Spanish
 

I speak very little spanish. I speak english from America. How hard is it going to be to understand and have people understand me when I travel to Spain. First four days in Madrid, after that exploring southern coast in rental car.

As long as you speak a little Spanish and can read signs, you shouldn't encounter any major problems.

Take a book or an app to do some translation.

you may find the odd local's tapas bar a little harder as busy staff may not have much time to help, but generally if you are in a tourist area you will be ok. What you will often find is that the more tourist focused place will have an English menu as well as the local language (note that there are at least 4 languages in Spain) (plus probably French and German).

Hotels will tend to have at least one English speaking staff member and on the south coast they may even be English. Little shops in back streets, then you need a phrase book. Most guide books have a good help and the Rough Guide has one of the best.

Thanks for the help.

Hey L,

It doesn't matter if you have no Spanish (No hablo Espagnole) because Spanish in Spain is very different from the Spanish that is spoken on this side of the world, as a friend of mine who is a native speaker of Mexican Spanish discovered last year.

We found that most people were reasonably forgiving, and would take time to try to work things out.

Learn a few phrases such as:

Hello, goodby
How much is this/that
the numbers from 1 to 10
the days of the week and the names of the months
"I'm sorry. I do not speak Spanish".

white wine, red wine,
glass, bottle
water

Enjoy your visit.

We did.

((I))

What you will find most useful is a menu reader - with descriptions of what is IN each dish - not just chicken whatever. (We have a little book from Berlitz with 17 languages - that we cut apart and take only the ones we need. Old btu VERY useful.)

In tourist areas many people in hotels, rest and shops speak basic english. In smaller towns not so much. Do not expect people in local shops or service stations to speak english.

ira-- No hablo Espagnole...? :? what is that supposed to be? Russian?...because it is NOT Spanish (did you mean "No Hablo Español)?

The only Spanish I speak is from "this side of the world" and after 20+ trips all over Spain have never, EVER had one milli-second of issue understanding and being understood in Spain.

I have seen tremendous improvement on the widespread use of English. English is not as pervasive as say, Germany, but much better than years back. Do absolutely learn some phrases in Spanish. Most Spaniards are "tickled pink" when somebody tries to speak their language...and yes, I agree they are very forgiving.

All my Spanish teachers have been American, Mexican or South American, and I've never had trouble being understood. I know there are some words (coche for car in Spain, auto in Mexico, ordenador for computer in Spain, computadora in Mexico) that are different, but for the most part I haven't experience difficulty with people understanding me in Spain.

I do remember one woman I met in Barcelona. She was from Texas and said that she was fluent in Spanish, but she was very distressed because the wasn't understood and didn't understand the Spanish there.

I agree that in tourist areas there will be someone who speaks English. Also that learning a few phrases in Spanish will be useful--and also courteous.

Oh, about a menu reader...I had one in France, and it saved me from ordering veal kidneys. Gross!

I'm a picky eater in that I don't eat organ meats.

<<<i>I do remember one woman I met in Barcelona. She was from Texas and said that she was fluent in Spanish, but she was very distressed because the wasn't understood and didn't understand the Spanish there.</i>>>

Peg - willing to bet that's because she was interacting with folks who spoke Catalan.

"She was from Texas"! I think that says enough.

Seamus: I wondered about that, too. I went to Mass at the Cathedral in Barcelona. I had a Spanish/English Mass book, and I couldn't follow the Mass at all, as it was in Catalan. It was Easter Sunday, and my Mass book had 3 Masses. I couldn't even figure out which Mass was being said.

Also I wonder if the woman from Texas had learned some kind of dialect common to the Tex-Mex border or something. I speak German, and I've been in two situations in different parts of Germany where I couldn't understand the speakers at all. Both were speaking dialect of some kind.

Make that 3 situations! On a river boat near Dresden in June, the people were speaking Saxon, and I didn't understand a word. Apparently other Germans have trouble with it also, as they had a Saxon/German dictionary in the kiosk on board. I think the dictionary was a sort of joke, though.

I have learned Spanish from SA teachers...have no problem in Spain .
( a bit in Andalucia)
I had a problem understanding Penelope Cruz
In Volver,though.

danon wrote >>I had a problem understanding Penelope Cruz
In Volver,though.<< oh, so you were actually listening to what she had to say....?? :D :D

Anyway, all I have to add is that a lot of people in the United States say they speak Spanish and they actually do not...

Not sure what "Spanish from America" is. In the US you have at least 3 distinct version of Spanish - Puerto Rican, Cuban and Mexican.

what we were taught in school (NY CITY) was mexican spanish - considered the standard in the last ie age. (When my mom was in school - the previous ice age, since she is 92 - they were taught Castilian. However, the gardener's assistants don't have any trouble understanding her - although they seem to be from Mexico or Guatemala.)

Basically - for a tourist - spanish is spanish - you will be understood. My most useful phrase was - mas despacio por favor. And I found my ancient high school spanish started to come back about 15 minutes after we arrived.

Being a woman, I still appreciate PC's beauty...
and yes I tried to listen ( there were no English subtitles) .
A few times in Spain, i I saw foreign films dubbed in Spanish ...easier to understand for some reason.

As long as you keep your patience while vacigating in the rental car, you'll be fine. You only need to know 1 word.....Sangria.....and then make a hand gesture for large or big so they bring a pitcher. Have a great time :)

"Sangria" A true Sangria is something special, but since you can now buy it in the grocery store, premixed, it's lost all its mystical powers. But in truth, outside of being served on the coast of Andalucía during the warm summer months, and at a few other select locations, is something only a tourist would indulge in. With all of the great wines and sherries available throughout the country, drinking Sangria is not what one wants to do, except in the right setting.

Mexican Spanish was not actually the standard of the last ice age, it all depended on where you went to school. In California it was Mexican Spanish by necessity, but in some private schools they actually had teachers from Spain. It's an exception, but it does happen.

As Viajero said, many people from the States say they are "fluent" in Spanish, French, whatever, but they are not. But, hey, give them a star for trying out a language. Bravo.

You will be fine. After a few days you remember the Spanish you have forgotten.

The most valuable piece of travel advice I ever received was: "gestures work, starvation is rare"

Hi V,

>ira-- No hablo Espagnole...? :? what is that supposed to be? Russian?...because it is NOT Spanish (did you mean "No Hablo Español)?<

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a tilda on the keyboard.

((I))

ira then type it without or (& ntilde) but without the brackets.

3 days in Madrid. No problems with my HS Spanish

I'm not fluent in Spanish, but know some and I was understood in Barcelona and I understood them, also (within reason, of course, as much as I do in rest of Spain). So I don't buy any woman from TX claiming she was fluent but couldn't understand them and vice versa. Assuming she was talking about when she and they were speaking Spanish, not Catalan.

There are lots of variations in Spanish in the Americas, I can't understand people from Puerto Rico or Argentina very well, but those from El Salvador are pretty understandable to me.

No one who knows any level of spanish (never mind being fluent) would not be able to be understood in spain - unless in a village in the catalan area where spanish is the second language.

Either she thinks she knows a lot more than she does - or she has confused spanish with some other odd local dialect (like the patois spoken in some of the carib islands).

I was able to understand and be understood (granted on a tourist level, not discussing brain surgery or the international monetary crisis) based on 3 years of high school spanish at least 15 years before.

Not a tilde, but press the alt key and type 0241 on the number pad (not the upper row of keys) and hey presto! ñ .
Here in south Texas we pronounce it en-yay.

Take in mind that in Barcelona many people probably will talk with you in Catalan. Many young people usually talk english, with old people is more difficult. In any case if you try to be polite and do not expect too much from they, usually I believe you will be able to communicate and find way to have your replies. Better to learn the basic conversation. Have a nice trip!

Hi hB,

Nice post.

Solely in the interest of helping you improve your American, may I suggest

>Take in mind that ....
We would say "Keep in mind" or "Take note"

>.. with old people is more difficult.
"with old people <i>it</i>is more difficult"

>do not expect too much from they, ...<
"from them"

>you will be able to communicate and find way to have your replies.

"find ways to get your answers"

Hope you find this helpful.

((I))

I've been in Barcelona twice and everyone spoke Spanish that I encountered, it really isn't a problem. I even rented an apt. and just was talking to people in the local grocery store, etc., like the clerk and I asked some random people questions at times (for example, I was buying some coffee and the label was in Catalan rather than Spanish, so I asked someone standing there what a certain Catalan word meant -- I don't know Catalan except a few words, so I asked him in Spanish and he replied in Spanish). I spoke to cab drivers in Spanish, people in restaurants and stores, etc., and they all replied in Spanish. So while people may speak Catalan to each other in private or if they have a business requiring it, it really is not a problem.

Of course, I wasn't talking to old people in private, so can't speak to that.

Several people I encountered in Barcelona were immigrants from Central or South America.
Catalan was the language they were learning.