Summer in Montreal
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Lisa
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Adrienne
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Adrienne : So, Lisa, you're Canadian, right?
Lisa: I am. I'm a very proud Canadian.
Adrienne: And, I believe you're from Montreal.
Lisa: I am.
Adrienne: Can you tell me a little about your hometown?
Lisa: Sure. Montreal is a big city for Canadian standards located in Eastern Canada. It is in the province of Quebec, which is one of the biggest provinces in Canada. It has a population, or Montreal has a population, of three million people and it is a city that was founded by the French and has always maintained its French roots, so that in Montreal today, it is a perfect blend of European French influences with English speaking from the rest of Canada culture, so in Quebec people are bilingual; they speak English and French, and you can, when you go traveling in Montreal, and you speak to someone first in English, they will reply to you in English, or if you start a conversation in French they will reply to you in French.
Adrienne: Oh, very interesting…. Well, what's interesting to do in Montreal?
Lisa: Montreal is just so fabulous.
Adrienne: Let's talk about daytime. What can you do during the day in Montreal?
Lisa: It's not only about daytime, but also what season we're talking about, so let's start off with summer first, because summer in Montreal is probably the nicest season to go. Starting with festivals that happen in Montreal, there are three major festivals where we get people from all over the world coming into the city. The first festival is called Juste pour rire , which is "just for laughs". It's a comedy festival. It started in Montreal and has now attracted talent from all over the world. There are comedy shows going on. There's also outdoor events, and you can sometimes see that Juste pour rire or just for laughs videos, when you're riding in airplanes. They have it before movies come on. There's also the Jazz festival where all over downtown Montreal you have Jazz, free jazz concerts or paid jazz concerts in all the different areas, all the different stadiums or concert halls and so the summer.
a very proud Canadian
Lisa says she is a very proud Canadian
A 'very proud Canadian' is a person who is from Canada that is patriotic to their country.
Notice the following:
- The whole family are very proud Canadians.
- The bar was full of very proud Canadians
for Canadian standards
Montreal is a big city for Canadian standards located in eastern Canada.
'For Canadian standards' means 'compared to what is normal for Canada.'
Notice the following:
- For Canadian standards, the winter was very mild.
- I think, for Canadian standards, the house was very small.
maintained its French roots
It is a city that was founded by the French and has always maintained its French roots.
To 'maintain roots' means that you are trying to keep up the traditions of the country where you are from (in this case France).
Notice the following:
- He tried to maintain his French roots by cooking French cuisine.
- The restaurant kept true to France and maintained its French roots.
a perfect blend
Montreal today is a perfect blend of European French influences with English speaking from the rest of Canada culture.
When something has a 'perfect blend,' it means that it has the right mix of things.
Notice the following:
- The shop has a perfect blend of formal and casual clothes.
- The buffet was a perfect blend of sweet and savory dishes.
bilingual
In Quebec people are bilingual; they speak English and French.
If somebody is 'bilingual,' it means that they can speak more than one language fluently.
Notice the following:
- My mum is French and my dad is German, so I am bilingual.
- I have always admired people who are bilingual.
Vocabulary Quiz
blend • bilingual
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