South America
Video Chat with People from Colombia
Colombia packs a lot of variety into one country: the Caribbean coast around Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta, the Andean cities of Bogotá and Medellín, salsa-loving Cali, the coffee region around Pereira and Manizales, plus the Pacific coast and the Amazon. Colombia stays on UTC−5 all year, matching New York in winter and one hour behind it in summer; for Europe, a 9 PM chat in Bogotá falls deep in the night.
Spanish is the national language, and Colombian Spanish has a reputation among learners for being clear, though coastal accents move fast. English comfort varies, so a little Spanish helps. Easy topics: coffee, arepas (every region has its own), bandeja paisa and Bogotá's ajiaco; music from vallenato and cumbia to salsa and Medellín's reggaeton; football and cycling; Barranquilla's Carnival and Medellín's Flower Festival. Our Spanish phrase guide covers the basics, and Colombian slang is a fun next step.
Colombia at a glance
| Flag | 🇨🇴 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Colombia |
| Capital | Bogotá |
| Region | Americas · South America |
| Official language | Spanish |
| Currency | Colombian peso ($, COP) |
| Calling code | +57 |
| Time zone | Colombia Standard Time (America/Bogota) |
How to say hello
A few words of Spanish make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | ¡Hola! ¿Qué más? | OH-lah, keh MAHS | Hi! What's up? (very Colombian) |
| Spanish (Colombia) | ¡Quiubo! | kee-OO-boh | Hey! What's up? (from '¿qué hubo?') |
| Spanish (Colombia) | ¿Bien o qué? | BYEN oh KEH | All good? (casual) |
Tips for chatting with people from Colombia
- Many Colombians use 'usted' even with friends and family, especially in Bogotá and the Andean region, so it doesn't signal coldness.
- 'Con mucho gusto' (with pleasure) is the usual reply to 'gracias', and you'll hear it all the time.
- Ask about their region. Someone from the Caribbean coast and someone from Medellín will describe very different food, music and slang.
- Ask how they take their tinto, a small black coffee; it's a friendly, very local way into talking about Colombian coffee.
Only meet people from Colombia
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Colombia, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Colombia and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Colombia, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Colombia are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Colombia borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: