Language

Spanish, more commonly known among the locals as castellano, is Ecuador's official language. Across Ecuador, you'll find that accents vary somewhat as you travel between the Andes, Amazon, and coastal regions. For the traveler, the clearest and most comprehensible is certainly the Spanish spoken in the capital. This is why Quito is one of South America's most popular destinations for Spanish-language learners, with a vast number of language schools scattered around the city. (For a list of these schools, see chapter 2.) Coastal Spanish is generally a lot quicker, with the s and r frequently dropped, making it a little more difficult to understand.

Indigenous groups who inhabit the Andes and Amazon jungle account for around 25% of the population; they speak Quichua and Quechua respectively as their first language, though the majority are also relatively fluent in Spanish.

Spoken Ecuadorian castellano varies from that of Spain, mainly with the pronunciation of the letters c and z, which are not lisped; gracias is therefore pronounced grah-syahss in Central and South America, not gra-thiass. The diminutives "-ito" and "-cito" are used extensively in Ecuador (for example, chico = chiquito), as is the ending "-azo," which exaggerates the meaning of almost any adjective, for instance bueno = good, while buenazo = really good. Just as in other Latin American countries, the plural form of tú is ustedes rather than vosotros, and the pronoun vos is frequently used among friends and acquaintances in place of tú. The Spanish letter ñ is pronounced ny, as in "canyon."

Below is a list of common Spanish terms and phrases. A fair number of words originating from indigenous languages have also found their way into Ecuador's Spanish vocabulary, several of which are included here.

Hotel Terms

Aire acondicionado -- Air conditioning

Almohada -- Pillow

Baño -- Bathroom

Baño privado -- Private bathroom

Calefacción -- Heating

Cama -- Bed

Cobija -- Blanket

Colchón -- Mattress

Cuarto/Habitación -- Room

Escritorio -- Desk

Habitación simple/sencilla -- Single room

Habitación doble -- Double room

Habitación triple -- Triple room

Mosquitero -- Mosquito net

Sábanas -- Sheets

Seguro de puerta -- Door lock

Telecable -- Cable TV

Ventilador -- Fan

Travel Terms

Aduana -- Customs

Aeropuerto -- Airport

Avenida -- Avenue

Avión -- Airplane

Aviso -- Warning

Bus -- Bus

Calle -- Street

Cheques viajeros -- Traveler's checks

Correo(s) -- Mail, or post office

Cuadra -- City block

Dinero/Plata -- Money

Embajada -- Embassy

Embarque -- Boarding

Entrada -- Entrance

Equipaje -- Luggage

Este -- East

Frontera -- Border

Hospedaje -- Inn

Lancha or bote -- Boat

Norte -- North

Oeste -- West

Occidente -- West

Oriente -- East

Pasaporte -- Passport

Puerta de salida -- Boarding gate

Salida -- Exit

Tarjeta de embarque -- Boarding card

Vuelo -- Flight

Emergency Terms

¡Auxilio! -- Help!

Ambulancia -- Ambulance

Bomberos -- Fire brigade

Clínica -- Clinic

Emergencia -- Emergency

Enfermo/a -- Sick

Enfermera -- Nurse

Farmacia -- Pharmacy

Fuego/Incendio -- Fire

Hospital -- Hospital

Ladrón -- Thief

Peligroso -- Dangerous

Policía -- Police

Médico -- Doctor

¡Váyase! -- Go away!

Typical Ecuadorian Words & Phrases

Acá -- Here.

¡Achachay! -- It's freezing!

Ahí muere -- That's the end of that.

¡Arrarray! -- It's scorching!

¡Ayayay! -- Ouch!

Batido -- Fruit milkshake.

¡Chévere! -- Cool!

Chifa -- Chinese restaurant.

Chiva -- An open-topped truck.

Chuchaqui -- Hangover.

¡Dale! -- Go!, go for it!

De ley -- Of course, exactly.

El/la man -- Colloquial term for man or woman.

Estoy cabreado/a -- I'm pissed off.

Estoy chiro/a -- I'm broke.

Fresco -- Okay, fine.

Gringo/a -- North American/European/white person.

Guagüito -- Child.

Loco/loca -- Crazy, also used to refer to someone like "mate" or "buddy."

Longo/a -- Derogatory term to refer to those from the Sierra.

¿Mande? -- Yes? (used when someone calls out your name).

Merienda -- An evening meal.

Mono/a -- Derogatory term (literally meaning "monkey") used to refer to those from the coast.

Nevado -- Snowcapped peak.

No te perderás -- Stay in touch.

Ojo -- Watch it, don't take your eyes off it, attention!

Pana -- Friend, buddy.

Páramo -- High-altitude Andean moors or grasslands.

Pelado/a -- Boyfriend or girlfriend.

Plata -- Money, cash.

Ponte pilas -- Wake up! (to something), wake up and smell the coffee!

Por fa/por fis -- Please (from por favor).

¿Qué más? -- What's up?

¡Qué pena! -- What a shame!

Salsateca -- Discotheque exclusively playing salsa.

Siga no más -- Carry on.

Simón -- Yes.

Tragar -- To eat until you are stuffed.

¡Vacán! -- Cool!

Vos -- You (colloquial; used instead of pronoun tú).