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English Speakers in Rio de Janeiro

Filed under: Ask Us - March 24th, 2006

Your Question:
I only speak English. Will this be a problem getting around in Rio or are there many people who speak English?

Our Answer:
Rio is Brazil’s most famous city; for that reason, the city is prepared to welcome tourists, especially people who work at tourist’s attractions places. Normally in Rio everyone is able to speak some English. It will not be perfect but you will be able to understand them. Even though you will find a lot of English speakers in Brazil, I think it is important for you to learn some of the common phrases in Portuguese just to be safe. Taxi drivers normally know how to speak English, but as soon as they see you are not from here, they will charge you more for the ride. In general, Brazilians are really friendly, and they will go out of their way to try to help you to get any information you are asking for, but as in everywhere in the world, there will always be people trying to take advantage of you. If you are going to buy souvenirs at feirinhas for example, try to get a brazilian to ask how much it costs for you. Feirinhas are the most commom place where people will charge you way more for their products due to the fact that they know you are a foreign. So, knowing a little bit of Portuguese could save you in some situations, but you will definitely find English speakers almost everywhere in Rio. We hope you have a great time in Rio! Enjoy