Quebec, responding to French in English: faux pas?

9/10/2013 7:14:36 AM

I wouldn’t say it’s a faux pas though perhaps a small minority of people there might regard it as such.

But since you know some French, I highly recommend you practice it and switch to English at the point you feel your French won’t hold up well enough to further the conversation.

I do this wherever I travel, starting with “hello” in the language then switching to English from there usually. People always seem to appreciate it and I find that overall I’m treated a little bit nicer on average. It definitely elicits many smiles in different places and that’s a good sign. Throw in as many local words as you can and use English for anything you can’t say in French.

In the rare case where the other person might tell you your French is so bad that you’re mangling the language they are going to switch to English anyway and that person was unlikely to become your best friend anyway.

5/8/2016 11:32:36 PM

What you are doing is fine and common practice. Most people here, including myself who has been living in Montreal 15 years, just keep going with the language being spoken. So, if you switch to English, most staff will follow in English too. If they cannot, which does happen from time to time, they will respond back in French. Just keep the conversation slow and you can continue your part in English. People and public-facing staff can often understand basic English even if they do not speak it.

Quebec definitely has more people who do not speak English but in the touristy areas, they usually speak English. The last time I was there, just last year, I was even surprised how easy it was to speak English. I had not noticed before because I normally just speak French but that time I was visiting with some non-French speakers. So, after waiters heard me translate from French to English for my companions, they would just switch to English to speed things up in most places.

9/10/2013 3:08:28 AM

I was there (and Quebec City) back in March. I knew a few basic words in French, and I think most people like it when you respond in the same language as them.

I generally responded in my mangled French, they’d usually smile and without asking, switch to English to communicate with me. No fuss, no question, they’d just change. Very hospitable.

Basically, there’s no reason NOT to practice the language, and you’ll feel better each time you get further into a conversation, or learn a new word, so if you’re afraid of ‘exuding’ a ‘American tourist’ vibe, give it a try, and, er “saisir le jour” (seize the day, I believe)! 🙂

9/12/2013 9:55:19 AM

As long as you’re being polite, it’s fine. There are plenty of American tourists there (arrogant and otherwise), and it is (semi?)officially bilingual.
(Not quite – See @Zonata’s comment/link)

It is an opportunity to use your French a little, but you will be understood by (almost) everyone in English. Even if you were fluent in both, you’d be switching a bit.

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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