How well can I get around the philippines speaking just english?

Can I just walk into a hotel in Cebu and start talking to the staff in English like I was in Baltimore? Should I get a translation dictionary? Will I be able to talk to the locals and find my way around to restaurants, bars, etc. without much problem?How well can I get around the philippines speaking just english?
You'd be surprised at the average Cebuano's fluency in English. Most of the locals in both the Visayas and Mindanao regions speak better English than Tagalog.
You can speak english at the hotels, or tourist areas. In the provinces it will be a problem. Good idea to get a pocket dictionary and study up a few words on the long flight over. You can get basic directions, but for a long, seamless, conversation in english you will be restricted to younger college students or college grads, or professionals, or those filipinos that have traveled or worked with foriegners. Most older filipinos have lost the english skills learned long ago in school, and english is not taught that much to the younger generation.How well can I get around the philippines speaking just english?
You'll be fine. TRUST ME. Philippines has the highest english-speaking people in terms of DENSITY here in Asia. You'll be ok don't worry. Even though there are many or some of the Filipinos cannot talk/speak English perfectly, still, both of you can understand each other. You don't need to have a English-Tagalog dictionary while talkin to someone as long as you speak slowly, clearly, and politely.
You won't have a problem in a major city like Cebu or evan the smaller cities.

Just use proper english, not slang and speak a little slower than you would back in Baltimore. If you speak english at "machine gun speed" you'll get a blank stare.
In cebu almost everyone can speak english. English is popular there because not a lot of their locals like speaking in the national language so they rather speak english honestly. Cebu is also a tourist area. As long as you stay in the main areas then you are okay. Generally speaking Filipinos can understand more english than they can speak.
Not a problem, mostly they will understand you.You will be surprised, while talking to one person %26amp; there is someone nearby, you will now be talking to both of them. They tend to go out of their way to help. Filipinos are one of the most friendliest people in the world.



I'm thinking they are more worried that you don't understand them rather than the other way around. Cheers !
Yeah. We Filipinos mostly know English very well since we are thought during Elementary. But not a lot though. You should be careful though if you are planning on traveling to a Province or somewhere like Metro Manila. People assume your rich since you can speak English fluently or because your American of course. They can rob you, so it's advisable that you speak a little bit of Tagalog.
If this redneck can do it then you can also.

Really you will not have any trouble talking as almost everybody here speaks English. Watch out for taxi drivers make sure they turn on the meter. It is a popular practice to rip off the foreigner
go around wearing a T-shirt saying "I BET YOU CAN'T KEEP UP A CONVERSATION IN ENGLISH WITH ME FOR OVER 30 MINUTES"
Be a bit more polite and respectful in your choice of words and learn a few in Basya too. You will find a few older folks or those uneducated who speak little or no English but most Filipinos speak English.
in the cities, definitely, especially in hotels, bars, restaurants



you will have no problem in cebu
even beggars will ask for spare change in english
AMERICANS HAVE NO PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING MANNY PACQUIAO'S ENGLISH SO YOU WON'T HAVE PROBLEM WITH THE REST.
Give an English test to public students in both Cebu and Baltimore.



Cebu students will score higher!
Filipinos can understand and speak english well.

English language is a subject in Philippine School.
You won't have any problems with people not understanding you.
Since you are white, you are alright. -- Chris Rock..