Western Africa
Video Chat with People from Ivory Coast
Abidjan is the city most people from Ivory Coast will mention first, with its lagoon, the towers of the Plateau and neighborhoods like Cocody, Yopougon and Treichville. You might also meet someone from Bouaké, San-Pédro, Korhogo, the official capital Yamoussoukro or the old beach town of Grand-Bassam. French is the official language and the everyday common ground, mixed with Dioula, Baoulé, Bété and many more, and you'll hear Nouchi, the playful street slang of Abidjan.
The country keeps Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) all year: the same clock as London in winter and an hour behind it in summer, while 8 PM in Abidjan is 4 PM in New York during US daylight saving time. Music is a reliable topic, from coupé-décalé and zouglou to Ivorian rap. Football is close behind (the national team is the Elephants), and food fans can talk about attiéké with grilled fish, alloco (fried plantain) and garba. English is less common, so a few French words help.
Ivory Coast at a glance
| Flag | 🇨🇮 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of Côte d'Ivoire |
| Capital | Yamoussoukro |
| Region | Africa · Western Africa |
| Official language | French |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (Fr, XOF) |
| Calling code | +225 |
| Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (Africa/Abidjan) |
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 | Bonsoir, ça va ? | bohn-SWAHR, sah VAH | Good evening, how are you? |
| French (Nouchi slang) | On dit quoi ? | ohn dee KWAH | What's up? (literally "What are we saying?") |
| Baoulé | Akwaba ! | ah-KWAH-bah | Welcome! |
Tips for chatting with people from Ivory Coast
- Try "On dit quoi ?" for a laid-back Ivorian hello, then follow their lead on how formal to be.
- Ask about a favorite maquis, the open-air restaurants where friends meet to eat grilled food and listen to music.
- Ask specific questions, like which Abidjan neighborhood they live in or where to find the best attiéké; they lead to better stories than general ones.
- Shaky on French? Brush up with our French practice page and keep your sentences short.
Only meet people from Ivory Coast
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Ivory Coast, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Ivory Coast and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Ivory Coast, 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 Ivory Coast 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
Ivory Coast borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: