Going to Spain?

Show all answers

SUE

Anywhere you go in Spain, they have to speak Spanish, or Castellano (they are synonyms). If you prefer the look of Barcelona, you might wind up learning both (not a bad thing, but not really necessary, unless you REALLY like CatalÃ¡n).

I don't think either one is better, or more beautiful than the other, but they have very different flavors. Barcelona is a more modern and cosmopolitan city...more international, in many ways, and the Modernista architecture IS really neat! But then, Madrid is the capital (so there's a lot of internationalism, there, too) and very 18th century...when most of the centro, as it stands, was built.

Barcelona has a much older history. The city has been there for as long as there have been humans in Iberia. Madrid was built, beginning from the 16th century.

More Gothic architecture and the Modernista, in Barcelona. More middle of that time in Madrid.

Both big cities. Both different. Madrid is closer to what you think of as "Spanish", whereas Barcelona is more...well...CatalÃ¡n. It's an animal all unto itself.

Now, if you want TRULY Spanish...you know, home of Flamenco, and bullfights and gypsies, and Moorish influence, and hot and sunny and romantic...the Spain of Carmen, that would be Seville. (that's where I lived...I'm a bit partial) The people there are lobbying to get a seperate status for their language, like CataluÃ±a, but it won't happen. It IS the same language, though the accent is really difficult to understand. However, once you get it, you can understand ANYONE. So, that's another choice (just what you needed, right?)

Wherever you wind up, you will probably have a BLAST!!! and always think of it as a very special city...don't forget, by the way, to try ALL the food. Even stuff you think is gross, because it's all really good!

Amanda

They speak Castellano in all of Spain, including Barcelona. They also speak Catalan in Barcelona and in the rest of the province of Catalonia. You can go to Barcelona and speak Castellano, I did it with a study abroad group.

dinodino

Castillian is spoken by most people in Spain, but many regions have their own language or dialect -- Gallego in Galicia, Valencian (basically the same as Catalan) , etc. . In the south they speak a version of Castillian but they talk faster..

They speak Catalan and Castillian in Barcelona. They prefer to speak Catalan and speak to each other, but they will talk to you in Castillian if you can't speak Catalan. But you might feel like an outsider if you don't speak Catalan, I did. Some people were very nice but some are a little snobby.

Barcelona is a much older city and is in a much more scenic location than Madrid -- on the Sea near the Mountains.

Madrid is flat but it's still and very beautiful city and Mountains are close by. They all speak Castillian, not Catalan. Very welcoming city. There are great places nearby to visit like Toledo, Avila, Segovia, Cuenca -- these are all in Castille so they speak Castillian. All better places to learn Castillian than Barcelona. Also, Salamanca is a University town and a very good place to learn Castillian.

Edit: Catalan is NOT a dialect it's a completely different language --it's closer to French than Spanish and almost the same language as Provencal which is spoken in Southern France. Spanish and Catalan do both come from Latin.

private

You made sense.
Remember the rain in Spain, lies mainly in the plains. <}:-})

Dog

In Barcelona the locals speak Catalan amongst themselves. Even though some regions will have their own local dialects like that, everyone in Spain speaks Spanish as well.

Lucky you, I loved Spain. Wish I could go back.

Stacey S

There are actually 6 official languages here in Spain: Spanish (Castellano), Catalan, Gallego, Euskadi (Basque), Valenciano, and Malloquin. Catalan, Valenciano and Malloquin are very similar, as they have a distinct relationship to French. Gallego is very similar to Portuguese, and Euskadi is the unique language in the group. Although you can usually find people that speak Spanish in all these place, you will find that the larger cities tend to be multi-lingual, while villages may be less prepared. With the exception of Spanish, you don't usually here the other languages outside their geographical area.

Spain is divided into Autonomous Communities. Three of these, Castilla y LeÃ³n, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid, are often cited among the Spanish themselves as being the home of the true "Castellano". As other answerers have noted, it is mostly a difference of accent. However, there are some (small) grammatical differences.

You didn't note how long you would be vacationing in Spain. Although it is quite a large country, it's quite possible to see both Barcelona and Madrid within a normal 10-14 day vacation. You may want to look into a "tour package" of several Spanish cities.

â™¥â™«Ð¼Î±ÑÎ³â™ªâ™£ ÏÎ¹Ð¸ Ï…Ï

Hi, I am spanish. In Barcelona they speak castellano too. In all Spain people speak castellano. You can go to Barcelona and dont speak catalan.Catalan is a second languaje.

Craig B

I would say go to Seville or Madrid to learn more Spanish. Forget Barcelona completely if your intent is to improve your language.

However may i suggest you look away from 'mainland' Spain, and head to the Canry Islands!!! Not only do they speak 100% Spanish, but there is so much more to do there in terms of fun and you can have a ''proper'' vacation instead of looking around boring cities in 30 degree heats!!!

Either Tenerife or Gran Canaria are awesome, great beaches, waterparks, entertainment for all ages, people are very welcoming and extremely friendly (your money is what keeps them going) so if you want to have a fun vacation and learn Spanish and none of this stupid Catalan or Galican blah blah blah, head for the Canary Islands :-)

DestinyBâ™¥

In Madrid they speak Catalan and Castilian in Barcelona and Valenicia. In Madrid they speak only Castilian.

lost

Spanish and Castellano are the same, the difference is the accent, is like UK and American English. Don't worry.

Catala is like a dialect, if I would like to go to Scotland to learn English is OK, people speack English and Scottish there, the same with Wales, they speack Welsh.

But every body speak English at the end.

Is the same with Spanish, Almost all South America speack Spanish, Spain (of course) and few colonies here and there. Very useful.

No te preocupes, se felÃz y disfruta tus vacaciones!

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: