Job Discussion Forums

[goingtospain]

Hi all! I am getting ready to take the plunge and move to Spain early next year. One of my big motivations for doing so is to learn Spanish and my plan is to learn mainly by interaction with local residents, rather than taking lessons. I've done research on Barcelona and Madrid and Barcelona appeals more to me as a city, although I know that the TEFL job market is better in Madrid.

My question for those in Barcelona or who are otherwise knowledgeable about this matter is this: Is it harder to learn Spanish in Barcelona than in Madrid due to the presence of Catalan in Barcelona?

Thanks in advance for any helpful info you can provide.

[bcnbound]

When I lived/worked in Barcelona I studied Spanish in an EOI and found that there was no problem practising/using the language as many people who live in Barcelona speak Spanish as their first language. I also picked up some Catalan, which is easy if you have studied French/Italian .........have never been to Madrid so can't comment on studying Spanish there.

[goingtospain]

Thanks so much for your reply, BCNBound. I appreciate it. Never having actually been to either BCN or Madrid, I didn't know how much Catalan was used in Barcelona and whether it would be reasonable to use Spanish in day to day life in Barcelona or not.

[bcnbound]

You're welcome!

Actually most Catalans are migrants/children of migrants who moved from elsewhere in Spain hence they use Spanish as their first language. Even when I was in the presence of Catalans who spoke Catalan as a first language, they would always use Spanish so that I would understand.

There are some people however who insist on replying back to you in Catalan even if you speak Spanish but the majority will use Spanish. I did find that learning Catalan gave me an insight into the region/culture and was worth it, athough you can't use it outside Catalonia......

[craftynick]

Hi. I have never lived in Madrid so can only advise about Barcelona. All children learn Spanish from a very early age at school so almost everyone at least knows it. In my experience Spanish is spoken a lot more on the street than Catalan (im sure in homes its different) especialyl in the city centre - i work out in the burbs where most of the menus are in Catalan but if you order in Spanish they understand perfectly.

Most people here dont expect us blow ins to speak Catalan especially if they can see you are only in the process of learning Spanish. I also studied French & can read Catalan quite easily (as it is similar) but be warned their pronunciation is very different.

The best way to study spanish if you dont want to do lessons is an Intercambios - you will find no shortage of people willing to exchange with you. In fact im trying my 1st one this weekend!!

Hope that helps

[Laurita02]

Well, I've only lived in Madrid and briefly visited Barcelona, so I have a bit of a different perspective. I LOVE Madrid, everything about it, so I of course HIGHLY recommend it to you to learn Spanish. It's simply the best city I've ever been in. However, I'm willing to bet it can happen just as easily in either city. Spain is just amazing as a whole, so go wherever you think you'd feel more complete. I enjoyed my visit to Barcelona but knew that Madrid was it for me, but that was because I've studied Spanish for years and went to Madrid to get my Master's degree. If you want to teach English as well, well...there is certainly no shortage of work available in Madrid. I don't know how much is available in Barcelona.