Speaking · task 22 min preparation + 3 min 30Level B2

Getting information about life in Canada from a French-Canadian association

The task

2 min preparation + 3 min 30

Vous envisagez de vous installer au Canada et vous avez pris contact avec une association franco-canadienne qui aide les nouveaux arrivants. L'examinateur joue le rôle d'un membre de cette association ; vous jouez votre propre rôle. Vous devez lui poser des questions pour obtenir des informations concrètes sur la vie quotidienne des Canadiens : le travail, le logement, les loisirs, le coût de la vie, etc. Vous avez 2 minutes pour préparer vos questions, puis 3 minutes 30 pour mener l'échange avec l'examinateur.

TCF Canada — expression orale — tâche 2

Translation of the prompt

You are planning to settle in Canada and you have contacted a French-Canadian association that helps newcomers. The examiner plays the role of a member of this association; you play your own role. You must ask them questions to get concrete information about daily life for Canadians: work, housing, leisure, cost of living, etc. You have 2 minutes to prepare your questions, then 3 minutes 30 seconds to carry out the exchange with the examiner.

How to structure your answer

Briefly introduce yourself and explain the context of your immigration project (who you are, why you're contacting the association)
Ask about the job market: sectors that are hiring, recognition of foreign diplomas, steps to find employment
Ask about housing: common types of accommodation, average prices, recommended neighborhoods for a newcomer
Ask about daily life and leisure activities: climate, transportation, social activities, cost of living
Bounce back on each answer with a follow-up question, using a turn of phrase like "justement", then thank the person and ask how to stay in touch with the association

Model answer

about 354 words

Candidat : Bonjour madame, merci de me recevoir. Je m'appelle Sofiane, je suis ingénieur en informatique et je prépare mon installation au Canada d'ici un an. Examinateur : Bonjour Sofiane, bienvenue. Je serai ravie de répondre à vos questions. Candidat : Merci beaucoup. J'aimerais d'abord savoir comment se porte le marché du travail dans mon domaine, l'informatique. Examinateur : C'est un secteur très demandé, surtout à Montréal et à Toronto. Candidat : Et pour quelqu'un qui a un diplôme obtenu à l'étranger, est-ce que ça pose problème ? Examinateur : Pas vraiment pour l'informatique, mais il faut parfois faire évaluer son diplôme. Candidat : D'accord, et cette évaluation, qui s'en occupe et combien de temps ça prend en général ? Examinateur : Des organismes provinciaux s'en chargent, ça prend souvent quelques semaines. Candidat : Très bien, je noterai ça. Maintenant, question logement : comment se loge-t-on quand on arrive sans connaître la ville ? Examinateur : Beaucoup de nouveaux arrivants louent d'abord un appartement meublé pour quelques mois. Candidat : Et le prix d'un studio, ça tourne autour de combien à Montréal ? Examinateur : Comptez environ 900 à 1200 dollars par mois selon le quartier. Candidat : C'est plus élevé que ce que j'imaginais. Y a-t-il des quartiers plus abordables à conseiller pour un débutant ? Examinateur : Oui, Rosemont ou Villeray sont réputés plus accessibles. Candidat : Merci, je vais regarder ça de plus près. Et pour les loisirs, comment les gens occupent-ils leur temps libre l'hiver ? Examinateur : Beaucoup pratiquent le patin, le ski ou vont dans des cafés entre amis. Candidat : Ça a l'air agréable. Est-ce facile de se faire des amis quand on est nouvel arrivant ? Examinateur : Oui, il existe des clubs et des activités communautaires justement pour ça. Candidat : Justement, votre association organise-t-elle ce genre d'activités ? Examinateur : Tout à fait, nous avons des rencontres mensuelles pour les nouveaux arrivants. Candidat : Parfait, c'est exactement ce qu'il me faut. Comment puis-je m'inscrire à ces rencontres ? Examinateur : Il suffit de laisser vos coordonnées à l'accueil, on vous contactera. Candidat : Je vais faire ça avant de partir. Merci infiniment pour toutes ces informations, vous m'avez beaucoup aidé. Examinateur : Avec plaisir, bonne chance pour votre projet, Sofiane.

Show the translation

Candidate: Hello ma'am, thank you for seeing me. My name is Sofiane, I'm a software engineer and I'm preparing to move to Canada within a year. Examiner: Hello Sofiane, welcome. I'll be happy to answer your questions. Candidate: Thank you very much. I'd first like to know how the job market is doing in my field, IT. Examiner: It's a very sought-after sector, especially in Montreal and Toronto. Candidate: And for someone with a diploma earned abroad, is that a problem? Examiner: Not really for IT, but you sometimes need to have your diploma evaluated. Candidate: All right, and this evaluation, who handles it and how long does it usually take? Examiner: Provincial organizations handle it, it often takes a few weeks. Candidate: Very good, I'll note that down. Now, about housing: how do people find a place to live when they arrive without knowing the city? Examiner: Many newcomers first rent a furnished apartment for a few months. Candidate: And the price of a studio, how much does that run to in Montreal? Examiner: Count on around 900 to 1200 dollars a month depending on the neighborhood. Candidate: That's higher than I imagined. Are there more affordable neighborhoods you'd recommend for a beginner? Examiner: Yes, Rosemont or Villeray are known to be more accessible. Candidate: Thank you, I'll take a closer look at that. And for leisure, how do people spend their free time in winter? Examiner: Many people go skating, skiing, or go to cafés with friends. Candidate: That sounds nice. Is it easy to make friends when you're a newcomer? Examiner: Yes, there are clubs and community activities specifically for that. Candidate: Actually, does your association organize this kind of activity? Examiner: Absolutely, we have monthly meetings for newcomers. Candidate: Perfect, that's exactly what I need. How can I sign up for these meetings? Examiner: You just need to leave your contact information at the front desk, and we'll contact you. Candidate: I'll do that before I leave. Thank you so much for all this information, you've helped me a lot. Examiner: My pleasure, good luck with your project, Sofiane.

