Sep
My fiance and I were set to try to relearn the tiny Spanish we know for our honeymoon in Barcelona, but now I read that Catalan is the true native language and that Spanish is considered an outsider's language. In that case, we might as well just use English. (We are very busy, and don't want to start over by learning Catalan. At least we each have some middle school or college Spanish to begin with.)
Would it be useful/appreciated for us to get superior in Spanish, or would everyone be annoyed that we aren't talking Catalan?
Answer:
Everyone speaks Spanish in Spain. Period. If you initiate a conversation in Catalán, they will respond in Catalán, but they all speak Spanish.
The only thing I ran into was when we were explaining to this lovely woman that we were going to Girona, she corrected me…I was pronouncing the Catalán name in Spanish…it's the other way around, she explained…Girona…with a French soft G, or Gerona, with a jota-g….(it's about all the spoken Catalán I learned in 9 days, besides listening to announcements in the metro…)
You wil llove it! And it won't take you an hour to figure out the signage - which is ALL in Catalán.
You might want to brush up on your Spanish at one of the many learning websites!
Have a great trip! (go to the Café Opera for churros and chocolate! on the Ramblas, across from the Opera)
Answer:
I’ve lived in Spain for a year. From what I know of Barcelona, it is considered a bi-lingual city. Castellano, which is the typical Spanish language learned, is the national language of Spain and is really spoken everywhere in Spain. Català is spoken more commonly side-by-side in Barcelona and in much of northern Spain.
I would not worry about being considered an outsider. I’ve learned that attempting to talk any Spanish language is much appreciated. Barcelona is large in the tourist industry and other languages and dialects are expected. I would practice the Spanish you know and really enjoy talking it when you get to Spain. The people are really friendly and will not treat you any differently.
Good Luck & Have Fun!!!
Answer:
Hi…this question touches me…I´m Catalan and live in Barcelona.
The main language is Catalan,but Spanish is also very important and also used.For those with a bit of culture,we don’t mind a foreigner to talk Spanish,of course not.Catalan is the first language in schools here,but everybody speaks and writes perfect Spanish as well.You can make sure nobody will say anything to you if you speak Spanish.
I always use Catalan first,but if I see people don´t comprehend,as I talk both,I don’t mind changing.After all it´s always good to be bilingual,isn´t it? Spanish isn´t an outsiders language at all.
Answer:
I wouldn't worry - if you can speak spanish then it's definitely worth talking to the locals in spanish, as they'll appreciate you making the effort, at least. Catalan is the officical language and preferred by many, but Spanish is also an official language, so people will reply to you in spanish too. Also, due to the highh level of immigrants in Barcelona, then many people don't talk Catalan, but spanish, so don't worry.
This site has a good guide, too: http://www.bcn-rentals.com
Answer:
David has it. Everyone in Barcelona speaks Spanish. The natives prefer Catalan, but Barcelona has so may immigrants from other parts of Spain and Latin America that everyone is comfortable with Spanish. If I were in your position, I would learn the basic tourist phrases in Catalan to let people know that you know about and appreciate their language, but then focus on Spanish.
Answer:
hi, I'm Italian and i visited Barcelona two years ago…
I can speak english, german and italian…
I went to Barcelona with my Friends.. some them can speak spanish..
In Barcelona every people can talk spanish, so we had a good time… Barcelona is a great city…
happy honeymoon…
Answer:
You are correct in saying that that particular region in Spain talk Catalan. But Barcelona being a very cosmopolitan city will talk more Spanish than Catalan and also there will be loads of people who will also talk English. Book Mark it-> del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList