Colombian Spanish is slow, clear, and melodic — much more understandable than the Spanish in Spain, Argentina, or the Caribbean. Colombians speak without swallowing final syllables and use the formal address "Usted" much more frequently than other Latin Americans (even among friends!). If you're learning Spanish, Colombia is the ideal place.
Greetings & Politeness
| German | Spanish | Colombian (Slang) |
|---|
| Hello | Hola | ¡Quiubo! (What's up? — very informal) |
| Good morning | Buenos días | — |
| Good afternoon | Buenas tardes | — |
| Good evening | Buenas noches | — |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo está? | ¿Qué más? / ¿Bien o qué? |
| Good, thank you | Bien, gracias | Todo bien, parcero |
| Goodbye | Adiós / Chao | Nos vemos, parce |
| Please | Por favor | — |
| Thank you | Gracias | — |
| Excuse me | Disculpe / Perdón | — |
| Yes / No | Sí / No | — |
Colombian Peculiarities
Colombia has a rich slang that even confuses other Latin Americans. The most important expressions:
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| Parcero / Parce | Buddy, friend (THE Colombian word) | "¡Hola, parce!" — Hey, buddy! |
| ¡Qué chimba! | Awesome! Great! (colloquial) | "¡Esa comida está chimba!" — The food is amazing! |
| Bacano / Chévere | Cool, super, great | "¡Qué chévere!" — How cool! |
| ¡De una! | Immediately! Sure! Of course! | "¿Vamos?" — "¡De una!" (Shall we go? — Of course!) |
| Listo | Ready / Okay / Understood | Used for EVERYTHING. "Listo, parce." |
| Rumbear | To go partying | "¡Vamos a rumbear!" — Let's party! |
| Tinto | Small black coffee | "Un tinto, por favor." |
| Guaro | Aguardiente (anise-flavored liquor) | "¡Otro guaro!" — Another one! |
| Paila | Too bad / Bummer / Bad luck | "¡Qué paila!" — What bad luck! |
| Mono/Mona | Blond/Blonde (used for all foreigners) | "¡Ey, mono!" — Hey, blondie! |
| Sisas / Noas | Yes / No (youth slang) | Instead of Sí/No in informal speech |
Useful Phrases
| German | Spanish |
|---|
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? / ¿Cuánto vale? |
| Too expensive! | ¡Muy caro! |
| Where is...? | ¿Dónde está...? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I'm from Germany | Soy de Alemania |
| No problem | No hay problema / Tranquilo |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? |
| Help! | ¡Ayuda! |
| Police! | ¡Policía! |
| I need a doctor | Necesito un médico |
| Where is the hospital? | ¿Dónde está el hospital? |
Food & Restaurant
| German | Spanish |
|---|
| Breakfast | Desayuno |
| Lunch | Almuerzo |
| Dinner | Cena |
| Daily special | Menú del día / Corriente |
| Water | Agua |
| Beer | Cerveza |
| Coffee | Café / Tinto (black) |
| Juice | Jugo |
| Meat | Carne |
| Chicken | Pollo |
| Fish | Pescado |
| Rice | Arroz |
| Spicy | Picante |
| Delicious! | ¡Delicioso! / ¡Qué rico! |
| I'm a vegetarian | Soy vegetariano/a |
Numbers
| Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish |
|---|
| 1 | Uno | 6 | Seis |
| 2 | Dos | 7 | Siete |
| 3 | Tres | 8 | Ocho |
| 4 | Cuatro | 9 | Nueve |
| 5 | Cinco | 10 | Diez |
| 100 | Cien | 1,000 | Mil |
Emergency Numbers
| Service | Number |
|---|
| Police Emergency | 123 |
| Fire Department | 119 |
| Ambulance | 125 |
| Tourist Police (Bogotá) | +57 1 337 4413 |
| German Embassy Bogotá | +57 1 423 2600 |
💡 Tipp
"¡Qué chimba!" and "¡Parcero!" are the two words every trip to Colombia needs. If you say both together — "¡Qué chimba, parcero!" — you instantly make friends for life. Colombians love it when foreigners learn their slang.
