I first it moved to France in 2017 because of my husband’s job. I underestimated how isolated I would feel. The very same week we moved, a good friend moved from our home city to Brazil. She and her husband were met at the airport and taken to their temporary apartment. There was a welcome dinner, they took them apartment hunting and told them all the best shops for groceries, home goods, restaurants. We were dumped in the city, had to navigate everything. It was so hard to hear her stories of the parties, the help while I was struggling to get a realty office to work with an American! Fast forward-I absolutely love living here and we laugh at our first struggles.
Watch some Quebec TV shows. Other than that, it just takes some time. Give it 3 to 6 months as it depends on your level of daily interaction with the local french language. One must also not forget that even within Quebec and within Canada, french in Canada is not uniform in form or in accent. Nevertheless, you will likely run into almost every variety in Montreal as it is the most important French language city in North America. Consequently, it is a cultural centre for the French language in North America and attracts artists from far and wide.
I can really relate. I moved to Montreal from Boston with my husband and two young kids a few years ago. You're still in the very early stages. It will get much easier, especially since you won't be dealing with all of the setup and transition and winter troubles simultaneously. Here are my thoughts/tips: Winter - I also find that the winter light is an issue here (more than in Boston). I agree that getting out is important but I'd also consider getting a winter light box. I find that it can really help. I have one which I use sometimes when I feel that I need a lift (15 minutes several mornings a week while having breakfast or reading something). I also agree with others that strap-on cleats are very helpful. I got mine at Jean Coutu. And, yes, tall boots are the way to go IMO. Family - I struggled with a bit of guilt over moving my kids too. But they adjusted and it helps that people here are so friendly. My husband and I also noticed how helpful strangers on the streets are and I've found this openness extends to socializing too. So I think that the local friendliness will benefit your family as you settle into the community. Plus, there are also so many activities for families around the city. If you haven't already, check out montrealfamilies.ca to see what's going on in the area. Furnishings - We moved all of our stuff up here, but we did have to get a few pieces and even that felt like a time-consuming pain. Zone Maison and Structube are everywhere, but it took me a while to discover other stores like Urban Barn and Bouclair. They're not located everywhere, but if you're willing to do some of your shopping online for expediency, I'd check them out. And, maybe it's just me, but I lived here for a year and a half before I realized that Canadian Tire isn't just a tire store and actually sells a large range of pretty good housewares. Language - I wish I had great ideas here. There are local TV shows on channels like Unis (Les Parents, for example) and Quebec movies on Netflix (such as A Guide to the Perfect Family) that can help with listening. Before living here, I learned the European French pronunciation too. Ma Prof de Francais is a Quebec youtuber and she has this video comparing the French of Quebec with that of France, which helped me understand more about how Quebec pronunciation works: ruclips.net/video/ZpG-KxN1dYU/видео.html. Whew! I've never left such a long comment on youtube before, but I couldn't help it. I can relate to your situation. I'm an American who loves Paris and has been following your channel for a while. You're so engaging that I think you could make any number of topics interesting, but I'm especially excited to hear your perspectives on living in Montreal!
Thank you for being so upfront and honest about all of this! *Language* - tick *Pronunciation* - tick - we have some folks here with really strong patois accents... *Phone* , problems understanding - tick!) *Family & the guilt stuff* - especially with a small child who can't understand - yes. The inverse is the guilt I feel even now at having left certain people behind (especially the children that I worked with) when I moved here... *Weather* - tick Not the winter, but the heat in summer.... not taking into account just how far south I am compared to my home in the UK... *Furnishing* - tick. Furnishing's only fun when you're doing it for yourself, with no-one to please but yourself, and no-one's budget to consider but your own. Also cost - I brought all my furniture with me, and am soooo glad that I did!!! *Shopping* , finding where to shop and all that - tick! So yes, you are definitely not alone, and *thank you* for helping me to remember that the way it was for me was _normal_ !!!!!
FYI - white vinegar will remove salt stains from leather shoes & boots, wipe your door/window frames with auto anti-freeze, it will make opening & closing easier. Silk scarfs are a MUST, the silk retains body heat and is more comfortable than a bulky knit scarf.
@@kooltom4 In many places where Snow/Ice is Winter Weather, many places use Salt to melt the ice and snow so it is then Safe to walk on the Pavement/Sidewalks. So then the Salt creates white stains on leather/fabric shoes.
Hi, to learn Quebec French, I would suggest finding a family from your child’s daycare and getting together and conversing in the language. Hang out, eat together go to the parks, play dates and force yourself to learn. Listen to French radio, watch the news in French that’s how you learn to accent. Moving in general is a pain especially with kids. Eventually the weather will be nicer and you can open the windows. Good luck
The amount of sunshine between Paris and Montreal is about the same with Montreal having slightly more sunshine in the winter, but slightly less in the summer. This is because Montreal is actually further south than Paris (45.5 deg. N versus 49.0 deg. N). The biggest factor is the time of sunrise and sunset due to their respective positions in their timezone. The result is that sunrise is earlier in Montreal than in Paris and sunset is also earlier in Montreal as compared to Paris. For example, currently sunrise and sunset are at 5:20 and 6:36 for Montreal and 5:56 and 7:04 for Toronto. They are in the same time zone; however, sunrise and sunset are different by about 30 minutes.
Some tips for winter 1. walk slowly and put your weight on the whole sole of your feet, you basically need to be sure that every step is not gonna slip 2. Salt is everywhere on the road so you either have stuff that you don't care getting destroy by it or you clean a lot more once inside. 3. Slush is the worst, but act mostly like water puddle if possible avoid walking in it, also watch for cars rolling throught it without care. With time it's going to be second nature :) also a Québec expression in bonus is '' Avant Avril ne te découvre pas d'un fil'' meaning keep the winter gear close by because there is often a last snowstorm in April.
Moved from US to France with my French husband and 8yr old son. ✔️deep parental guilt and a constant desire for his sense of belonging and comfort. He’s been so brave, but I know it’s been harder then he lets on. ✔️I wish we had shipped our furniture because I miss my bed and our couch and my sons bed. The extra cost wouldn’t have been much more then we paid to move small special kitchen items clothes and books and toys. The only “big” thing we shipped was a large bookcase my father made us 12 yrs ago for our wedding gift. I miss our stuff. Sounds ridiculous but true. And luckily, my husband furnished our apt prior to my son and I arriving, with second hand couch and beds (in excellent shape), so we bypassed the expensive new stuff and the disagreements. We don’t naturally often agree either. You’re not alone there. He’s French I’m American. Maybe there’s something to that. ✔️
Hang in there! It get's easier and you'll learn the tricks and you'll be experts by next winter. Usually the sidewalks aren't so icy but when we get a short thaw period after a storm, the sidewalks and streets melt a bit and then freeze by the next cold night and create an icy mess. Once things start warming up, all that ice will disappear and you'll be in for a treat with beautiful Montreal spring and summer!
Mine moves were similar. When I first moved out of the US to South Korea it was just me, my job provided me with housing and it was actually the first time I lived on my own in my life, lol, and I was 34. The place was fully furnished, so I didn't have to really do anything at all. I upgraded a few things that were way out of date or just not comfortable like a new bed (Korean beds are notoriously extremely firm and uncomfortable) and a tv with an HDMI outlet (the one provided didn't have it, I swear it was from 1990, lol). I was there for 5 years, and in those 5 years I got married and adopted a cat. So when me and my husband decided to move to his home country (France), it was a really difficult process. We had wanted to stay in Korea but it was increasingly becoming difficult to get a long term visa even for people with higher educations and my job was soon going to be underfunded by the government and I could lose it, so we decided to leave. We thought about the US, but in the end decided on France because we wouldn't need a car and France offers CDI contracts which the US doesn't, and cheaper easier to get healthcare, the salaries are smaller, but we felt like it was ok for us since we didn't have extra expenses we would need if we moved to the States. We had to do a lot of vet visits and paperwork to import or cat to the EU and made sure we knew all the rules for the airline to fly him to France. We moved the middle of 2020, and as soon as we were able to lock down an apartment, which was soooooo hard because of my husband not living in France for 5 years and not having a current work contract (I mean he did but the contract hadn't started yet and a lot of places we tried to rent wouldn't accept it as legit yet, and they didn't care at all how much money we had in the bank, not at all, which I thought was weird, they only cared about the contract and the salary, oh and don't get me started when they found out I was from the States, lol), anyways, as soon as we finally found a place to accept us and we got the keys, we were thrusted into a strict confinement for covid, it was horrible, then another one in late winter that was stricter. I'm still recovering from that had still haven't really adjusted to the country because of that. I wasn't working, and still not completely, my job is to learn the damn language right now, lol, and boy it's a struggle and I studied linguistics in uni and I never could get a damn language down no matter how much I studied and now I had to actually learn one for real this time, and I'm 42, lol, it's so stressful. We also had to buy everything for our home, including the kitchen because the place we got only had a sink and some upper cabinets and that was it. I had to deal with everything and the deliveries and installations because my husband had to work, and I didn't know that deliveries in themselves in France were a bitch to deal with and give you anxiety. Korea it's super simple and fast and convenient for deliveries and you have the driver's number so you know exactly when they are coming and you can do everything by text because they know just by looking at your name that you're foreign so texting is MUCH easier for both of us. But here, oh my god!!!!!! And my French at the time was SOOO limited and I was struggling, I think I still get anxiety just thinking about it. And since I wasn't working and I was better at putting things together anyways, I was the one that assembled all the furniture. After one year we were in a position to buy an apartment (I never would have dreamed of this in the US, from my perspective even though there is a lot of paperwork and verification, I still find buying a home more accessible here in France than in the States), so that has been interesting to deal with.
Moved to a much larger house 2 years ago - if you find interior design stressful, like me, highly recommend just doing an online service. I did Havenly for a lot of the rooms and you even give them a budget to stick to - so much easier
Caveat - Montréal is different from most anywhere in Canada or even North-Am. Not being pedantry or flippant, it is so! The ''aléas du quotidien'' you are encountering are all part of the learning curve that all newbies to the city run into. The tricks and how-tos you can work out for yourself the hard way or, you can ask acquaintances/neighbors what they did in any given scenario, moms of any age will know/remember the best way to get around the trials and tribulations of navigating the winter wonderland. Montreal gets more snow than any other major city in Canada and, because the temperature fluctuates so much, there tends to be icy patches everywhere, especially after a sunny day and then the mercury drops - freezing that slight melt (often black ice). You should be able to find some slip on/overs with metal crampons in most pharmacies for your footwear, they have various sizes as a rule. Facial tissue packets in all your coats, lip-balm, if you find your hands get cold with gloves (get mittens), rince off everything to keep the salt from corroding your stuff, boots should be waterproofed (oils, grease, wax, etc.) or get tall rain/sailing boots that are oversized and drop a felt liner at the bottom and wear wool socks. Regrettably for you, experience is required to correctly identify conditions, asking for tips cannot hurt. On the plus side, it will be almost as much fun to realize it can get ruddy hot in summer! That's a whole other conversation for another time. Check out the Discover Montreal you tube channel, it might help with the blues, lots of things to do all year. Hang in there young lady, you will get through this and all the rest. Just do not rush out and buy a car, it is Hell on earth to park in the plateau, go for Communauto or some such.
You're right about the ice. I lived downtown and there was active ice removal but I still would encounter some ice patches and lose my balance. Icers (crampons) will help a lot.
In respect to the ice, I would make the following suggestions: 1) Walk with your knees slightly bent so as to lower your center of gravity and 2) Be very, very wary of driveways when walking on the sidewalk. Even if the incline is only a few degrees, it's more than enough to make you slip and fall.
Great suggestions! All I can say is managing is the magic word. It is a lot to deal with but the weather will change, you’ll get furniture, your daughter will find friends etc. Thanks for sharing and super bon courage!! 🇫🇷🇨🇦🇺🇸
Pick up some pairs of ice grippers/cleats on Amazon or at a sporting goods store. We have them for the sidewalks of Buffalo where we live, and we have more aggressive ice spikes for hiking in the region. We're cold country people and were just in the Adirondacks hiking (a little south of you). If you're prepared, the winter is fantastic.
Congrats on the channel. I'm a local and I love it! Quick tip about the ice and especially the slush : you need some sturdy, heavy, functional boots. The higher the better. Boots are key for a happy wintering in Montréal.
Just wondering what you did with your apartment in Paris and if your husband also has the same problem with the Canadian French pronunciation? I remember going to a congress in Glasgow and was schocked that I as a native American speaker I had such a difficult time understanding the Scots. Good Luck on your new adventure
You can get Yaktrac or sfee ice cleats to add to your boots. This year has been particularly bad with warm Weather during the day and freezing at night so now melts in the day and then ice forms at night. They are under $40.
Don't worry, you will eventually learn how to walk careful on the icy spots and start to recognize how the ice/snow looks when it might be that super slippery type. And sometimes it just catches us off guard and there's nothing to do. I usually find I have so much gear on that even when I fall my bum is super padded anyways lol. Long puffy coats!! 💙💙
I suggest watching french canadian TV chanels (TVA, Télé-Québec, etc. . ) . . .Or renting french can movies that you can pause and rewind. Allow you to familiarize yourself to the language without the pressure of an actual conversation. Canadian french is to metropolitan french what USA english is to UK english, (at least). It'a a bit like watching 'Coronation street"
We have moved 22 times in 51 years…..each move got more and more “relaxed”. First move…listed everything in every box and numbered them….last move, filled boxes with what fit and labeled by room…kitchen master BR, etc. toward the end…just threw stuff away or tossed it in a box labeled misc. LOL..some boxes I haven’t unpacked in. 30 years…just kept moving them…..I’m taking them to Goodwill.
