• Home
  • OffQc
  • About
  • Start
  • Off-quoi?
  • Listen to Québécois French

OffQc | Québécois French Guide

For lovers of French + diehard fans of all things québécois!

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« 3 random phrases overheard in French (#618)
The “Montréal is a bad place to learn French” myth debunked (#620) »

7 ways to improve your French when the métro in Montréal goes down (#619)

28 May 2013 by OffQc

Another delay in the métro? No problem.

Montréal is full of great opportunities to improve your French. Be a little creative and adventurous and you’ll see them all around you.

The next time the métro goes down, don’t just stand there — improve your French!

Here are 7 ways to make the most out of your next métro delay.

1. Find another passenger to strike up a conversation with in French. Yes, this may take a lot of courage. Know that it’s usually not too hard to make at least simple conversation with strangers in Montréal, though. I once had a stranger approach me for help with his French homework! Find someone to help you pronounce the station name Honoré-Beaugrand like a native. While you’re at it, you might also ask for help with Lionel-Groulx, Angrignon, Henri-Bourassa and Longueuil—Université-de-Sherbrooke!

2. If approaching strangers to talk with really just isn’t your thing, move closer to some people speaking in French and eavesdrop on their conversation instead. Make a mental note of anything interesting that you hear. I get a lot of ideas for this blog just by being more observant to the language that people use spontaneously around me. You can do that too.

3. Study the French used in the advertisements on the walls. You may be surprised at how many words and expressions you can learn by reading them and paying closer attention to the language used. In fact, there’s French around you at all times in Montréal. You just have to take the time to observe it.

4. Read one of the free Métro or 24 heures newspapers cover to cover. Study the new vocabulary and expressions that you find. If you normally read these newspapers, maybe you often just skim through them quickly. This time read them very carefully for the language used.

5. Become an STM expert by reading the regulations posted beside the network maps on the walls, referred to as codification administrative. That will keep you occupied reading French for a while! If you’re new to Montréal, study the maps on the walls. Not only will becoming familiar with the layout of Montréal be incredibly useful to you, you’ll learn station and street names used in French all the time.

6. Visit OffQc on your smartphone if you’re in a station with a signal. Listen and relisten to the videos in the Listen section. If you’re on a limited plan and don’t want to use a lot of data, just read through the transcriptions. Prepare ahead of time too for moments like these by putting French listening material on your phone.

7. Hunt down an STM employee with whom to express your displeasure about the delay. If you’re into uniforms, you could try flirting in French if you see an agent you think is cute roaming around the station instead.

Photo credit: Pierre Obendrauf for The Gazette, via Andy Riga’s Facebook page about Montréal roads, transit and cycling.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Posted in Entries #601-650 | Tagged français québécois, métro, Québécois French, speaking French in Montréal, STM | 4 Comments

4 Responses

  1. on 28 May 2013 at 09:55 Josh Andallo (@joshandallo)

    Unless something drastic happened in the past five months since I left Montreal, I’m not sure that there are any Métro stations in Montréal with a signal, so I don’t know about No. 6, lol! 😛


    • on 28 May 2013 at 10:00 OffQc

      Berri-UQÀM and Peel work, to mention two. Sometimes there’s a signal near the steps in other stations.

      (Edit: Lionel-Groulx works too. I’m there right now!)


  2. on 28 May 2013 at 11:27 TEC4

    Re: Longueuil – Université-de-Sherbrooke. There’s a Metro line that goes to Sherbrooke? Or just to Rue Sherbrooke O by UQAM?

    p.s. I’m also guessing that a Metro outage would give me a chance to learn how to properly pronounce sacres, too. 🙂


    • on 28 May 2013 at 11:34 OffQc

      There’s a métro stop on the orange line called Sherbrooke, which stops near Sherbrooke street.

      The Longueuil-Université-de-Sherbrooke stop is on the yellow line. This stop isn’t in Montréal itself but across the river on the south shore.

      Plan du métro —

      http://www.stm.info/metro/mapmetro.htm



Comments are closed.

  • Books

    The OffQc bookshop is always open. See all titles here.

    Contracted French Put an end to not understanding spoken French by learning the most important contractions used in speech

    C’est what? Overview of common features of spoken Québécois French; pave the way for further independent study

    1000 Learn or review a large amount of everyday words and expressions used in Québécois French in condensed form

  • Follow OffQc by email. It's free. Enter your email address in the box below.

    Join 1,535 other followers

  • Read a random entry
    OffQc bookshop
    OffQc on Twitter
    OffQc on Pinterest
    • Listen to Québécois French: Almost 100 videos + transcripts
  • Number

    • Entries #1151-1200
    • Entries #1101-1150
    • Entries #1051-1100
    • Entries #1001-1050
    • Entries #951-1000
    • Entries #901-950
    • Entries #851-900
    • Entries #801-850
    • Entries #751-800
    • Entries #701-750
    • Entries #651-700
    • Entries #601-650
    • Entries #551-600
    • Entries #501-550
    • Entries #451-500
    • Entries #401-450
    • Entries #351-400
    • Entries #301-350
    • Entries #251-300
    • Entries #201-250
    • Entries #151-200
    • Entries #101-150
    • Entries #51-100
    • Entries #1-50
  • Month

    • June 2017
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Cancel