Canadian French for Tourists

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Canadian French for Tourists - Visit Quebec

Рет қаралды 23,548

Күн бұрын

If you are visiting Montreal or anywhere in Quebec it is a good idea to know a few words in French. The locals speak English just fine, but to be a nice tourist it is polite to speak a little French when you are in Quebec. French for tourists in Montreal.
Filmed in Montreal, Quebec
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Пікірлер: 132

@missj.4760 Жыл бұрын

If you ask for bécosse instead of toilette (bathroom), people will laugh (in a friendly manner) as this word is not really used anymore and when it is used, it is in a very familiar way. Fun fact: the word bécosse comes from the English words back house.

@pilote111 11 ай бұрын

I was about to write the same comment lol 😂

@chantalt9431 5 ай бұрын

I wal also abut to write de same comment lolll

@jdmitaine 11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, a little respect goes a long way, we Quebecers will bend backward to accomodate and help... people need to be aware there is still a lot of francophone bashing and many anglocanadians looking down on the majority of francophones in Quebec, particularly in Montreal... so if you make the minimal effort we will so appreciate it.... Very comprehensive and complete informations you are sharing here... again thank you loads

@francesmcbride4592 21 күн бұрын

@@jdmitaine I moved to Montreal a year ago and I have to say this is so true ❤️ learning Quebec French has been so much fun and I love getting to know more about people when I speak the language they grew up with! I applaud you Quebecers for your kindness and enthusiasm about this wonderful dialect, even when my French is still quite lacking haha

@rino7789 Жыл бұрын

Je suis Americain mais je comprends le Francais tres bien. Merci Wolters!!! J'adore le Quebec!

@hyunjinki1995 2 ай бұрын

Euh, et pourquoi t’adore le Québec? Exprimez-vous ta réponse. Expliquez-moi Merci d’avance

@TheMadagenais Жыл бұрын

You would never say ‘Où sont les bécosses ?’ to a stranger, including to a restaurant or bar server. ‘Bécosse’ is the equivalent of ‘crapper’ in English. You keep that term for private conversations

@jacquelinerichard2540 Жыл бұрын

Je ne pensais pas que « bécosse » était encore dans notre langage 🤣

@TheMadagenais Жыл бұрын

@@jacquelinerichard2540 Vous n’avez visiblement pas de beau frère qui, après quelques bières, a besoin d’aller là où le Roi va à pieds 🤣

@remylapointe5189 Жыл бұрын

Was wondering if someone mentioned it already! Saying the equivalent of "Where's the shitter" might get you an awkward smirk from locals and hopefully a correction if the person is kind enough. :)

@Jackir007 Жыл бұрын

@@TheMadagenais oui oui! mais pas "en public" et aux touristes... :)

@joanignasi91 Жыл бұрын

I was confused about what he was saying, since he didn't put any subtitles for that part. Thanks for clarifying. I've never heard of that term as a non-canadian french speaker.

@xGoodOldSmurfehx Жыл бұрын

The mentality in Quebec is switching to English to accommodate the tourists, if you DO want to practice your French you NEED to explain that to pretty much anyone you speak to every time Some people thought this was people in QC being kind of snobbish and "you cant speak French so ill speak English for you" but thats really not correct, in the overwhelming majority of cases its just a desire to accommodate you and communicate with you comfortably and just Quebecers being nice AKA being Canadian Its also generally much easier for a Quebecer to communicate stuff to you in English than it is for you to do to them in French

@ponfed 7 ай бұрын

I'm french Québécois and I had anglophones wanting to practice their French and being frustrated that we switch to English. I try to be mindful of that when interacting with tourists or expats. Feel them out and see when they're trying hard to speak frency.. like really practicing. Instead of switching to English, I just slow down a tiny bit and let them work it out. It's a small thing, but people trying to learn a new language, whatever the language, it's something to encourage regardless of where you are. I learned a bit of Catalan before going to Barcelona and I really appreciated the way they would be patient with me while I was trying to work through a sentence or an expression. I try to pay it forward.

@TheReverses78 Ай бұрын

That's where you're downfall fall is cuz they think they can get away with english in Quebec, They don't do that in France cuz they get put in their place!

@alex0589 Жыл бұрын

You forgot "Tabarnak!" (Tah-Bar-Nack) for when you hit your little toe on hotel furniture. That's how you become a real local.

@1999maxwell Жыл бұрын

Probably don't start with "bonjour,", it can make people think you're a French speaker and cause problems. (in my experience at least) Definitely always good to know some french to lighten the load though

@cathleenrichards3841 11 ай бұрын

When I would go to QC (haven’t been in 10 hrs), I would say “bonjour, hello”. Everyone seemed to understand that I probably would prefer English, if possible.

@zekharye1 Жыл бұрын

When I lived in Montreal in the 1980s I remember asking servers in restaurants for “la facture” and not “l’addition” at the end of a meal.

@cassandrakapasi Жыл бұрын

Yup. We don't say l'addition that's more France french

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

@@cassandrakapasi That is real french in France my dear

@alex0589 Жыл бұрын

true but most people will understand exactly what you need

@johnpapadopoulos1647 Жыл бұрын

Before we and half a million others moved out of Quebec, we would ask the waitress "can we have our bill please". There was no need to talk in french! LOL

@cassandrakapasi Жыл бұрын

@@effie-montreal uh yes im quite aware... Im speaking as a Quebequer that's not something we say..

@francoisjutras6481 11 ай бұрын

Awesome video Thx from a Québécois

@woltersworld 11 ай бұрын

Merci!

@mattydee1996 Жыл бұрын

I’m currently learning French, not just to get by but to be fluent 😌

@grouloulle Жыл бұрын

Ca alors.

@johnpapadopoulos1647 Жыл бұрын

Youre wasting your time...better off learning Spanish.

@vincentlefebvre9255 Жыл бұрын

56% of the english vocabulary is either french or using latin words similar to french. It is by far the easiest language to learn for an anglophone. Just read a french text and you will recognize countless words.

@EmpireStateExpress01 Жыл бұрын

@@vincentlefebvre9255 facts

@jdmitaine 11 ай бұрын

Please be aware there is still a difference between Metropolitan French (which stems from parisian french) and the language spoken in Quebec, the same way English is different in Australia, the US and UK

@JeffinBville Жыл бұрын

Visiting Cap Gaspé... Locals gather along the bay to watch minke whales do their thing but more to meet and gossip. And it's all French all the time until their kids get rowdy and then you hear, "RICHARD ! CUT THAT OUT!" So I asked a women, in my rather rudimentary French, why they switched to English and the woman told me that her children ignore them when they're admonished in French but that English gets their attention, that they've learned it primarily from television. Anyway it is true, the further you get away from Montreal the more you will need to speak French - unless you're speaking to younger people. But even then...

@bisayangdako109 Жыл бұрын

i love ur way how u teach us these canadian french words sir 😊 thank u ..i'll subscribe now, hope to learn more words ❤

@danlyle531 Жыл бұрын

2:05 I don't know how true this is, but I've heard that in Canada, they use "la facture" for the bill/check in a restaurant, whereas in France they use "l'addition", and "la facture" is only a bill as in a utility bill

@SuperCharles22 Жыл бұрын

yes we say "la facture" most of the time but saying "l'addition" works too

@simonrancourt7834 Жыл бұрын

Both work.

@cassandrakapasi Жыл бұрын

Very true

@Booboonancy Жыл бұрын

Yes, that made me chuckle a bit. It is “la facture”. “L’addition” is very French but of course it is understood, not a problem.

@simonrancourt7834 Жыл бұрын

@@Booboonancy I'm a 12th generation Québécois and I always ask for "l'addition".

@miriamzajfman4305 Жыл бұрын

You French is even better than many English - speaking people living in Montreal ❗👍😉😄

@johnpapadopoulos1647 Жыл бұрын

LMAO

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

LMAO

@ksl4688 Жыл бұрын

Votre français est très bon Mark !! 👍😉

@richardcyr9040 Жыл бұрын

Do not say "Où sont les bécosses?", asking where are the toilets because "bécosse" is an old and uneducated word for doing your thing outside, in a shed.

@MikePailleur Жыл бұрын

Haha je voulais dire la même chose. In France they might still say it sometimes when informal. "Le dép" sounds more like a teenager thing.

@Applefish2112 Жыл бұрын

In fact, becosses is taken from the English term "back house" which is an out house. If you ask for a bécosse, they might send you on a farm back in 1883. 😉

@denisplouffe514 11 ай бұрын

Je vous remercier pour vos efforts. Comme Canadien j’adore le Quebec.

