Do they speak Spanish in Barcelona?

Do they speak Spanish in Barcelona?

Do they speak Spanish in Barcelona? What languages do they speak in Barcelona? Do they speak English in Barcelona?
Yes. Everybody speaks 'Castellano' Spanish. Barcelona has many Spanish schools in Barcelona, however many people are bilingual and prefer to speak Catalan, the language of Catalonia, as their first language.

There is a strong movement among around just under half the residents of the region of Catalania to become completely independent from the country of Spain which has given rise to some political tension in recent years. The regional Catalonian government and civic organisations promote the use of the Catalan language and manyCatalan political parties support independence.  All street signs and shop information is in the Catalan language (except for rising number of shops and cafes, who now use English in their menus and names to welcome tourists to Barcelona).

Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish but a separate romance language derived from Latin and the  Occitan language (also called Provençal or Languedoc). Both Spanish and Catalan are official languages of Catalunya and in theory all information should be available in both Spanish and Catalan but not all business have the resources to comply with this law. Many employees of hotels and some tourist attractions speak English, but generallly restaurant staff, taxi drivers and people in the street do not speak English. Many young people now speak English and are eager to practise their English, which makes life easier for tourists, but can be annoying for visitors who want to practise their Spanish or who come to Barcelona to learn Spanish.

Spanish schools Barcelona
Catalan classes Barcelona
Wikipedia page Catalan language
Wikipedia page Castellano Spanish

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Last Updated on Thursday, 26 October 2017 08:20
 
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