While all of our office staff in Gray & Co. are fully bilingual, one of the questions that clients frequently address when moving to Panama is whether or not to learn Spanish.
Spanish is the principal language in Panama, and, until recently, English was not required in public schools. This changed less than five years ago. As a result, most of the population is not yet bilingual. Panama still struggles with preparing teachers for rural areas.
There are, however, pockets of the country, where you can get by without being bilingual. For example, if you choose Clayton, Panama Pacifico, Coronado or perhaps even Boquete, becoming fluent in Spanish is unnecessary.
Nevertheless, there are some areas of life that you might still struggle with. These include things like:
- speaking to a mechanic (there are some fluent in English)
- grocery shopping (you could get lucky)
- getting pulled over by a cop (unlikely to find an English-speaking cop in the interior)
- making changes to your internet, phone, tv subscription
- phone banking (some banks are great with English, but not all)
- opening a bank account (choose one that has more than one person that speaks English fluently)
- gardener or house cleaner or similar home help (unlikely to be fluent in English)
Typically, you will find that the more educated classes speak more English and that those who work in resorts or in areas where foreigners tend to be concentrated speak a lot more English.
Nonetheless, your average Panamanian is not fully bilingual. 
Benefits of learning Spanish:
Of course, let me remind you of all the benefits of learning a second language:
- It boosts your brain power
- You improve your English knowledge
- Your grammar – even in English – will improve
- It gives you the opportunity to learn about culture and community
- Your memory and ability to multitask improve
- Decision-making skills improve
- It stalls dementia and alzheimers
With all of these additional benefits, why not learn a second language?
Benefits of learning a second language – have a look at some of these articles:
- https://www.careeraddict.com/second-language-benefits
- https://www.happify.com/hd/8-surprising-benefits-of-learning-a-second-language/
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/03/27/learn-foreign-language-benefits-bilingualism/
If you are planning to relocate to Panama, contact our law offices for full communication in English with our receptionist, lawyers and even clerks.