Can You Get By With Just English?

Are you looking for a place where you can speak English?

Where can you get by with just English? And here my official answer is, "only in countries where English is the official language". Put simply, if you are planning on moving long-term to a non-English-speaking country, you really should learn the language of that country, at least somewhat. This is simply practical advice. You might be able to "get by", but longer term, you are creating a raft of problems and disadvantages for yourself, including relegating yourself to a social circle of mostly only expats, not properly integrating, eliminating your chances of getting citizenship or permanent residency in the future, and making your countless interactions with public services frought with anxiety and difficulty.

You will find bloggers and vloggers offering you lists of countries where you can "get by with just English", but I firmly believe this is not good advice to follow, unless English is already one of the official languages of that country; or unless you don't plan on staying long; or unless you are knowingly going to live in an expat community, such as a retirement village or foreign employee compound, where all services are also available in English.

We live in Switzerland and, yes, there is a relatively high percentage of people who speak at least basic English here. And yes, we do know foreigners who have been living here for years and never learned much of the language of their region (German, French or Italian, depending on where you are in the country). Do they survive? Yes. Can they get what they need at the end of the day? Yes. Will they be here permanently? Probably not.

"Most locals speak some English", you will often hear. That may be true. But that doesn't mean that your tax declaration or driver's license application form will be in English (it won't) or that the plumber you need to call in the middle of the night speaks English (he won't) or that your interactions with locals when renting an apartment or going to the doctor will be easy, because unless you speak some of the local language, those interactions will always cause you anxiety.

I suppose it is a question of what "layer" of society do you want to live in? Do you plan on staying for years, making this your new home, enrolling your kids in local schools, and making local friends? Then, even if those people often speak English, you are best advised to meet them in the middle and pick up some of the local lingo!

I will go so far as to say that not learning the language will eventually make you leave the country, one way or the other. Just do it!