Comments on: Why Learn French In France?

By: Catherine :[

Catherine :[ — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:38:59 +0000

denetella is right!
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By: Denetella

Denetella — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:36:59 +0000

I am so sick of hearing this . I am from Montreal and even though I consider myself an anglophone, I speak French very well. Now about the misconception… Quebec French and French from France is the same except for accents like you have in England like comparing a cockney English to the Queen’s English but you are all still speaking English. Our swear words in Quebec French are different and the slang words we use are different from the ones in France but apart from that its the SAME language, just spoken in different accents!
Before anybody gives me a thumbs down remember, what do you know and I am a Montrealer!
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Thanks Catherine. I guess we both know from experience!

By: Chris I

Chris I — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:34:59 +0000

That’s like asking if you should learn Cockney before going to London, or hip-hop before going to New York.

Quebec French is just a variant of the language that evolved differently. The main reason being the influence of the English World that surrounds the province. English words have become semi accepted – soulier running instead of souliers de course (running shoe) and the word "anyway" are two examples I hear a lot. The same way most English people here use the word "Dep" (Depanneur) for corner store.

Parisian French is what my kids learned in school here in Quebec and they have no problem working and socializing here.
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By: Layla S

Layla S — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:32:59 +0000

yeah u should ,well its better then nothing
but quebecois french use more english words when they speak
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tabarnak !

By: old lady

old lady — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:30:59 +0000

Not much point, since they speak ‘Canadian’ french, not ‘France’ french. You don’t say where you are living, so that makes it a bit difficult to suggest courses of study. If you are in Canada, almost every night school course, correspondence course or other classroom-style course, will teach the Canadian version of French. If you buy a Rosetta Stone or something similar, you will get the European version of french.
If you are not living in Canada, you may have no option but to learn European french. It is still understandable – the Quebecois version of french is like a dialect – so there are some differences, but you can get along okay.
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By: S

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:28:59 +0000

Learn French French – it will be more useful and the Quebecois will understand you. You are definitely right to learn French of some description – in Quebec there are many many people who do not speak English.
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By: Joe I

Joe I — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:26:59 +0000

I would learn standard French, because it will be more useful in other places than Quebec French is. You will not have any trouble being understood if you speak standard French in Quebec. It won’t be too hard to pick up the accent and local expressions.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_French

By: sas s

sas s — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:24:59 +0000

just learn French, apart from the accent and some expressions used in Quebec different from France (and the other way around) everybody will understand you, I am French and don’t have any problems with French Canadians to understand me and me understand them
By the way using Rosetta courses or going to the Alliance Francaise will teach you French and my preference would be the Alliance Francaise (free) over Rosetta (not free) it is easier to learn a language with somebody than on a CD. Bonne chance!
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By: Val

Val — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:22:59 +0000

Unfortunately, there aren’t really many/any guides for the French dialect in Quebec. Many of the French-Canadians speak some English, so knowing French really isn’t necessary. However, it wouldn’t hurt to study some Parisian French and learn a few key phrases. Most, if not all, will understand the Parisian dialect. My family in Quebec does.

Don’t forget to try the sugar pie! "tarte au sucre"
mmmmmm!
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By: gunther

gunther — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:20:59 +0000

You should probably learn quebecois french. Some words and terminology are different, and it sounds quite different from the french in France as well. You could buy software like Rosetta Stone, or you could sign up for courses at a place like Alliance Francaise, which is in most major cities.
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