Catalan vs. Spanish
Hello SpanishDict community! I'm thinking of visiting Spain this year - in particular, I want to see the lovely city of Barcelona.
However, I've read that in Barcelona, many of the people speak Catalan. So, here are my questions...
How similar is Catalan to Spanish?
What percentage of the words in Catalan are Spanish cognates?
Is it reasonable to assume that if I attempt to speak to someone in Spanish, that they will understand me?
Thanks in advance for your insights!
7 Answers
Catalan is the official language spoken in the region of Cataluña of which Barcelona, which is a principal city However, from my experienc... most, but not all of the residents will at least understand Spanish and many speak Spanish too. Added to that you have many thousands of native Spanish speakers from other regions of Spain and many also from Perú, Ecuador Columbia and Brazil who will be visiting the city .
If you are thinking of visiting the region for a holiday you will enjoy it there but Heidi has said that she has lived there before and has experienced a negative attitude from people on account of coming from Madrid in theSpanish speaking part of Spain so we would not recommend it unless you are prepared to learn their official language of Catalan.
In some respects Catalan is similar to Spanish but in other respects it is considerably different. Here is a link to Wikipedia where much more information is given about this interesting language:
I have travelled to Spain at least 7 times and 5 times to this area (once as a child where we stayed in Blanes) and visited the city of Barcelona many times as an adult. It is an amazing city and full of interesting places to visit and wonderful things to see including particularly:
1 The illuminated fountains near the metro station Placa de España These are definitely worth a visit These are best viewed at night for providing a wonderful atmosphere. Beware of pickpockets in the city and in these tourist areas!
2 The Gaudi Cathedral It is still not completed yet lol You have to pay to enter but there is/was a lift to take you most of the way to the top.
3 La Rambla: This is the famous street and walk way where you see much of the busy life of the city, It is a very large road with two-way traffic going in both ways, shops banks and restaurants and the police station not far away.
I hope this helps
Whenever I visit Barcelona everyone seems happy to speak Spanish, especially to tourists/ foreigners. And they're pleased when you just say "Please" and "Thank you" in Catalan, they don't expect you to be fluent. I think Catalan speakers are in the minority in Barcelona, I read that it's as low as 20%.
Catalan and Spanish are not mutually intelligible, especially not to learners.
All Catalan people can speak and understand Spanish (apart from little children). Many refuse to... and can get... a bit ticked off... when you try to speak to them in Spanish. I feel it's reasonable if someone lives in your country, that you expect them to learn your language. I think it's unfair to expect people staying for only a short time to learn a minority language, especially since Spanish is an international one.
But Franco is still in living memory. Catalan was banned, people were forced to speak Spanish, the language nearly died. You can understand why they'd be a bit passionate about it now.
Catalans saved their language and it wasn't easy, Irish people are lazy and letting Irish die. So I have a lot of sympathy as well as admiration for this situation. However inconvenient it is for me.
Anyway, summary:
If you're going to Barcelona, don't worry about Catalan.
(Unless you're going to the university, in which case make sure your course is offered entirely in a language that you speak)
This topic is very well discussed here. Many ask it as, "proper spanish in Spain", "does Spain speak proper Spanish", and the list goes on. Here's one place you can find some good info about Catalan. Just click that link, and I will leave your opinion up to you to develop. Also, you may try searching, "catalan" in the search box in the questions area, there are many good discussions and answers there.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Saludos,
DJ Huero ((( d(-_-)b )))
My sister lives just north of Barcelona, so I have been there quite often, as a visitor you won't have any problems there are very few people who do not speak Spanish as well as Catalan.
Have a lovely time it is a very beautiful city, but hang onto your purse especially on La Ramblas.
Well one thing I can say with certainty, that's providing your spoken Spanish is good, is that they will certainly understand you. As regards your other questions, you will have to wait for a more informed member to answer.
I will call a friend to this thread, who actually lives there
If you want to go there to visit the city, that is ok, but if you want to live there , choose another place
Catalan originated from Latin I dont suggest learning it unless you want to go there in 4 years. Also yoou should think about just trying to understand Catalan. Catalan is said to have n relationships with Spanish. Unless you know Occitan, Aroganese your out of luck. OR you can bring someone who speaks Catalan with you.
