Updated for 2026
The quick version: You can get by in Medellín’s tourist core with no Spanish, but the city is not as English-friendly as people assume. Colombia ranks “low” for English proficiency, and once you step outside hostels, upscale restaurants, tour operators, and younger service staff, you hit a wall quickly. You do not need to be fluent, but a couple dozen phrases plus a translation app will transform your trip, save you money, and make locals warm to you instantly. The good news for anyone who wants to learn: paisa Spanish is some of the clearest and friendliest in Latin America.
This is one of the most common questions I get from people planning a trip, and the honest answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. I have lived in Medellín since 2019, and the short version is that you can survive on English in the right neighborhoods, but you will have a flatter, more expensive, more transactional trip than you need to. Here is the real picture.
So, Do They Speak English?
Not as much as you would hope. On the main international ranking, Colombia sits at number 76 of 123 countries in the “low proficiency” band, so you cannot assume the person in front of you speaks English. There is a useful wrinkle for Medellín, though: the surrounding Antioquia region scores noticeably above the national average, into the “moderate” range, and people in customer-facing jobs score higher still. The tourism and remote-work economy here has pulled English up faster than in much of the country.
In practice, that means you will find English in a predictable set of places: the airport, the bigger and chain hotels, established tour operators and free-walking-tour guides, a lot of the cafés and restaurants in El Poblado and Provenza, coworking spaces, the medical and dental tourism clinics, and among younger people generally.
And you will not find much of it almost everywhere else: in taxis, on the metro and buses, in neighborhood and family-run restaurants, in markets and small shops, at many pharmacies, with older people, and anywhere outside the tourist core, including the smaller towns you might visit on a day trip. The rule of thumb is simple. Inside the Poblado and Laureles bubble you can scrape by on English. Step outside it and you need some Spanish or an app.
Do You Need Spanish? No, But Here Is the Case for It
You do not need Spanish to visit. A short, Poblado-based trip works on English and a translation app. But it is worth being honest about what a little Spanish buys you, because it is a lot.
The best food in the city is in the local places that have no English menu and no English-speaking staff, so Spanish is what gets you off the tourist track. It also makes you a harder target: speaking even broken Spanish cuts down on the gringo pricing and the scams that key on obvious, disoriented tourists, which is part of the wider no dar papaya idea. It smooths out taxis and logistics, and most of all it opens the door to actually connecting with paisas, who are among the warmest and most welcoming people you will meet and who light up the moment a foreigner makes an effort.
You do not need much. Twenty or thirty phrases plus the willingness to use them changes the entire texture of a trip. Nobody expects you to be fluent, and the effort itself is what people respond to.
Paisa Spanish: Good News for Learners
If you do want to learn, you picked a good place. The Spanish spoken in Medellín, paisa Spanish, is widely considered some of the clearest, most neutral, and most pleasant in Latin America. People tend to speak a little slower and enunciate, which is a gift when you are starting out. It is one reason the city has become a popular spot to study Spanish.
A few local quirks to expect. Paisas lean heavily on usted even with friends, family, and pets, and use vos in casual speech, where other countries would use tú. The accent has a friendly, singsong quality. And there is a whole layer of local slang: ¿Qué más? for “what’s up,” parce or parcero for “buddy,” bacano or chévere for “cool,” ¡a la orden! from vendors meaning roughly “at your service,” and the very Colombian con mucho gusto used for “you’re welcome.”
A Few Phrases That Go a Long Way
You do not need a course to be polite and functional. Start with these.
- Hola / Buenas — Hi (Buenas works any time of day)
- ¿Qué más? — What’s up?
- Por favor / Gracias / Con mucho gusto — Please / thank you / you’re welcome
- ¿Habla inglés? — Do you speak English?
- No hablo mucho español — I don’t speak much Spanish
- ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it?
- ¿Me regala…? — Can I have…? (the polite Colombian way to order or ask)
- La cuenta, por favor — The check, please
- Para llevar — To go
- ¿Dónde está…? — Where is…?
- Pare aquí, por favor — Stop here, please (for taxis)
- No, gracias — No, thanks (for politely brushing off street vendors)
Apps and a Few Tips
Google Translate is the workhorse. Download the Spanish language pack before you go so it works offline, use the camera mode to read menus and signs, and use the conversation mode for back-and-forth with a taxi driver or a shopkeeper. DeepL is better for longer or trickier text.
Beyond that, the highest-value thing to learn is numbers, since prices are where not understanding costs you money. Pointing at menus is completely normal and nobody minds. And a week of a learning app like Duolingo or Pimsleur before you travel will get you further than you would expect. If you are staying longer, the city is full of Spanish schools and the clear local accent makes it an ideal place to actually pick it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do they speak English in Medellín? Some, in the tourist core, hotels, and tour operators, and more than in much of Colombia since the Medellín region scores above the national average. But English is limited outside those areas, so do not count on it.
Do I need to speak Spanish to visit Medellín? No, but it helps enormously. You can manage a short trip in the tourist bubble with English and an app, though a few phrases will make everything easier and cheaper.
Is Medellín a good place to learn Spanish? Yes. Paisa Spanish is clear and pleasant, locals are patient, and the city has plenty of schools.
Can I get around with just Google Translate? Largely, yes, especially with the offline language pack and the camera mode for menus and signs.
Do taxi drivers in Medellín speak English? Usually not. Have your destination written down, or use a ride-hailing app where you enter the address yourself.