@Happytravellerkimmy Ай бұрын

"Salut" (sah-loo)- good for saying hello or good-bye any time of day!

@BrandonLeeBrown Ай бұрын

I studied French at university in Belgium. one professor told the class that she went to Canada and when she would say goodbye in French, the Canadians would say, "bonjour" for goodbye, but she thought they were saying hello again and would respond with bonjour and shake their hand. Most French Canadian places I've been in Canadian place have been outside of and away from Quebec. Most all French communities are along the southern border of Canada and very few are far north of the border. In Belgian French salut is hello and goodbye, but in Flemish, salut is only for goodbye, like ciao in English. I think we were told that Canadians use bonjour any time of day too, but I'm not sure about that.

@tusk3260 Жыл бұрын

should teach people about the store brands that are popular in Canada, stores that are important to know in case you are in need and are looking for reliability. For example, you need prescriptions due to health problems, in most of Canada it will be Shopper's Drug Mart but in the French parts of Canada, it will be Jean Coutu who happens to also be a great place for girl's make-up and other toilet stuff. Bring your girlfriend there and she will be happy.

@andreamalloy6266 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this- I love trying to speak at least a bit of the language in any country I visit 😀

@efortin9543 Жыл бұрын

Wow je suis québécois, tu parles très bien ! Tu es le bienvenue pour nous visiter quand tu le désires, merci de parler de notre belle province

@woltersworld Жыл бұрын

Merci!!!

@yodorob Жыл бұрын

Bonjour translates as "hi" just as much as "good morning". In fact, a few years back in my own Quebec, there was a whole controversy of store clerks about to be banned by the government from saying "bonjour hi" (rather than just "bonjour") to customers stepping in.

@xGoodOldSmurfehx Жыл бұрын

Wrong Bonjour is good day (bon jour), good morning is "bon matin" and if you wanna say "hi" its more like "allô"

@jdmitaine 11 ай бұрын

Nope, the controversy was to always speak in both english and french when 85% of the population is francophone, it is ridicujous to great with Bonjour hi when the language of the province is French.... that was the debate... not everyone is a tourist so it is unnecessary to great in both English and French everytime... people need to speak the official language of the province when you live here long term, it is basic respect and curteousy... I'd do the same in Germany, Italy, Japan and South Korea, I would not expect them to great me in Englkish

@PatrioteQuebecois 2 ай бұрын

Merci!

@jonathankinnear8431 Жыл бұрын

I'm glad you love our city. Hope to see you guys back here sometime.

@kimhoffman433 7 ай бұрын

thank you

@EmMysteryVlogs 2 ай бұрын

We never say l'addition (the bill) in Québec. It's in France only. The vocabulary could be different here. We will understand yes, but will judge you a little for saying a French thing will also wonder where you learned that type of French and feel a bit confused. Here we say la FACTURE. Either the bill AND the receipt, same thing. Sometimes we do say le reçu for receipt tho.

@cookiemonster-20 7 күн бұрын

Si, au restaurant on dit l'addition.

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

I am shocked

@pascalmorin379 2 ай бұрын

Be careful, you should not ask "Où sont les bécosses" in a restaurant because "les bécosses" are toilets in a campsite or a cabin where a hole has dug in the ground to use as an outdoor toilet. The word "bécosses" comes from an English word Frenchified by Quebecers, namely the words "back house" the small cabin which was often behind the house long time ago before the toilets were inside the homes.

@TMD3453 Жыл бұрын

Good tips! You can say almost anything if you say please, thank you or sorry with it!!

@reyznbran9586 6 ай бұрын

good c est bien !!

@animalchatter498 Жыл бұрын

i was born in Montreal when I"m in the city I just speak English only. Most businesses and restaurants know and want your business so they'll assume you're just a tourist. I even spoke English when I was in Paris and Normandin.. most understood English. It's the international language. This is the same in almost any country..even in Thailand ;you can communicate in English.

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

ENGLISH international language

@johnpapadopoulos1647 Жыл бұрын

@@effie-montreal The don't realize this in Quebec. Instead they pass laws like Bill 101 and Bill 96 to slowly eliminate English

@Imsemble Жыл бұрын

Doesn't it suck for you that most people in your hometown don't consider you one of their own because of that?

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

@@jojoin514 Alex Murdaugh trial watch these and entertain yourself

@qwincyq6412 Жыл бұрын

I imagine that if a shop clerk or waiter hears your accent they will immediately begin speaking to you in english. It’s a Montreal thing

@artlovervictoria Жыл бұрын

In my experience trying to practice a new language in places where too many people want to learn English the switching from their own language to English is quick because they are impatient and or want to practice their English. I found this trait among Germans, Greeks and Chinese but not Spanish speaking Latin Americans who have been very generous. Now I want to go for a few months to a French speaking country or province to practice speaking French, I wonder what French Canadiands and French Caribeans are like? Or, where in France do people not speak English?

@JohnUnit Жыл бұрын

Hello, I'm an English speaking Canadian. I would say generally that the people in Quebec will be quite quick to speak English and moderately annoyed if you stumble through French when they've already made it clear they can speak English. They deal with a lot of anglo-canadians and Americans who know a little French who stumble through French and drag out the interaction that way, especially in tourist areas. That said, I've experienced bilingual quebecois people pretending not to speak English basically to troll the tourist, but that's more a rural thing (there's politics and history involved...) than something you see in Montreal. Montreal, they'll just use whatever will be easiest.

@artlovervictoria Жыл бұрын

@@JohnUnit Thank you for your replay. It does not sound like they want tourists. Besides practising French which I speak well enough, I thought the city of Montreal was nice enough to visit after seeing parts of it in "Goblin" the K series. I will return to France where people are not as arrogant as they are made out to be.

@JohnUnit Жыл бұрын

@@artlovervictoria i wouldn't say that they don't want tourists, but specifically with the French language in Quebec, there is a long history there. The trolling or animosity i described has never happened to me in Montreal itself.

@Imsemble Жыл бұрын

I'd say in Montreal most people will switch to English but outside the city or tourist areas they will generally continue de conversation in French. You should know however that the French spoken in Québec sounds very different from the one in France and that adaptation might be a little difficult for a non-native speaker.

@vincentlefebvre9255 Жыл бұрын

Go to Québec City instead of Montréal if you wish to practice your french.

@thenorseguy2495 Жыл бұрын

Cette vidéo était merveilleuse👌 I’m going to Corsica this summer so I’m trying to learn some french. I hope they understand english there though. The line I can best so far are: puis-je avoir une bière s’il vous plaît 😂

@grouloulle Жыл бұрын

Les Corses ne comprennent pas l'anglais.

@thenorseguy2495 Жыл бұрын

@@grouloulle I’ll be damned 🫣

@jupiterb1868 Жыл бұрын

I hope you enjoy your time in beautiful Corsica! Not everybody speaks English but you'll be fine, just don't be in a hurry, for anything 😉life is slow here in the Mediterranean...

@thenorseguy2495 Жыл бұрын

@@jupiterb1868 Life in the mediterranean sounds perfect to me. I hate being in a hurry.

@tusk3260 Жыл бұрын

Did you know there are 417 Jean Coutu stores in Canada?

@JosephKellerJSK Жыл бұрын

Alright, I'll disagree with walking into a store and saying "Bonjour". Whenever I do that, they respond happily with long fast-spoken sentences that I can't process, then it's immediately awkward. I'm quick to the "Parlez vous Anglais", with an embarrassed tone (to try to not be rude). If you're better at understanding French, saying Bonjour should work though.

@eplourde4634 Жыл бұрын

Please, guys, forget "Où sont les bécosses", that is slang! "Où sont les toilettes" is the correct way to go.

@simonrancourt7834 Жыл бұрын

You are allowed to drink alcool (beer or wine) in parks if you're also eating. You can grab a couple of beers and sandwiches at the dépanneur and go to a park, you're gonna be legal.

@FXGlobally Жыл бұрын

It is nice to know about languages with such beautiful scenery. Thank you for showing. Bonjour.)

@simonrancourt7834 Жыл бұрын

Mark often said people in Québec are very frieldly. If you just TRY to speak French, they're gonna bend over backward to please you.

@carminasmith7745 6 ай бұрын

Best video ever, simple and easy 🫶🫶

@patsboy1012 Жыл бұрын

Quand j’ai l’opportunité à visiter le Québec, j’espère que je peut avoir mes vacances en français. Même quand ils changent à l’anglais, je vais dire, « Peut-on parler français. Si j’ai voulu à parler anglais, j’irais à l’Ontario ou aux États-Unis. » Je ne sais pas, il y a quelque chose qui me sent bizarre sur parler anglais dans la province des francophones.