We did the reverse of what you guys are doing: moved from Toronto to Paris with an 18 months old. Things we understimated: no dryer so we had to keep racks with clothes all the time throughout the house; parking on the street when/where/ if you found a spot (car got stolen after one year), finding a spot en creche for an expat in Paris - hardest pleading of my life, opening a bank account as a Canadian citizen, old building had mice in the appartment the whole time and we couldnt get rid of, no easily accesible parks for kids. Biggest pro to living in Paris: being able to travel all over Europe every weekend. By comparison Montreal-Toronto is 6-8 hrs drive:(.
I had a former student who moved to Montreal to marry her boyfriend. My student *thought* she was fluent in French, but still struggled, as you're struggling, with understanding the Quebec dialect of the language. She said it took her about six months to overcome the worst of it, and a year before she felt comfortable in almost every situation. The six months will fly by, I promise you. For furnishing, I'd like to recommend you look for estate sales. You can literally buy another person's entire house full of furnishings and have them moved to your place. I once bought the house of a man from his heirs, who sold the house fully furnished, since they had their own houses already furnished. I think I moved six boxes, two suitcases, a lamp, and my cat and that was it. Look on the bright side: you're now closer to your family and living in a country with a high quality of life, often ranked #1 and certainly among the top five among the nations of the world on that scale, and yet only a 7 hour flight from Paris.
@@bvignola2907 L'anglais américain a de nombreux dialectes régionaux. Je pensais que tous le monde savais cela! La France a des dialectes régionaux - j'ai regardé une conférence de presse où des journalistes parisiens se moquaient de l'accent "campagnard" d'un politicien provincial.
Hang in any move is hard. Moving just to a different State,was hard, it takes time. It's only been 6 weeks. Use Skype for your daughter to visit her old fiends until she makes new and use delivery for the things you need. You will get there. How brave your family is. Thank you for sharing.
For small furnishing don’t sleep on Canadian Tire ! They have all the small appliances and everything for the kitchen cupboards (cutlery, glasswares..) and bathroom stuff.
I'm nodding my head non-stop while watching this video. We went through it all from BXL-->QC last year: completely underestimated the language difference, still dealing with the admin, the dang perma-ice, falling, the parent guilt for putting our kid through so much change..... Even with all the adjustments it sounds like you guys are settling in well. It's huge what we've both had to do, so congrats on surviving so far and it will get easier. Heading to Montreal tomorrow for a mother-daughter trip to see Disney on Ice (in English, hooray) and the science center so we'll be in your neck of the woods this weekend!
I don't know if you saw any québecois movies when you were living in France, but they are always subtitled into standard French. I doubt that the Québecois ever have to do that to French movies exported there, since if you watch the TV news or anything like that, the newscasters magically speak standard French.
About the icy sidewalks, I would suggest ordering cleats for ice and snow from Amazon, they are very cheap and can go over any type of shoes, except heels.
I moved across the US from TX to MN. I grew up in the Midwest (Chicago) but I underestimated the “culture shock” of moving from the south to “up nort”. The implicit bias because you moved from the south, the accent, the assumptions of intelligence (or lack of). Also, I am very open and outgoing which Minnesotans are very uncomfortable with. People do not easily accept differences and outsiders readily, they are nice on the surface but aloof and disconnected. It has been humbling and hard. Good luck. Be kind to yourselves and use grace. 😊
Do your window shopping online. It is so much easier to narrow down and agree on 'choices'. A lot of stores have free delivery and little design apps and virtual showrooms to help you figure out what fits in your space.
The infamous Shlush or "Slutch" in Québécois (In reference to the Brand "Slush Puppie" wich is crushed ice with a flavor syrup added to it, well known in America especially during the HOT summers in Montreal" is in French "la Gadoue" wich is the melting snow, full of water and the dirt from the rock salt and so forth...
Oh! and about the boots! Make sure you treat the them with the proper protectant upon purchase if it it made of some sort of leather or else the salt is gonna ruin them (destroy them) in a matter of months.... So your 300$ Boots won't last two years. The same for you car... Make sure to treat them every years so it will last it's true life's worth...!!! Welcome to "The Great White North" The Winter is SOOOO long!!! BUT Hey! the rest SOOOO worth it! you'll see!!!
Enjoyed your past few videos as you do offer a very detailed explanation about the new life in Montreal. Can I just suggest that it would greatly help if you did some outside filming for example. You mentioned your new Apt. is close to a park, so why not film yourself at the park so we can actually see for ourselves. Even some conversations with some locals to demonstrate the lingo and accents you have been experiencing. Just a suggestion but I think it would really help and even increase your viewership. I have an Italian friend now married to an Brazilian lady who immersed herself in French classes after moving there and is now employed in a French speaking Medical office and like yourselves they have a young daughter and love the city. P.S. Don't forget to mention the great Bagel shops and eateries.
The salt in Canada will often destroy your car, making it rust. You see more rusted cars in Canada then anywhere else because of that. It is important every year to have your car rust-proof, especially it's the car is older than 7 years. The Canadian winters are brutal and I highly recommend it as it is a good investment that will prolong the life of your car and a higher resale value when your sell it.
1760 to 1960 peoples from Quebec were totally isolated separated from France. Here we talk what we called royal french, french and accent before the french revolution mix that with 7.5 millions francophones living with 360 millions peoples who talk in english. Nice day to you!!!
Buy a car or lease one.. you need it in that weather..then take up skiing… gr8 way to make friends.. such fun ski and cottage areas in general around Montreal and pretty easy to get to with car. Montrealers go skiing on weekends.. then stay home during black fly season..then back to country for summer..
Haha about Scotland! I lived in East Sussex in the UK for 3 years and my joke was I didn't speak the language, but I could read the signs! (From the US) The Scottish accent from Glasgow is particularly hard to understand.
Bonjour , J,ai pensé a vous pour des conseils d'apprentissage d'une langue . M.Steve Kauffman from Montreal now living in Vancouver gives good advices . The youtube channel is INNER FRENCH and the title of the video is Les conseils d'un polyglotte pour apprendre le français ... In a nutshell .... if you have pleasure in learning a language no matter the accent ( keep the same basic grammar rules ) you will succeed . Hope this will be useful for you , and your family to go through this period of challenges.
I lived in Paris for three years, I am a French Canadian bilingual. Worked for an American corp… I get it that the our French is spoken differently than parisien… here are few tips. We tend to speak our French like Americans… we rarely pronounce or emphasize the last vowels. Ex we beur vs beurre (butter) and we make liaison that are not written in French ex: t’a tu vs tu as tu that would be our slang, next we chose a different vocabulary that the Parisiens ex: j’ai barré ma porte but in france they would say j’ai verrouillé la porte. I say Parisien because I had to be more careful only in Paris. And yes verglas and ice is a big reality with our winter but it’s the same in Vermont or all the the North east USA. Enjoy our city and province it’s overall much better than many places
It would probably be easier to order online furniture if you have your measurements and have it delivered. Or higher a reasonably priced decorator that could do all that for you. Ikea in Montreal will deliver or Crate and Barrel.
