Dan writes:
Quote:
... 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.
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.