⚜️❄️

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@palmsky1119 As mentioned in the video when you visit just practicing and using "Bonjour, Merci, Désolé je ne parle pas très bien français" will get you most of the requirements to have polite interactions with 99.9% of people during your trip. As for recommendations if you visit Quebec city there is the old town that you will inevitably go to but i recommend going to the Montmorency park to see the falls and while in that area you should go to l'île d'Orléan especially if its during summer (be warry of traffic the bridge is only 1 lane wide in both directions) and if it's your thing there is a pretty big church that is quite a sight in Beaupré (cathédrale Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré). In the old town i would recommend doing at least one guided tour of a museum to learn a bit about the origins of Québec and the overall history (which are always available in English as well). I lived my entire life in Quebec city so i can't give too much advice or recommendations outside of it. IF you ever go to smaller local stores and find a worker who speaks good English with whom you had a good first impression you should ask them for any recommendation and that goes for any city in the province basically.

[@agagnech]

Merci pour ce vidéo 👍

[@seanabbins5481]

Well done video. I have been to Montreal several times and it took me a while to figure out some of the ideas you cover here. Generally, you wiill fin more Anglophones in the west who often not speak French well. In the east they may not speak any English. In the center there will be more people that go back and forth with ease. As to learning French, on one of my drives up I had a recording and learned to say "i would like a cup of coffee, please." But when I got to the coffee shop i couldn't spit it out and got tongue tied. After some embarrassment I ordered the coffee in English

[@yarrowification]

Learning a language is easier than people think. The most important thing is how much you hear and read if you stop watching youtube and netflix in english and start only doing it only french you will he relatively fluent in a year or two

[@lb2791]

That's a really nice summary! Learning a second language as an adult is hard! There is no two ways around lots and lots of practice. I actually grew up in a german language bubble in a mostly french speaking city and have to admit my french is mediocre given these circumstances. I moved out of the french region to study and never went back, so I lost a lot of the language. Reading and listening I can still do quite well, speaking and writing is the hard part (though with deepl and the likes it got much easier). To my surprise, I could get by quite well in Quebec. I guess I'm used to people speaking in dialects.

[@soundscape26]

I really like how earnest your videos always are nevermind if I agree with all your points or not. Well done.

[@boink800]

Very well done. Maybe a follow up video could be asking the people in Quebec their opinions on the topic and why they might switch to English.

[@AY-uf4oz]

As a lifelong Montrealer, your video is a very accurate description of the language situation here. The great majority of people in Montreal in either language are friendly and accommodating. As for the Quebec government's attitude towards Anglophones, especially under Legault,, that's another story entirely.

[@Urbanhandyman]

I knew a guy from Montreal that was visiting Paris with his girlfriend, also from Montreal. One early afternoon and being North Americans they chose McDonald's to have lunch (tragic). Seated next to them were a group of Parisian teenagers. As the couple from Montreal spoke to each other in French, they noticed the teenagers next to them were discussing something and seemingly trying to figure something out. Finally, one of them said in a voice loud enough to overhear was that the language the couple was speaking was Dutch or Flemish because they could understand a few of the words.

[@MrLuchenkov]

Parisians, sigh.

[@Swiss2025]

Quebec french is exactelly the same in France . There are many accents in France , England, USA and all countries in the world . There is only one french language in the world but many accents and slangs ... All depends on your education and values in life .

[@Marcus-ss4gn]

Completely incorrect information. A few months ago, I attended a dinner in Vancouver with a Quebecois and a French person who were friends and conversing in French. Out of curiosity, I asked them to what extent they understood each other. They replied, "What do you mean? We understand each other perfectly, %100" This led me to conclude that the myth of Quebecois French being inferior or broken is just a dirty lie, likely perpetuated by individuals who don't even speak any French at all.

[@Urbanhandyman]

@@Marcus-ss4gn You misspelled, "completely correct information." The story I told is about differences in accents and vocabulary/slang. When is the last time you spent an afternoon in a Cockney pub and understood everything? Just like a movie from Scotland will sometimes have subtitles when shown in the U.S., French viewers will often see a movie from Quebec with subtitles in Cosmopolitan French.

[@Marcus-ss4gn]

@@Urbanhandyman Well, what you're asking is irrelevant, but since I studied extensively for the IELTS exam for a full year, I understand every English accent that exists in the world perfectly fine. However, I understand it is not the case for most native speakers since most didn't study their own language at a similar level. As an immigrant, I've always found it amusing how Americans often struggle to understand Scottish and a few other accents. Do you speak any French at all? I doubt it. Those who perpetuate this myth typically don't speak any French themselves.

[@palmsky1119]

I had no idea that there was such a large English speaking side in Montreal but i guess that makes sense now that I think about it. 🤔 I definitely think that seeing all the street signs, shops and hearing people speak french would help out quite a bit with language proficiency.

[@TheRandCrews]

I agree, I went on a trip there last spring with little to no French but because I walked around and used public transport when I was there, I picked up some French from just reading and listening. You kinda just piece it together, it does help for me though that Filipino has some Spanish words and they’re close or the same in French for some aspects.

[@otsoko66]

in the mid 1800s, Montreal was a majority English-speaking city (with the industrial working class being mainly Irish), then more French-speaking people started moving in from the countryside and small towns. But there are still lots of neighbourhoods in and small towns around Montreal that have been English speaking since their founding.

[@TheTroyc1982]

Over the last 200 years Montreal was majority English speaking for a longer time than it has been majority french speaking.

[@anthonygagne8520]

@@TheTroyc1982 False. Montreal only had english majority from about 1830 to 1860.

[@Alex_Plante]

It depends how you measure it. There are at least 4 definitions of Montreal (The city, the island, the metropolitan area as defined by statistics Canada, or the CMM) and at least 3 definitions of language communities used by Statistics Canada (official language spoken, language spoken in the home, mother tongue, etc.), but if you consider people of English mother tongue (the first language learned and still spoken) living in greater Montreal as defined by Statistics Canada, there are around 0,5 million Anglophones out of about 4,2 million in greater Montreal, and maybe 2/3 live in the Anglo belt highlighted in the video.

[@gonickogogo]

This is very useful. I think a lot of people will find this video helpful. The Q&A presentation style is very effective at getting the relevant information across. Your answers depend a lot on personal experience, but I would love to see the same style of video applied for questions about Spanish language requirements in Miami. With some key differences, there is a similar linguistic situation there that I think is often underemphasized. (I just remembered you recently did a video on Miami, but I regretfully haven't watched it yet!)

[@OhTheUrbanity]

We don't have enough experience with Miami to make a very useful guide to language there, but it was definitely a fascinating experience being in a U.S. city where Spanish was the majority language!

[@Swiss2025]

French and english are both equal official languages of Canada . Spanish is not an official language of USA .

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@Swiss2025 French is the only official language of Quebec though. That's the reality of Canada's bilingualism it's doesn't exist outside of Montreal/Ottawa and New Brunswick in any meaningful capacity.

[@Deuhn]

Do come to Chicoutimi if you want to practice your french, practically nobody speaks english over here. Total immersion! Please come visit, and maybe consider staying. We're dyi... It's fine. We love striking random conversations with strangers also. 😇

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

This video is _approved_ by a French resident of Montreal. 👍😉 Always remember that everywhere you'll go, you'll find bigots.

[@AnouMr]

Thank you for making the effort to learn French : )

[@edmerc92]

“Angryphone” isn’t a nickname for all anglophones but just the subset of them that refuse to learn French. Those who make some effort in French (however imperfect) will be welcomed by the vast majority.

[@transitcaptain]

9:35 Brutally honest but relatable

[@Quietloud]

As for when to use English or French when greeting someone, I generally go by neighborhood. I use English in Park-Ex, where I live, as well as in the Mile-End, in NDG, the Town of Mount-Royal, St-Laurent, Downtown and St-Leonard (given that Italian Montrealers tend to prefer English). Otherwise I use French. The recently arrived pakistani ne va pas comprendre la langue de Molière.

[@OhTheUrbanity]

We had to simplify it down to "English speakers are mainly between downtown and the West Island" to make things easier to understand for people new to the city, but you're right, there's a lot more detail that you learn as you live in the city (or spend a lot of time on census language maps like I have).

[@freonflex]

Very good video, that corresponds to what I experience, coming from the other side of the mirror (French speaking Quebecker)

[@guyfaux3978]

The novelist Jack Kerouac grew up in suburban Boston to bilingual Quebecois immigtants. His parents spoke French at home and English outside. As a preschool age child speaking French but hearing his parents speak English, when he was asked (in French) when he first went to school, "What do your parents speak?" he answered that he didn't know-- they spoke both. I guess that happens a lot in Montreal in some areas?

[@MILOPETIT]

Just as a general rule, remember that most people are better in English than you are in their language

[@OhTheUrbanity]

In general yes, although if you live in Montreal long-term and talk to francophones in different parts of the city you'll encounter the whole range, from perfectly bilingual with no accent to quite uncomfortable in English.

[@jeanjacques9365]

@@Jiminy-trx You should get outside your bubble a little more, English isn't taught at any more depth than what is done in English countries for second languages, most people do not require it and most of the world does not speak it in any meaningful capacity outside of big cities. Some people who speak English did so for work but for most it came as a by product of the entertainment empire of the US. By only speaking English you miss out on so much culturally and while you can travel to touristic destinations across the world you really dont experience the world in a meaningful capacity.

[@Catswhiskerdetector]

A lot of these observations are also applicable to the Netherlands. Especially the switching over to English at the first signs that someone might not be a native speaker, which really annoys me. I can't help but be a bit pessimistic about the future of these languages because of the immense influence of English

[@edmerc92]

Most of Québec (or French-speaking countries in general) isn’t like Montréal though. It has an unusually high level of bilingualism for a francophone city.

[@jeanjacques9365]

People do it for tourists and for short conversations but will be a lot less indulging of someone who immigrated there for the long term and will not bother with switching for their comfort. Obviously that's mostly outside of Montreal where there is quite a lot of unilingual English speakers.

[@fod79]

J'aime votre accent et votre vocabulaire! I often switch to English just for the flow, but if an anglophone insists, I'll *try* to stick to French.

[@mcleblanc4968]

Vous parlez bien français. Continuez !

[@tompeled6193]

Ma langue maternelle est anglais. Je veux aller à un quartier majorité-anglophone, ouvrir en français, et quand il/elle me répondent en anglais, dire, "C'est le Québec, parle le français". Si il/elle continue en anglais, je dirais, "Toronto et New York sont pas loin."

[@Game_Hero]

T'es donc un vrai Québécois avec le respect de ta culture, salut mon frère!

[@tompeled6193]

@@Game_Hero Je suis pas québécois et suis pas allé au Québec. J'apprenais le français au lycée.

[@Game_Hero]

@@tompeled6193 ah. Et bien, t'en es un dans l'âme :)

[@antoineharvey-boudreault5565]

XD