What's the language most often spoken in the Panama City, Panama suburb of Fort Clayton / Clayton? Can I get by if I just speak English?
Vannessa Solano
Spanish is the main language most often spoken all over Panama, including in Fort Clayton, but you can also meet a lot of people who can speak English. The only thing is that some of the Panamanians still don’t know how to speak English that well. For me, that’s not really a major problem. I am confident that the locals who don’t speak Spanish know someone who can be their interpreter. Also, a lot of the locals have been studying how to speak English for the past...
Spanish is the main language most often spoken all over Panama, including in Fort Clayton, but you can also meet a lot of people who can speak English. The only thing is that some of the Panamanians still don’t know how to speak English that well. For me, that’s not really a major problem. I am confident that the locals who don’t speak Spanish know someone who can be their interpreter. Also, a lot of the locals have been studying how to speak English for the past years due to the fact that the economy is booming and they know that they’re going to need that skill to secure a job in the future.
At the end of the day, English is our second language. So if you only speak English and you want to move to Fort Clayton, generally, you’ll be able to get by.
Posted September 3, 2014
Anne Gordon de Barrigón - Whale Watching Panama/Emberá Village Tours
You should never move to another country with a different language and expect not to learn that language. You can surround yourself with English speakers like the people in Clayton, where most people living there are expats from all over the world. Most of the NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in the City of Knowledge use English as their office language, but if you go to the little grocery store in Clayton, the people there do not speak English. If you break down on the side of...
You should never move to another country with a different language and expect not to learn that language. You can surround yourself with English speakers like the people in Clayton, where most people living there are expats from all over the world. Most of the NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in the City of Knowledge use English as their office language, but if you go to the little grocery store in Clayton, the people there do not speak English. If you break down on the side of the road, the guy who stops to help you will probably not speak English.
Panama is a Spanish-speaking country. As much as people want to tell you that English is widely spoken here, it is not. Average Panamanians do not speak English. If you are in a hardware store and you want to ask where the screwdrivers are, you have to know how to say that or bring a picture or an example because you cannot expect somebody to speak English over there. If you go to a pharmacy to get some medication, you cannot expect everybody to know English. You have to be able to bite the bullet and learn some Spanish. It helps if you are fluent. It will be a struggle and you will be frustrated living here if you do not work on your Spanish.
Posted December 17, 2014
Kevin Garcia
There are lots of expats from North America in Clayton so there’s a large amount of people in Clayton who speak English. Anyone looking in Panama for a place where they would have neighbors who speak English, Clayton is the place for them.From the perspective of a local Panamanian, it is helpful to speak English in Clayton because Panama is growing and more people from other countries arrive to live and do business in Panama every day. Local businesspeople need to make...
There are lots of expats from North America in Clayton so there’s a large amount of people in Clayton who speak English. Anyone looking in Panama for a place where they would have neighbors who speak English, Clayton is the place for them.From the perspective of a local Panamanian, it is helpful to speak English in Clayton because Panama is growing and more people from other countries arrive to live and do business in Panama every day. Local businesspeople need to make money in order to make their customers feel welcomed and understood and to sell their products. The local businesspeople and their staff may not speak perfect English but they try to understand it and to help their English-speaking customers as much as they can.
(Characterized by open spaces, athletic playing fields and flowers, the former US military base, Clayton, Panama City, Panama, pictured.)
Posted October 18, 2015