I didn't realize you had moved there, i thought you were visiting! For the ice under the snow, get spikes for your boots! To furnish the house, just get the basics to start. Build your art and collections slowly. Just make sure you get curtains! Curtains can really help block the cold if you get insulated ones, and then thin linen ones for summer. Estate sales are great if you want to get a bunch of times at once. Try out thrifting!
Funny thing... People from France freak out when they hear verbs like enfarger or abrier. They're from Old French, and are still in use here. We use these verbs all the time!
En fait, Paris est plus au nord que Montréal. Pour le solstice d'hiver, il y a une heure de clarté supplémentaire à Montréal. Pour le solstice d'été, c'est le contraire, Paris a une heure de clarté supplémentaire par rapport à Montréal.
Mais peut-être que la clarté commence et finit plus tard, tel qu’évoqué dans un autre sous-commentaire. Au final, c'est comme avec la largeur incongrue du fuseau horaire de l'Est : c'est la même heure à Natashquan et à Thunder Bay, mais compare les heures de lever et de coucher du soleil pour voir ...
One maybe nitpicky thing I'd say. Montreal is pronounced more like Muntreal in EN. Us Canadians can definitely tell who's a tourist when they pronounce it like MONtreal
I’ve been in Montreal for 1.5years. I feel so isolated 😢 I was excited about coming here to learn French but mm.. the French here doesn’t sound the same.
Well good for you that you already speak French. English is my second language. Français va être le troisième but it is still on a very low level. That is the only thing that makes me sometimes consider leaving Montreal for English speaking Canada. Otherwise it is a great city
I've lived in France for several years now and I speak french almost as well as English now (American). Going to Quebec always shocks me like they understand everything I'm saying but I understand nothing?? To combat this twilight zone feeling, I watch Xavier Dolan films, this is my best and only advice
We have the same experience with our new house, lots of space and less furniture. Facebook marketplace has been great for selected things. I don’t know if they have that in Canada.
Pro tip: if you're on the phone for some sort of service (WiFi company, etc.), just press 2 (or whatever) for English. I'm Franco-American and grew up in France and speak fluent French, but when I moved to Montreal, this is the first habit I got into and it helped tremendously. Understanding quebecois on the phone is so much harder than in person. There is no shame in choosing the English option when you speak French, and it had the added bonus of them thinking I was a student from Ontario or something rather than ANOTHER student from France.
When I press 1 for French I rarely get a Quebecois on the line, it's almost always someone from French-speaking Africa most often the Maghreb which is not easier to understand for me (Argentina) but they are clearly located in Montreal so they understand me and the situation easily. But when I press 2 for English, the call is quite often fowarded to a call center in India (I think) and I struggle even more with their accents and I feel like they have trouble understanding me or the situation because they are not located here and probably answer calls for companies located all over North America.
8:59 Paris is more northerly than Montréal so there should be less sun on the same day in Paris during winter which is opposite of what you are saying here....
Je sais qu'il est un peu tôt mais l'idéal serait peut-être de faire un meet-up pour vous permettre de rencontrer des gens qui connaissent la ville par coeur. Les bonnes adresses et tout. N'oubliez pas que l'on gagne à peu près 3 minutes de clarté par jour. Bon courage. Salutations,
My French friends don’t understand a word of quebecois when they visit Canada other than the tv hosts. And outside the cities it’s even worse. All I can say is bon courage !
Glace. Changements climatiques. Meubles, appareil électro-ménagères, Brault et Martineau. Voiture, Communauto, des centaines de voiture disponibles à l'heure, à la journée, à la semaine. Le plus avantageux, le tarif économique. Le désavantage de celui-ci, le dépôt de 500$ payable une seule fois mais remboursable si vous annulez votre abonnement.
Hi! Didn't I tell you you were in for a "wild ride"?... Mais le pire est déjà derrière toi car désormais tu sais à quoi t'attendre! Que faire? C'est tout simple: t'obstiner en te retrouvant le plus souvent possible devant des Québécois à qui tu parleras français. Just a question of time! Don't ever switch to English! Donne-toi 6 mois et tu verras que de semaine en semaine le français du Québec te posera de moins en moins de problèmes! You'll see, it's not that different, I swear! And take it as a game you're playing with them, not as an atrocious hurdle to overcome! Bye!
A trivial question! Why are many Americans currently living in France going back either to the United States or to Canada? two couples of my son's friends who are well established in France have moved to the USA, one couple sold their beautiful house and left, the other couple put their house up for sale and are waiting for a buyer. Is this the current situation in Europe? threats from the Russian leader? Well it is true that the two countries are in a sort of bubble... This is an observation that many Europeans make!!!
Interesting. I think it's a matter of perspective, I was wondering the opposite. Why have so many people from the US/Canada moved to France (especially Paris) in recent years?
Controversial opinion; the French are more genuine than Canadians and France is a better country to live in. Only bonus in Canada is the bureaucracy or lack there of. Also the food in Canada is aaaaawful compared to France. It may be obvious but I was still shocked
I first it moved to France in 2017 because of my husband’s job. I underestimated how isolated I would feel. The very same week we moved, a good friend moved from our home city to Brazil. She and her husband were met at the airport and taken to their temporary apartment. There was a welcome dinner, they took them apartment hunting and told them all the best shops for groceries, home goods, restaurants. We were dumped in the city, had to navigate everything. It was so hard to hear her stories of the parties, the help while I was struggling to get a realty office to work with an American! Fast forward-I absolutely love living here and we laugh at our first struggles.
Watch some Quebec TV shows. Other than that, it just takes some time. Give it 3 to 6 months as it depends on your level of daily interaction with the local french language. One must also not forget that even within Quebec and within Canada, french in Canada is not uniform in form or in accent. Nevertheless, you will likely run into almost every variety in Montreal as it is the most important French language city in North America. Consequently, it is a cultural centre for the French language in North America and attracts artists from far and wide.
I can really relate. I moved to Montreal from Boston with my husband and two young kids a few years ago. You're still in the very early stages. It will get much easier, especially since you won't be dealing with all of the setup and transition and winter troubles simultaneously. Here are my thoughts/tips:
Winter - I also find that the winter light is an issue here (more than in Boston). I agree that getting out is important but I'd also consider getting a winter light box. I find that it can really help. I have one which I use sometimes when I feel that I need a lift (15 minutes several mornings a week while having breakfast or reading something). I also agree with others that strap-on cleats are very helpful. I got mine at Jean Coutu. And, yes, tall boots are the way to go IMO.
Family - I struggled with a bit of guilt over moving my kids too. But they adjusted and it helps that people here are so friendly. My husband and I also noticed how helpful strangers on the streets are and I've found this openness extends to socializing too. So I think that the local friendliness will benefit your family as you settle into the community. Plus, there are also so many activities for families around the city. If you haven't already, check out montrealfamilies.ca to see what's going on in the area.
Furnishings - We moved all of our stuff up here, but we did have to get a few pieces and even that felt like a time-consuming pain. Zone Maison and Structube are everywhere, but it took me a while to discover other stores like Urban Barn and Bouclair. They're not located everywhere, but if you're willing to do some of your shopping online for expediency, I'd check them out. And, maybe it's just me, but I lived here for a year and a half before I realized that Canadian Tire isn't just a tire store and actually sells a large range of pretty good housewares.
Language - I wish I had great ideas here. There are local TV shows on channels like Unis (Les Parents, for example) and Quebec movies on Netflix (such as A Guide to the Perfect Family) that can help with listening. Before living here, I learned the European French pronunciation too. Ma Prof de Francais is a Quebec youtuber and she has this video comparing the French of Quebec with that of France, which helped me understand more about how Quebec pronunciation works: ruclips.net/video/ZpG-KxN1dYU/видео.html.
Whew! I've never left such a long comment on youtube before, but I couldn't help it. I can relate to your situation. I'm an American who loves Paris and has been following your channel for a while. You're so engaging that I think you could make any number of topics interesting, but I'm especially excited to hear your perspectives on living in Montreal!
Thank you for being so upfront and honest about all of this!
*Language* - tick
*Pronunciation* - tick - we have some folks here with really strong patois accents...
*Phone* , problems understanding - tick!)
*Family & the guilt stuff* - especially with a small child who can't understand - yes. The inverse is the guilt I feel even now at having left certain people behind (especially the children that I worked with) when I moved here...
*Weather* - tick Not the winter, but the heat in summer.... not taking into account just how far south I am compared to my home in the UK...
*Furnishing* - tick. Furnishing's only fun when you're doing it for yourself, with no-one to please but yourself, and no-one's budget to consider but your own. Also cost - I brought all my furniture with me, and am soooo glad that I did!!!
*Shopping* , finding where to shop and all that - tick!
So yes, you are definitely not alone, and *thank you* for helping me to remember that the way it was for me was _normal_ !!!!!
FYI - white vinegar will remove salt stains from leather shoes & boots, wipe your door/window frames with auto anti-freeze, it will make opening & closing easier. Silk scarfs are a MUST, the silk retains body heat and is more comfortable than a bulky knit scarf.
I'm sure this sounds like an idiotic question, but what is the salt about? I live where it's too warm for snow, that's my excuse......
@@kooltom4 In many places where Snow/Ice is Winter Weather, many places use Salt to melt the ice and snow so it is then Safe to walk on the Pavement/Sidewalks. So then the Salt creates white stains on leather/fabric shoes.
@@glindathegood4007 Wow, thanks, never knew salt melted ice or snow.
Hi, to learn Quebec French, I would suggest finding a family from your child’s daycare and getting together and conversing in the language. Hang out, eat together go to the parks, play dates and force yourself to learn. Listen to French radio, watch the news in French that’s how you learn to accent.
Moving in general is a pain especially with kids. Eventually the weather will be nicer and you can open the windows. Good luck
As a mum whose moved my family internationally twice, I feel you. The struggle is real. ❤
The amount of sunshine between Paris and Montreal is about the same with Montreal having slightly more sunshine in the winter, but slightly less in the summer. This is because Montreal is actually further south than Paris (45.5 deg. N versus 49.0 deg. N). The biggest factor is the time of sunrise and sunset due to their respective positions in their timezone. The result is that sunrise is earlier in Montreal than in Paris and sunset is also earlier in Montreal as compared to Paris. For example, currently sunrise and sunset are at 5:20 and 6:36 for Montreal and 5:56 and 7:04 for Toronto. They are in the same time zone; however, sunrise and sunset are different by about 30 minutes.
Because Paris is one hours ahead from it's normal time zone .
@@act_sion only for short periodes
They do not change the clock at the same time
@@patrickwalsh8997 Nope , Paris is one hour ahead from the normal time zone ! Normally it should the same time as London!
Some tips for winter 1. walk slowly and put your weight on the whole sole of your feet, you basically need to be sure that every step is not gonna slip 2. Salt is everywhere on the road so you either have stuff that you don't care getting destroy by it or you clean a lot more once inside. 3. Slush is the worst, but act mostly like water puddle if possible avoid walking in it, also watch for cars rolling throught it without care. With time it's going to be second nature :) also a Québec expression in bonus is '' Avant Avril ne te découvre pas d'un fil'' meaning keep the winter gear close by because there is often a last snowstorm in April.
Moved from US to France with my French husband and 8yr old son.
✔️deep parental guilt and a constant desire for his sense of belonging and comfort. He’s been so brave, but I know it’s been harder then he lets on.
✔️I wish we had shipped our furniture because I miss my bed and our couch and my sons bed. The extra cost wouldn’t have been much more then we paid to move small special kitchen items clothes and books and toys. The only “big” thing we shipped was a large bookcase my father made us 12 yrs ago for our wedding gift. I miss our stuff. Sounds ridiculous but true. And luckily, my husband furnished our apt prior to my son and I arriving, with second hand couch and beds (in excellent shape), so we bypassed the expensive new stuff and the disagreements. We don’t naturally often agree either. You’re not alone there. He’s French I’m American. Maybe there’s something to that.
✔️
Hang in there! It get's easier and you'll learn the tricks and you'll be experts by next winter. Usually the sidewalks aren't so icy but when we get a short thaw period after a storm, the sidewalks and streets melt a bit and then freeze by the next cold night and create an icy mess. Once things start warming up, all that ice will disappear and you'll be in for a treat with beautiful Montreal spring and summer!
