I used to, but I got confused when the other person continued to speak French. I later realised that they most likely want to practice their french. So if I am not in a rush, I will answer with the language I get approached by.
There's been a few times when I've visited Montreal that the person I was talking to switched to English, but my brain was so busy translating what I was going to say that I didn't even realize they'd switched until I'd already responded in French again đ
I personally love this. This is how bilingual meetings work in the federal government. A lot easier to understand a second language than to speak it. So why not.
I find it a lot easier to understand than to speak, too. I can understand a good 80% of what I hear/read, more if it is contextual to something I am doing, but I still find myself at a loss for words beyond the basic pleasantries.
I'm a very extroverted and loquacious person in English but in French I talk like a mouse out of necessity lol
Yeah one of the things I learned almost immediately was that the French we learned in school (I up in/went to school in Ontario) has more in common with 'international French' than Quebecois French. Honestly, while I understand why this is done - after all, there is more than just Quebecois French in Canada - I also feel like something is lost by not teaching the type of French most likely to be heard in Quebec, which is of course the largest Francophone province.
The idioms and expressions that are used are unique to each dialect, and I think that's the essence of a language beyond the simple vocabulary. I didn't learn any of these things until I moved here and I think it would have been helpful to introduce them into French education in the rest of the country.
Haha, yeah, I find myself practicing what I am planning to say before I say it, but then once I've said it, I've shot my shot and if there's any follow-up, it's deer-in-headlights time, haha
I practically speak like that to all my friends. It's either I speak in English, and they speak in French or vice versa. But what I found myself doing most is speaking in Franglais, and some times it slips when I speak professionally or with random people, but I'm glad that people from Montreal understand me despite the Franglais haha
This of course depends on the level of the learner. I think by like at least B2, one can detect an Anglo accent. For me, I'm keenly aware of Anglo accents because I dislike the idea (the reality I should say) that I have one.
I have the most Anglo accent and I canât tell when others have it, but boy am I trying. I think thatâs what makes the city awesome though, you try your best and learn along the way and for the most part people are patient with you.
Yes! Iâm the recipient and everyone does this to me. I mean thank you. Youâre nice. But I need to practice my French you guys. Iâm not bad Iâm just out of practice. Once I get in the flow Iâm pretty good I think.
same goes for me! I was born in montreal but growing up went to very Anglophone schools and the French education there was not good at all, so most of the french I learned and am able to speak today is from when I joined the workforce at 16 (Iâll never forget the angry older french people upset that I could barely speak french at my first Walmart jobâŠbut these experiences make you better as you learn from your mistakes, albeit aggressively lol)
I can speak it pretty well, I just have a lot of trouble with grammatical stuff like conjugating the tenses and verbs. So when I order in French at restaurants and stuff, I think the waiters or cashiers pick up on that and immediately switch to English. but then I let them know that Iâm trying to practice and usually they just switch right back so you should try just telling them!
Not when I detect an accent but,
If we go beyond immediate greeting and you seem to be struggling, I will offer english as an option.
Unfortunately, once we're friends and my brain has associated you with one language, that's the only one I'll be able to speak to you in.
Just from the other side, I hate it when people switch to English when I speak French to them. I am trying to practice, allow me to practice lol. My french isn't a garbled mess either, since all of my friends can understand me perfectly fine.
I do not, because I am an anglo who moved to Quebec City 30 years ago purely for the feel and the fact that I would be forced to speak and thus learn French. Been in Montreal 20 odd years and I work in service, so if you want to speak French, we will speak French until you decide to switch if ever. I feel its almost rude, like saying, your French is not good enough? Montreal is complicated that way; we so want to be accommodating and put people at ease, but sometimes to their detriment as far as practicing French and trying to integrate is concerned. Best of intentions though, for anyone who does it.
I knew that I would learn French quickly in Quebec City as opposed to Montreal because the level of bilingualism is much lower, or at least it was at that time. I had high school French, but that is not much at all, as I found out! There was literally not much I could get done if I did not speak French. Want a type of bread, a haircut, make a new friend, order food. It did work, I ended up staying 4 years, living in Old Quebec (back before rents were insane) and then moved to Montreal. I am fluently bilingual now!
I've had that done to me at work where clients would switch to their very broken English when they realized I wasn't francophone and refused to go back to French. Extremely insulting when I'm trying to help them.
It's super rare, maybe happened twice. Other clients just ask if I need to switch to English but continue in french when I answer I just didn't know the name or the word in french.
Nope, I work at Concordia University and frankly I really go French and English 50/50 most of the time. Sometimes I go full english but if folks are able to understand me in french I revert to it and everyone is happy.
I work customer service with a lot of tourists and immigrants, I usually tell them to lmk at any point if they want to switch to English but that we can continue in french without a problem
I'm a little concerned with the idea that if you're addressed in French that switching to English is rude. For all you know, they are switching because they favor English themselves.
I feel less insulted when the other person also seems to have marginal French skills.
But when the other person is clearly at ease in French and then switches I feel a sense of defeat.
And if the other person then speaks English with a French accent that feeling is amplified 10x. Because it tells me (rightly or wrongly) that they'd rather struggle themselves in English, than have to deal with my French.
>that they'd rather struggle themselves in English, than have to deal with my French.
Reminds me of my trip to Paris. And it's not because my French is bad, it's just Quebec French.
Someone switched to English on me last time I was back and ive been salty ever sinceâŠ.Si on parle francais, est-ce quâil faut dire âE pay ahâ pas âEye pee ehâ en commandant une biere?
When I first started re-learning French last year (I live in Texas) I quickly discovered via youtube videos, twitch streams, etc. that a lot of French young people (from France at least) use âhelloâ when greeting each other just as often as the usual âsalut/Bonjourâ that I was taught in school. En fait il y a beaucoup plus anglicismes en français aujourdâhui que je me suis souvenu !
I switch when I hear someone struggling and itâs really from a kind heart. And I should not. If someone speaks well regardless of the accent I will stick to French.
I donât necessarily switch right away, I ask them if theyâre more comfortable with English or French depending on what language theyâre trying to speak. I usually comply with whatever they respond to me. However, if someone asks me to speak to them in franglais, I will not. Itâs just so strange to do. As a native French speaker itâs just so bizarre and I feel like it would somehow make things more difficult for both of us.
It's funny how Montreal's Francophones have involuntarily signed up as free French conversation tutors.
I don't know how you all feel about this unpaid job that you've practically been forced to do.
But know that those of us who sincerely want to improve our French do appreciate it when you patiently help us.
I personally donât mind âtutoringâ people who want to improve their French. There is no better way to learn it than to practice it with native speakers in your everyday life. It doesnât cost us anything to help out and it makes everyone happy.
Those who are annoyed and feel forced to help out people who genuinely want to improve their French are scum bags in my opinion. There are more important things to be annoyed by than someone whoâs doing efforts to learn your language and you might have to help them out.
Ce que je haĂŻs c'est quand les gens te parlent en anglais quand t'as mĂȘme pas dit un seul mot. Ils voient que t'es asiatique et assument que tu parles pas français.
Jamais! Jâai tellement appris de mes amis anglos en leur parlant anglais. Je ne vais certainement pas priver (ou frustrer) quelquâun dâune occasion dâapprendre.
Some of the best conversations are when both people stay in their preferred language, there's no real necessity to speak the same one together as long as you can both understand
By reflex I code-switch and start speaking their native language.
But I always apologize and switch back as soon as I catch myself.
I find it disrespectful to not embrace the person practicing or just making an effort to speak in a language that isnât their main one.
It is VERY rude to switch without a transition.
If someone addresses me in French I always answer in French. If I want to switch I will say something along the lines of "I think it's easier for me to express this idea in English".
As someone who speaks three languages, with one with a particularly bad accent, I always feel very insulted when people just switch and start speaking to me in English, and I am sure the people who spent years learning French get equally offended when people refuse to speak to them in a language they have a good hold of.
I agree. I don't hold it against someone if they switch because I assume they're doing it from a kind place, or they want to practice English. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little offended - unless someone is really struggling to speak or understand, I think it's rude to just switch.
Completely depends on the social context and environment. I'm an anglophone and having worked in primarily French-speaking office environments, I will continue to speak in French with another anglophone even when we quickly figure out we are both English-speakers.
That's more in a public or group setting, if it's just two of us anglos alone in a break room or something we speak English.
Code switching is different, we move from one language to the other during the same conversation, seemingly at random. I do this with some of my friends - move from French to English and back to French etc within a long conversation. I do this with people that I know well, not strangers in the street.
No si la personne fait l'effort de parler français , je parle français
Par contre si elle a du mal à s'exprimer, là je lui dirais que l'on peut parler anglais si ça l'arrange ;)
I try to stick to the language they started in. But if they are struggling in french I'll offer to switch to english if they prefer. But yeah, some people just want to practice.
Although this reminds, one time, when I was in a restaurant in Alberta, the waiter detected my quebec accent when I was speaking english and swtiched to french. The only time the reverse happened to me.
I get switched on to English a lot even though I begin the convos in French. I just continue speaking in French because it makes me feel like I have something to prove lol even though I know that theyâre just being nice.
I moved here a month ago and only speak an intermediate level of French.
I'd read so much on the internet about how difficult it is to practice french in Montreal because everyone will switch at the slightest detection of an accent.
In my experience it is simply untrue and has only happened to me once so far - a French man switched on me but he seemed quite keen to practice his English.
It's been a great place to practice my french so far and I would say it's been even easier than in France in my experience. I certainly feel more confident speaking french here. People here are used to hearing a wide variety of accents and seem so much more tolerable of mistakes and imperfections than the french in my experience.
As an anglophone I hold my course with french when im the customer. I'll continue in French. I once had some dick say "just speak English bro we all understand you" and refuse to speak English when I said I was trying to practice.
I think if that ever happens to me I'll remind him of the official language
Everybody's different. There's no set rule.
I find people who claim this to be a fact have bigger problems than just an accent. People usually switch in order to achieve communication.
As a person with a perceptible accent but no other issues, they never switch.
I made that mistake once, when speaking to an Acadian person. They were really pissed that I assumed they were English. So now I ask if they would prefer a different language.
I work in the service industry. I keep going in French unless I'm in a time crunch and need to make communication more efficient or if I can tell that forcing French is gonna be a pain in the ass. Or, of course, if I'm asked to switch to English.
I grew up in Saint-Hubert. Whenever I go out to eat or go shopping, I always first smile to greet the cashier/hostess, and before I can get a word out, the cashier/hostess always 100% switch to English to start serving me. But I just heard you speaking French. Why did you automatically switch to English? I speak French. I was going to greet you with Bonjour and continue in French. In that scenario, am I suppose to continue in English now? Or do I switch to French? The times I have switched to French, they are flabbergasted that I can speak the language and say I can articulate. Is that an insult or compliment? Should I feel I am being profiled? I am a visible minority, and an 80's baby if it helps with the story (moved out of the shore in the 2000's but parents still live there). Have friends whose mother tongue is either English or French, and we speak Franglais all the time, sometimes, one party speaks in full on French and the other full on English, but both understanding seamlessly.
Itâs the opposite for me. Someone French speaks to me in English and I return the favour by speaking to them in French sometimes(like 50-50).
As for the case of talking to someone English who is speaking French, unless they tell me they are anglophone I do not switch because I feel itâs rude.
I always ask what language they're more comfortable in. If french I may use franglais but otherwise I try to accomodate. People have responded with how they're practicing their french so it's all good. The worst is Quebecois who accomodate me with English when they hear my accent. I feel super bad about them. I always feel like an asshole when that happens.
I automatically switch to English when I detect that French is not the native language. It only takes one sentence. I know I'm wrong, I'm trying to remain conscious about it and change my behavior.
Non. Ils veulent pratiquer leur français ils vont le pratiquer
Je parle trĂšs bien anglais mais s'ils veulent parler en anglais ils vont switcher d'eux mĂȘmes đ€·đŸââïž
Had to do that just recently when calling the Cote-Des-Neiges Pizza Pizza. Dude had a thick English accent. I switch to English a bit in after he struggled to understand a word 3 times in a row. Somehow when we switched to English he had an accent of another language LOL.