@Ptitnain2 Жыл бұрын

On aimerait que le reste des canadiens se sentent comme vous par rapport à la langue au Québec. ;)

@Imsemble Жыл бұрын

Je peux te dire qu'avec cette mentalité là, tu seras accueilli à bras ouverts quand tu viendras ici!

@quinterofelixchidez Жыл бұрын

Can I use I'd an social security or birth certificate a tour use of bus an ... covid test and app for boarder

@PrimeTimeTravelers Жыл бұрын

Bonjour mon ami! Have a great rest of the week! Travel safe!

@audioteknika Жыл бұрын

Everything was spot on except for Bécosse !

@anne-marienadeau2763 Жыл бұрын

FYI , “bécosse“ = “back house” mispronounced.

@juliebabin Жыл бұрын

Oh !! please don't say "bécosse" because it's an old expression meaning the dry toilets in the yard of a cabin, litterally!

@CreachterZ Жыл бұрын

I want to go and eat all of poutine they can serve me. That looks delicious.

@sammexp Жыл бұрын

Bécosse... Not Bécossé is a deformation of Back House in English, That's a slang word for an outside toilet, don't says that, that's even a bit offensive, asking for a dry toilet outside, when you can go to the normal toilet

@Tramptraveller Жыл бұрын

💖💖💖💖😊😊😊😊💖💖💖💖

@jumbowana Жыл бұрын

You guys ever go to Indonesia? I'm learning the language and would like to go to non-toursity bits (Bali) and looking for ideas.

@antonboludo8886 6 ай бұрын

Just speak neutral international French. You will be understood.

@user-zj4wh4zg8u 3 ай бұрын

No tourists unless they pay them to learnfrench. When they go traveling do they learn their language. No

@tylerj7298 Жыл бұрын

You could say S'il te plait, if you have a friend there or so. S-il te plait is the informal version of S-il vous plait.

@r.plante2916 Жыл бұрын

A little goes a long way. Such a great city; beats NYC by miles these days.

@papikar4583 Жыл бұрын

Hello i am from Bangladesh and i am work in GCC 11 year office boy calling office i like Canada and i need work calling job can YOU halp me

@FrenchCanada Жыл бұрын

⚜️⚜️⚜️

@LibrarianChef Жыл бұрын

For your pronunciation of Quebecois French, you need to make the sounds more nasal.

@clvrswine Жыл бұрын

Why would anyone want to tour Quebec?

@bobdaoust1291 Жыл бұрын

The roads are crap, bridges crumbling (ille le tourt bridge), potholes, orange cones, long winters, tons of snow and most of all repressive language laws against the English community!!!

@Ptitnain2 Жыл бұрын

@@bobdaoust1291 Yeah indeed, you can go back to the rest of Canada it's fine, you'll feel safe and free over there.

@Booboonancy Жыл бұрын

Why does anyone want to tour anywhere then ? Your comment is dripping with bitterness 😬

@arispanagiotopoulos2533 Жыл бұрын

Like in France unless you speak their language they ain’t gonna be nice to you, they can be even rude, that’s my experience and actually it’s a well known fact to anyone who has visited any of the two countries and didn’t speak French. It’s idiotic really and it just demonstrates their jealousy and complex.

@gabfortin1976 Жыл бұрын

What? A lot of people here do not speak English at all. It's the same as if a tourist visited America, talked to you in Chinese and then called you rude for ignoring them. What else do you want to do? You don't know what they're saying.

@naramoro Жыл бұрын

Whatever they speak in Quebec, it's not french.

@effie-montreal Жыл бұрын

I totally agree I had Parisian friend come to Montreal and they could not understand this type of French

@Ptitnain2 Жыл бұрын

@@effie-montreal Parisian haha.

@Ptitnain2 Жыл бұрын

It is French. The thing is, our pronounciation is different because we have mixed other language from France, that are now gone, that still have an influence on the way we speak.

@nicolaspel Жыл бұрын

"Va chier"

@suzannep8882 3 ай бұрын

In English, one must capitalize languages. … it’s not French ( capital F) from a bilingual French -English speaker whose mother tongue is French and grew up in Quebec City and taught French for 30 years.