Portuguese in Mozambique
The only official language in Mozambique is Portuguese, although most Mozambicans also speak a local language, of which there are many. Changana is dominant in the southern parts of Mozambique which receive most visitors, but in Maputo city, only Portuguese can be relied on because of the blend of people living in the capital from across the country.
Mozambicans speak a Portuguese similar to that spoken in Portugal, rather than Brazilian Portuguese. Learning a little Portuguese before you arrive will be both very useful and appreciated by most locals.
English is generally understood in Maputo, certainly in tourist places like restaurants, and many officials speak a little English, but you cannot rely on getting by with English alone in Mozambique and certainly not once you go north of Maputo or into rural areas, with the exception of key tourist spots (e.g. coastal Inhambane). In Pemba (the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado in the far north), English in widely spoken because of the prevalence aid and oil & gas investment activity.
Portuguese basics
Below there are a few suggested words and phrases to try to learn before you arrive, or at least to have them with you listed below, but a quick note on pronunciation first. Generally, pronounce Portuguese as you would read it in English, but:
- ‘S’ is pronounced is a variety of ways, but rarely in the same way as in English (that is the Portuguese letter ‘ç’. ‘S’ is pronounced as ‘sh’ or ‘z’ or ‘zh’.
- An ‘o’ is often pronounced ‘u’, for instance Maputo, the capital, is pronounced ‘Maputu’ and the popular beach resort Tofo is pronounced like the food, ‘Tofu’.
- If words end in an ‘e’ after a consonant, you can choose whether or not to pronounce it (and trigger a lively debate between the Mozambicans who absolutely insist it is pronounced as a separate syllable - generally those more influenced by local languages - and Mozambicans who insist it is never pronounced - generally those more influenced by European Portuguese -…. Both options will be understood! This often applies to names of people and places such as Bilene, Filipe, Marracuene, Bobole, etc.
Here are a few very basic words and phrases to be aware of, but we advise you try to learn a little more than this. Duolingo is a free app that is easy to use and great for learning the basics, although it is less good for more advanced Portuguese because it teaches Brazilian Portuguese.
[wpdatatable id=1]
Here are a few specific words that may be useful as a traveller in Mozambican, especially when talking to public officials:
[wpdatatable id=2]