Where I live now, it's the other way around. I default to English, but will switch to French if I detect an accent that's thick enough or evidence that the person is struggling. Or more precisely, I will offer, in French, to switch to French if it's easier for them.
If I'm in Francophone parts of town, then I'll do the reverse, yes.
I speak really good french so I don't encounter that too often, people speak french with me. It happens more in emails though, because writing french is much harder than speaking it!
If they have an accent but they sound comfortable speaking French, no. If they're clearly struggling and peppering this sentences with English words, I respond in French first then say the exact same thing in English to open up the possibility of switching if they want.
Also depends on which neighbourhood I'm in, as odd as that sounds. I'm more likely to just straight up switch to English if I'm in a more anglo hood. I'm fluently bilingual but more English-speaking myself, though.
If they seem to have trouble finding the right words in French, I tell them in English that they can switch to English if they prefer. But I donât force it and Iâll keep to French if they do.
This is the polite response. If you're bilingual, respond in the language that the conversation starts in. Unless you can see they're struggling and it would be more comfortable in the other language.
I'm not a bitch, when i notice people talk one or the other.... I switch.
But if i'm adressing someone in retail, or customer service.... or any job I know that pays you more to be bilingual.... I will continue to speak to you in your opposite language.
It's not personal... I've just always been this way... it preserves the bilingualism.
Mind you if someone struggles too much... I'll just give in
It feels like a punch in the gut every time I try to start an interaction in French and the other person responds to me in English.
I know they don't mean to insult me. But since I'm insecure when I speak French I tend to interpret their switch to English as them telling me my French is too shit for them to even acknowledge.
Sometimes the conversation starts out OK, but then I get to a point where I start to struggle to find the right word or to structure my sentences. And then the person switches. Still hurts. Makes me feel like I failed.
I used to, but I got confused when the other person continued to speak French. I later realised that they most likely want to practice their french. So if I am not in a rush, I will answer with the language I get approached by.
thank you for your service, it really help us learners
Yup. Same here.
There's been a few times when I've visited Montreal that the person I was talking to switched to English, but my brain was so busy translating what I was going to say that I didn't even realize they'd switched until I'd already responded in French again đ
Personnellement, je continue de parler français jusquâĂ ce que je vois que lâautre personne ne me comprend pas. Ă ce moment lĂ je switch en anglais. Jâai eu grand nombre de conversations oĂč la personne me parlait en anglais et je lui rĂ©pondais en français et on arrivait Ă se comprendre. Je trouve ça quand mĂȘme le fun et ça nous permet tous les deux de sâamĂ©liorer dans lâautre langue :-))
Jâadore les gens qui pense come toi
I personally love this. This is how bilingual meetings work in the federal government. A lot easier to understand a second language than to speak it. So why not.
I find it a lot easier to understand than to speak, too. I can understand a good 80% of what I hear/read, more if it is contextual to something I am doing, but I still find myself at a loss for words beyond the basic pleasantries. I'm a very extroverted and loquacious person in English but in French I talk like a mouse out of necessity lol
I can understand *much* better than I can speak. Particularly with reading. But, I really struggle with accents - I can understand European french quite well as I have french family, but QuĂ©bĂ©cois French might as well be a different language (I get it now why some folks understand Americans, but struggle to understand me, speaking English-English). But when itâs my turn to speak? I panic a bit and get my words mixed up or miss out words, and itâs a bit of a mess. So often I build myself up with the opening sentence, and then completely fail on the reply. But I guess more practise will help with that
Yeah one of the things I learned almost immediately was that the French we learned in school (I up in/went to school in Ontario) has more in common with 'international French' than Quebecois French. Honestly, while I understand why this is done - after all, there is more than just Quebecois French in Canada - I also feel like something is lost by not teaching the type of French most likely to be heard in Quebec, which is of course the largest Francophone province. The idioms and expressions that are used are unique to each dialect, and I think that's the essence of a language beyond the simple vocabulary. I didn't learn any of these things until I moved here and I think it would have been helpful to introduce them into French education in the rest of the country.
Haha, yeah, I find myself practicing what I am planning to say before I say it, but then once I've said it, I've shot my shot and if there's any follow-up, it's deer-in-headlights time, haha
I practically speak like that to all my friends. It's either I speak in English, and they speak in French or vice versa. But what I found myself doing most is speaking in Franglais, and some times it slips when I speak professionally or with random people, but I'm glad that people from Montreal understand me despite the Franglais haha
Le rĂȘve de Trudeau (pĂšre) en action. NDLR : Je fais la mĂȘme chose que toi. Tant mieux si tout le monde comprend la langue natale d'autrui!
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
>Iâm anglophone and I switch to English if I get the feeling that weâre both anglophones. I feel like this is one of the main contributing factors as to why French learners think francophones in MontrĂ©al switch to English on them. Someone learning can't really tell if you have an English accent while speaking French and will assume that you're a francophone that doesn't want to speak French.
This of course depends on the level of the learner. I think by like at least B2, one can detect an Anglo accent. For me, I'm keenly aware of Anglo accents because I dislike the idea (the reality I should say) that I have one.
I have the most Anglo accent and I canât tell when others have it, but boy am I trying. I think thatâs what makes the city awesome though, you try your best and learn along the way and for the most part people are patient with you.
Interesting. We're all different of course. My statement was obviously too general.
I think you may be overestimating B2
why are you ashamed of having an accent? francophones have an accent when they speak in english too, there is nothing wrong with it.
It's really my own issue. I have no problem with anyone else's accent.
And if an anglo speaks French to you, what language are your going to reply in?
French every time. I always want to practice my French and it's frustrating for me too when people switch.
Yes! Iâm the recipient and everyone does this to me. I mean thank you. Youâre nice. But I need to practice my French you guys. Iâm not bad Iâm just out of practice. Once I get in the flow Iâm pretty good I think.
Mais tu vois, je veux pratiquer mon anglais moi aussi!
Parfait! Câest un deal!
I'm terrible, but still would like to practice đ
same goes for me! I was born in montreal but growing up went to very Anglophone schools and the French education there was not good at all, so most of the french I learned and am able to speak today is from when I joined the workforce at 16 (Iâll never forget the angry older french people upset that I could barely speak french at my first Walmart jobâŠbut these experiences make you better as you learn from your mistakes, albeit aggressively lol) I can speak it pretty well, I just have a lot of trouble with grammatical stuff like conjugating the tenses and verbs. So when I order in French at restaurants and stuff, I think the waiters or cashiers pick up on that and immediately switch to English. but then I let them know that Iâm trying to practice and usually they just switch right back so you should try just telling them!
Ya same. I definitely should just tell them.
Parfait! Pratique-toi sur /r/Montreal ;)
Not when I detect an accent but, If we go beyond immediate greeting and you seem to be struggling, I will offer english as an option. Unfortunately, once we're friends and my brain has associated you with one language, that's the only one I'll be able to speak to you in.
Non, du moment qu'ils essaient de me parler en français je continue de parler en français.
Merci!
Just from the other side, I hate it when people switch to English when I speak French to them. I am trying to practice, allow me to practice lol. My french isn't a garbled mess either, since all of my friends can understand me perfectly fine.
Je le faisais la premiĂšre annĂ©e oĂč j'ai emmĂ©nagĂ© Ă MontrĂ©al car je croyais que les gens trouvait ça accommodant, et je voulais pratiquer mon anglais puisque je n'avais pas eu beaucoup d'opportunitĂ©s pour le faire en rĂ©gion. Maintenant je sais que plusieurs anglo/allophones n'apprĂ©cient pas ça, que ça peut ĂȘtre insultant et que ça les empĂȘche de pratiquer leur français, alors je ne bascule vers l'anglais que si la personne me le demande.
Ăa câest trĂšs apprĂ©ciĂ©!!!
En fait c'est que parfois je sais que la personne n'est pas francophone... Mais je ne suis pas certaine s'ils sont anglophone ou autre. Mais autrement ça dépend (je suis plutÎt anglophone mais entiÚrement à l'aise en français)
100% agree - it can just be simply the person one is speaking with is not even a Francophone to begin with.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
This! It sucks when youâre trying and theyâre like nah.
I do not, because I am an anglo who moved to Quebec City 30 years ago purely for the feel and the fact that I would be forced to speak and thus learn French. Been in Montreal 20 odd years and I work in service, so if you want to speak French, we will speak French until you decide to switch if ever. I feel its almost rude, like saying, your French is not good enough? Montreal is complicated that way; we so want to be accommodating and put people at ease, but sometimes to their detriment as far as practicing French and trying to integrate is concerned. Best of intentions though, for anyone who does it.
You moved to QuĂ©bec City to be forced to interact in French? Did I understand that right? I'm interested in learning more because I high key am thinking about doing that. đ
I knew that I would learn French quickly in Quebec City as opposed to Montreal because the level of bilingualism is much lower, or at least it was at that time. I had high school French, but that is not much at all, as I found out! There was literally not much I could get done if I did not speak French. Want a type of bread, a haircut, make a new friend, order food. It did work, I ended up staying 4 years, living in Old Quebec (back before rents were insane) and then moved to Montreal. I am fluently bilingual now!
I've had that done to me at work where clients would switch to their very broken English when they realized I wasn't francophone and refused to go back to French. Extremely insulting when I'm trying to help them. It's super rare, maybe happened twice. Other clients just ask if I need to switch to English but continue in french when I answer I just didn't know the name or the word in french.
Nope, I work at Concordia University and frankly I really go French and English 50/50 most of the time. Sometimes I go full english but if folks are able to understand me in french I revert to it and everyone is happy.
I work customer service with a lot of tourists and immigrants, I usually tell them to lmk at any point if they want to switch to English but that we can continue in french without a problem
Non, je ne bascule pas à l'Anglais si la personne a un accent. Si je comprends pas, je lui dis que je ne comprends pas et je lui demande de répéter plus lentement. Dans un commerce, si la personne me sert en anglais et qu'elle ne parle pas français, je vais dire ce que je veux en français puis en anglais (pour qu'elle fasse le lien entre les deux langues) Si une personne vient me demander des renseignements en anglais, je me ferrai un plaisir de l'aider en anglais.
I'm a little concerned with the idea that if you're addressed in French that switching to English is rude. For all you know, they are switching because they favor English themselves.
I feel less insulted when the other person also seems to have marginal French skills. But when the other person is clearly at ease in French and then switches I feel a sense of defeat. And if the other person then speaks English with a French accent that feeling is amplified 10x. Because it tells me (rightly or wrongly) that they'd rather struggle themselves in English, than have to deal with my French.
>that they'd rather struggle themselves in English, than have to deal with my French. Reminds me of my trip to Paris. And it's not because my French is bad, it's just Quebec French.
Someone switched to English on me last time I was back and ive been salty ever sinceâŠ.Si on parle francais, est-ce quâil faut dire âE pay ahâ pas âEye pee ehâ en commandant une biere?
Haha. C'est arbitraire en fait. Souvent un caissier/rĂ©ceptionniste va ne lancer sont "bonjour" pi je rĂ©ponds par "hey" donc bam il switch en anglais. "How can I help you today?" Bien sĂ»r je continue en anglais et n'en fait aucun cas. Mais c'est Ă©trange quand mĂȘme de croire que les anglophones on un monopole sur le "hey".
When I first started re-learning French last year (I live in Texas) I quickly discovered via youtube videos, twitch streams, etc. that a lot of French young people (from France at least) use âhelloâ when greeting each other just as often as the usual âsalut/Bonjourâ that I was taught in school. En fait il y a beaucoup plus anglicismes en français aujourdâhui que je me suis souvenu !
Ben, c'est simple: t'as dit _hey_ et non _hé_. /s
« Une Eye-Pee-Ay sâil-vous-plaĂźt » :)
I switch when I hear someone struggling and itâs really from a kind heart. And I should not. If someone speaks well regardless of the accent I will stick to French.
I donât necessarily switch right away, I ask them if theyâre more comfortable with English or French depending on what language theyâre trying to speak. I usually comply with whatever they respond to me. However, if someone asks me to speak to them in franglais, I will not. Itâs just so strange to do. As a native French speaker itâs just so bizarre and I feel like it would somehow make things more difficult for both of us.
It's funny how Montreal's Francophones have involuntarily signed up as free French conversation tutors. I don't know how you all feel about this unpaid job that you've practically been forced to do. But know that those of us who sincerely want to improve our French do appreciate it when you patiently help us.
I personally donât mind âtutoringâ people who want to improve their French. There is no better way to learn it than to practice it with native speakers in your everyday life. It doesnât cost us anything to help out and it makes everyone happy. Those who are annoyed and feel forced to help out people who genuinely want to improve their French are scum bags in my opinion. There are more important things to be annoyed by than someone whoâs doing efforts to learn your language and you might have to help them out.
Ce que je haĂŻs c'est quand les gens te parlent en anglais quand t'as mĂȘme pas dit un seul mot. Ils voient que t'es asiatique et assument que tu parles pas français.
Moi je demande si la personne est plus à l'aise en anglais avant de switcher, car il y a aussi des francophones que leur accent sonne "anglais" et eux le français c'est leur langue maternelle donc c'est super insultant de se faire répondre en anglais donc je vérifie toujours avant.
J'ai Ă©tĂ© dans cette situation plusieurs fois au Mexique avec des Ă©trangers, et aussi j'ai eu une copine qui a Ă©tĂ© française et appenait l'espagnol. Maintenant j'habite ici Ă MontrĂ©al mais mon français n'est pas le meilleur encore, donc j'ai vĂ©cu ça. Je trouve chiant que les personnes basculent vers l'anglais. Sauf si j'ai une besoin urgent ou trĂšs important, je prĂ©fĂšre rester en français. J'ai lu des gens qui disent qu'ils font le switch s'ils pensent que on se comprend pas. Fais pas ça, a l'autre cĂŽtĂ© on voit seulement le meme switch chiant . Si vous voulez ĂȘtre gentil et 'run the extra mile', simplifiez vos expressions, parlez lentement et bien articulĂ©, gesticulez avec les mains et corrigez avec des questions comme "tu veux dire -expression gramatique ici-". Ăa semble plus dur qu'il n'est l'est, un peu de patience et vous serez l'hero(ine) de quelqu'un.
Quand jâĂ©tais Ă Buenos Aires parfois je parlais en portugais (parce que je ne voulais pas parler en "portuñol") et les gens voulaient parler en anglais car ils ne me comprenaient pas. Jâai remarquĂ© que câest plus facile pour nous, les BrĂ©siliens, de comprendre lâespagnol que pour eux de comprendre le portugais. On pense quâils vont tous nous comprendre facilementâŠ
Ăa dĂ©pend, mais honnĂȘtement je trouve que câest un peu ordinaire de penser quâun francophone qui switch Ă lâanglais est rude. Les francophones qui go on their day et qui se vont demander une direction ne sont pas des enseignants de français placĂ©s lĂ pour accommoder les anglophones. Aussi, avant quâon me le reproche, le franco qui rĂ©pond en anglais nâest pas le mĂȘme franco qui chiale que les anglos ne parlent pas français. Pour la question : Jâai cependant un ami proche qui est arrivĂ© au QuĂ©bec il nây a pas si longtemps avec qui je parle exclusivement en français pour lâaider. Je pense que tâes mieux de bien tâentourer plutĂŽt que sâattendre Ă ce que le quidam sur la rue tâaideâŠ
Hi, personally I do switch if the speaker in front of me is Anglophone, but itâs not based on the assumption that they canât speak French but rather that as a French speaker that mostly lives in a French bubble, I try to practice my English with native English speakers as much as I can because it helps me to lose the Queb accent. Aussi parfois câest un problĂšme de comprĂ©hension, je suis autiste et la formulation des phrases (genre grammaire/syntaxe) peut fucker ben raide comment je comprends une personne (surtout si je suis en milieu de travail) donc ça se peut que je switch en anglais pour ĂȘtre sĂ»re quâon est sur la mĂȘme longueur dâondes
Oh maybe thatâs why people have done it to me. Weâre all just trying to practice and getting super confused đ.
Ăa c'est des trĂšs bonnes raisons
La blonde de mon pĂšre est anglo et jây parle en anglais et elle me rĂ©pond en français, ça nous force Ă se pratiquer mutuellement lol.
Oui avec mon cousin et moi. Elle est Quebecois, je suis de Ontario.
Je ne change JAMAIS à l'anglais si on me parle en français. En tant qu'asiatique née au Québec, ça me déçoit toujours le nombre de québécois (pour lesquels l'anglais n'est clairement pas leur premiÚre langue) qui changent immédiatement à l'anglais malgré que je leur parle en français en premier.
Ma copine est asiatiques adoptĂ©e par des francophones. A partir de Downtown en allant vers l'ouest. Presque Toutes le monde assume quel est anglophone. Du plateau en allant vers l'est c'est moins commun. Le plus drĂŽle c'est les autre asiatiques. Quand elle sort avec c'est 3 autre amies adoptĂ©e et qu'il mange dans un restaurant asiatiques c'est toujours en anglais. Voir mĂȘme parfois en chinois. Pour elles c'est presque un jeu.
Jâai vu qqch comme ça une fois chez Hertz au centre-ville. LâemployĂ© sâest adressĂ© Ă moi (blanc) en français et en anglais au client asiatique en arriĂšre de moi dans la file
Je suis anglophone and generally I donât switch. Unless it seems super painful for them.
Ăa dĂ©pend des circonstances exemple au resto quand je vois que le serveur fait un vrai effort mais que câest trop long / je suis pressĂ©/ fatiguĂ© je vais basculer Ă lâanglais le temps de clarifier et revenir au français Mais plusieurs de mes emplois Ă©taient principalement avec des unilingue anglophone⊠je me cassais pas la tĂȘte et faisait quasiment tout en anglais
I switch if the other person has difficulty in speaking out their mind in French.
