Intro — English

A few landmarks to situate the language. Numbers shift from year to year — these are orders of magnitude, not promises. What matters is the big picture.

• Speakers worldwide

  ~ 1.5 billion

  Mother tongue or second language. Most of those people, like you, learned English at school — not in the cradle.

• Non-native speakers

  The majority

  More than half of English conversations worldwide happen between two non-native speakers. Your accent and theirs start from the same place: another brain, another first language.

• Official countries

  ~ 60

  English is an official or working language in around 60 countries — Canada included, sharing the floor with French.

Key takeaway: speaking English with a French accent isn't "being bad at English." It's being normal.

If you studied English for years and still feel stuck when an English-speaking customer walks up to the counter, that isn't a personal failure. It's the consequence of a system that had to evaluate 30 students at once, in writing, with a marking grid.

• What school did

  School had you conjugate verbs on the board.

  What real life asks for

  Real life asks you to order a coffee before your first shift.

• What school did

  School graded you on dictations and reading comprehension.

  What real life asks for

  Real life asks you to follow someone even when they speak fast.

• What school did

  School corrected every mistake, sometimes in front of the class.

  What real life asks for

  Real life rewards the "I'll try" reflex, not perfection.

You'll hear several Englishes in your life. Good news: you don't have to pick a side. You'll understand the three main varieties — and most importantly remember that in Montreal, the most useful day-to-day English is… Canadian English.

• American

  The English you hear on Netflix, in Marvel movies, in most pop music. Direct, more casual, lots of informal expressions.

  Trottoir → sidewalk · Camion → truck · Bonbons → candy

• British

  The English of BBC shows, of Harry Potter in the original, and of a fair share of formal schooling. The vocabulary and turns of phrase sometimes differ, but mutual understanding is high.

  Trottoir → pavement · Camion → lorry · Bonbons → sweets

• Canadian

  The English you hear at Tim Hortons, at Toronto's airport, in federal services. A practical mix of American and British. It's the most relevant English day-to-day when you live in Quebec.

  Trottoir → sidewalk · Bathroom → washroom · Beanie → toque

Key takeaway: you don't have to sound "American" or "British." You can speak clearly, simply, with your accent, and be understood everywhere in the world.

• information

  ↔ information

• restaurant

  ↔ restaurant

• important

  ↔ important

• animal

  ↔ animal

• university

  ↔ université

• decision

  ↔ décision

The flip side: false friends

The flip side: false friends. English words that look like French words but mean something else. Know them, and you'll dodge the classic traps at work or while travelling.

• actually

  Looks like: "currently"

  Really means: in fact, really

• eventually

  Looks like: "possibly"

  Really means: in the end, finally

• library

  Looks like: "bookstore"

  Really means: library (book lending place)

• sensible

  Looks like: "emotionally sensitive"

  Really means: reasonable, sensible

• chair

  Looks like: "flesh"

  Really means: chair (the furniture)

• to assist

  Looks like: "to attend"

  Really means: to help

• rest

  Looks like: "to remain (verb)"

  Really means: rest / break; also: the rest of

• to demand

  Looks like: "to ask"

  Really means: to require firmly

• engaged

  Looks like: "politically engaged"

  Really means: engaged to be married, or: busy

• to pretend

  Looks like: "to claim"

  Really means: to fake / to act as if

Here's the toolkit to pull out when you're stuck. These phrases are short, polite, natural — and they get you out of pretty much any awkward moment. Tap the audio icon to hear the pronunciation.

Six thematic decks: English in the world, learning, varieties, false friends, survival phrases, and daily basics.

• English in the world

  The vocabulary from the numbers section.

• Learning

  The words that describe what you do when you learn.

• Varieties and accents

  The words that describe the different versions of English.

• False friends

  The classic traps for French speakers — know them, dodge them.

• Survival phrases

  The toolkit to pull out when you're stuck — all everyday English.

• Daily basics

  Everyday phrases — courtesy, travel, shopping.