Can all Malaysians speak English?

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Sarah

me no speaketh englisho..me no goeth to the schooleth...me the very dunno

Fozzy

Yes, Kuala Lumpur is consider an international city. Most local speak good English... ofcos, in Malaysia slang. :)

foongwk140804

most Malaysians can speak English so you do not have to worry about the language. after all, English is the second language used in Malaysia after the national language of Bahasa Malaysia.

Bean

Yes, most can speak English, in fact as Fishball mentioned the average Malaysian can speak at least 4 different languages they are very clever people, orang pandi.

dreamweaver

All Malaysian can speak and read English. Their signboards are in English too.

Wei100

I was born in K.L, although i haven't gone there for a while. I have cousins born and bred there so their understanding of English and speaking is basic.

I find that the 'pure' Malay's - that are the Islamics have a better education than the Chinese and Indian blood but also you might find that if you stick to certain places like the city, it should be okay. if you go into the poorer parts of the city like the suburban areas, English is poor or non-existent as they are probably less learned. I think it doesn't matter where you go however, even if its to England, America, the English language is varied as we use different terms for different things. I think its good to learn the basics of Malay or even Cantonese/Mandarin and be very good at making pictures in the air. But everyone is friendly - as long as you aren't by yourself and be safe!

Have a safe trip and enjoy!

fishball

Malaya the former name of Malaysia was a former British colony; naturally many do speak the English language from the uniform hotel bellboy to bank staff and shopkeepers. Don't expect Oxford English though but the local "Malaysian english" still quite comprehensible. "Those Malaysians" are well versed in a few other languages apart from their mother tongues - Malay, Indian, Chinese - how many languages can you speak in?

Desmond

Most of hotel staff speaks English, general quite a good percentage speaks English although Bahasa malayu is their main language.

omega7

No, not all Malaysians speak English. However the young do mostly and in the shops you will find most do especially in the shopping malls. Taxi drivers do speak English or can be understood if you state the destination and look at the meter! Insist on the meter. Hotels will help.

::BlackBerryLicious::

I am a Malaysian and a resident of Kuala Lumpur..in regards to your curiosity..i just want to say that..please do not worry that much as most of Malaysian especially in the big cities like Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor..the majority speaks good english..in other parts of the country..its depends..some may speak average english and some suprisingly do fluently speaks in the 'mat saleh' ( terms we use to the 'white' western people ) language..but it is much more fun to do some research in learning the main local language that is Bahasa Malaysia ( Malay Language )..and communicate with the local people in Malaysia..

anyway...Malaysian are amazingly friendly..even you cant understand a word they are trying to say..they will however will assist you in everything that you need..

Happy Holiday!!

Click on this for more latest info regarding Kuala Lumpur
http://www.visionkl.com

Bloed

Most can. Don't worry.
And if you are there, they will love it if you try to speak a few words of their language. Just things like goodmorning, thank you, goodbye, things like that. But just don't worry, Malay people are very friendly and overall speak well enough English.

amn1717

Malaysia having been a former British colony and English being the second language since independence 50 years ago, most educated Malaysians can speak, read and write in English, though many are not masters of the language. You may hear grammatical and pronounciation errors or lack of fluency. In responding, speak slowly. Your "foreign" accent, whether you realise it or not, may contribute to miscommunication.

From your question, may I ask if English is your mother tongue? A little polishing is in order ;-O

"I am going to Kuala Lumpur next week. But I am now so worry (should be worrIED) about my language (you should be if you use poor English!), I wonder whether I can communicate with those Malaysian (there are actually a few million MalaysianS). Can they all (can you ALL?) speak English?"

D.Connolly

KL i pretty sure majority can speak english . dont worry about that

Scouser7674

English???? No no no........Woman??? yes yes yes

Alicia

Yes majority of us speak English. However, speaking good English is another matter. Our education system is not sufficient in providing Malaysians with the means of reaching that potential.

techno

In Kuala Lumpur, most Malaysian speak English especially the youngsters. But their slang might cause a bit of difficulty to you. You have to speak slowly to them so that they can easily understand your enquiries.

ironlady42

Malaysian education is in English, so as most of the signboard, so plz dont worry about that.

orlyandsa

not all. BUT maybe 95 % of the Kuala Lumpur community and Penang, Johor speaks English.

aishah

Basically all Malaysians have a good grasp of the English language because of its weightage in the Malaysian education system. However, emphasis is mostly on reading and comprehension thus although the vast majority is capable of understanding you, a handful might not be able to communicate fluently with you (i.e. talking) so you have to be patient with all the slang and gestures they will use in order to make a point. This however is rare in KL since its city centre and most people communicate in English daily. Also, communication problem might arise if you mistook foreign labours from Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines as Malaysians because mostly they only speak their mother tounge; it might be tough to differentiate them from locals thus, if you find them baffling or smiling shyly just say 'thank you' and ask help from the other person standing by.

G.E.T

ofcourse............simple english....and understandable

Bernard

English, Chinese & Malay are commonly spoken in Malaysia, don't worry about the language. When u arrive, then u will know..

Shah

I don't think you will have any problems communicating.

Shinou Atsumu

English is our second language and it is a compulsory lesson that we have to learn in school. So what do you think? :) Of course not as fluent as people who speaks English as their mother tongue but we still do speak in English. It should be comprehensible to all tourists

Sobekkara

Hopefully

chickencurry

how often do u travel? There more you travel to non english speaking region the more you would learn how to communicate with those who cant speak proper english. Not everyone can speak english here. Try to choose the right person in street. For this you need experience too. So start travelling more and u will learn

Sembrol

not all but almost of them can especially people who live in town.

byderule

ofcourse not
only the educated ones

faysalabdulaziz

i have been living in KL city for about 2 months. i havent come accross anyone who couldnt communicate in english. obviously there r diff. levels ranging form "yes, no etc." to absolute fluency.

however in almost every case, they add the suffix "laa" with their expressions. i really donno why, but i guess that's unique to their culture.

hope u have a good trip.

idah

most of malaysians can speak english. so you don't have to worry

Nur AMIRA LIYANA A

of course they can..although not all can speak in English but you will not have a problem when you arrive at Malaysia(in speaking)..

azayi1

Hi.
yes.. we know english very well..
it is wether we can talk back to u via the same language.
make sure use a simple english dialec rather than your native country english accent..

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