What kind of Spanish is spoken in Colombia?
Colombian Spanish, especially from Bogotá, is considered very clear and easy to understand. The HolaRuta app drills exactly this accent and vocabulary before you land.
HolaRuta / Travel Spanish for Latin America
Travel Spanish for Colombia
What kind of Spanish is spoken in Colombia?
Colombian Spanish, especially from Bogotá, is considered very clear and easy to understand. Notable is the widespread polite 'usted', even among friends, and 'su merced' in the Andean highlands. On the Caribbean coast it's spoken faster and the 's' is often swallowed. Indigenous languages such as…
What Spanish is spoken here?
Colombian Spanish, especially from Bogotá, is considered very clear and easy to understand. Notable is the widespread polite 'usted', even among friends, and 'su merced' in the Andean highlands. On the Caribbean coast it's spoken faster and the 's' is often swallowed. Indigenous languages such as Wayuunaiki exist, but Spanish dominates everyday life.
Country & culture
Colombia stretches from Caribbean beaches across the three branches of the Andes all the way to the Amazon. Backpacker highlights include the colonial city of Cartagena, the coffee triangle around Salento, Medellín and the Caribbean coast around Tayrona. The country offers enormous scenic and cultural variety.
History in brief
Before colonial times, peoples such as the Muisca lived here, famous for their wealth of gold (the El Dorado legend). From the 16th century the area was colonised by Spain, and in 1819 Simón Bolívar won independence as part of Gran Colombia. The 20th century was marked by civil war, guerrillas (the FARC) and drug cartels. Since the 2016 peace agreement, the security situation has improved markedly in many regions.
Country & people
- Around 53 million inhabitants (2025) – the second most populous country in South America.
- A presidential republic; in 2022 the country elected Gustavo Petro as its first left-wing president.
- The third-largest economy in South America, recovering after the peace process with the FARC.
- Oil and coal, coffee, flowers, mining (gold, emeralds) and growing tourism.
Food & drink
- Bandeja paisa — A lavish plate of beans, rice, mince, chicharrón, egg, plantain and avocado.
- Arepa — Grilled or fried corn flatbreads, often filled with cheese or egg.
- Ajiaco — A hearty chicken soup from Bogotá with three kinds of potato, corn and guascas herb.
- Empanadas — Fried corn pasties, filled with meat and potato.
- Aguardiente — An anise-forward cane-sugar spirit, the Colombian national drink.
- Tinto — A small, often sweet black coffee, sold everywhere at street stalls.
- Lulada — A refreshing drink from the tart lulo fruit, popular in Cali.
Useful words & slang
- „parcero/parce" — mate, friend
- „chévere" — cool, great
- „bacano" — great, brilliant
- „¡qué nota!" — how awesome! / brilliant!
- „tinto" — black filter coffee
- „berraco" — gutsy / seriously good
Example sentences from the app
- „¿Dónde puedo tomar un taxi?" — Where can I get a taxi?
- „Lléveme al centro, por favor." — Take me to the centre, please.
- „¿Cuánto cuesta la carrera hasta el hostal?" — How much is the ride to the hostel?
- „¿Podemos acordar la tarifa antes?" — Can we agree the fixed price first?
- „¿Me deja en la esquina?" — Can you drop me at the corner?
- „¿Es por aplicación o en efectivo?" — Is it via an app or cash?
- „Tengo una reserva a nombre de Marcel." — I have a reservation under the name Marcel.
- „¿Hay ventilador o aire acondicionado?" — Is there a fan or air conditioning?
- „¿Hay una familia anfitriona cerca?" — Is there a host family nearby?
- „¿Hay agua caliente en la ducha?" — Is there hot water in the shower?
- „¿Cómo llego a Getsemaní?" — How do I get to Getsemaní?
- „Quiero ir al centro histórico." — I want to go to the old town.
- „¿A qué hora sale la lancha a las Islas del Rosario?" — When does the boat to the Islas del Rosario leave?
- „¿Cuánto vale una limonada de coco?" — How much is a coconut lemonade?
Travel tip
Say '¿me regalas...?' instead of 'quiero' when ordering or paying – that's the usual polite phrasing in Colombia.
Frequently asked questions
What slang should I know in Colombia?
Common examples include: „parcero/parce" (mate, friend), „chévere" (cool, great), „bacano" (great, brilliant), „¡qué nota!" (how awesome! / brilliant!). HolaRuta turns these into flashcards so you have them ready on the road.
How do you say "mate, friend" in Colombia?
In local Spanish: "parcero/parce". You can practise this exact phrase as a flashcard in the HolaRuta app, pronunciation tip included.
How do you say "cool, great" in Colombia?
In local Spanish: "chévere". You can practise this exact phrase as a flashcard in the HolaRuta app, pronunciation tip included.
How do you say "Where can I get a taxi?" in Colombia?
In local Spanish: "¿Dónde puedo tomar un taxi?". You can practise this exact phrase as a flashcard in the HolaRuta app, pronunciation tip included.
How do you say "Take me to the centre, please." in Colombia?
In local Spanish: "Lléveme al centro, por favor.". You can practise this exact phrase as a flashcard in the HolaRuta app, pronunciation tip included.
What should I try in Colombia?
Bandeja paisa — A lavish plate of beans, rice, mince, chicharrón, egg, plantain and avocado. HolaRuta also teaches you the matching Spanish phrases to order it.
Is travel Spanish for Colombia hard to learn?
No. With HolaRuta you learn the situational phrases you actually need in Colombia — at the bus terminal, in the hostel, at the market — instead of classroom grammar.