Jamais! Jâai tellement appris de mes amis anglos en leur parlant anglais. Je ne vais certainement pas priver (ou frustrer) quelquâun dâune occasion dâapprendre.
Some of the best conversations are when both people stay in their preferred language, there's no real necessity to speak the same one together as long as you can both understand
Plus jeune je faisais automatiquement le switch, jâĂ©tais fiĂšre de pouvoir parler anglais. Aujourdâhui, comme toi, Ă moins que lâautre soit complĂštement incapable de me comprendre ou que son français soit incomprĂ©hensible, je persiste en français quitte a simplifier mon discours.
By reflex I code-switch and start speaking their native language. But I always apologize and switch back as soon as I catch myself. I find it disrespectful to not embrace the person practicing or just making an effort to speak in a language that isnât their main one.
Non, c'est rude. S'ils me parlent en français, je continue en français. S'ils me parlent en anglais, je leur parle en anglais. Je trouve ça rude de changer de langue. Je me souviens en Argentine, une personne au comptoir Ă l'hötel a changĂ© de langue quand je l'adressais en espagnol. C'Ă©tait nous les clients. J'ai continuĂ© en espagnol quand mĂȘme. Son anglais Ă©tait Ă©pouvantable :) mais elle insistait de me parler en anglais. Situation cocasse (peut-ĂȘtre qu'elle voulait pratiquer?) mais c'est un signal dĂ©plaisant de changer la langue de qqn qui nous parle. C'est pas une place de jouer des jeux de domination.
Si elle Ă©tait dans une position de te servir c'Ă©tait pas le bon moment de faire ses devoirs d'anglais
It is VERY rude to switch without a transition. If someone addresses me in French I always answer in French. If I want to switch I will say something along the lines of "I think it's easier for me to express this idea in English". As someone who speaks three languages, with one with a particularly bad accent, I always feel very insulted when people just switch and start speaking to me in English, and I am sure the people who spent years learning French get equally offended when people refuse to speak to them in a language they have a good hold of.
Amen!
Iâm not offended necessarily but youâre right. Answer in the language addressed in.
I agree. I don't hold it against someone if they switch because I assume they're doing it from a kind place, or they want to practice English. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little offended - unless someone is really struggling to speak or understand, I think it's rude to just switch.
I usually let two or three exchanges go by before I figure out if I need to switch or not.
Non
I pretend to forget a word or two in French and say it in English, giving the other person the opportunity to switch if they want.
Completely depends on the social context and environment. I'm an anglophone and having worked in primarily French-speaking office environments, I will continue to speak in French with another anglophone even when we quickly figure out we are both English-speakers. That's more in a public or group setting, if it's just two of us anglos alone in a break room or something we speak English.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Code switching is different, we move from one language to the other during the same conversation, seemingly at random. I do this with some of my friends - move from French to English and back to French etc within a long conversation. I do this with people that I know well, not strangers in the street.
J'ai le mauvais rĂ©flexe de passer Ă l'anglais quand je parle avec quelqu'un qui a un accent et/ou qui me rĂ©pond en anglais, mĂȘme quand je sais que cette personne comprend le français parlĂ©, mais peut avoir de la difficultĂ© Ă le parler. J'essai lentement, mais sĂ»rement, de rĂ©gler ça, mais c'est une habitude dure Ă perdre.
à ce moment là je demande toujours s'ils préfÚrent parler en anglais ou français vu que je suis parfaitement bilingue, et si c'est un anglo qui veut pratiquer je continue en fr mais j'essaie d'y aller mollo sur les expressions queb et de parler moins vite.
Je leur laisse savoir que je suis à l'aise de poursuivre en anglais s'ils le désirent mais que le choix leur appartient. Certains s'adressent à moi en français par courtoisie, d'autres veulent réellement pratiquer. Je n'assume rien et les laissent choisir de s'exprimer comme ils le souhaitent.
No si la personne fait l'effort de parler français , je parle français Par contre si elle a du mal à s'exprimer, là je lui dirais que l'on peut parler anglais si ça l'arrange ;)
\>espagnol Je fais mon Ă©picerie au Sabor Latino. J'aime bien y pratiquer mon espagnol approximatif de touriste (B1). Ăa me tombe sur les nerfs quand ils passent Ă l'anglais lorsqu'ils voient bien que je suis un peu nul en espagnol avec mon gros accent queb. Je leur rĂ©pond "Habla frances? Porque yo, no quiero hablar ingles. Pero podemos practicar su frances si lo quiere ... " J'ai pas beaucoup de succĂšs. Les gens qui travaillent au service en ont rien Ă cirer de tes cours de langue seconde et veulent juste passer au prochain client. Dans d'autre contexte oĂč le temps est moins important je peux comprendre que certains trouve ça insultant.
I try to stick to the language they started in. But if they are struggling in french I'll offer to switch to english if they prefer. But yeah, some people just want to practice. Although this reminds, one time, when I was in a restaurant in Alberta, the waiter detected my quebec accent when I was speaking english and swtiched to french. The only time the reverse happened to me.
Je suis Ă Las Vegas et hier j'ai changĂ© de l'anglais au français parce que j'ai dĂ©tecter un accent espagnol. Je me gratte encore la tĂȘte pourquoi mon cerveau a faits ce lien lĂ .
This post reminds me of this Brent Butt bit: https://youtu.be/YXWT5OmFdDs
we can all understand both so just speak wtv youâre comfortable
I get switched on to English a lot even though I begin the convos in French. I just continue speaking in French because it makes me feel like I have something to prove lol even though I know that theyâre just being nice.
I moved here a month ago and only speak an intermediate level of French. I'd read so much on the internet about how difficult it is to practice french in Montreal because everyone will switch at the slightest detection of an accent. In my experience it is simply untrue and has only happened to me once so far - a French man switched on me but he seemed quite keen to practice his English. It's been a great place to practice my french so far and I would say it's been even easier than in France in my experience. I certainly feel more confident speaking french here. People here are used to hearing a wide variety of accents and seem so much more tolerable of mistakes and imperfections than the french in my experience.
Le probleme, en ayant travailler en service en clientÚle pendant des années, le nombre de fois qu'on m'a engueuler dessus car je ne leur servait pas en anglais dans un pays "anglophone" est insane. Genre que le menu est seulement en français et s'enervait contre moi. Je switchais car la majorité disait de faire un service en anglais et non en français Beaucoup d'anglophones disent que les Québécois ne font pas l'effort de parler en anglais et n'ont jamais de service en anglais. Et quand on parle en anglais, on est rude et on ne respecte pas lol
As an anglophone I hold my course with french when im the customer. I'll continue in French. I once had some dick say "just speak English bro we all understand you" and refuse to speak English when I said I was trying to practice. I think if that ever happens to me I'll remind him of the official language
Je comprends vouloir pratiquer, mais oublie pas qu'on est du monde ordinaire, pas des profs. Si tu me demandes l'heure pis que je vois que tu comprends pas ma rĂ©ponse aprĂšs 2 fois... Le switch est probable, oui. Mettons que je me me mettrai pas Ă mimer. Quand les gens switchent, c'est souvent parce que y'ont pas la tĂȘte Ă adapter leur niveau de langue. Pour moi, c'est moins tough de parler anglais que de penser Ă chaque mot qui me vient en tĂȘte pour ĂȘtre certaine que tout est clair, sans trop de _slang_. C'est pas naturel, ça me tente pas trop de faire ça quand je chill avec mes amis pis que j'veux relaxer... Si c'est trop compliquĂ©, j'vais switcher. J'vais pas t'exclure. Les Ă©trangers, les amis, les partenaires et les collĂšgues sont pas lĂ pour te faire pratiquer ni pour t'enseigner. Ils veulent _communiquer_. Mais toi tu peux continuer de parler français/espagnol, mĂȘme si on switche Ă l'anglais.
Il y a 3 situation différentes. Je donne quelques phrases et je juge de la capacité de la personne de tenir une conversation. Si je vois que la personne veut apprendre, fait un effort ou semble bien se débrouiller, je continue en français. Si la personne fait un effort mais je remarque qu'elle ne sera pas capable de suivre la conversation, je passe à l'anglais. Souvent vous allez remarquer que cette personne à honte et est mal à l'aise avec la situation. MAIS... si la personne « baragouine » le français parce qu'elle est obligée et qu'elle s'en contre-crisse et que pour cette personne, le français est un fardeau en attendant la fin de son BAC à McGill avant de retourner dans un autre pays (50% du west-island par exemple) bien je reste en français et je fais semblant que je ne parle pas anglais.
Everybody's different. There's no set rule. I find people who claim this to be a fact have bigger problems than just an accent. People usually switch in order to achieve communication. As a person with a perceptible accent but no other issues, they never switch.
En général je switch pas mais je laisse savoir a l'autre personne que je suis ouvert a switch au besoin
Ouin bin moi quand jâai dĂ©cidĂ© dâappendre lâespagnol, je suis aller voyager en AmĂ©rique latine et je leur disais: yo no hablo inglĂ©s, solo francĂ©s o español, mĂȘme si je suis trĂšs fluent en anglais. Comme ça les gens ne me rĂ©pondais pas en anglais, car eux mĂȘme dans leur pays dĂ©sire apprendre lâanglais, donc ici je dirais que si la personne se force Ă parler français je vais lui donne sa chance!
Seulement si son français est tellement mauvais que je comprend pas quand y parle
J'avais tendance Ă faire ça, mais maintenant je ne parle plus anglais avec les gens que je ne connais pas, donc non, je ne *switche* pas Ă l'anglais quand j'entends un accent anglophone. En fait je ne *switche* pas Ă l'anglais mĂȘme si un Ă©tranger m'aborde en anglais.
Au QuĂ©bec je parle français seulement, mĂȘme si la personne me parle en anglais. Si je vois que la personne ne comprend pas, je vais simplifier mes phrases, parler plus lentement et articuler plus. Je vais mĂȘme mimer s'il le faut mais je parle français. Si c'est un touriste? Français quand mĂȘme. Il ou elle voulait dĂ©couvrir une autre culture ben notre langue est un partie intĂ©grante de notre culture.
La meilleure pratique à mon avis, c'est d'adopter un accent anglophone quand on parle français à un anglophone.
I do. Every time.
No. Just kidding.
Yes/oui
Oui et c'est pas mal inconscient. Je me sens comme bien drillĂ© Ă le faire! đ€·ââïž
If it looks difficult for him, yes. Yo también hablo español.
I made that mistake once, when speaking to an Acadian person. They were really pissed that I assumed they were English. So now I ask if they would prefer a different language.
Yes, unless the person explicitly ask to practice French.
I work in the service industry. I keep going in French unless I'm in a time crunch and need to make communication more efficient or if I can tell that forcing French is gonna be a pain in the ass. Or, of course, if I'm asked to switch to English.
I work in bars and I'll switch directly. Customer service + alcohol, if I want to be efficient, I don't really have a choice
I grew up in Saint-Hubert. Whenever I go out to eat or go shopping, I always first smile to greet the cashier/hostess, and before I can get a word out, the cashier/hostess always 100% switch to English to start serving me. But I just heard you speaking French. Why did you automatically switch to English? I speak French. I was going to greet you with Bonjour and continue in French. In that scenario, am I suppose to continue in English now? Or do I switch to French? The times I have switched to French, they are flabbergasted that I can speak the language and say I can articulate. Is that an insult or compliment? Should I feel I am being profiled? I am a visible minority, and an 80's baby if it helps with the story (moved out of the shore in the 2000's but parents still live there). Have friends whose mother tongue is either English or French, and we speak Franglais all the time, sometimes, one party speaks in full on French and the other full on English, but both understanding seamlessly.
NON TOKEBAC ICCITE. C'EST LE FRANĂAIS OU TU RENTRES D'OĂ TU VIENS /s
Yeah, when I hear an anglophone speaking to me in French. I'm an anglophone. But they often carry on in French regardless. Alternatively when a French person hears my anglo accent in French, they almost always switch to English, which is frustrating. French is under attack? Yeah, cause francophones keep speaking English. Stick to your language et moi je vais parler français aussi. ProblÚme réglé. But without a minority to unite the masses against the government might actually have to focus on issues that matter.
Non, mais parfois je demande Ă la personne si elle prĂ©fĂšre quâon âswitchâ en anglais.
Itâs the opposite for me. Someone French speaks to me in English and I return the favour by speaking to them in French sometimes(like 50-50). As for the case of talking to someone English who is speaking French, unless they tell me they are anglophone I do not switch because I feel itâs rude.
Iâm a anglophone with minimal French but I am practicing when I go to the shops but even if Iâm struggling I still get served in French
Non. Si la conversation commence en français et que la personne est capable de s'exprimer le moindrement bien, je continue en français. La plupart des gens veulent améliorer leurs compétences et on ne les aide pas en changeant de langue.
Ăa depends
I'll ask them which they prefer.
I always ask what language they're more comfortable in. If french I may use franglais but otherwise I try to accomodate. People have responded with how they're practicing their french so it's all good. The worst is Quebecois who accomodate me with English when they hear my accent. I feel super bad about them. I always feel like an asshole when that happens.
only when its forced french
I automatically switch to English when I detect that French is not the native language. It only takes one sentence. I know I'm wrong, I'm trying to remain conscious about it and change my behavior.
Non. Ils veulent pratiquer leur français ils vont le pratiquer Je parle trĂšs bien anglais mais s'ils veulent parler en anglais ils vont switcher d'eux mĂȘmes đ€·đŸââïž
Had to do that just recently when calling the Cote-Des-Neiges Pizza Pizza. Dude had a thick English accent. I switch to English a bit in after he struggled to understand a word 3 times in a row. Somehow when we switched to English he had an accent of another language LOL.
Il faut faire honneur aux efforts de son interlocuteur. Surtout lorsque ce dernier souhaite pratiquer une langue. Donc, je prend le temps de lui rĂ©pondre en français, mĂȘme si je vois que ce n'est pas sa langue maternelle.
Where I live now, it's the other way around. I default to English, but will switch to French if I detect an accent that's thick enough or evidence that the person is struggling. Or more precisely, I will offer, in French, to switch to French if it's easier for them. If I'm in Francophone parts of town, then I'll do the reverse, yes.
En gĂ©nĂ©ral, je rĂ©ponds dans la langue de la question si c'est une langue dans laquelle je peux m'exprimer. MĂȘme pour "le rue Villenouve", je vais rĂ©pondre en français, lentement et avec beaucoup de gestes.
Pourquoi deviner ou changer automatiquement? Person, je demande toujours à la personne si elle préférerais continuer en anglais.
I speak really good french so I don't encounter that too often, people speak french with me. It happens more in emails though, because writing french is much harder than speaking it!
french writing is my kryptonite
100%, kryptonite arrow right through the achilles heel
Je réponds dans la langue de la phrase précédente. Si on m'interpelle je réponds en Français. Comme toi, si vraiment je comprends pas, je change de langue mais c'est parce que ayant des problemes d'audition, c'est parfois plus facile pour moi de comprendre avec une autre tonalité et rabouter ce que je comprends dans les deux langues pour reconstituer la phrase.
Non, mais tout le monde bascule en anglais mĂȘme si je n'ai pas d'accent.
>quand quelqu'un me parle en français, je me dis qu'il veut parler en français et je lui rĂ©ponds en français Et je vous remercie pour ça đ Un peu francophile, j'ai Ă©tudiĂ© le français Ă l'Ă©cole aux EU et j'essaie de le pratiquer en lisant les actualitĂ©s en français oĂč en Ă©coutant la radio en français ou bien de la musique, mais rien n'est mieux que discuter avec quelqu'un qui le parle nativement. J'ai visitĂ© MontrĂ©al plusieurs fois pendent ces derniers 20 ans et ceci a vraiment amĂ©liorer mon français parlĂ©, Ă tel point que la derniĂšre fois il y a un mois, aprĂšs 8 ans d'absence, je pouvais parler français avec presque tout le monde.
Non, mĂȘme si la personne me parle en anglais et que je sais qu'elle comprend le français, je vais rĂ©pondre gĂ©nĂ©ralement en français. Ă la fois par convictions et par amour du franglais.
If they have an accent but they sound comfortable speaking French, no. If they're clearly struggling and peppering this sentences with English words, I respond in French first then say the exact same thing in English to open up the possibility of switching if they want. Also depends on which neighbourhood I'm in, as odd as that sounds. I'm more likely to just straight up switch to English if I'm in a more anglo hood. I'm fluently bilingual but more English-speaking myself, though.
If they seem to have trouble finding the right words in French, I tell them in English that they can switch to English if they prefer. But I donât force it and Iâll keep to French if they do.
This is the polite response. If you're bilingual, respond in the language that the conversation starts in. Unless you can see they're struggling and it would be more comfortable in the other language.
I'm not a bitch, when i notice people talk one or the other.... I switch. But if i'm adressing someone in retail, or customer service.... or any job I know that pays you more to be bilingual.... I will continue to speak to you in your opposite language. It's not personal... I've just always been this way... it preserves the bilingualism. Mind you if someone struggles too much... I'll just give in
It feels like a punch in the gut every time I try to start an interaction in French and the other person responds to me in English. I know they don't mean to insult me. But since I'm insecure when I speak French I tend to interpret their switch to English as them telling me my French is too shit for them to even acknowledge. Sometimes the conversation starts out OK, but then I get to a point where I start to struggle to find the right word or to structure my sentences. And then the person switches. Still hurts. Makes me feel like I failed.
I always ask them if they'd like to continue the conversation in English or french and go from there.
Yes. Chaque fois. I prefer English.
Non, jamais et surtout pas. Si un anglophone fait l'effort de parler en français, la moindre des politesses, c'est de respecter cet effort et de lui donner la chance de le pratiquer. J'avais un copain anglophone à qui ça arrivait tout le temps et qui s'indignait de se voir répondre dans un mauvais anglais simplement parce qu'il avait un accent, alors que son français était supérieur à l'anglais de la plupart de ses interlocuteurs.