Maybe it’s a silly question. Of course, you need to speak a little Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country in South America. But how important is speaking Spanish in Colombia?
Well, that depends on who you are, what you want to do, and where you’re going. Personally…
I’ve found Colombia to be a bit intimidating without speaking Spanish. A country known for drugs, violence, and attractive women is probably a place you want to be able to communicate with the locals in.
But do you NEED to speak Spanish in Colombia? Not exactly, but it sure makes things a lot more fun if you do.
So below, we’ll take a look at where Spanish is important in Colombia, where you can get by on English, and how to learn Spanish — for real.
Pues…
¡Vámonos!
English Levels in Colombia
Now, how much Spanish you’ll need to speak in Colombia will mainly be dependent on which city you live in.
For example, in Bogota, you can easily get by without a drop of Spanish. Bogota is one of the most educated cities in Latin America and has over 8+ million people in the city proper.
I’d estimate 1+ million Colombians in Bogota can speak some English. Thus, you’ll always be able to find someone to communicate with in English in the capital.
Things change when you get out of the capital and larger cities. For example, I spent some time in Ibague, Colombia.
While I met a few English speakers in the city, the vast majority of people didn’t speak much English. They had no need to.
Ibague is a city of 500,000+ people. Maybe 3-5% of the people in the city spoke some English. As such, the likelihood of meeting people who speak English wasn’t that high.
The same goes for places like Barranquilla, Pereira, Cali, and other cities in Colombia. English levels just aren’t that high outside tourist areas and the capital.
If you don’t speak much Spanish, here’s how I’d rank cities in the country based on English proficiency:
- Bogota
- Medellin
- Cali
- Cartagena
- Santa Marta
- Ibague
- Barranquilla
…And the list goes on and on!
Basically, if you plan to visit Colombia with little to no Spanish, I’d recommend sticking to Bogota and Medellin to start. You’ll find more English speakers here than anywhere else.
Does Speaking Spanish Make Life Better in Colombia?
Without a doubt. 100%.
The more Spanish you speak the easier life becomes when living in Colombia.
I’ve lived in Colombia when I could barely utter, “Como estas?” and I lived in Colombia when I was able to have full conversations in Spanish.
Which scenario was better?
There’s really no comparison.
When you’re able to actually communicate with people, you form stronger relationships and are able to connect with people on a deeper level.
One of the best parts of traveling is interacting with locals and seeing if your vibe matches theirs. It’s pretty difficult to do that if you can’t talk to them.
Now, speaking Spanish in Colombia isn’t necessary. But I’d highly recommend it before you go, but it’s not mandatory.
You can get by with just English. The experience just isn’t the same.
For example, you can’t make local friends if you can’t communicate with them. Without speaking in Spanish, your relationships will be very superficial.
Dating is doable without Spanish, but again…
You’ll only be interacting with people who speak English already. Or your relationship will fail to move past a certain point because you simply can’t communicate with one and other outside the physical.
The reality is this:
If you plan to spend a decent amount of time in Colombia, it’s more than advisable to invest time into learning how to speak Spanish properly, parcero.
Te lo juro.
How to Learn Spanish | Colombia Edition
So, how do you learn Spanish before you head to Colombia?
There’s a whole hell of a lot of ways to do just that. Damn near hundreds. But I don’t want to over-complicate things for you.
So, with a lot of trial and error, I found the three best ways to learn Spanish…
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Travel in Latin America
Make no mistake about it.
You’ll learn 10X faster when fully immersed in a culture and speaking the language every day.
Get out of hostels. Rent an apartment. Start interacting with the locals as much as possible. In doing so, you’ll start learning at a much faster pace.
While practicing before a trip is great and certainly recommended, don’t be surprised if your speaking improves more in one week on the ground than in two months of studying.
Especially if you make an effort to have as many conversations as possible.
Be chatty as hell in the Uber or with that taxi driver. Ask questions about the menu before making your order. Talk with the trainers at the gym about anything and everything.
The more you practice speaking and listening while in Colombia, the quicker you’ll learn.
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Take Online Private Lessons
However…
You can’t just practice speaking. We need detailed studying too.
The issue is in-person lessons can be pricey. In fact, you’ll often pay $15-25 an hour for private Spanish lessons in Latin American countries. While that might not seem like much, it’ll add up quick.
Think about it…
$500-800 round-trip flight, $25-40 a night for an Airbnb, two hours of lessons a day at $15 an hour, and other living costs.
If you went somewhere to study for a month, you end up spending $3,000-4,000. And that’s conservative!
Luckily, I found a much cheaper way to take Spanish lessons with great teachers.
Enter BaseLang.
BaseLang is a one-of-a-kind service. You pay a monthly fee and you get unlimited personal Spanish classes for the month.
You could take 100+ hours of classes in one month if you wanted to. BaseLang offers a unique curriculum and all their teachers have been trained to ensure you learn the language.
Plus, all BaseLang teachers speak some English.
If you sign up for Base Lang, test out a few teachers and then stick with 1-2 that you really like. You’ll develop a relationship with them and they’ll become invested in your learning.
The BaseLang curriculum is also top-notch and focused on helping you speak Spanish properly…and fast! I couldn’t recommend this program enough.
If you’re planning a trip to Colombia, it’s well worth it to sign up for BaseLang and study 20+ hours a month for a couple months before your flight. I guarantee your trip will be so much better if you do.
- The Cheapest Way
If you want to learn Spanish without spending much money, I’ve found the best way. It doesn’t involve any monthly fees. There’s no travel necessary.
All you have to do is buy this book and start reading.
That’s it, maybe take some notes too.
This is the best book to study if you want to learn Spanish on your own. It’s not even a question.
Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish is just that – a magic key to unlocking the language. You’ll shorten the learning process by years and quickly become conversational in Spanish before you know it.
Plus, the book only costs a few bucks. No matter what your budget is, there’s no excuse to not learn Spanish before you head down to Colombia!
Other Ways to Improve Your Spanish Speaking Ability
The above are my top three ways to learn Spanish if you want to visit or live in Colombia. Ya tu sabes.
However, there’s a couple other tips that may help you along the way:
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Tandem
This is the best language learning app on the planet.
Here’s how Tandem works…
You sign up on your phone and add what language you’re learning. Then you can filter people based on where they’re from. So you can only chat with people from Colombia.
The app allows you to send text messages, voice message, and more. That’s nothing out of the ordinary. What is cool is that Tandem also allows the native speakers to correct your mistakes.
So if you send a message with spelling or grammar errors, the other person can correct you in the app. Then you get a message back showing what you typed out and how they corrected it to be perfect Spanish.
You can also send voice notes and people will correct your accent — or send you voice notes to practice listening.
Just make sure you give back to. People on Tandem tend to be serious about learning another language. This isn’t Tinder. So make sure you offer to help them with their English too.
Highly recommended.
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Gringo Tuesday
If you’re going to be in Bogota, Colombia at all during your trip, make sure you check out Gringo Tuesday at least one evening.
Every Tuesday at Vintrash in Zona T — a staple of Bogota nightlife — you’ll find the premier language exchange event in Latin America taking place.
Here hundreds of people gather early in the evening to practice speaking different languages. Then 2-3 hours later, the bar switches from language exchange to full-on party.
And the party is damn good too!
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Dating
While some may not believe it, one of the best ways to improve your Spanish speaking ability is through dating people who don’t speak English.
Think about what happens on a first date…
You go to a bar or a coffee shop. You have a few drinks or a coffee. Then you talk for 2-3+ hours.
That’s a lot of language practice — if he/she doesn’t speak any English.
But there’s more to it…
Not only are your practicing, but you have a lot of motivation. After all, the person you’re on a date with should be attractive to you. You probably want to get to know them better. So you’ll be super focused on communicating and practicing your Spanish.
It’s a win-win!
Do You Need to Speak Spanish in Colombia? | Gringo’s Guide
Speaking Spanish in Colombia is a good idea for the traveling gringo.
Not only will it make your life easier and keep you out of trouble, you’ll also get respect from the locals who are used to non-Spanish speakers visiting their country.
While I’ve traveled in Colombia with and without Spanish, I’d highly recommend picking up some Spanish before you head down south.
Sound off in the comments with any questions or concerns.
Que te vaya bien
