English in Montreal and Quebec City

[operaguy]

Are Montreal and Quebec City mostly French speaking ??? Not being able to speak French will I have trouble communicating.... restaurant menus.... money etc.. I do realize I am in a foreign country, but wondering how much English is spoken.

[jodi58]

yes, Montreal and Quebec are mostly French speaking, all the signs are in French, however you should have no problem in either city as most people, especially in the tourism industry ,do speak English.

 

Money pretty much the same, except the Queen is on every bill and it is now worth more than American money!

 

Enjoy my hometown of Montreal, but if truth be told, Quebec City is my favorite city:)

 

Jo

[elainemasey]

We spent a few days in Montreal this past February. Everyone spoke English. DS13 had fun trying basic, beginner French....Hello, goodby, thank you, etc. It was pricey though. Had a great time, would love to go back in warmer weather.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We spent a few days in Montreal this past February. Everyone spoke English. DS13 had fun trying basic, beginner French....Hello, goodby, thank you, etc. It was pricey though. Had a great time, would love to go back in warmer weather.

 

I tried using my long-ago high-school French. I don't recommend it. If you walk into a shop and say "Bonjour," the staff assume you can speak French. They talked faster than I could comprehend! So then I had to admit that I needed to converse in English. The staff were always very nice, but I felt like such an idiot tourist! (Good thing nobody can go back and take away all those A's I got)

[maryann ns]

You will have no problems in either city. I try to speak French in Quebec, but they hear my terrible accent and almost always switch to English.

[Ephraim]

Are Montreal and Quebec City mostly French speaking ??? Not being able to speak French will I have trouble communicating.... restaurant menus.... money etc.. I do realize I am in a foreign country, but wondering how much English is spoken.

 

In both Montreal and Quebec City people will gladly speak to you in English, as long as you ask them politely. Don't assume that they speak English. It's very different for us locals, who know when and where we can get service in English, but for a tourist, you can never go wrong by saying "Excuse me, do you speak English?"

 

When you ask to be seated in English they will usually give you either a bilingual menu (sometimes the English is much smaller) or they will give you an English version of the menu.

 

Do not start in French unless you can continue in French. It's nice to try words, but as an introduction, they assume that you want to be served in French. You may be seated with a waiter who can't speak English. Start in English and they will take care of you properly.

 

...Enjoy my hometown of Montreal, but if truth be told, Quebec City is my favorite city:) ...

I would boo, but I'm not really sure if you are a Montrealer with that spelling. :D

[operaguy]

Thank you!!!!!

[jodi58]

yes, I'm a Montrealer and I pride myself on my spelling: I go to the dep, buy wine at the Saq and order une petite Mol.

 

have a great day!

 

Jo

[Langley Cruisers]

Spent two days in Quebec City a few years ago and the people were absolutely lovely. As stated, it is courteous to have a few French phrases memorized; it doesn't mean you have to be able to speak fluent French, but it is always appreciated when you try. :)

 

"Bonjour." (Good day or Hello) is polite, as is "Merci." (Thank you). Just knowing these two phrases will help you. The money issue is not a problem; the Canadian dolar is used in all Canadian provinces and cities.

 

Relax and enjoy your time there. It is a beautiful part of our country. :)

[PennyAgain]

Well, I take it as a compliment to my own use of French that when I spoke French I was answered in French.

 

I had problems with my Texas accent when speaking in English.

 

The solution was obvious. Speak French.

 

And take a lot of money. You will need it.

[filbo132]

You shouldn't have a problem speaking english in both cities, however there are certain areas where staff only speak french, but usually thats in non touristy areas (for example Pointe-Aux-Trembles)...however if you stick with downtown and old montreal, you can speak english and they will understand you.

[Steviewonder1]

I never had issues in either city or in Paris France two years ago with my wife. The menus at the restaurants come in 2-4 languages and english is one of them. If the wait staff has issues, just point to what you want on the menu and they will get the idea.

[sail7seas]

We visit Montreal and Quebec City every summer, speak no French and have never had any problem at all. We find the people very friendly and happily, bi-lingual. :)

 

[arewethereyet]

Before going to Quebec City, I sent a letter to the mayor requesting that everyone speak only English while I was there. Would you believe they happily complied with my request?

 

No? OK, I lied.

 

But, seriously, there is no problem in the tourist areas. They switch to English faster than I can tell they were speaking French. Everyone we dealt with were friendly and helpful. Quebec City is one of my favorite places now.

[sail7seas]

In both Montreal and Quebec City people will gladly speak to you in English, as long as you ask them politely. Don't assume that they speak English. It's very different for us locals, who know when and where we can get service in English, but for a tourist, you can never go wrong by saying "Excuse me, do you speak English?"

 

When you ask to be seated in English they will usually give you either a bilingual menu (sometimes the English is much smaller) or they will give you an English version of the menu.

 

<snip>

 

 

Why would they give a small menu if written in English? :confused:

 

Do they not think we can see the French version is much larger when a neighboring table has a French version?

 

Not a nice thing to do IMO

Makes me wonder if the prices are the same?

We've been going to Montreal and Quebec City for years but after reading this, I'll be looking more carefully when we visit this summer.

