Learning French in Montreal or Quebec - Has anybody done this? (education, rated)
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Give them a call, this is what I did when I moved here. Classes are inexpensive (50$ per term) or you may even get paid while you go, if you qualify for EI.
I can only imagine that a person going to Quebec with a France-based textbook is lost based on linguistic capabilities in general while in a foreign country and not the differences in "France" French and "Quebecois" French. I don't think anyone is here to claim that there is no difference, but you do realize that even Canadians learn "France" French outside of Quebec - I am from British Columbia and all textbooks are France-based (often written by American authors) and the instructors are usually from France. However, the transition was hardly noticable in real-life practice. Quebecois understand "France" French just as well, they are raised with it due to a lack of Canadian French-language materials. Much of the television channels here (including for kids like Petit Ours Bruin), papers, and videos are all from France.
I have never heard stopper here...
You learn French here just as you learn English anywhere else. The language that you learn in class will differ greatly from what you hear 'on the street'. "I am going to go to MacDonald's. Would anybody like me to purchase anything for them?" is likely to sound like "I'm headin' to MacDo. D'y wan anything?" or some such variation, anywhere in the English-speaking world, and just as indecipherable to someone who is learning 'Proper English' in class. Multiply that by Aussie, Kiwi, Scots, Irish, South African, American and all the hundreds of different variations that they bring to the table, and nobody speaks 'Proper English'.
Parisian French is as big a myth as is Londonian English: there are dozens of variations spoken in each city and if people do speak 'proper' English or French, they come across as being pretentious or posh. Newscasters are the only people who tend to speak the proper, international version of any language.
I laugh at people who say "Them Keebeckers don't speak real French" as most of them wouldn't know French from Spanish. And they themselves don't tend to speak 'real English' unless of course, they 'Run to the boot to fix the problem under the bonnet' when they've experienced a 'breakdown on the motorway'.
Yeah us Canadians, we speak the 'real, proper, Londonian English' lol! The only reason we understand all the different accents is because we've been bombarded with outside cultural influences from birth due to the lack of any Canadian culture. Canadians are more likely to understand someone from Mississippi than they are someone from Newfoundland because they've actually heard the Mississippi accent on TV or in the movies, unlike the Newfoundland accent. And how many Canadians ever bother to go to Newfoundland?
It would be great if you could help me with this...
I want to learn French in Montreal, but after reading the messages and knowing that I only have 6 weeks to learn as much as I can, I think my best option is Quebec.
I enter the trois riviers university page, but it said that for the new ones, they should take the classes in Ecole school that is between Montreal and Quebec, and this is a pain!!!
Could you suggest me another good school or universities for learning french that is in Quebec, and I don't need to move so far.
It would be great if you could help me with this...
I want to learn French in Montreal, but after reading the messages and knowing that I only have 6 weeks to learn as much as I can, I think my best option is Quebec.
I enter the trois riviers university page, but it said that for the new ones, they should take the classes in Ecole school that is between Montreal and Quebec, and this is a pain!!!
Could you suggest me another good school or universities for learning french that is in Quebec, and I don't need to move so far.
Thanks
Some parts of your message are hard to understand.
You are willing to go to Montreal but Trois-Rivières (90 minutes away) is too far?
L'universite de Laval has a good program but you will still get a lot of bilinguals. My MIL lives near the university and I've never encountered people who weren't bilingual (outside the downtown core, of course). Remember, UdL students survive on tips from tourists, lol, bilingualism is a requirement for most jobs.
I would, if you can dare, go out even further, or at least branch out a bit from QC (Trois-Rivieres, St-Hyacinthe)
The federal government of Canada sends or used to send public servants on French training to Saguenay (Chicoutimi), which is statistically the most francophone part of Quebec and the one with the fewest people who speak English.
I am a French student, who has completed his Master's degree program in International Relations at the University of Montreal. I am originally from Paris but have been living in Montreal for two years now. Beforehand, I got a bachelor's degree in law and political science from the University Paris 13.
I have a significant experience in teaching French as a second language and am going through the four components of the basic language skills:
- Reading
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing
During classes, I focus more on the speaking/listening part; as for the reading/writing skills I give specific assignments depending the needs and the progress of my students.
I teach advanced classes to newcomers and Anglophones from kids to adults, based on the different sets of objectives that fixed at the beginning of the classes. The method will of course not be the same if you are preparing a French exam to get into college or if you just seek to improve your French for pleasure.
Nevertheless, it is crucial to be realistic and to efficiently reconcile the learner's goals, pace of learning and time constraints. That is why the first evaluation is so important.
I teach French because I love this language, and I will do my best to transmit this love to you because it is the best incentive for success. I believe in the potential of everyone; all you need is to believe in yours.
The rate is between 20$/hours to 50$/hours depending the needs and the goals. We’re going to settle the price after the first class.
Finally, private classes can take place either in my place – located in the lovely neighborhood of Mont Royal-, in your place or at University of Montreal.
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