Middle Africa
Video Chat with People from DR Congo
DR Congo is big enough to need two time zones. Kinshasa and the west run on West Africa Time (UTC+1), while Lubumbashi and the east are an hour ahead on Central Africa Time (UTC+2), so 8 PM in Kinshasa is 9 PM in Lubumbashi and mid-afternoon on the US East Coast. French is the official language and the easiest one to start with; Lingala is everywhere in Kinshasa and in music, Swahili is widely spoken in the east, and Kikongo and Tshiluba each have their own regions.
Music is a great way to get someone talking: Congolese rumba, soukous and ndombolo have filled dance floors across Africa and beyond, and many people will happily name a favorite artist. Football (cheer for the Leopards), the mighty Congo River, Kinshasa's nightlife and dishes like moambe chicken, pondu with fufu or liboke, fish cooked in leaves, are all easy topics. English is less common, so a little French helps.
DR Congo at a glance
How to say hello
A few words of French make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| French | Bonjour ! Ça va ? | bohn-ZHOOR, sah VAH | Hello! How are you? |
| Lingala | Mbote! Ozali malamu? | m-BOH-teh, oh-ZAH-lee mah-LAH-moo | Hello! Are you well? |
| Swahili | Jambo! Habari gani? | JAHM-boh, hah-BAH-ree GAH-nee | Hi! What's the news? |
Tips for chatting with people from DR Congo
- Open in French, then add "Mbote" for someone in Kinshasa or "Jambo" for someone in the east; it shows you've done your homework.
- Check which city they're in before you suggest a time; there's an hour's difference between Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
- Congolese French has its own expressions. If a word is new to you, ask what it means; it's a natural way to keep the conversation going.
- If the audio drops, slow down and type names and places in the text chat.
Only meet people from DR Congo
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from DR Congo, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for DR Congo and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from DR Congo, 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 DR Congo 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
DR Congo borders 9 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: