moreMontreal eGuide, Language et french-english dictionnary

• About this guide
• About Montreal
• Preparing your trip to Montreal (1)
• How to get to Montreal (2)
• What you must know once here (3)
•• What you shouldn't miss
•• Everything you must know
•• How to get around
•• Where to get more free information
• What you must do before leaving (4)

Montreal restaurants, hotels, bars, museums and much more.

From Old Montreal to the Plateau and Chinatown, all the information in this guide divided by neighbourhood with maps.

• Street maps
• Public transit
• Consulates (ambassies)
• Weather

Language et french-english dictionnary

If you don't speak French, don't worry most people in tourist areas speak English. If you're practicing your French, don't be surprised if a Francophone will switch to English., just insist on speaking French and explain you're practicing. Don't expect everyone to speak English. (that goes for most non-english speaking countries anyway).

Here's a couple of words that can be useful on your visit here. If you are looking for an "alternative" dictionary of québécois slang, you can click here (there are mostly swear words and old expressions, most of them are not used regularly, some I've never heard).

Bonjour / Bonsoir : that'd be "hi!" (bonsoir if it's the evening).
Chaud/Froid : hot (chaud) or cold (froid), so if you see the letter 'C' on a faucet, it's the hot water, the other one is the cold water faucet.
Poussez/Tirez : if you see this on a door, you either push (Poussez) or pull (Tirez).
Parlez vous anglais? : it means "do you speak English.?".
Toilettes : it means bathrooms, as in "où sont les toilettes?" (where's the bathroom?). The other things are easy to sign or mime but this one is difficult. By the way, if there's a sign saying "Homme", it's the bathroom for men. If it's "Femmes" or "Dames", it's for women. Most bathroom signs have those little pictograms, so there's not much chance of getting in the wrong one.
More to come...

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Last update: 03/05/2008