Where can I listen to Quebec French and follow along with a transcription?
Check out the Listen section. I’m always adding new stuff.
Where can I watch television and videos from Quebec online?
Lots of excellent programming on tou.tv; anything with a green circle beside it on this page is viewable from outside Canada. From anywhere in the world, you can watch the shows on Télé-Mag Québec. Other good sources include V Télé, Télé-Québec, RDS, Kebweb.tv, Le Sportnographe, Radio-Canada.
Can you recommend a good all-talk radio station from Quebec?
I recommend 98,5 fm from Montreal. It’s available online. It’s all-talk radio on weekdays. If you live outside Canada and have no decent access to spoken French from Quebec, I highly recommend this station.
You make a lot of references to television shows; which ones are the best?
Tough question! There’s lots of good programming available, either live on TV or on DVD. I feel that some of the best recent shows for exposing yourself to conversational Quebec French and being entertained at the same time include Les Parent, La Galère, 19-2, 30 vies and Tout sur moi.
Where can I find information about learning Quebec French?
I’ve written some stuff here on Squidoo that might interest you. Here’s what’s there: How to learn Quebec French, What is Quebec French? and How to make steady progress in Quebec French. What I’ve written there is just ideas to help you out, if needed. They aren’t rules. You can modify them however you see fit.
What’s with the numbers in the entry titles?
I think it’s easy to get lost in blogs. I put a number in each title to help you figure out where you are in the blog, like a page number in a book. If you’re studying, you can keep track of what you’ve already read. It’s also motivating to see the number keep going up!
Can you recommend a good Quebec French language method to buy?
I’ve never seen anything that I think is worth your money. If you’ve got some money to spend, buy DVDs instead and turn on the subtitles. But even better than that — go find some francophones to speak with.
Are you a French teacher?
No, I’m not a French teacher, but I do spend a lot of time with people who are learning French. I enjoy blogging. A lot of the things that I put online here are the sorts of things that I wish I had found when I was in Istanbul struggling with Turkish.
How long does it take to learn French?
Your entire life! Learning doesn’t stop until you choose to make it stop. (I know what you mean by the question though: how long until you’re able to speak and understand with relative ease. The choice is yours. The more exposure you get, the more willing you are to make mistakes, and the more faith you have in reaching your goal, the faster you’ll get there.)
