Quebec French Greetings and Everyday Phrases

In Quebec, allô works as an everyday casual greeting, not just for answering the phone like in France. Montreal is known for bonjour-hi, a bilingual greeting in service settings. Common fillers include c’est correct (it’s fine) and fait que… (so…).

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For comparison, see France’s greeting system.

Allô: not just for the phone in Quebec

Unlike France, where allô is essentially phone-only, Quebec also uses it as a general casual greeting in everyday face-to-face situations.

Bonjour-hi: Montreal’s bilingual greeting

A bilingual opener heard in some Montreal service settings, reflecting the city’s bilingual character. It has also been a subject of public policy debate: Quebec’s Office québécois de la langue française reported that purely French greetings in Montreal businesses declined between 2010 and 2017, and in 2019 the province’s French-language minister proposed discouraging “bonjour-hi” in favour of French-only greetings. The government ultimately chose not to legislate a ban, opting for public-awareness efforts instead, and the greeting remains common in many Montreal businesses today.

Small-talk fillers

C’est correct (it’s fine/okay), fait que… (so…, a very common connector), là (a frequent filler particle used throughout casual speech).

For single-word vocabulary differences, see Quebec French words; for the wider comparison, Quebec vs France French.

Saying bye

In some Quebec contexts, bonjour is also used as a goodbye, unlike in France where it’s strictly an arrival greeting. Another common farewell: à la prochaine (until next time).