Thinking of moving to Spain but worried about the language barrier? Here’s why learning even basic Spanish will transform your life as an expat and how to get started, whatever your age.
The British have never had a reputation for linguistic effort abroad. Perhaps it takes a little sting out of the national pride to learn that Education First’s English Proficiency Index recently named Vigo, a modest Atlantic port in Galicia, as the Spanish city where English is spoken best. Locals, it seems, are rather better at learning our language than we are at learning theirs.
Speaking just a few words of the language at your holiday destination is fine: โplease”, “thank you”, “goodbye” and so on. However, when you decide to move to another country, be it for work or retirement, you cannot truly become integrated without speaking the language.
I live in northeast Spain in Catalonia where I regularly hear new residents andย even those who have lived here for years say โHola, Habla inglรฉs?โ which means โHello, do you speak English?โ. It is a little surprising that residents here havenโt learnt enough Spanish (or in the case of Catalonia, Catalan), to navigate their daily interactions with locals. I am not suggesting that you learn perfect Spanish, but it really makes a huge difference in your life here if you can at least ask for simple things, read menus, enjoy basic chats about family, pets and, of course, the weather.
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Where to start your language journey
Ideally, you should start learning Spanish before you arrive in Spain. You can take evening classes or access online resources, and nowadays, there are even AI โteachersโ to help you gain confidence in Spanish. If you learnt French at school, you’ll find Spanish has a similar grammatical basis, so that makes it easier.
Just 20 minutes a day using one of the online language courses will set you up well before you make the move to your new home in the sun.
Singalong
Listening to Spanish songs, either older popular ones or todayโs pop, is a great way to become familiar with Spanish. Sergio Dalma, Pablo Alborรกn and Rosalia all sing clearly and you can find a translation of the lyrics online.
There are some good childrenโs songs too which will help them to get used to hearing Spanish before they start in their new school. Have a look at some websites on YouTube such as Rock ‘N Learn and Calico.
Do I really need to learn Spanish? I’m moving to a town with a large British population
Naturally, buying your home in a predominantly expat British community, means you will be speaking English a lot. Consider though, when you go outside the expat bubble, maybe to a supermarket or to a hairdresser or a car repair shop, you will have to make yourself understood. Locals will be happy to help, especially if you at least attempt to explain what you need in their language.
A Spaniard in the UK or any other country, wonโt get far by just speaking Spanish. If they were to walk into Sainsburyโs and ask for something in their native tongue, most people wouldn’t understand and the same applies to English speakers.
Making a small effort to speak the local lingo will open many doors which will enhance your life in Spain. You wonโt speak Spanish correctly for years, probably, but that doesn’t matter; what does matter is being understood.
Should I take language classes once I’m in Spain?
The short answer is yes! You might find free classes provided by your local town hall but there are many international language schools in every town of a reasonable size. There are also teachers who work privately on a one to one basis.
When I first arrived in Spain, 20 years ago, I spoke very basic Spanish, enough to get by. Since my home is in Catalonia, I felt it necessary to learn the rudiments of Catalan, mainly as a courtesy to local people. I went to the local adult college twice a week for a year and lessons were free.
Now I speak pretty good Spanish. I can read and understand Catalan but I confess I donโt speak it as well as I should. Since I am a foreigner, local Catalans will willingly speak Spanish with me, though if we are in a group, after a while they slip into Catalan, which fortunately I do understand. I have enjoyed many conversations with locals, I speak in Spanish, they reply in Catalan.
That brings me to another suggestion: donโt get frustrated if you find learning foreign languages difficult, not everyone is a natural linguist. If you are not taking classes, 15 minutes a day spent learning numbers, colours, etc will help you. Try filming yourself pronouncing the words or use an App where you can speak and hopefully what you have said is recognised. These are small things to do but they can help you gain confidence when speaking.
I’m too old to learn another language
If you want to enough, there is no reason why you canโt learn the basics of Spanish at any age. Application and desire are the key. They say that learning a language after retirement is good for our brains in the same way as crosswords, wordle and sudoku.
Summary
Living in Spain and speaking only English is a bit like moving in next door to someone and never once saying hello. You can get by, technically, but you’re missing out. Spain is generous, warm and endlessly rewarding and it gives back tenfold to those who make even a modest effort to meet it on its own terms. So dig out that Duolingo app, hum along to a bit of Rosalรญa and start where everyone starts, with โHola!โ
