Are people in Montreal rude to English tourists?

Question

I've heard that you shouldn't go to Montreal because people there are really rude if you can't speak french. It's weird because I live in canada and I'm worried about travelling in my own country!

Answer 1

Yes, I'd heard the same.

Answer 2

you should definately not worry about that.

montreal is a big city, and like other cities there are people who are rude and some who are nice.

there are a lot of people who speak english in montreal and it is a big tourist zone. think about it, if montreal were rude to english tourists, no one would come back. and people DO come back. people are nice, and if you want to go have a good time and party it up, english french chinese african whatever you are, montreal is where the partayys at.

Answer 3

yes it is true BUT you shouldn't let that stop you going there if you really want to.  Also I've found that they (some) are quite happy to try and rip me off but are shocked when I speak French to them, after all it is just as much my right to speak English as it is theirs to speak French.

Me I personally wouldn't go to Montreal it is just another large grubby city that could be from anywhere.  If you want to go to a better place in Quebec try Quebec City but you will need more French there than in Montreal

Answer 4

I am a unilingual English speaking Canadian and I have visited Montreal many times, as well as many other parts of Quebec.  I have never been treated rudely because I don't speak French.  I always carry a French/English dictionary with me and I always make an effort to use as much French as I can, and I know more French every time I visit, but you really do not have to worry about it.  You will be treated well and many, many people speak English.

Answer 5

I worked an hour outside Montreal for 3 months, and was surprised at how many people speak English.  The aren't rude at all (with the exception of a few people).  Montreal is very multi-cultural.  I should note that while i speak french - its with a VERY BAD accent, and English is my native language.

Answer 6

No I don't think so.First of all don't believe anything you hear and whenever you make a generalization follow up with clear details.Second don't blame the city.Montreal is a very popular touristic destination.You can't judge a book by it's cover, can you?

Answer 7

Much of Montreal's economy is service oriented and the tourist industry brings in a lot of revenue. We are a multicultural city, and one of the larger cities in Canada.

As such, it is very rare that I see anyone who stops to ask for directions or wants to buy something in a store to get a rude or impolite response.

I have lived here for over 30 years and have seen maybe 3-4 incidents over those years that I would call "anti-English". I speak both English and French, so it is rare I run into any problems, but did see two that stick in my mind.

1) There was a young immigrant man who spoke only English at the Harveys restaurant and a french patron took exception to him not asking in French what the customer wanted on his burger. So he gave him a really hard time, all the while slowing down the rest of the customers who really didn't care that the employee could only say "tomato" and "pickle" instead of "tomate" and "concombre".

2) A guy called my aunt and it was a wrong number, so she told him that. He then asked her is she speaks French, and she politely said "sorry I don't speak French" at which point he started spouting off profanities and insults about the English before hanging up!

You will encounter jerks in every city, but you have to look at the city as a whole and not let one bad apple ruin the whole trip for you. Just look at some of the responses you get here on Yahoo! and you will see what I mean.

My advice for coming to Montreal is that you should be able to get service in English here if you are in a hotel, hospital, restaurant, or in department stores. If you go to a boutique or small restaurant and the store clerk gives you a hard time for speaking English, go elsewhere. If they don't want your money, other places will be happy to accept it in any language.

And if you need to stop for directions, ask store clerks or garage attendants. You are more likely to get a rude answer from some average guy on the street who wants to give you a hard time than from them.

Answer 8

Funny thing, everytime I go to montreal I find store clerks who have a hard time speaking french. You walk in a mall, you hear mostly english. In gas stations and "dépaneurs" mostly immigrants... that speak english. So I wouldn't worry about that too much since the people will not even mind you anyways.They do their thing. Go and have fun.