me and my fiance' are honeymooning in Spain and Portugal. we are taking a spanish class to communicate as best we can with locals, cab drivers, train station, hotels resturaunts etc...

i was wondering if English is spoken commonly in madrid, barcelona, sevilla, and also lisbon and the Algarve.

we will be going in July through august ,

this will probably be the first of many posts here on this site.

gracias
dan m

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dan & abbie of Michigan

I have never been to Portugal, but all the Portuguese I know speak better English than Spanish, and I have heard from many people who travelled through Portugal that the Portuguese are quite happy to speak English and prefer it to Spanish.
In Spain, the level of proficiency in English is lower than in other European countries, but in the big cities and in tourist areas you should still be able to find your way through in English without big difficulties, although it won't be guaranteed that everyone you get in contact with speaks English.
In some touristy areas, it might even happen to Spaniards to be addressed in English.

Dear Dan & Abbie (I'm from Michigan too!!!)

Connie is right about the Portuguese. I was in Portugal for about four days and nearly everyone we came in contact with spoke some English and were understandable. And a friend and I met two people who said they were really excited to meet us just so they could speak English because they didn't meet many Americans. You should be fine in Lisbon, although I don't know about the rest of the country.

Spain is somewhat different. More and more people are taking English courses, but it really isn't widely spoken, except in places tourists frequent often, like hotels, airports, etc. Even if your Spanish isn't great, Spaniards really appreciate it if you attempt to speak Spanish with them. I was told that personally.

So keep up those Spanish courses! Have fun!

Bunny

P.S. (I always forget something!!!)

Most cab drivers do NOT speak English, especially outside Madrid and Barcelona. I've heard horror stories from non-Spanish speaking friends! The drivers often just ask English-speaking tourists to write down the name of the place they want to go and take them there. So if you need more from a cab driver than can be communicated in writing, you might be out of luck!

thanks for the info, im from downriver , and you?

do you feel unwanted here?(on this board)


dan

Dan: Sometimes Americans overseas are reluctant to use a language they do not know well because they fear to be embarrassed. You can disregard that possibility in Spain. Over many years of mutilating their language I have yet to encounter any Spaniard who did not accept my poor efforts graciously and patiently.
Cantabene

In Portugal everyone I met spoke English to some degree. Some spoke it VERY well. In Spain I never met a single person who spoke English (except for hotel, store, restaurant employees who spoke a few words). If you are going to Spain, learn some Spanish!!

Dan writes: Short answer: No! Many upscale shops, restaurants and Hotels in Spain will have English-speaking help on their staff, especially in tourist areas.
After your Spanish course, you should still have a phrasebook at hand.
Do not attempt to communicate with Portuguese in Spanish - the reaction I got was that they seem to resent it.
As others have reported, you will find more English speakers in Portugal.
It will be very hot in Andalucia (Sevilla) when you plan to visit there. If you want a cooler place, look to Cantabria or the Principality of Asturias or Galicia.