Will I need to speak French to live in Montreal?

[Arkadiusz_Kowalski]

I understand that Montreal is a very multilingual city and that many people who live there are English-speaking. I don’t speak any French (just English and Polish). Would it be possible or me to live and work in Montreal?

[KGO]

You can. French is clearly important (for practical, cultural, social and cultural reasons).

However there is a large anglophone crowd in Montreal (200,000+ if I'm correct), especially in the neighbourhoods right around Concordia University and McGill University.

Obviously a lot of places will expect any employee to speak both languages but you can still find a job speaking English only (Polish may be an asset, there is a decent Polish community as well). Many of my college friends did not speak French (beyond basic) and still managed to find a job.

My advice would be take French classes still, they're really important and having the basics will help you find a job and make your time there better. People appreciate that you make an effort (they really do), hence why you should try to get at least a very-basic command of French.

Hope it helps.

[Tina_Mailhot-Roberge]

You can live in Montreal without speaking French however your employment options will be very limited. Montreal is a bilingual city (French-English) and most employers require their staff to be either bilingual or French speaking. Very few hire English only speakers. You're looking at dismissing 90% of the job market with your current setup. That being said, if you do learn French (I believe the government provides free classes full time and part time), even if your language skills are still intermediary, but so long you have conversational skills, your employment opportunities will greatly improve.

Tina - bilingual Montreal for 10 years

[samuelduchesne]

Of course you can live and work in Montreal! French and English are both official languages of Canada. Therefore, you can expect to be served and work in English across the country and in Montreal as well. Although, make sure to ask your future employer if it is an issue if you don't speak French. e.g. If you work in public relations, then it could be a problem . If you tell him that you are excited to learn french, then he'll be very happy.

Keep in mind that many neighbourhoods will be more english-speaking and others more french-speaking. It will be your choice if you want to merge with the french folks and quickly learn there language. Little personal tip: French quebecois and especially the quebecoises (the ladies) are much nicer [sic] people!

[Indina_Remy]

Hello,

Like you said Montreal is a very billingual city. However, the province of Quebec is, now, more then ever trying to become more a French speaking province than an English speaking one which is problematic for English speaking residents. There is a remarkable amount of businesses and residents who chose to move to Ontario (or other provinces) because of that. (Just a bit of context)

Putting aside what I wrote above, if you only speak English you can function very well (I know lots of people who only speak English). It is still rather important to stress that you may sometimes feel like learning a bit of French would be useful, especially career wise.

I would tell you to do more research and ask others who were in a similar situation + start thinking about learning a bit of French and if you do move here you will learn it rather quickly. I would not be discouraged as like I said plenty of people only speak English here.

I understand that Montreal is a very multilingual city and that many people who live there are English-speaking. I don’t speak any French (just English and Polish). Would it be possible or me to live and work in Montreal?

Good Luck!

[Kass_P]

Many people speak English to some degree, but anglophones are the minority (there's been an anglophone exodus over the years), and the default language is very much French; almost everyone speaks it. Salespeople will often address you in French by default - if you're both English speakers, you'll end up switching to English with amusement after a sentence, but if they're francophone and you don't at least make an effort, be prepared for dirty looks and even poor service. Don't think being a foreigner will get you off the hook either. Note that unlike pretty much every European country, the stop signs say ARRET not STOP, and there are language police who make sure all public writing (signs, menus, even handwritten notices) include French first and in larger lettering than the English. Language is pretty politicised and a sensitive topic. You can get by speaking English only, at least in the West side of town which (though by no means the anglophone enclave it used to be) is still more open to English speakers. However, you will be severely limited in your employment options as any public-facing job will require you to be bilingual, and you may have trouble getting a work Visa. If you have kids, they will be required (as children of an immigrant parent) to go to French school, so you won't be able to help them with homework, or share their experience. Most immigrants in fact end up being French speakers because of all the French promotion policies. The plus side is that the government offers French courses for free, and you may even be eligible for a decent chunk of extra financial assistance. So unless you only plan on staying a few years, you really might as well learn it. Otherwise, I'd recommend choosing another province.

[Isabelle-Anne_Belang]

Hi, when you travel in a country, out of respect for the local people, it's essential to make a research to know what is the official language. When you travel, you never need to learn to local language, but if you want to show respect for the local people, its essential to learn the basics. For example, if you spend a long time in Barcelona, it's quite essential to know that people speak Catalan and not Spanish. So if you want to connect with people and show respect to them, you will learn Catalan. Finding that information is now quite easy with our friends Google and Wikipedia. Of course, you don't need to learn French if you travel to Quebec. But yes, the official language is French. Quebec people fought for the survival of our language and we still need to protect our language everyday, just like you would do with an animal specie who might disappear without any specific targeted intervention. And speaking a different language is not only a matter of language, it means that you also another culture and way of thinking in terms of history, politics, arts, etc. And when people have a minority identity in an ocean of English, they have to remind people everyday that our official language is French. How come ? Still don't get it. If I go to India, I will learn Hindi or another language depeneding on the region I travel to or at least the basics. I have an an Indian friend who came here, he was already speaking seven languages and when he came, he was so motivated, he learned French really fast. Why ? Because he was hangiing out with local people and not Indians. You have no idea how people are happy when you make an effort, I felt that when I went to Mumbai the first time and I could deal my fruits in Hindi because I learned the first numbers. So, I would say, it's up to you. So no you don't need to. But if you plan in living here, to get a job, you will have to learn French, Why ? Because it's the official language, that simple ! Hope you will love Montreal, you will love it more if you go off the beaten track and discover the real Montreal, the amazingly creative one, not the tourist trap one ! Enjoy your stay however long it is ! Hope you enjoy it !

[Roxane_Cadillon]

Hi

It is definetely possible to live and work in Montréal if you only speak english, most of people are bilingual and it's obligatory to speak english in the professional field. But you should try to learn french while you're there just so people know you're making the effort. French speaking is very important for people from québec.

[Francis_Perron]

It is possible to find job in english, it all depend on the job you want, but I suggest you take french lesson if you plan to stay here, because you will struggle if you come across somebody who don't speak english.

[Louis_sven_Goulet]

Because of Québec's government policy you are supposed to work in a French environment so it might be hard to find a job if you don't speak French.

[Frederic_Houle]

Many people live in Montreal without speaking a single word of French. Most, if not all, businesses and government entities have bilingual staff.

[Francois_Paradis]

It is not necessary to speak French to live and work in Montreal. All public services, at every level of government, are offered in English, large private companies, along with most small retail businesses, provide customer service in English to their clients, and the full array of North American TV programs, movies, as well as live shows are available to the city's residents.

It is true that 60% of the population is bilingual, but 12% of the people speak English only (versus 28% who speak only French). The most important drawback for someone who does not speak French is the limited employment opportunities, but having said that, 40% of private sector jobs in small and medium size businesses are conducted mostly (if not exclusively) in English, so there are, in theory and in practice, thousands of Montreal workers whose ignorance of the French language does not prevent from earning a good living.

[Diana_Martinez]

Hello! I have been in Montreal for over a year, and have been able to get around fine without knowing French. There are sections of the city that are strictly french speaking but the larger areas (including downtown) are anglophones.

[Lea_Couture-Theriaul]

What field do you work in? I think it really depends on that.

[Saleem]

Nope. Not necessarily. Very english town is about 40% of Montreal, called the west island. Its anglophone majority.

[Francis_Bissonnette]

Not at all! Almost everybody here is bilingual. Enjoy!

[Ian_Reid]

It is quite possible to live in Montreal while speaking only English. However, the majority language is French, and learning to speak French will allow you to better experience Montreal's charms and qualify for more jobs.

[m0lt]

You don't need to speak French to be here. But it will be more difficult to find good jobs if you don't speak the language. For good jobs it is often a requirement.

[Rony_Anto_Puthumana]

There is place of English speaking place ?