 

[Earl Rosebery]

Why would they give a small menu if written in English? :confused:

 

Do they not think we can see the French version is much larger when a neighboring table has a French version?

 

Not a nice thing to do IMO

Makes me wonder if the prices are the same?

We've been going to Montreal and Quebec City for years but after reading this, I'll be looking more carefully when we visit this summer.

 

 

You're kidding right?

[sail7seas]

I don't know what to make out of the comment I quoted. :confused:

 

Here's the quote:

 

 

Originally Posted by Ephraim

In both Montreal and Quebec City people will gladly speak to you in English, as long as you ask them politely. Don't assume that they speak English. It's very different for us locals, who know when and where we can get service in English, but for a tourist, you can never go wrong by saying "Excuse me, do you speak English?"

 

When you ask to be seated in English they will usually give you either a bilingual menu (sometimes the English is much smaller) or they will give you an English version of the menu.

 

<snip>

 

 

 

 

 

The English menu might be much smaller? What? Why?

Wouldn't most people notice if the people at the table beside them had a larger menu than they were given?

I am reacting to that quote.

[arewethereyet]

I think maybe they mean that the English is in a smaller font on the menu.

[sail7seas]

I considered that but just couldn't decide.

 

That actually happened to us in Spain. They gave the Americans a different menu than Europeans. It was obvious to us and we left the restaurant.

[Earl Rosebery]

I don't know what to make out of the comment I quoted. :confused:

 

Here's the quote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The English menu might be much smaller? What? Why?

Wouldn't most people notice if the people at the table beside them had a larger menu than they were given?

I am reacting to that quote.

The history of French and English in the Province of Quebec and Montreal is fascinating. Until about 100 years ago Montreal was roughly half English and half French. Montreal alternated French and English mayors for years..

Immigrant families were obliged to send their children to school along religious lines so many of the immigrant kids were educated in the English protestant schools. This had the effect of diluting the French speaking population.

 

After the quiet revolution of the 1960s there were drastic changes. The birth rate fell by 50%. There was a rise of separatist feeling and a fear that the

French language would die out. Language laws were enacted that , among other things, obliged immigrant families to send their kids to French schools, banned the public use of English signs and changed the names of most of the streets and towns that formerly had English names. For example Mountain street named after a Bishop became de la montagne after a mountain and Dorchester Blvd. became Blvd. Rene Levesque .

 

Things have settled down now. Most Montrealers and young Quebecois are perfectly bilingual. It is one of the unique and more delightful places to visit anywhere in North America. You will pay the same price and get the same service whether you order in French or English

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Earl_Rosebery. Interesting reading.

 

We love Quebec City and Montreal and visit every summer. We find the people friendly and helpful and both cities are very special in their own way.

 

We've always felt we were treated very well or, clearly, we wouldn't keep returning. :)

 

[Ephraim]

I don't know what to make out of the comment I quoted. :confused:

 

Here's the quote:

 

The English menu might be much smaller? What? Why?

Wouldn't most people notice if the people at the table beside them had a larger menu than they were given?

I am reacting to that quote.

 

If they have separate menus, you just get an English version of the same menu. They don't have different versions. When it is a bilingual menu, in some cases they will have the English and French with the French first. In some cases they will have the English and the French in equal sizes. And in some cases they will have the English in a font that is smaller, generally 1/2 to 2/3rds the size of the English. So a 16 point font in French might mean a 10 point font in English.

 

We have a lot of silly laws in Quebec. Some that are just too hard to explain here. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Language_Act_(Quebec) then http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_the_French_Language

 

One of the end results is that Quebec is famous for our iconography. Like this one...

 

Another weird example... a sign saying "Arret" and "Stop" is legal if it was never switched (ie before the law came into force.) But if it needs to be replaced it can only be replaced by a sign that is unilingually French. And therefore can only say "Arret" on it, or it can say "Stop" on it, since both are legally French words. But it can't say both on it, because that would make the "stop" English and English signs aren't allowed.

[celle]

I speak reasonable "French" French - could make myself understood in Paris, and could understand almost everything, as long as they spoke slowly.

 

I know there are some differences between the French they speak in France and the French you speak in Quebec, but I think I'll get by.

 

One thing I would like advice on: what is the custom regarding the use of "tu" and "vous" ? I don't want to offend by appearing either too familiar or too formal/stand-offish! For example, when we check in at the hotel, should i address the person at the desk as "Vous" or "Tu"?

 

Looking forward to our visit to Quebec!

[Twickenham]

One thing I would like advice on: what is the custom regarding the use of "tu" and "vous" ? I don't want to offend by appearing either too familiar or too formal/stand-offish! For example, when we check in at the hotel, should i address the person at the desk as "Vous" or "Tu"?

 

It is still customary to refer to someone you don't know/meet for the first time, and especially someone older than yourself, as 'vous'. Younger people tend to be less concerned with this, but you certainly won't be considered 'snobbish' if you use vous!

[celle]

It is still customary to refer to someone you don't know/meet for the first time, and especially someone older than yourself, as 'vous'. Younger people tend to be less concerned with this, but you certainly won't be considered 'snobbish' if you use vous!

 

Thank you. As I'm a senior, I'm more inclined to use "vous" .