Languages Spoken in Mozambique: Portuguese, Xitswa & 40+ More

More than 40 languages are spoken in Mozambique, and Portuguese is the only official one — a legacy of nearly five centuries of Portuguese presence until independence in 1975. But most Mozambicans speak Portuguese as a second language, alongside one of the country’s indigenous Bantu languages. So the honest answer to “what languages are spoken in Mozambique?” is: Portuguese everywhere in public life, a local African language at home, and English in the places set up for travelers.

Last reviewed: August 2026.

The short answer, for travelers

You don’t need to speak Portuguese to travel here — but a handful of words transforms how people treat you.

• On a guided trip (lodges, tours booked through an operator), English covers almost everything. We handle the Portuguese.
• Traveling independently — markets, chapas, smaller towns — Portuguese helps a lot and English often won’t be enough.
• Either way, learn five or six Portuguese phrases (below). Bom dia and obrigado are the difference between a transaction and a welcome.

What languages are spoken in Mozambique?

Two layers, side by side.

Portuguese — the official language. It’s the language of government, school, business, signage, and the news. Mozambique is one of nine Portuguese-speaking countries in the world and the only official-Portuguese nation on this stretch of the Indian Ocean coast. But “official” doesn’t mean “everyone’s mother tongue.” According to Mozambique’s 2017 national census, roughly half the population can speak Portuguese, and only around one in six speaks it as a first language. Fluency is higher in cities and lower in rural areas.

The Bantu languages — what people grow up speaking. Most Mozambicans speak one of the country’s 40-plus indigenous languages first. The big ones, each anchored to a region:

• Emakhuwa — the most widely spoken first language, across the northern provinces.
• Xichangana (Xitsonga) — the south, including around Maputo.
• Cisena and Cinyanja — the Zambezi valley and centre.
• Elomwe, Echuwabo — central provinces.
• Xitswa — Vilanculos and the Bazaruto Archipelago, which is our patch. (It’s where our name comes from — ekaya means “home” in Xitswa.)
• Gitonga — Inhambane city and the Tofo/Barra coast just south of us. Tofo is Bitonga country, and Gitonga, not Xitswa, is the language you’ll hear behind the Portuguese there.

You’ll hear these everywhere — two people who both speak Portuguese will often switch to their shared local language the moment the official business is done.

Languages of Mozambique by number of speakers

Here is the whole picture in one place, as counted by the 2017 national census. These are first-language speakers — which is why Portuguese looks small here despite being the language of the entire state. Add second-language speakers and Portuguese reaches roughly half the country.

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, 2017 national census.

What the constitution actually says

Mozambique’s constitution names Portuguese the official language in Article 10, and in Article 9 recognises the country’s indigenous languages as national cultural and educational heritage, committing the state to developing them and widening their use. That second article is why you’ll see Emakhuwa or Xichangana in early-grade schoolbooks and on community radio, even though the paperwork is all in Portuguese.

Mozambican Sign Language

Mozambican Sign Language (MSL) is the language of the country’s deaf community, with its own ISO code (mzy). It is used in at least the three largest cities — Maputo, Beira and Nampula — with some dialectal variation between them, and standardisation efforts have been under way since the late 1990s. It is not derived from Portuguese Sign Language or American Sign Language; beyond that, its origins aren’t recorded.

Do they speak English in Mozambique?

In tourism, yes. Away from it, much less.

Here’s the real picture, because the internet tends to give you one of two wrong answers (“everyone speaks English” or “no one does”):

• Lodges, dive shops, guides, tour operators in Vilanculos, Tofo, and the islands — generally good English. The tourism economy runs on it, and EKAYA’s whole team works in English with guests.
• Restaurants and bars in tourist towns — usually enough English to order and chat.
• Markets, chapa (shared-minibus) drivers, shops, smaller towns, rural areas — mostly Portuguese only. Don’t count on English here.
• Maputo and the South African border areas — more English than the rest of the country, partly from the steady traffic of South African visitors.

English is more common than it was a decade ago, especially among younger Mozambicans, but Mozambique is not an English-speaking country the way Kenya, Tanzania, or neighbouring South Africa are. Lean on Portuguese as your bridge, not English.

Portuguese phrases worth learning

Mozambican Portuguese is European Portuguese with a local accent — closer to Lisbon than to Brazil. If you’ve learned Brazilian Portuguese you’ll be understood fine. These are the ones that earn a smile:

Greetings

• Olá — Hi
• Bom dia — Good morning
• Boa tarde — Good afternoon
• Boa noite — Good evening / good night
• Tudo bem? — How’s it going? (literally “all good?”)

Politeness (the high-value ones)

• Por favor — Please
• Obrigado (if you’re male) / Obrigada (if you’re female) — Thank you
• De nada — You’re welcome
• Desculpe — Sorry / excuse me
• Com licença — Excuse me (squeezing past)

Getting by

• Sim / Não — Yes / No
• Fala inglês? — Do you speak English?
• Não falo português — I don’t speak Portuguese
• Quanto custa? — How much is it?
• Onde fica…? — Where is…?
• A conta, por favor — The bill, please

One practical tip: download an offline Portuguese pack in Google Translate or your app of choice before you fly. Mobile data is patchy outside the towns, and an offline translator covers you in the market when your phrasebook runs out. See our staying-connected guide for SIM and data details.

A few words of the local language

You don’t need Xitswa — but if you pick up even one word, you’ll delight people. The one to know is the one on our sign: ekaya, “home.” It’s why we’re called EKAYA — because the whole idea is to make Mozambique feel like yours. You’ll also notice that a lot of the food vocabulary you’ll meet isn’t Portuguese at all: matapa, xima, and the rest carry their own histories. (More on that in our Mozambican food guide.)

Will the language be a problem on my trip?

Honestly, no — not on a trip with us. The language question worries people more before they arrive than it ever does once they’re here. Between an English-speaking crew, a few words of Portuguese in your pocket, and the fact that warmth translates without a dictionary, you’ll be fine. Mozambique is one of the friendliest countries you’ll travel in, and people meet effort with effort.

Still not sure?

If you’re weighing up whether the language will get in the way of the trip you want, send us a WhatsApp — we’ll talk it through in English and tell you honestly what to expect for your plans. Planning the wider trip? Start with Vilanculos, Tofo, or our full travel tips.

Last reviewed: 17 August 2026. Sources: language statistics from Mozambique’s Instituto Nacional de Estatística (2017 national census); language count and regional distribution from Ethnologue: Mozambique; plus our own day-to-day operations guiding English-speaking guests on the southern coast.