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.

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'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.