Key vocabulary

Word or phrase	Meaning
reconnaissance des acquis	the process that evaluates whether a foreign diploma or work experience is valid in Canada
postuler à un emploi	to apply for a job (never say "appliquer pour un emploi", which is an anglicism)
un logement meublé	a furnished apartment, often rented while settling in
un quartier abordable	a neighborhood where the cost of living and rent are reasonable
le coût de la vie	all the expenses needed to live (housing, food, transportation)
un organisme provincial	an institution that depends on a Canadian province, not the federal government
s'intégrer	to adapt to a new society, to find one's place in the community
une association d'accueil	an organization that helps newcomers with their administrative steps

Common mistakes

Don't confuse "vivre au Canada" and "vivre en Canada": you always say "au Canada" because Canada is a masculine noun in French.
Wrongvivre en Canada
Rightvivre au Canada
Don't use "appliquer pour" instead of "postuler à" under the influence of the English "apply for" — this is a common anglicism.
Wrongappliquer pour un emploi
Rightpostuler à un emploi
Don't double up the question form: you must choose either inversion or "est-ce que", never both together.
WrongComment est-ce que vous faites pour...
RightComment faites-vous pour... / Comment est-ce que vous faites...
Don't state a price as if it were exact without a nuancing word like "environ" or "autour de" for an estimate.
WrongÇa coûte 900 dollars.
RightÇa coûte environ 900 dollars.
Don't confuse "chercher un emploi" and "chercher pour un emploi": the verb "chercher" never takes a preposition before its object in French.
Wrongchercher pour un emploi
Rightchercher un emploi
Don't use "actuellement" to mean "actually" as in English — in French, "actuellement" means "at the present time", not "in fact".
WrongActuellement, je pense que c'est faux.
RightEn fait, je pense que c'est faux.

The grammar this task needs

Interrogative forms (inversion vs. est-ce que)

This task requires asking many direct questions to obtain information, so the candidate must vary and correctly form questions without mixing structures

Comment se loge-t-on quand on arrive sans connaître la ville ?
Est-ce que ça pose problème ?
Combien de temps ça prend en général ?

Use of the pronoun 'on' for general statements

When asking about how people generally live or behave in Canada, 'on' is the natural way to speak generically instead of 'les gens' every time

Comment se loge-t-on quand on arrive sans connaître la ville ?
Comment les gens occupent-ils leur temps libre l'hiver ?

Approximation with numbers (environ, autour de, ça tourne autour de)

When asking about or giving prices and costs, French requires a softening expression rather than stating a bare figure

Le prix d'un studio, ça tourne autour de combien à Montréal ?
Comptez environ 900 à 1200 dollars par mois selon le quartier.

Prepositions with verbs (postuler à, chercher + noun, s'installer au Canada)

This topic is full of verbs that take specific prepositions in French, often different from their English equivalents, and errors here sound like anglicisms

Je prépare mon installation au Canada.
J'aimerais postuler à un emploi dans mon domaine.

Phrases to reuse

Phrase	When to use it
J'aimerais d'abord savoir...	To introduce your first question politely at the start of the exchange
Et pour quelqu'un qui...	To ask a follow-up question about a specific personal situation, such as a foreign diploma
Ça pose problème ?	To ask if something is likely to be a difficulty or obstacle
Ça tourne autour de combien ?	To informally ask for an approximate price or cost
C'est plus élevé que ce que j'imaginais.	To react naturally to information that surprises you, showing you are actively listening
Y a-t-il... à conseiller ?	To ask for a recommendation in a slightly formal, polite way
Ça a l'air agréable.	To give a short positive reaction before moving to the next question
Justement, ...	To connect your next question smoothly to what the examiner just said, showing coherence
C'est exactement ce qu'il me faut.	To express strong interest in an offer or piece of information
Merci infiniment pour toutes ces informations, vous m'avez beaucoup aidé.	To close the conversation politely and thank the examiner at the end of the task

Ideas bank

Position	Argument	Example
for	Focus questions on your own professional field to sound authentic and specific	As an engineer, ask specifically about tech job demand in Montreal and Toronto rather than generic questions about 'jobs'
for	Ask about concrete numbers (rent, salary ranges, processing times) to show you can handle numerical information in French	Ask how much a studio costs per month and how long a diploma evaluation takes
nuance	Balance practical questions (work, housing) with social/lifestyle questions (leisure, making friends) to cover the full scope of the task	After asking about rent prices, shift to asking how people spend winter free time
for	Use each answer as a springboard for a follow-up question instead of moving to a completely new topic each time	After learning that diplomas need evaluation, immediately ask who handles it and how long it takes
nuance	End the exchange by asking about staying in contact with the association, which naturally closes the conversation and shows initiative	Ask how to register for the association's monthly meetings for newcomers

What the examiner looks for

The examiner is checking that you can genuinely conduct an interaction, not just deliver a monologue: your questions must be grammatically well-formed, varied, and logically linked to the examiner's answers. They want to see natural follow-up questions ('relances') rather than a rigid list of pre-written questions. Politeness formulas at the opening and closing of the exchange are expected, as they reflect real-life register. Vocabulary precision (postuler à, reconnaissance des acquis, coût de la vie) is valued over generic terms. Finally, they assess whether you can react spontaneously to unexpected information, showing you understood the answer rather than just waiting for your turn to speak.

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