Official data indicates that 0.7% of the population speaks Portuguese, but the language retains its prestige in areas such as law and journalism. Macau has a lively Portuguese press, including three dailies and a radio and a TV channel. It’s calculated that around 2.3% of the population speaks English, which makes it much more difficult to communicate using Shakespeare’s language than in the neighboring Hong Kong.
Other languages, like Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia, are predominantly spoken in the large communities of Filipinos and Indonesian. The endangered Patuá language dates back to the epoch when the first Portuguese traders arrived in Macau and mixed with the local population. This creole language mixes Portuguese, Cantonese and Malay and was spoken by the Macanese community. It is estimated that the number of Patuá speakers may be in the hundreds.
Language schools for foreign tourists and residents are found in locations across Macau, especially in Coloane and Taipa. Language schools offer a variety of courses, differing in length and purpose. Visitors from most Western countries and other countries with a visa-waiver agreement with Macau do not need a student visa in order to attend language courses three months or shorter. For longer studies, a proper visa is required. Macanese language schools are also available in some cities outside of Macau.
Language Schools
A language school based just next to Senado Square in the centre of Macau. Lingo English, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese courses run all the year round at all age groups and at beginner and intermediate and advanced levels. Apart from the courses taught in our school, they also offer off-site lessons at your premises for groups and employees, as well as private one-to-one tuition at competetive rates.
Courses: Chinese Mandarin. English and Chinese Cantonese
The Jingdou Language Centre continues to provide quality language training to many locals of Macau. Jingdou began as a small English language night school for adults in 1992 and later on expanded to cater to a wider sector of the local population. Jingdou have a wide variety of courses and programs to meet every student's language training needs also programmes targeted at expatriates and foreign workers in Macau.
Courses: Chinese Mandarin, English, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese Cantonese
Since its opening, Langflow Education Centre has been offering excellent educational courses. We offer a variety of courses, and focus on keeping class sizes small so that our teachers can focus on each individual student and help your child grow and succeed!
Courses: Chinese Mandarin and Chinese Cantonese
The Cantonese language is also viewed as part of the cultural identity for the native speakers across large swathes of southern Macau. Although Cantonese shares much vocabulary with Mandarin Chinese, the two languages are not mutually intelligible largely because of pronunciation and grammatical differences. Sentence structure, in particular the placement of the verb, sometimes differs between the two languages. The use of vocabulary in Cantonese also tends to have more historic roots.