13 Montreal slang terms that don't make much sense outside the city
Quebec has always been a battleground where English and French collide, but nowhere is the linguistic mashup more chaotic (and charming) than in Montreal.
As a city fueled by bilingualism and multiculturalism, it should come as no surprise that locals have cooked up a unique slang that often baffles outsiders.
Mostly derived from the local lingo of "franglais," these words and expressions mix English and French in ways that don't always make sense but somehow work — as long as you stay within city limits.
All-dressed
All-dressed is a uniquely Montreal way of saying you want everything on your food. The term comes from the French "toute garnie," originally referring to a pizza loaded with pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, and green peppers.
But Montrealers don't stop at pizza. Now, you'll hear it at fast food joints, too. Whether you're ordering a hot dog, poutine, burger, or even a bagel, asking for it all-dressed means you’ll get all the standard toppings without having to list them out.
Trio
Speaking of fast food, if you wanted drinks and a side of fries with your meal, you would never order a "combo." You would instead ask for a trio.
While it's a logical term for a three-item bundle, many Montrealers get funny looks when trying to use it outside of Quebec.
____ and a half
When talking about apartment sizes, Montrealers don't usually mention square footage. Instead, they use a numbering system that might sound strange to outsiders.
Here's how it works: each full room, like a bedroom, living room, or kitchen, counts as a whole number, while the bathroom is considered the half. So if your apartment has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom, you're living in a four-and-a-half (4½).
But if your rent budget is under $1,000, you'll likely be looking at a one-and-a-half.
Bixi
Whether you love them or hate them, bike lanes are everywhere in Montreal — along with over 900 pay-and-grab stations for Bixi, the city's popular bike-sharing system.
Bixi has become such a staple of Montreal life that its name has turned into a verb, as in "I'll just Bixi there."
Steamé / Toasté
If you order a hot dog in Montreal, you're not just choosing between ketchup and mustard — you also have to decide how you want the bun.
Do you want it steamé (steamed), where the bun is soft and pillowy? Or toasté (toasted), where it's grilled to a slight crisp?
This isn't just a small detail. It's a defining part of the Quebec casse-croûte experience.
In fact, the adjective for the bun's cooking method is often used as a noun:
"I'll have two steamies and one toasty please."
Dépanneur / Dep
People in Montreal don't go to the corner store or 7-Eleven. We hit up the dep.
Short for dépanneur (the Quebec term for corner store), the name comes from the French verb dépanner, meaning "to help out of difficulty" or "to troubleshoot" — which is exactly what a dep does when you need to make a last-minute beer run or grab a late-night snack.
Guichet
The term for an ATM in Quebec French is "guichet automatique."
As a result, both anglophones and francophones commonly refer to these money-dispensing machines as "guichets."
Beh yeah!
"Beh yeah" is another Montreal-English expression that perfectly encapsulates the city's bilingualism.
It's basically a direct translation of the French "Ben ouais" (or just "ben"), which is a casual way of saying "well, yeah" or "duh."
You'll hear it in everyday conversations, often used to express mild agreement, sarcasm, or as a filler phrase. For example:
"Did you see that there's a snowstorm coming?"
"Beh yeah, it's Montreal in February."
Open / Close the light
Many Montrealers don’t "turn off" their lights, they close them.
While it's more of a grammar error than an expression, it comes from a direct translation of the French "Ferme la lumière."
Terrasse
Let's get one thing straight. Patios don't exist in Montreal.
If you're talking about the platform attached to the back of your apartment, that's a balcony. But if you mean an outdoor dining space at a restaurant, café, or bar, it's called a terrasse — not to be confused with an actual terrace.
In Montreal, "terrasse season" is basically a synonym for summer.
On special
When grocery shopping, you might consult a store's flyer for discounted items. But in Montreal, those products aren't on sale — they’re "on special."
The phrase likely comes from the French "en spécial," and while it makes perfect sense to locals, it can sound a little off to outsiders.
Me, I...
Montreal Italians are very familiar with this one.
Rather than beginning an anecdote or explanation with the typical first-person pronoun "I," many anglophones in Montreal will throw a "me" in front of it — just in case you forgot who they were talking about.
This quirk likely stems from a direct translation of "Moi, je", which is standard normal in Quebec French but sounds unnecessary in English. Montrealers use it all the time in casual speech such as:
"Me, I love when the Habs beat the Leafs."
5-à-7
A "5-à-7" (pronounced cinq-à-sept) refers to the early evening happy hour, typically between 5 and 7 p.m., where people grab drinks, unwind after work, or socialize before heading to dinner.
While happy hour is common worldwide, this term is uniquely Québécois.
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