English is the official language of Barbados and all Barbadians speak english as their native language. However, in informal situations people speak to each other in a dialect called "Bajan dialect".

Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to learn Bajan Dialect in order to communicate with Barbadians. In fact, it is likely that if you do try to speak Bajan with a Barbadian, some people might actually laugh at you behind your back, especially if you don't pull it off.Nevertheless, you should learn a slang few words so that if you hear the dialect spoken, you would understand it.

Bajan dialect is generally speaking not too hard for a native English speaker to understand. However, non- English speakers who have some knowledge of English will need some time to get used to hearing it. It must be noted that Bajan dialect is generally spoken and not written. For this reason, there is no official grammar or orthographic rules for the dialect. Therefore, you will find that the spelling of words in Bajan dialect tends to vary. Additionally, the pronunciation varies. For example, some Barbadians would pronounce "mangos" like "Mainguhs" while others would say "Maingers". It just goes to show how fickle the dialect is.It should also be noted that Bajan dialect is always evolving. Nowadays you would hardly hear a young Barbadian refer to coins as "coppers" but older Barbadians like my grandparents would.

Over the years our dialect has also absorbed several words from other sources, namely American and Jamaican slang.

Use your international mobile phone rental to find a traslation service near you.