Central America
Video Chat with People from El Salvador
El Salvador is the smallest country in mainland Central America and the only one without a Caribbean coast, so much of life looks toward the Pacific: surf towns like El Tunco and El Zonte, the hillside villages of the Ruta de las Flores, the crater lake at Coatepeque, and a chain of volcanoes you can see from the capital. You might meet people in San Salvador, Santa Ana or San Miguel. Spanish is the everyday language, and many people know some English, often through family ties with Salvadorans living in the United States.
El Salvador doesn't change its clocks, so 8 PM in San Salvador is 9 PM in Chicago during US daylight saving time and the same 8 PM in winter. Food is the easy way in: pupusas, griddled corn cakes stuffed with cheese, beans or chicharrón and served with tangy curtido slaw, are a national favorite, and asking for someone's favorite pupusería rarely fails. Surfing, coffee from the volcanic highlands and the national football team, La Selecta, are other good topics. Practicing Spanish? Start with the basics on our Spanish page, then ask your partner to teach you a Salvadoran word or two.
El Salvador at a glance
| Flag | 🇸🇻 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of El Salvador |
| Capital | San Salvador |
| Region | Americas · Central America |
| Official language | Spanish |
| Currency | United States dollar ($, USD) |
| Calling code | +503 |
| Time zone | Central Standard Time (America/El_Salvador) |
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! ¿Cómo estás? | OH-lah, KOH-moh ehs-TAHS | Hi! How are you? |
| Spanish (El Salvador) | ¿Qué ondas? | keh OHN-dahs | What's up? |
| Spanish (El Salvador) | ¡Qué chivo! | keh CHEE-voh | How cool! |
Tips for chatting with people from El Salvador
- Salvadorans often use vos with friends, as in "¿Y vos, de dónde sos?"; you can stick with tú and still be perfectly understood.
- Pick up a word or two of local slang: "chivo" means cool and a "chero" is a friend.
- With so many families spread between El Salvador and the US, a conversation may hop between Spanish and English; follow your partner's lead.
- Ask about weekend trips. The country is compact enough that a surf beach, a coffee town and a volcano hike can all be day trips from the capital.
Only meet people from El Salvador
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from El Salvador, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for El Salvador and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from El Salvador, 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 El Salvador 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
El Salvador borders 2 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: