yesnomaybe

hello, I am planning to go to Barcelona in April.
I don’t speak any Spanish, will that be a problem?

PalenQ

No especially since the local language is Catalan not the Spanish - though I understand the languages are close and Spanish is widely spoken. But not knowing either will be no problems -never had problems in my several visits.

https://www.barcelona-university.es/...-castilian.htm

yesnomaybe

Thank you

PalenQ

Gracias - and as always learning a few phrases of the local language is always appreciated. Like Thank you, good-bye, excuse or pardon me, etc.

Christina

Actually, I wouldn't say Catalan is close to Spanish at all, it is close to Occitan, the language of SW France. However, that isn't the reason for no problems as people in Barcelona DO speak Spanish, of course. I don't know Catalan, just studied it a bit for a few words (as it really isn't any use elsewhere), but I do speak Spanish enough to get by and there wasn't a single person in Barcelona who couldn't converse with me in Spanish, such as people in the neighborhood, stores, museums, any kind of service personnel, etc. It just isn't true that people in Catalonia don't know Spanish, they couldn't get along in the world if they couldn't, such as getting jobs. I think you may find some old people out in rural areas or something like that who don't know Spanish. Now the signs in some small stores may only be in Catalan as it is this big identity thing now (if you've been to Quebec, you know what this issue is), and I think they are requiring it more in schools due to that reason, but otherwise, no problem. Younger people certainly know how to speak in Spanish. I don't recall signs in museums, etc., only being in Catalan. I remember buying some ground coffee in a neighborhood market (as i was staying in an apt.) and the label and info was only in Catalan and I had to ask someone I found shopping there what some of the words meant, but he certainly understood Spanish which I could speak.

But the reason it won't be a problem is Barcelona is a very popular tourist destination and people in hotels and restaurants, etc., know enough English that you shouldn't have a problem. Now there may be some service people who do not, though (such as metro ticket clerks, maybe even some train or taxi personnel, etc), but thousands of tourists get by there and you will too.

StCirq

The language of Barcelona is Catalan. It's not "close" to Spanish. As Christina notes, it's very similar to Occitan, which if you've a background in latinate languages isn't that hard to understand, but it's not Spanish by any means. At any rate, everyone in Barcelona will speak Spanish and/or English, so you needn't worry about language issues unless you venture into the deep countryside. The same is true for the Catalan-speaking areas in France.

IMDonehere

As noted above they speak both Catalan and Spanish in Barcelona and plenty of English. And one of the conceits of the Catalans is to speak an excellent version of Spanish besides their tradition tongue. Tourists abound in Barcelona and for your purposes you will not have a problem. For example one spot you are sure to pass is Plaça de Catalunya. That is Catalan while the Spanish version is Plaza de Cataluna. There is little difference. Have a wonderful time.
,

Robert2016

Catalans speak both Spanish and Catalan. Just across the border they speak Catalan and Provençal. In SW France they speak French, Euskara, the language of the Basque speakers, Béarnese, which is a variant of Gascon, which itself is a dialect of Occitan. Tourism professionals typically speak English.

PalenQ

You probably won't recongize the difference between Catalan and Spanish - many go to Barthelona (as it's pronounced in Catalan I believe) and think Spanish was the lanugage.

StCirq

No, Pal, it is not pronounced Barthelona in Catalan. It is pronounced Barcelona. With the "s" sound. Stop making stuff up.

And anyone with half a brain would realise that Spanish and Catalan are two entirely separate languages. And quite different from each other. If you understand Occitan, which I do to a certain extent, Catalan isn't terribly difficult. But it's definitely not Spanish.

TDudette

yesnomaybe, in most tourist areas, you'll find English understood. English translations abound. As others above have mentioned, do learn the basic please and thank you! Good day.

The 'th' sound in Barcelona is the Castilian Spanish, yes? I read that 30% speak Catalan (at least publicly) because Franco banned its use during his long dictatorship. My 4th grade teacher said "Ponth" de Leon rather than Ponce.

I tried to learn Catalan and found vast differences, PalenQ but that could have been me.

Nikki

When I stayed in Barcelona some years ago, the concierge in our building spoke only Catalan. I don’t speak Spanish, but if I spoke French and he spoke Catalan we managed to communicate.

PalenQ

https://www.hudin.com/blog/going-to-...ot-barthelona/

Not clear as to Barcelona or Barthelona to casual listeners like moi. Interesting take.

StCirq

Not unclear at all. It's BarCelona. Did you read the article?

BigRuss

Or they could just rename it Gaudiville and be done with it.

girlonthego

Everyone pretty much speaks English. Everyone speaks Spanish, and also Catalan. The th in the pronunciation of Barthelona is Castilian which is Spanish. Catalan is very different from Spanish. I used some Spanish, but don't worry about not knowing any. Saying please and thank you in Spanish is usually appreciated.

Danna

I've been working on learning just enough Catalan for our visit. It is much closer to French than I anticipated. Which is good because I really could not get my tongue around Castilian Spanish.

PalenQ

French can't be too much like Spanish - my French son struggled with Spanish in school and after a few years' studying knows nearly nothing.

I find Spanish and English and French have many common words from Latin but little else.

neptunian

yesnomaybe - I just got back from my first trip to Barcelona a few hours ago. I can tell you that you will be able to communicate pretty well in English. Almost everyone I met spoke some English, with many people being near-fluent. English versions of menus are also common, even away from the typical tourist traps like La Rambla.

You should jot down a few very basic Catalan or Spanish phrases, though, as this is more respectful and will also make your life easier. I found both languages used widely - in fact, Spanish more so. Here are the essentials:

Hola = hello - this is really essential, you will be greeted with hola everywhere
Gracias = thank you (again, essential)

De nada = you’re welcome - you will often hear this said to you in restaurants or bars when you say “gracias” (or if you help someone and they say “gracias”, you can say this in response)

La cuenta, por favor = the bill/cheque, please

Also -

the word “sortir” = it means “exit” in Catalan, and this is what you will see in Metro stations. Handy to know!

The other thing that that will help you is to learn how to order popular drinks in bars (if you drink):

una copa de cava - a glass of cava
una copa/pinta Estrella - a glass/pint of Estrella (or whatever beer)
una clara - half beer, half lemonade
una tinto de verano - half red wine, half lemonade

I hope you have fun in Barcelona! Don’t be scared about the language at all. You will be totally fine!

joshuajames8805

Maybe an old thread...but I was planning to visit Barcelona to learn Spanish in September.

I guess I will learn Catalan phrases. I want to be polite and respectful.

But I really want to learn Spanish for work purposes (I just feel like Barcelona would be a better place to live for a month with my family, a lot to see etc). If speaking Spanish is OK to get by does anyone know if there's like a strong accent?

I studied Spanish in school and went on holiday once to near to Cadiz and...I couldn't understand a word! Please, I'm fully respectful of local cultures, and I know this is a self-interested question. But where's best to learn for the accent?