Living in Montreal with no French

[barbara30]

Hi guys
We are currently considering a job offer in Montreal, we are from the UK but living in Hong Kong . My husband speaks pretty good french although a little rusty but i don't speak any french.


Is it possible for me to get by speaking English until i can learn some basics. what will the local reaction be if i speak in English? we have heard so many different things on this subject it's very hard to get a proper picture.


Will utilities company's, government departments etc speak to me in English if necessary or will i come up against resistance and resentment?


Also can anyone tell me if signs and restaurant menus are in both French and English?


Interested to know where the more English speaking areas are to live we would like to buy a nice house in a quiet area with easy access to facilities ie restaurants and grocery shopping.



Appreciate any advice



Thanks

 

[bobnoorduyn]

I get to Montreal quite often, English is spoken there more than anywhere else in Quebec. It is quite a nice city, very cosmopolitan, but as in all of Quebec, French is dominant, and is as such in their signage as is required by law, (the Quebec government is the only government in Canada to have used the "notwithstanding clause" in the Constitution, and that was to enact unconstitutional language laws). Parisian French and Canadian French are somewhat different, and some Quebecers can get quite anal if you don't speak the lingo well. The taxes in Quebec are a real killer. Most folks I know who have moved to Montreal for work actually live in the Cornwall area of Ontario and drive the hour and a half each way, it is actually cheaper. The only tax advantage would be if you have 4 or more children living at home. Housing is cheaper at the outset because you make up for it in taxes. They also operate under a civil law system as opposed to British common law, much more of a top down government. A nice place to visit, but I would prefer to live outside and commute. Geographically it is a very scenic province with lots of space and wilderness, just too bad it is in Quebec.

 

[El Barto]

just too bad it is in Quebec

haha that's cute

 

[Johnnny]

id say it is defintaly possible, you need a solid game plan and a willingness to learn french. Mind you whenever i go to montreal its always to party and check out the scene if you know what i mean, and i get around fine with english and my sub standard french

Qu'est-ce qu'il se passe?

 

[El Barto]

Many live in Quebec without a word of french or the will to learn it .
I really wouldn't worry.
Some have been here for generations

 

[#juan]

Shouldn't be a problem in Montreal. If you make an effort to learn the language you will be fine. You will find that Quebec City can be a bit anal about the language but it shouldn't take you that long to learn enough to get by.

 

[Avro]

Just stay away from the north east.

Montreal is very accomodating for anglos, I don't speak a word of it......have never had an issue and I am there several times a month.

 

[Curiosity]

Barbara30

What an exciting life you are living - don't be afraid of Montreal and/or French - get an easy phrase book to look things up but as Juan said Montreal is bilingual as a major city of the world...

Still it would be nice if you learned: Hello - excuse me but I don't speak French very well - can I be helped in English?..... and of course Thank You for the end of your conversation.

It shows you are making an attempt and I think French is a lovely language to learn...

Some of the bilingual speakers here could probably write out the phrases for you to start with - and show you their pronunciation as well...but hearing them is good too if you can a disc....

Stop with the worries and look ahead to an experience you have ahead which will
probably turn out to be memorable for you both.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

You will find that Quebec City can be a bit anal about the language but it shouldn't take you that long to learn enough to get by.

It doesn't get much better the farther North or up the river you get, try ordering pizza in Rouyn or les Isles de-la-Madeline, then figuring out what you got :lol:

 

[s_lone]

Barbara30,

You will be fine. Just make sure you understand this:

''Pour service en anglais, composez le 1'' (for service in English, dial 1)

You will probably want to live in the west of Montreal. The more west you go, the less francophone it is.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

just too bad it is in Quebec

haha that's cute

Yeah, I'd like to get some property on the Gaspe peninsula but I find the laws and political climate somewhat worrisome, not that it is really that much better where I'm at, but at least you can afford to register a motorbike.

 

[Libertarian]

The French there are rabid and will beat you to death if you don't speak French properly.

Lol, jk. I'd advise learning the basics, then you can easily get by, seeing as many of them also speak English.

Just take some French course and you can learn enough to get by in a month.

