I'm thinking of going to Ecuador but I only know a bit of Spanish (mostly, from what I remember from High School). Will I have a difficult time getting by or do many people in Ecuador (especially Quito) speak English? Thanks!
2007-02-20 11:38:41 · 6 answers · asked by Mrmojo6068 3 in Travel ➔ Latin America ➔ Ecuador
I have found that in Quito most people do speak english. When we go, we usually stay at birding/ecotourism lodges and there the staff members also speak English. If you plan on doing any kind of touring around the country-side you can hire a car with an English speaking driver for about $80 a day including gasoline.
You really should go! Its an incredible country. In an area about the size of Nevada you have some of the tallest mountains in the western hemisphere, part of the Amazon basin, beaches, the Galapagos and everything in between. Its also very reasonably priced!
2007-02-20 22:52:39 · answer #1 · answered by sngcanary 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I'm Ecuadorian and I'm here to tell you, no. The ones that speak good English are only the ones who work with tourists, outside that group, very, very few people. Young, rich, upper class Ecuadorians know some English because they constantly travel overseas and can afford the best English schools. About 5 to 10 percent of young people who finished secondary education or university might also know some English which they learned from school but are FAR from being proficient speakers. Most Ecuadorians only know "hello" and "how are you" and many don't even know that. Also, If you find an Ecuadorian who is fluent in English is possible that person was raised or lived in the US at some point and moved back or is an Ecua visiting that actually resides in the US.
2015-12-22 18:46:35 · answer #2 · answered by Juan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All Ecuadorians know at least some English words. You will get by, don't worry. Quito is very cosmopolitan unless you are going to poorer areas (central, south and extreme north). However Ecuadorians love it when you make the effort to speak some spanish and it doesn't give you so much of a 'gringo' status. You are likely to get alot more respect if you make the effort to speak spanish. There are plenty of British and American establishments in Quito and you frequently hear English being spoken in the streets...but then with the banks, British Council, Embassies, Hotels, Oil Businesses, Private American schools/ colleges etc in such close proximity you'd expect it!
Hope you have a great time!
2007-02-26 03:24:16 · answer #3 · answered by cathedralkat 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
When I was there last summer, yes people in the big tourist spots, hotels, cafes - did speak some English. But it seemed that most of the people spoke Spanish and preferred that tourists speak Spanish. If you plan on taking any sort of public transportation or want to visit areas outside of the tourist area of Ecuador, I would recommend that you brush up on that Spanish!!
2007-02-25 13:32:09 · answer #4 · answered by trish_tcrp 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most people in Quito speak English-especially the younger generation. They are very inteligente there. In fact...a lot of people in the capital speak Spanish, English and German! You should be fine if you are staying in Quito. But it wouldn't hurt to brush up on your Spanish as well. It is respectful to try and speak their language if you can.
2007-02-20 14:20:22 · answer #5 · answered by lovetotravel 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
in hotels you wont have problems, but everyone will understand you, dont worry, pelople is nice and they will help you, if you need
2007-02-20 12:17:41 · answer #6 · answered by tere 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