Before you leave pick up a small English-Spanish dictionary as well as your phrase book. That way you can 'read' the menu and such before having to order

I know this post is old but I thought it was a very great thread. Anyone have any stories they can share about going to Spain with no spanish knowledge or very little. Also how did you deal with not knowing how to communicate and is there anything that you would have done different to make it easier on yourself?

I went tp Spain as a missionary for my church in 1997. It was a two year commitment and I didn't know any Spanish. My church gave us a crash course in Spanish right before we went but when I got there, they spoke so much faster than the non native speakers that taught us the crash course. However, I went out everyday with another missionary and spoke with the people. Even though my spanish was horrible at first, the people in the Canary Islands(this is the part of Spain I was assigned to)were sooo helpful. I did not feel self conscious at all, and felt very comfortable in "testing out" new verb conjugations with the people I spoke with. Within about 5 or 6 months, I felt very comfortable with the language and many times people would tell me I sounded like a Canario. The best thing I did while I was over there was 1) talk to people...a lot. People sitting in the park or in a plaza are generally easy people to start conversations with. 2) I tried to learn 10 new words or local phrases a day
I don't think that I would have done anything different, not to say that my methods of learning were or are the best, but I'm comfortable with the results. A year and a half after returning from my church mission I went back to the Canary Islands and got engaged to a wonderful woman who is now my wife. Love the language, love the people, love the culture.

Mencey,

Thankyou very much for sharing your story. It is very inspiring to read about your experience. I realy like the idea of trying to learn atleast 10 new words or 10 new phrases a day. Thats a great idea and a great way to learn in my opinion. Also congrads on finding the love of your life. That is very awesome:)

Take Care

las ketchup - I just went to Peru and Costa rica (spanish still..) One thing that I did was buy some cassette tapes at Barnes and Noble - they are called the "Pimsleur method" of learning spanish. They come in a set of 10 tapes. There is no writing, you just repeat after them and they helped me immensely! Towards the end the converstations get really dorky and kind of funny (like two people slowly..and..clearly...arguing about who pays for dinner or two men who almost sound like they are hitting on some lady) so you get some added entertainment in there too. They helped me immensely, even though they are kind of nerdy. I don't find phrasebooks very helpful because you get no practice speaking. When I am travelling I practice with taxi drivers and guides. They are usually so impressed that you are actually trying that they are happy to help teach you a phrase or two. I took (and am taking another) little spanish class for adults. I am in the beginning phases of learning the language but it's fun. hablo solo un poco espanol!

I speak Spanish and my husband speaks none, so when we were in Spain I did ALL the talking. My Spanish got so much better in those three weeks—and I learned that what I thought were baños, in Spain were aseos. Who knew?

A phrasebook I highly recommend is called "Just Enough Spanish." I used the Portuguese one when we went to Portugal and it was true to its title. It gave me everything I needed to say.

The problem, of course, is that you can use any phrasebook to ask a question—but what if you don't understand the answer? I think they are most useful for making statements and not asking questions.

Another item that helps is an inexpensive electronic translator. We bought two of them before we made our first journey to Spain, and they work wonders. You can input your question in English, and translate it to Spanish (French also on one of ours), and people can enter info in Spanish and have it translate into English as well.

What we found interesting is that using the little gadgets actually helped us to learn enough Spanish as we went along so that we could eventually get by almost without it. But since they are so small, and can fit in a shirt pocket, they work very nicely when needed. In fact, with new found friends, who couldn't speak a lick of English, and us not being able to speak a lick of Spanish, we sat around a kitchen table and used the translators, hand gestures, and even small sketches on paper for endless hours, and were able to have a wonderful time.

What others have said, and I totally agree, Spaniards are more likely to work with us in translation, and help us, and be less offended when we butcher the language - but try, than any other people I have ever met. Even when we do terrible with it, they'll just smile, and help us get it right.

Anyway, in my opinion, you don't have to know any Spanish - assuming you have a translation book and electronic translator - and you can travel anywhere in Spain without a worry on your mind, unescorted by someone who speaks Spanish.

Wolf