Seeing as you haven't moved yet, you should have the time to do that.

 

[bobnoorduyn]

''Pour service en anglais, composez le 1'' (for service in English, dial 1)

And you will reach someone in Mumbai 8O

 

[El Barto]

Yeah, I'd like to get some property on the Gaspe peninsula but I find the laws and political climate somewhat worrisome, not that it is really that much better where I'm at, but at least you can afford to register a motorbike.

the politics is nothing to worry about , just lots of hissing and spitting ;-)

 

[bill barilko]

Most folks I know who have moved to Montreal for work actually live in the Cornwall area of Ontario and drive the hour and a half each way, it is actually cheaper

Why do people post complete nonsense on the internet and expect others to believe it?

A three (3) hour commute each day and it's somehow cheaper?

FWIW-I grew up on the Quebec border and that was enough.

Yes Montreal is a somewhat cosmopolitan place but it's also largely a dump and the majority of Francophones rather flaky characters.
​

 

[barbara30]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the help it's reassuring to know that it's just the odd one who could be off with me for not having French.

Any suggestions of nice areas to live which are more English speaking?

The tax situation isn't a problem where my hubby will be working for those who think Montreal is a dump try living in Hong Kong and Asia then you know what a dump is.

 

[no color]

Hi guys
We are currently considering a job offer in Montreal, we are from the UK but living in Hong Kong . My husband speaks pretty good french although a little rusty but i don't speak any french.


Is it possible for me to get by speaking English until i can learn some basics. what will the local reaction be if i speak in English? we have heard so many different things on this subject it's very hard to get a proper picture.


Will utilities company's, government departments etc speak to me in English if necessary or will i come up against resistance and resentment?


Also can anyone tell me if signs and restaurant menus are in both French and English?


Interested to know where the more English speaking areas are to live we would like to buy a nice house in a quiet area with easy access to facilities ie restaurants and grocery shopping.



Appreciate any advice



Thanks

French or bilingualism is not a requirement in Montreal provided that you don't work in the public service. I was born and raised in Montreal and yet my French is very limited as I was schooled in English. I cannot for the life of me engage in a detailed conversation with someone in French. If you plan on living in the west part of the city (ie West Island) you will have no problem living your day to day life soley in English. Same goes for downtown. In some West Island neighborhoods, you will have a hard time communicating with most of your neighbors if you can't speak English, particularly within the southern areas of the West Island.

So as you can see, Montreal is not soley a French speaking city. If it were, why then is the government spending so much money in building an English language super hospital in the city? Why then do we have two English language universities in the heart of downtown Montreal? We do indeed have two mainstream languages in the city. Within the eastern part of the city, French is predominant, within the western part, English is predominant.

So if you want to live in a soley English speaking neighborhood in Montreal, look into areas such as Beaconsfield or Pointe Claire in the West Island. There is no need to learn any French if living in the West Island. As for restaurants, yes they have menus in both English and French. As for the utility companies, you should have no problem getting service in English from any of the utility companies in Montreal. I never had. These folks working for those companies would not get hired for public service work if they were not bilingual. When it comes to the local Quebec government, some folks may indeed resent communicating with you in English, but when it comes down to the bottom line, you simply force the issue and they have no choice. Similarly they would not get hired if they cannot converse with someone over the phone in English. I have never had an issue in this regard.

 

[El Barto]

Hi Guys

Thanks for all the help it's reassuring to know that it's just the odd one who could be off with me for not having French.

Any suggestions of nice areas to live which are more English speaking?

The tax situation isn't a problem where my hubby will be working for those who think Montreal is a dump try living in Hong Kong and Asia then you know what a dump is.

But Montreal is a dump , they have a toilet shaped stadium 8O

 

[s_lone]

Yes Montreal is a somewhat cosmopolitan place but it's also largely a dump and the majority of Francophones rather flaky characters.
​

In response to this ridiculous statement, I will quote yourself:

Why do people post complete nonsense on the internet and expect others to believe it?

 

[El Barto]

In response to this ridiculous statement, I will quote yourself:

Why do people post complete nonsense on the internet and expect others to believe it?

hahahahaha touche :lol: