Thanks to the British colonisation of the Bahamas, English is the official language of the country and it is rare to find an inhabitant that does not use it at least a little. In addition to English, there are a number of immigrants – mostly from Haiti – who have Creole as their first language.

English speakers will be able to manage very easily in the Bahamas. Newspapers, television and radio stations all use English and children are taught through the medium of English in schools. All business, legal and commercial matters are conducted in English.

English speaking expats may find that the language spoken in the islands does differ slightly as the locals combine it with other languages from their different heritages to create a distinct dialect. By mingling with the locals this dialect should become fairly easy to understand, but there is no requirement to try to learn this dialect as it is not essential for communicating with others.

There are some immigrants who do not have English as their first language and who require some help with learning. There are several schools in the country which provide intensive English courses, which feature various tuition styles, class sizes and number of lessons and learners will easily find a course to suit their needs.

English is generally not a difficult language to learn, although there can be some difficulties with pronunciation. Learning with a good teacher and taking the opportunity to practise can help to overcome this. The length of time it would take to become proficient will vary from person to person. The more a person is prepared to study and practise, the easier the use of the language is and improvements will be rapid. As English is widely used in business across the globe and more and more English language programmes make it onto foreign television, many will at least be familiar with the sound of it and this will also help with pronunciation issues.

Unless a non-English speaking expat can get by in the Creole language it is unlikely that they will be able to manage on a day to day basis in the Bahamas without at least a little English. Learning the language is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you are able to integrate into the community that you have chosen. The locals in the Bahamas are happy to talk to anyone and everyone which makes practising language skills much easier.