A truly immersive language experience in Quebec

Choosing Quebec for a French immersive language stay means choosing the only French-speaking province in Canada. Learning French in Quebec means discovering a modern, living language spoken in many countries.

Historically, despite the strong presence of English, French has maintained its vitality and established itself as a language deeply rooted in everyday life. Its omnipresence ensures genuine, natural immersion, while the presence of English provides a safety net, unlike immersion in a strictly unilingual environment. This creates a psychologically supportive setting where learners can build confidence in speaking.

French is omnipresent

Karine Boudreau, a French as a second language instructor, notes that “le Québec est une excellente destination pour une immersion linguistique. Le français, au cœur de sa culture, y est omniprésent. Montréal, par exemple, est une ville dynamique, accueillante et riche culturellement. C’est l’endroit idéal pour s’immerger naturellement dans la langue à l’extérieur des murs de la classe tout en profitant d’un environnement stimulant et ouvert sur le monde.”

At UQAM, learning goes far beyond the classroom.

The experience is also rooted in culture and human interaction. Students learn by living the language through activities, exchanges, and discoveries. The approach is supportive: effort is encouraged, and mistakes are seen as an integral part of the learning process.

UQAM’s language immersion programs offer “an immersive and experiential approach that encourages the use of French in a variety of authentic contexts.” The activities proposed “promote the use of language in informal and social situations, allowing learners to practice beyond the strict academic framework, often associated with greater normative pressure.”¹

Accessible, safe, and open to the world, Montreal provides an ideal environment to learn and gain confidence in speaking.

Ariane Faucher, a French as a second language instructor and facilitator, adds that “apprendre le français au Québec, c’est une façon de s’éloigner des sentiers battus d’une langue papier (…). Car une langue, avant même d’être parlée, se rit, se pleure, se heurte, s’aime ; bref, se vit.” This perspective reminds us that language goes beyond written rules: it comes alive through accents, expressions, and everyday interactions, which make Quebec French so rich.

As Pascale Bergeron, coordinator of UQAM’s non-credit language programs, points out, instructors “teach for the pleasure of seeing that they are contributing to awakening an understanding of the language. It makes them very proud.”

To learn more, visit flnc.uqam.ca/en/sejours.

¹ Excerpt from “Linguistic insecurity in the language classroom: Why are learners afraid to speak?” by Ferial Kerboua, French as a second language instructor in UQAM’s non-credit language programs and researcher in the Département de linguistique de la Faculté des sciences humaines.