South America is a continent of many voices. Spanish and Portuguese do most of the talking, but hundreds of Indigenous languages — some spoken by millions — are very much alive, and a corner of the north speaks English, Dutch and French. Here’s the quick lay of the land, with links to the language guide for each country we visit.
Spanish is the official language of most of the continent — from Argentina and Chile up through Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and beyond. The great exception is Brazil, which speaks Portuguese; because Brazil is home to roughly half of South America’s population, that actually makes Portuguese the single most-spoken language on the continent. The two are close cousins and look similar on the page, but they sound quite different out loud — so don’t assume your Spanish will carry you through Rio.
Long before either arrived, the continent spoke its own tongues, and many still thrive. Quechua, the language of the Inca, is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, heard across the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Aymara surrounds Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia. And in Paraguay, Guaraní is co-official and spoken by most of the population — making it the rare country where the great majority is genuinely bilingual. Hundreds more languages survive in the Amazon basin and Patagonia, from Mapudungun to dozens of Amazonian tongues.
The northeast breaks the Iberian pattern entirely. English is the official language of Guyana, Dutch of Suriname, and French of French Guiana — a legacy of their colonial histories. Read more in our guide to the Guianas.
In hotels, restaurants and anywhere geared to international tourism, you’ll find English spoken — and every one of our guides is English-speaking, with other languages available on request. That said, a few words of the local language always go a long way, and locals genuinely appreciate the effort.
For the accents, slang and handy phrases of each destination, dive into our country language guides:
Ready to hear it all for yourself? Browse our South America tours and travel with English-speaking guides who bring every place to life.