Mine moves were similar. When I first moved out of the US to South Korea it was just me, my job provided me with housing and it was actually the first time I lived on my own in my life, lol, and I was 34. The place was fully furnished, so I didn't have to really do anything at all. I upgraded a few things that were way out of date or just not comfortable like a new bed (Korean beds are notoriously extremely firm and uncomfortable) and a tv with an HDMI outlet (the one provided didn't have it, I swear it was from 1990, lol). I was there for 5 years, and in those 5 years I got married and adopted a cat. So when me and my husband decided to move to his home country (France), it was a really difficult process. We had wanted to stay in Korea but it was increasingly becoming difficult to get a long term visa even for people with higher educations and my job was soon going to be underfunded by the government and I could lose it, so we decided to leave. We thought about the US, but in the end decided on France because we wouldn't need a car and France offers CDI contracts which the US doesn't, and cheaper easier to get healthcare, the salaries are smaller, but we felt like it was ok for us since we didn't have extra expenses we would need if we moved to the States. We had to do a lot of vet visits and paperwork to import or cat to the EU and made sure we knew all the rules for the airline to fly him to France. We moved the middle of 2020, and as soon as we were able to lock down an apartment, which was soooooo hard because of my husband not living in France for 5 years and not having a current work contract (I mean he did but the contract hadn't started yet and a lot of places we tried to rent wouldn't accept it as legit yet, and they didn't care at all how much money we had in the bank, not at all, which I thought was weird, they only cared about the contract and the salary, oh and don't get me started when they found out I was from the States, lol), anyways, as soon as we finally found a place to accept us and we got the keys, we were thrusted into a strict confinement for covid, it was horrible, then another one in late winter that was stricter. I'm still recovering from that had still haven't really adjusted to the country because of that. I wasn't working, and still not completely, my job is to learn the damn language right now, lol, and boy it's a struggle and I studied linguistics in uni and I never could get a damn language down no matter how much I studied and now I had to actually learn one for real this time, and I'm 42, lol, it's so stressful. We also had to buy everything for our home, including the kitchen because the place we got only had a sink and some upper cabinets and that was it. I had to deal with everything and the deliveries and installations because my husband had to work, and I didn't know that deliveries in themselves in France were a bitch to deal with and give you anxiety. Korea it's super simple and fast and convenient for deliveries and you have the driver's number so you know exactly when they are coming and you can do everything by text because they know just by looking at your name that you're foreign so texting is MUCH easier for both of us. But here, oh my god!!!!!! And my French at the time was SOOO limited and I was struggling, I think I still get anxiety just thinking about it. And since I wasn't working and I was better at putting things together anyways, I was the one that assembled all the furniture. After one year we were in a position to buy an apartment (I never would have dreamed of this in the US, from my perspective even though there is a lot of paperwork and verification, I still find buying a home more accessible here in France than in the States), so that has been interesting to deal with.
Moved to a much larger house 2 years ago - if you find interior design stressful, like me, highly recommend just doing an online service. I did Havenly for a lot of the rooms and you even give them a budget to stick to - so much easier
Caveat - Montréal is different from most anywhere in Canada or even North-Am. Not being pedantry or flippant, it is so! The ''aléas du quotidien'' you are encountering are
all part of the learning curve that all newbies to the city run into. The tricks and how-tos you can work out for yourself the hard way or, you can ask acquaintances/neighbors
what they did in any given scenario, moms of any age will know/remember the best way to get around the trials and tribulations of navigating the winter wonderland.
Montreal gets more snow than any other major city in Canada and, because the temperature fluctuates so much, there tends to be icy patches everywhere, especially after
a sunny day and then the mercury drops - freezing that slight melt (often black ice). You should be able to find some slip on/overs with metal crampons in most pharmacies for your footwear,
they have various sizes as a rule. Facial tissue packets in all your coats, lip-balm, if you find your hands get cold with gloves (get mittens), rince off everything to keep the salt
from corroding your stuff, boots should be waterproofed (oils, grease, wax, etc.) or get tall rain/sailing boots that are oversized and drop a felt liner at the bottom and wear wool socks.
Regrettably for you, experience is required to correctly identify conditions, asking for tips cannot hurt. On the plus side, it will be almost as much fun to realize it can get ruddy hot
in summer! That's a whole other conversation for another time. Check out the Discover Montreal you tube channel, it might help with the blues, lots of things to do all year.
Hang in there young lady, you will get through this and all the rest. Just do not rush out and buy a car, it is Hell on earth to park in the plateau, go for Communauto or some such.
You're right about the ice. I lived downtown and there was active ice removal but I still would encounter some ice patches and lose my balance. Icers (crampons) will help a lot.
In respect to the ice, I would make the following suggestions: 1) Walk with your knees slightly bent so as to lower your center of gravity and 2) Be very, very wary of driveways when walking on the sidewalk. Even if the incline is only a few degrees, it's more than enough to make you slip and fall.
Get those tread things that slip onto any shoe or boot. A fall on the ice, especially if you're carrying a small child, is a very bad idea.
And avoid the temptation to stick your hands in your pockets
Great suggestions! All I can say is managing is the magic word. It is a lot to deal with but the weather will change, you’ll get furniture, your daughter will find friends etc. Thanks for sharing and super bon courage!! 🇫🇷🇨🇦🇺🇸
Pick up some pairs of ice grippers/cleats on Amazon or at a sporting goods store. We have them for the sidewalks of Buffalo where we live, and we have more aggressive ice spikes for hiking in the region. We're cold country people and were just in the Adirondacks hiking (a little south of you). If you're prepared, the winter is fantastic.
Congrats on the channel. I'm a local and I love it! Quick tip about the ice and especially the slush : you need some sturdy, heavy, functional boots. The higher the better. Boots are key for a happy wintering in Montréal.
Just wondering what you did with your apartment in Paris and if your husband also has the same problem with the Canadian French pronunciation? I remember going to a congress in Glasgow and was schocked that I as a native American speaker I had such a difficult time understanding the Scots. Good Luck on your new adventure
You can get Yaktrac or sfee ice cleats to add to your boots. This year has been particularly bad with warm Weather during the day and freezing at night so now melts in the day and then ice forms at night. They are under $40.
Don't worry, you will eventually learn how to walk careful on the icy spots and start to recognize how the ice/snow looks when it might be that super slippery type. And sometimes it just catches us off guard and there's nothing to do. I usually find I have so much gear on that even when I fall my bum is super padded anyways lol. Long puffy coats!! 💙💙
I suggest watching french canadian TV chanels (TVA, Télé-Québec, etc. . ) . . .Or renting french can movies that you can pause and rewind. Allow you to familiarize yourself to the language without the pressure of an actual conversation. Canadian french is to metropolitan french what USA english is to UK english, (at least). It'a a bit like watching 'Coronation street"
We have moved 22 times in 51 years…..each move got more and more “relaxed”. First move…listed everything in every box and numbered them….last move, filled boxes with what fit and labeled by room…kitchen master BR, etc. toward the end…just threw stuff away or tossed it in a box labeled misc. LOL..some boxes I haven’t unpacked in. 30 years…just kept moving them…..I’m taking them to Goodwill.
We did the reverse of what you guys are doing: moved from Toronto to Paris with an 18 months old. Things we understimated: no dryer so we had to keep racks with clothes all the time throughout the house; parking on the street when/where/ if you found a spot (car got stolen after one year), finding a spot en creche for an expat in Paris - hardest pleading of my life, opening a bank account as a Canadian citizen, old building had mice in the appartment the whole time and we couldnt get rid of, no easily accesible parks for kids. Biggest pro to living in Paris: being able to travel all over Europe every weekend. By comparison Montreal-Toronto is 6-8 hrs drive:(.
And we can't get decided as to build a train of the 21st century to connect them.
I had a former student who moved to Montreal to marry her boyfriend. My student *thought* she was fluent in French, but still struggled, as you're struggling, with understanding the Quebec dialect of the language. She said it took her about six months to overcome the worst of it, and a year before she felt comfortable in almost every situation. The six months will fly by, I promise you.
For furnishing, I'd like to recommend you look for estate sales. You can literally buy another person's entire house full of furnishings and have them moved to your place. I once bought the house of a man from his heirs, who sold the house fully furnished, since they had their own houses already furnished. I think I moved six boxes, two suitcases, a lamp, and my cat and that was it.
Look on the bright side: you're now closer to your family and living in a country with a high quality of life, often ranked #1 and certainly among the top five among the nations of the world on that scale, and yet only a 7 hour flight from Paris.
Dialect. On adore. Pourquoi pas un patois tant qu'à y être.
Alors, pour vous, l'américain, c'est un dialecte aussi?
@@bvignola2907 L'anglais américain a de nombreux dialectes régionaux. Je pensais que tous le monde savais cela! La France a des dialectes régionaux - j'ai regardé une conférence de presse où des journalistes parisiens se moquaient de l'accent "campagnard" d'un politicien provincial.
The funny thing is, the French they teach in Canadian schools is the Paris type.
Hang in any move is hard. Moving just to a different State,was hard, it takes time. It's only been 6 weeks. Use Skype for your daughter to visit her old fiends until she makes new and use delivery for the things you need. You will get there. How brave your family is. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing being so honest
For small furnishing don’t sleep on Canadian Tire ! They have all the small appliances and everything for the kitchen cupboards (cutlery, glasswares..) and bathroom stuff.
I'm nodding my head non-stop while watching this video. We went through it all from BXL-->QC last year: completely underestimated the language difference, still dealing with the admin, the dang perma-ice, falling, the parent guilt for putting our kid through so much change.....
Even with all the adjustments it sounds like you guys are settling in well. It's huge what we've both had to do, so congrats on surviving so far and it will get easier.
Heading to Montreal tomorrow for a mother-daughter trip to see Disney on Ice (in English, hooray) and the science center so we'll be in your neck of the woods this weekend!
I don't know if you saw any québecois movies when you were living in France, but they are always subtitled into standard French. I doubt that the Québecois ever have to do that to French movies exported there, since if you watch the TV news or anything like that, the newscasters magically speak standard French.
About the icy sidewalks, I would suggest ordering cleats for ice and snow from Amazon, they are very cheap and can go over any type of shoes, except heels.
I moved across the US from TX to MN. I grew up in the Midwest (Chicago) but I underestimated the “culture shock” of moving from the south to “up nort”. The implicit bias because you moved from the south, the accent, the assumptions of intelligence (or lack of). Also, I am very open and outgoing which Minnesotans are very uncomfortable with. People do not easily accept differences and outsiders readily, they are nice on the surface but aloof and disconnected. It has been humbling and hard. Good luck. Be kind to yourselves and use grace. 😊
"Minnesota Nice" is a real thing. Ugh...
Can you take us on some Montreal walk and talks? In a supermarket or the park etc.
Do your window shopping online. It is so much easier to narrow down and agree on 'choices'. A lot of stores have free delivery and little design apps and virtual showrooms to help you figure out what fits in your space.
The infamous Shlush or "Slutch" in Québécois (In reference to the Brand "Slush Puppie" wich is crushed ice with a flavor syrup added to it, well known in America especially during the HOT summers in Montreal" is in French "la Gadoue" wich is the melting snow, full of water and the dirt from the rock salt and so forth...
Oh! and about the boots! Make sure you treat the them with the proper protectant upon purchase if it it made of some sort of leather or else the salt is gonna ruin them (destroy them) in a matter of months.... So your 300$ Boots won't last two years. The same for you car... Make sure to treat them every years so it will last it's true life's worth...!!! Welcome to "The Great White North" The Winter is SOOOO long!!! BUT Hey! the rest SOOOO worth it! you'll see!!!
Enjoyed your past few videos as you do offer a very detailed explanation about the new life in Montreal.
Can I just suggest that it would greatly help if you did some outside filming for example. You mentioned your new Apt. is close to a park, so why not film yourself at the park so we can actually see for ourselves. Even some conversations with some locals to demonstrate the lingo and accents you have been experiencing.
Just a suggestion but I think it would really help and even increase your viewership.
I have an Italian friend now married to an Brazilian lady who immersed herself in French classes after moving there and is now employed in a French speaking Medical office and like yourselves they have a young daughter and love the city.
P.S. Don't forget to mention the great Bagel shops and eateries.
The salt in Canada will often destroy your car, making it rust. You see more rusted cars in Canada then anywhere else because of that. It is important every year to have your car rust-proof, especially it's the car is older than 7 years. The Canadian winters are brutal and I highly recommend it as it is a good investment that will prolong the life of your car and a higher resale value when your sell it.
1760 to 1960 peoples from Quebec were totally isolated separated from France. Here we talk what we called royal french, french and accent before the french revolution mix that with 7.5 millions francophones living with 360 millions peoples who talk in english.
Nice day to you!!!
For the sun
Montreal sunrise today 6h45 sunset 17h29
Paris today sunrise 7h45 sunset 18h21
Almost the same time but 1 hour decalled
Buy a car or lease one.. you need it in that weather..then take up skiing… gr8 way to make friends.. such fun ski and cottage areas in general around Montreal and pretty easy to get to with car. Montrealers go skiing on weekends.. then stay home during black fly season..then back to country for summer..
Haha about Scotland! I lived in East Sussex in the UK for 3 years and my joke was I didn't speak the language, but I could read the signs! (From the US) The Scottish accent from Glasgow is particularly hard to understand.
Bonjour , J,ai pensé a vous pour des conseils d'apprentissage d'une langue . M.Steve Kauffman from Montreal now living in Vancouver gives good advices . The youtube channel is INNER FRENCH and the title of the video is Les conseils d'un polyglotte pour apprendre le français ... In a nutshell .... if you have pleasure in learning a language no matter the accent ( keep the same basic grammar rules ) you will succeed . Hope this will be useful for you , and your family to go through this period of challenges.
I lived in Paris for three years, I am a French Canadian bilingual. Worked for an American corp… I get it that the our French is spoken differently than parisien… here are few tips. We tend to speak our French like Americans… we rarely pronounce or emphasize the last vowels. Ex we beur vs beurre (butter) and we make liaison that are not written in French ex: t’a tu vs tu as tu that would be our slang, next we chose a different vocabulary that the Parisiens ex: j’ai barré ma porte but in france they would say j’ai verrouillé la porte.
I say Parisien because I had to be more careful only in Paris.
And yes verglas and ice is a big reality with our winter but it’s the same in Vermont or all the the North east USA.
Enjoy our city and province it’s overall much better than many places
It would probably be easier to order online furniture if you have your measurements and have it delivered. Or higher a reasonably priced decorator that could do all that for you. Ikea in Montreal will deliver or Crate and Barrel.
Good suggestion re decorators.
The RUclips channel "Wandering French" has a playlist "Quebecois 101". I love listening to her!
I didn't realize you had moved there, i thought you were visiting! For the ice under the snow, get spikes for your boots! To furnish the house, just get the basics to start. Build your art and collections slowly. Just make sure you get curtains! Curtains can really help block the cold if you get insulated ones, and then thin linen ones for summer. Estate sales are great if you want to get a bunch of times at once. Try out thrifting!
Funny thing... People from France freak out when they hear verbs like enfarger or abrier. They're from Old French, and are still in use here. We use these verbs all the time!
En fait, Paris est plus au nord que Montréal.
Pour le solstice d'hiver, il y a une heure de clarté supplémentaire à Montréal.
Pour le solstice d'été, c'est le contraire, Paris a une heure de clarté supplémentaire par rapport à Montréal.
Mais peut-être que la clarté commence et finit plus tard, tel qu’évoqué dans un autre sous-commentaire. Au final, c'est comme avec la largeur incongrue du fuseau horaire de l'Est : c'est la même heure à Natashquan et à Thunder Bay, mais compare les heures de lever et de coucher du soleil pour voir ...
One maybe nitpicky thing I'd say. Montreal is pronounced more like Muntreal in EN. Us Canadians can definitely tell who's a tourist when they pronounce it like MONtreal
I’ve been in Montreal for 1.5years. I feel so isolated 😢 I was excited about coming here to learn French but mm.. the French here doesn’t sound the same.
Ikea and amazon prime and wayfair helps
Well good for you that you already speak French. English is my second language. Français va être le troisième but it is still on a very low level. That is the only thing that makes me sometimes consider leaving Montreal for English speaking Canada. Otherwise it is a great city
The ice in Montreal is specific to that city.
I've lived in France for several years now and I speak french almost as well as English now (American). Going to Quebec always shocks me like they understand everything I'm saying but I understand nothing?? To combat this twilight zone feeling, I watch Xavier Dolan films, this is my best and only advice
We have the same experience with our new house, lots of space and less furniture. Facebook marketplace has been great for selected things. I don’t know if they have that in Canada.
Can you order furniture from Wayfair or Amazon? I recently moved and have 3 young children so online shopping during nap time saved us.
Pro tip: if you're on the phone for some sort of service (WiFi company, etc.), just press 2 (or whatever) for English. I'm Franco-American and grew up in France and speak fluent French, but when I moved to Montreal, this is the first habit I got into and it helped tremendously. Understanding quebecois on the phone is so much harder than in person. There is no shame in choosing the English option when you speak French, and it had the added bonus of them thinking I was a student from Ontario or something rather than ANOTHER student from France.
When I press 1 for French I rarely get a Quebecois on the line, it's almost always someone from French-speaking Africa most often the Maghreb which is not easier to understand for me (Argentina) but they are clearly located in Montreal so they understand me and the situation easily.
But when I press 2 for English, the call is quite often fowarded to a call center in India (I think) and I struggle even more with their accents and I feel like they have trouble understanding me or the situation because they are not located here and probably answer calls for companies located all over North America.
There is a RUclipsr named maprofdefrancais who talks about Quebecois french.
Don’t know if that can help.
8:59 Paris is more northerly than Montréal so there should be less sun on the same day in Paris during winter which is opposite of what you are saying here....
But sunset is earlier because Paris is one time zone ahead of it's real time zone
And ..most people speak some English..so you are ahead in that way. There are more English areas in Montreal like Montreal West.
La chaîne www.youtube.com/@maprofdefrancais/videos est très sympa pour se familiariser avec l’accent et le vocabulaire du français québécois
Hang in there! Les journées rallongent et on pourra bientôt ranger nos bottes 😉
ruclips.net/video/pc994mR-Yy0/видео.html tant qu'à s'initier à la culture d'ici... 😉
@@thenachofan7677 😂
Why did you move, was it as for the experience? a Change? good luck
Je sais qu'il est un peu tôt mais l'idéal serait peut-être de faire un meet-up pour vous permettre de rencontrer des gens qui connaissent la ville par coeur.
Les bonnes adresses et tout.
N'oubliez pas que l'on gagne à peu près 3 minutes de clarté par jour.
Bon courage.
Salutations,
Don’t worry first I arrived in Montreal I din’t anderstand what the barman told me in france
Is Montreal very expensive?
It’s cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver.
Another thing you might want to compare are French Canadian swear word!!
bu Montreal is supposed to be bilingual, is it not?
My French friends don’t understand a word of quebecois when they visit Canada other than the tv hosts. And outside the cities it’s even worse. All I can say is bon courage !
Glace. Changements climatiques.
Meubles, appareil électro-ménagères, Brault et Martineau.
Voiture, Communauto, des centaines de voiture disponibles à l'heure, à la journée, à la semaine.
Le plus avantageux, le tarif économique.
Le désavantage de celui-ci, le dépôt de 500$ payable une seule fois mais remboursable si vous annulez votre abonnement.
Paris and Montreal are at the same latitude and they both get dark at the same time.
if you have leather boots be sure to treat them first. The salt will ruin your your boots.
Hi! Didn't I tell you you were in for a "wild ride"?... Mais le pire est déjà derrière toi car désormais tu sais à quoi t'attendre! Que faire? C'est tout simple: t'obstiner en te retrouvant le plus souvent possible devant des Québécois à qui tu parleras français. Just a question of time! Don't ever switch to English! Donne-toi 6 mois et tu verras que de semaine en semaine le français du Québec te posera de moins en moins de problèmes! You'll see, it's not that different, I swear! And take it as a game you're playing with them, not as an atrocious hurdle to overcome! Bye!
A trivial question! Why are many Americans currently living in France going back either to the United States or to Canada? two couples of my son's friends who are well established in France have moved to the USA, one couple sold their beautiful house and left, the other couple put their house up for sale and are waiting for a buyer. Is this the current situation in Europe? threats from the Russian leader? Well it is true that the two countries are in a sort of bubble... This is an observation that many Europeans make!!!
Interesting. I think it's a matter of perspective, I was wondering the opposite. Why have so many people from the US/Canada moved to France (especially Paris) in recent years?
I somehos still prefer slipping on ice
... than merde de chien on my but
it's called "bastard French". if course it's different.
You have to walk like a bear on the ice.
You could have an effort to put a real photo of Montréal !
Controversial opinion; the French are more genuine than Canadians and France is a better country to live in. Only bonus in Canada is the bureaucracy or lack there of.
Also the food in Canada is aaaaawful compared to France. It may be obvious but I was still shocked
i bet you underestimated the RACISM francophone are undergoing from ANGLOS.
Playing the racist card ?In Rome do as Romans do ! This is called respect . It is the Anglos to adapt and the the reverse!
Language has no thing to do with race(racism) .
You probably mean discrimination.