From “Bonjour” to belonging: a mentor's journey embracing French
Welcome Crew mentor Kavya shares her experience learning French as her fourth language in Quebec.
“Bonjour, ça va bien? Merci.” That was my entire French vocabulary when I first arrived in Montreal. Being surrounded by the language every day, I thought I might as well give learning French a try!
My first classes felt so weird. Was French just… English, but harder? I had a fleeting thought: “If I learn any more French, am I going to forget English?!” (Spoiler: I didn’t). I just wanted to get a good grade in my FRAN 211 course and be done with it. Even with a great professor, to me, it was just another class.
The real turning point happened when suddenly realized I could follow my colleague’s conversation with her friend. The words finally made sense – they were more than just sounds! The classes were actually helping!
The best part about knowing French in Montreal
Knowing even some French makes living in Montreal so much richer. You unlock a whole other side of the city. You're not just a visitor; you're part of its pulse.
I’ll never forget a moment near finals when a woman stopped me to ask for directions… in French! I panicked at first, then blurted out my rough French: “Je parle un peu français… Continuez tout droit… ce sera sur votre gauche.” Her face lit up. That single connection was all the motivation I needed to continue learning French.
What I wish I knew before learning French
You are not alone in feeling intimidated – seriously. I wish I had known that it’s completely normal to feel your brain freezing up at a cash register. I spent so much time rehearsing the perfect sentence that I often missed the moment to say it.
What I learned is that it’s not about being perfect; it’s about being brave. About being willing to try, even if your accent is clunky and your grammar gets messy.
And the secret is that people here want to help you. The moment you start with "Bonjour, j'essaie de pratiquer..." ("Hello, I'm trying to practice..."), you'll find most people become incredibly patient. They don't hear your mistakes; they hear your effort.
What I find the most helpful
Practice everywhere. Use your French to order your coffee. In the metro, challenge yourself to read the French ads and posters.
Try the ‘Re-watch’ Method: pick a show you’ve seen a million times (I used Modern Family!). Since you already know the plot, you can focus entirely on picking up new vocabulary.
One thing I wish everyone knew…
It is never too late to start. It will feel difficult at first, but trust me, it’s far less difficult than never starting at all.
Even if you don’t plan to stay in Montreal forever, you’ll leave with a new skill! Speaking French is a huge plus point for your personality and for your resume! My own French journey led me to an internship at Airbus and made connecting with colleagues feel natural.
La vie est trop courte pour ne pas parler français!