Question for natives of Valencia, Spain - How much Spanish is spoken in Valencia?

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chicken man

I'm not a native Valencian, but lived in Barcelona last year and traveled to Valencia. Just about everyone speaks Spanish fluently in the city. Nearly all the signs are in Spanish, often with Valencian as well (this is a little different than Barcelona, where it is nearly always Catalan first). Because most people do not speak Spanish as a first language, they speak a little more slowly and clearly (and academically) than in other parts of Spain (notably Andalucia, where they nearly drop the s and z). So it is a good place to start studying.

Valencian and Catalan, which is spoken in Barcelona, are dialects of each other. They are not that different from Spanish (though a little closer to French) and with only a little studying, you can decipher most of the signs. I recommend studying a little Valencian before you go and while you're there, because the natives love it if you take an interest in their culture and language.

By the way, I thought Valencia was a wonderful city. The people are friendly, the nightlife is fun, a little more laid back than Barcelona, good beaches, parks, and architecture. Have fun! Drop me a line if you have more questions.

ALILITOP

Every native speaker in Spain speaks spanish and does it regularly. The other languages, like euskara, gallego, catalan(very similar to valencià) or valencià, are spoken with people that are able to do it and, of course, in public administration and tv's, but you always have the option of choosing castellano.
Actually, the aim of the local governments is to promote the local language as the first option to use when speaking with a stranger, because now is castellano
Anyway, if you want to learn valencià, i'm sure you can do it for free. just ask for courses for foreign people in the Major House of the city you're going to live in.

wet26

Hey, I live in Valencia and they speak spanish. No one has ever spoken to me in Valenciana. The street signs are in both languages. Knowing only spanish is fine. It's different to Barcelona where people speak catalan a lot.

Definitely come to Valencia, it's an excellent city!

SUE

It's Gracias en adelante. But the rest looks pretty good.

I recommend going for two semesters. If you only go for one, you get much less out of the experience.

My experience is that wherever you go in Spain, they all speak Spanish. In the regions where they have a dialect, most people speak it amongst themselves, and they might help you out in learning it as well, but your spanish will probably be sufficient. I spent ten days in and around Barcelona last year, and never once did someone answer my Spanish with Catalán. They simply answer you in Spanish. Only once, did this lovely woman correct my pronunciation of the name of Girona. (I was pronouncing it as Spanish...apparently GERONA is Spanish, GIRONA [soft g, like in French] is Catalán.) Then she proceded to offer us some fresh pears she had just picked off a tree in her own garden! She made an impression.

You should be fine, and you should come back much better at speaking the language, but you would do better in the long run to stay for a full year. Trust me. It's what MY teacher taught us, and it's what I did, and I have NEVER regretted the time spent.

Alejandro B

tu traducción está perfecta! Soy español, pero no de Valencia!

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