LANGUAGE & OTHER DIFFICULTIES
If you are not reasonably fluent in Spanish, it is nearly impossible to get established here in Cuenca without the direct help of someone who understands both the language and the culture of the city. And that is what we do BEST.
Establishing your life in Cuenca is NOT dependent on speaking Spanish. You will automatically, over a short period of time, learn the few phrases that you’ll need to know to converse with shopkeepers and vendors. Other than that, you can live without much Spanish. But we advise folks to learn at least around 300 words/phrases that will give you most of what you need to converse intelligently. For instance, “I want” or “How much” or “Where is” are just handy to know.