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Hello. I am planning to move there in the end of March or so, maybe earlier. Going over for a year to see what progress I can make with music in the city. I can speak good enough french ( or, I will once I brush up) but I heard that its a different kind of french there. I was speaking to a native from France. He said he could only understand the language because he has travelled so much to areas around the world that speak different versions of French.
Is there any site or book that I can get before I go over so that I won't be learning the " wrong " phrases and such? I know that since I will be trying to get to know musicians and artists, French is almost a pre-requisite!
Many people arrive in Montreal knowing no French at all and end up learning just fine. I am sure you will be OK - especially if you already know a little. Regardless of the variant.
Hello. I am planning to move there in the end of March or so, maybe earlier. Going over for a year to see what progress I can make with music in the city. I can speak good enough french ( or, I will once I brush up) but I heard that its a different kind of french there. I was speaking to a native from France. He said he could only understand the language because he has travelled so much to areas around the world that speak different versions of French.
Is there any site or book that I can get before I go over so that I won't be learning the " wrong " phrases and such? I know that since I will be trying to get to know musicians and artists, French is almost a pre-requisite!
Thanks.
I grew up in france since i was 2... moved in Montreal (& first time gong there...) last year & well... Never had much trouble understanding the french quebecois... sure it is different but as long as you stay in the montreal aera, you will be fine... I don't recall having any trouble in montreal (besides, I moved in Cote-des-neiges where most peoples speak english (i could say 70 to 30% speaks english & not french...), Where i use to work (downtown), no one spoke french... I only heard french at university (HEC Montreal)... I was so surprised hearing more english than French in montreal... but at school, the french was good
I grew up in france since i was 2... moved in Montreal (& first time gong there...) last year & well... Never had much trouble understanding the french quebecois... sure it is different but as long as you stay in the montreal aera, you will be fine... I don't recall having any trouble in montreal (besides, I moved in Cote-des-neiges where most peoples speak english (i could say 70 to 30% speaks english & not french...), Where i use to work (downtown), no one spoke french... I only heard french at university (HEC Montreal)... I was so surprised hearing more english than French in montreal... but at school, the french was good
I think the bolded part is an exaggeration. If you can understand Montreal French you can probably understand most people in every town of 10,000+ and many people in smaller towns as well. It's certainly not harder for someone from France to understand someone in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Gatineau, etc than in Montreal.
I think the bolded part is an exaggeration. If you can understand Montreal French you can probably understand most people in every town of 10,000+ and many people in smaller towns as well. It's certainly not harder for someone from France to understand someone in Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Gatineau, etc than in Montreal.
well, I think in most big cities you will be fine but in smaller ones.... what I can advice you is tto watch quebec movies on TV5... Before i move to montreal i was watching thoes... well, I was trying because I couldn't understand a word... & until now i still need subtitle when I watch
Location: Temporarily in Niagara Falls, Ont. Canada
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There's a TON of videos on YouTube about this. Just search for French Canadian, Quebec French, joual, francais canadien, le francais quebecois, etc. You can spend hours, or days watching those videos. You'll hear the language spoken as well as people talking about the nuances.
It's kind of like comparing New York City English with Seattle English. Or southern US Alabama or Texas English. Or London England English. Same language, different accent and slang words, etc.
Actually there is much more of a difference than merely accent as this website so clearly points out: www.toutcanadien.com
Much more of a difference than American English to British English.
As a student of languages, I can tell you that the differences are about the same. The reason the differences appear greater to the casual observer is that there is less exposure to Canadian/Quebec French in France than there is to American English in the UK. American popular culture is ubiquitous in the UK, so most people there are familiar with how Americans speak.
I beg to differ. A French Canadian can pick out instantly when an American speaks French to them having learned International French in the USA in high school or college. I will grant that some is accent, but a lot of it is the different words and syntax. International French never teaches you to say 'Bon Matin' in the morning as the Quebecois do.
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