Can you get by with English in Mumbai?

[Andreas_Dressler]

How easy is it to get by in Mumbai with only English? I doubt I will be able to learn Marathi or Hindi anytime soon, but I would love to stay in Mumbai for a while and become active in the startup scene there.

Hope you can help!

[Sagar_Patil]

Definitely. Everyone will speak to the extent that they can, and they'll most definitely understand what you're saying. Being a cultural melting pot, there's a number of different languages being spoken. Since India was ruled by the British, we follow a similar education system where the medium of education is usually English. You might take time getting used to the accents but by and large most of the general public can hold a conversation in English. There's certain words in Hindi and Marathi that you'll inevitably end up learning but thats true with any non-English speaking city. There's a thriving expat population that gets buy just fine without knowing Hindi or Marathi and i'm sure you will too

[Dhaval_Malte]

You can get by with English at most places. You may have trouble interacting with locals, but learning Hindi or Marathi will be even more difficult.

[Sumit_Pandey]

Hi Andreas,

It is absolutely possible and doable to get by English in Mumbai.

You will find most of the people multi lingual in India and English is very common.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Sumit

[Anika_Sharma]

Hi Andreas,

One of the best things about India is that every state has there own dialect and those who relocate to certain ceties for work manage to get by without knowing the local language.

The only problem I think you may face is during commute, which would be solved with knowledge of specific key words and google maps

I feel it is best if you first did get involved with a startup and then relocated here. It would help you in finding a place, commute and discovering Mumbai. I work in a startup and would be delighted to help you out further.

[Rohan_Vadgaonkar]

Hey Andreas,

You'll find it quite easy to get by in Mumbai on English alone. Anywhere you choose to work, English most likely will be the primary language.

For local transport, if you use Uber, you will again get by with English alone and mind you Uber in India is far cheaper than elsewhere - the most I've paid so far for an Uber ride is a $10 for a 2.5 hrs long journey.

Apart from talking to people on the streets or in public transport, it's pretty much a no problem.

[Nikhil_Kulkarni]

Adding to all of what's mentioned above - if your interaction will mostly be in offices, English will be the lingua franca. In several public places like the Metro or in first class local train coaches or even in AC Buses, English is often used even by locals. There are only limited places like small roadside tea-stalls or small shops where English might not work. In these places also, knowing few words of local slang (Ex. Cutting for tea, "Ek" for One etc.) should get out by without knowing english.