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Before you leave the UK - well before!

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:15pm
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PeterC

PeterC

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I read lots of questions from people saying they are planning on moving to Spain, but have not seen anyone say they have taken one of the most important steps - and one that can be started years before you come - learnong Spanish.

It will be so much easier if you can manage to understand and speak (or even read) the local language. Bars and restaurants and some businesses have English-speaking staff, but very few official organisations.

If you go to courses at the Instituto Cervantes <https://www.cervantes.es/uk_ireland/learn_spanish_en.htm> you can (apart from anything else) find out how easily you learn languages.

It will not help you much with understanding local accents (Andalucia & Murcia folk refuse to pronounce the letter 's' for example) but you will understand a letter from the Ayuntamiento or the taxman. Doing a course for even a couple of years will get you started, and take you well beyond the usual "Dos cervezas por favor" and "cafe con leche".

PhilTox

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:22pm

PhilTox

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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:22pm

Thank you so much for that patronising advice, I'm sure none of us would have thought of that for ourselves!

PeterC

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:43pm

PeterC

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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:43pm

PhilTox wrote on Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:22pm:

Thank you so much for that patronising advice, I'm sure none of us would have thought of that for ourselves!

So you did this Toxic Phil?

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Kalli

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:09pm

Kalli

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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:09pm

Then there's the Murcian "ado". Many years ago a Spanish neighbour asked me if I was going to the "mercow". That threw me for a bit, he meant the mercado (market). Same for cafe manchow/manchado (stained coffee). But then we are a bit rustic up 'ere!

Ginger

Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:09pm

Ginger

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Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 3:09pm

PhilTox wrote on Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:22pm:

Thank you so much for that patronising advice, I'm sure none of us would have thought of that for ourselves!

Not patronising just common sense before arriving. 

Mags44

Posted: Wed Jul 1, 2020 4:04pm

Mags44

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Posted: Wed Jul 1, 2020 4:04pm

PhilTox wrote on Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:22pm:

Thank you so much for that patronising advice, I'm sure none of us would have thought of that for ourselves!

And yet the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Very few of the British immigrants that I know and who live around my area, can speak much more Spanish than those very few phrases previously mentioned. They seem complacent and happy that they managed to even learn that small amount of Spanish because (in their own words) "just about everyone here speaks English". Thinking about doing it, isn't actually doing it!

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