Hulver's site || Comments || Moving

You don't need to speak French sometimes. by Driusan (4.00 / 1) #7 Mon Aug 14, 2006 at 03:04:32 AM EST

In Quebec City you might, in the suburbs you might a little, in a little town somewhere in Quebec you do, but in Montréal? I've lived there. I don't speak passable french, and I didn't then.

Half the city are anglophones, and absolutely everyone who works in any kind of retail or public dealing job needs to be bilingual or they wouldn't get hired.
--
I needed a new sig. And now I have one.
[ Parent ]

I had to parlay the frahn-say by ReallyEvilCanine (4.00 / 1) #8 Mon Aug 14, 2006 at 03:29:35 AM EST

Back in '99 I was up there with the now-ex. We went out, got ratted, and the taxi driver to take us back to the hotel didn't speak a word of English. Apparently I hadn't forgotten my French and my ex told me the two of us were just jabbering away the whole ride back. He didn't even overcharge us or take us on the scenic route.

Some bars and restaurants we went had non-English-speaking staff. And by "non-English-speaking" I mean "don't even comprehend that 'Hello' is not an unfriendly greeting".

Quebec City is a shithole, a tourist trap center surrounded by not one, not two, but three -- count 'em, three -- ghettos. Other parts of the province are fantastic and the people great, even if their English comprehension is limited to a few dozen phrases and keywords.

[ Parent ]

: sorry to disappoint by 256 (4.00 / 2) #17 Mon Aug 14, 2006 at 09:48:51 AM EST

but let me assure you that if the staff at a montreal bar appeared not to understand english pleasantries and whatnot, they were fucking with you.
or rather, perhaps they understood english perfectly, but considered "hello" to be an unfriendly greeting simply because it is english.
i couldn't agree with you more, however, regarding QC, QC
---
_{I don't think anyone's ever really died from smoking. --ni}
[ Parent ]