Some people will tell you that Montréal is a bad place to learn French.
It’s a very common myth, one that’s easy to believe if you don’t take a closer look.
If you’re serious about learning French (and by serious I mean someone who’s committed to learning over the long term), then Montréal is a wonderful place to learn French.
It doesn’t matter that there are anglophones in Montréal. It doesn’t matter that some bilingual francophones may switch to English on you.
Why don’t these matter?
First, look at the language situation in Montréal.
Who speaks what native language in Montréal
(and why it’s not a problem)
If the city of Montréal (not including the metropolitan area) were reduced to 126 people like in the image above, roughly 66 of them would speak French as their native language, 17 would speak English, and 43 would be native speakers of some other language, most of whom have also learned to speak either French or English, or both.
Montréal is clearly not exclusively francophone. You may be looking at that image thinking, “oh boy, look at all those people who don’t speak French as their native language!”
It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter that not all people in Montréal have French as their native language.
Why?
Because there is simply no shortage of francophones to speak with.
You choose who you let into your life. If you want francophones in your life, go find them. There is no shortage in Montréal.
What about the language switchers?
People in Montréal have a high rate of knowledge of both French and English. This may lead to some francophones switching to English on you in the beginning stages of your learning, especially if they do not know you very well.
Learning French is a long-term endeavour requiring a long-term approach.
The best way to learn French (or any language) is to develop a strong bond with someone who speaks it.
Why a strong bond is important
A strong bond isn’t just a girlfriend or boyfriend. It can be a close friend.
A person who you share a strong bond with is far more unlikely to switch to English on you. In a certain way, that person accompanies you on your journey to fluency over the long term.
There is a vested interest between the two of you.
There is also regular contact between the two of you, which is essential in maintaining the “fire” to learn French.
If you’ve got a strong bond in your life, it’s much less of a concern or annoyance when someone else (a weak bond) switches to English on you. Learning French through weak bonds is not an ideal long-term approach, no matter where in the world you learn French.
You just need at least one strong bond with a francophone in your life. A few more people are good too — but you can start with just one.
The bottom line
In reality, you can learn French anywhere. All the francophones in Montréal are just icing on your cake.
If you’re in it for the long haul, learning French in Montréal is a wonderful choice.
Here’s what you need to do:
Make at least one of the very significant people in your life a francophone. Montréal has nearly one million of them to choose from.
This made me laugh a little when I saw the title. I definitely ran into this and people switching on me; but while I was there in school I learned that (while there are exceptions) Montrealers are pretty much the best people to be around while learning French. Sometimes I couldn’t believe how patient they were with me and they really will let you keep going even with your accent the better you get.
Now to figure out how to make a strong bond with someone, in any language!
Great advice – I’m an anglophone in Ottawa and the situation is similar here except more so…..less native francophones and they tend to be on the other side of the river! But your advice about persisting and finding francophones to bond with…is very true. I also like your comments about short term and long term commitment….so true.
Ottawa is an excellent place to learn French, for the same reasons. Lots of francophones in the region. Don’t let the river stop you, there’s a bridge!
With regards to the strong bond with someone. I met my boyfriend online while at Uni in a different country. He was the reason I decided to pursue French, but I was always too self-conscious to try to talk with him (even conversed with his grandparents but not him). Last Sunday night we had our first full 2 hour long conversation in French (on skype, since I don’t live in Quebec).
I’d say that at the very least having someone like that has been really good for motivation and always being encouraged to try. 3 weeks ago, I tried that other advice you had given a few months ago on asking your significant other to talk to you in French while you respond in English. Never having done that before, he was actually surprised regarding how well I could understand him. So thanks for that much. Your blog and advice is seriously awesome in that respect.