TheLostPhotographer

If you had to state the main difference between Spanish and British peoples in your opinion, what would it be?

Is there any?

I find Spanish culture to be quite noisy. A bit overt, but still with undertones to learn about.

Just came back from my current local (cafe con leche and brandy) where I saw a family enjoying their weekend break - obviously holiday, rather than local. There was a girl (a mother) who looked no more than 17 with her son who looked and behaved like a Five year old. WTF? You still have braces in your teeth and you're bringing up a son!

Not so different from England really when you think about it. The difference for me isn't so much about the age of motherhood, age of consent here. It is more about family values. She isn't bringing up a child alone even if no father is around. She has the support of sisters, mother, aunts, uncles, brothers etc etc etc.

The most noticeable difference between Spanish and UK culture for you?

agoreira

Same in UK, how else could the young unmarried mothers go out clubbing all night!

TheLostPhotographer

Good point


Perhaps I was just unaware of such family values in the UK. Seems here family is much more important in many ways. Want a job in Spain? You'll have to marry into it.

Lynn R

Some of the differences I notice are:-

children still play out in the street here, in the summer until very late in the evenings, with seemingly no need for supervision from parents
if we see said children or teenagers doing something they shouldn't be, we can tell them off without getting a mouthful of abuse or having their parents come round to pick a fight with us.
If the children don't take notice, we can go and knock on their parents' door to let them know what's happening and it will be dealt with swiftly, again with no backlash against us
children seem very confident and articulate and will come up to us and talk in the street (even when they don't know us)
Spanish people seem on the whole to be able to go out and enjoy themselves and just have one or two drinks in an afternoon or evening, there is far less public drunkenness on the streets (yes I do know about the botellones but these don't tend to take place in the town centres with the consequent need for a large police presence and ambulances on standby to cart people off who have been fighting or have simply drunk themselves unconscious). When talking about the need for minimum alcohol pricing in the UK this week, a Government Minister described British town and city centres especially on weekend nights as "scenes from hell".
I find Spanish people can be much more blunt in what they say - if you ask a Spaniard if they like something they won't hesitate to say "no, it's ugly" or tell someone they have put weight on. Most Brits are a bit more tactful!
Spanish people seem to have a habit of stating the obvious as an opening conversational gambit. I've lost count of the number of times I've had a neighbour come up to me in the supermarket and say "Ah, compra, no?". I feel like saying no, I just came in to get out of the rain but I don't think they'd get it. I used to think maybe they said it because they didn't think I'd understand much else, but they say it to each other as well!

cricketman

Are you sure it wasnt the sister?

Spain has one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rates in the world, so you did well to find one

There are tons of cultural differences between Spain and the UK, too many to mention!

Pocaloca

I'm not a fan of national stereotyping but the biggest difference I've noticed is that the Spanish (at least Andalusians) live for today, the Brits plan for the future.

They also have a much smaller "personal space bubble" and total strangers will practically sit on your lap on a crowded bus, touch your arm while they are speaking to you, or even tuck in the labels on your clothes if they are sticking out (that's always happening to me!)

TheLostPhotographer

I only asked for one. 'The most noticeable...'. What do you notice most?

Another I notice frequently is the touchy feeliness of blokes. Despite the very macho image most Spanish men kiss in public Still can't bring myself to do that without feeling very awkward. Hugs and slaps - fine, but kisses are strictly reserved for woman in my book.

I suppose you could turn the question around and ask what makes you culturally British in a foreign country.

-----------

On the teenage pregnancy front: I was playing Devil's advocate a little. Just trying to get a response. However, I don't honestly understand why so many people have a problem with young mothers. Perfectly natural. It is contemporary society that puts pressure on women to put work before family.

cricketman

Spanish men don't kiss each other Are you sure you are not hanging around with North Africans or East Europeans?

It's difficult to say what the most noticeable difference is - probably for us at the moment it would be how everybody talks to us wherever we go because we have a child. When we were back in the Uk recently we got nice smiles from people, but nobody dared speak to a "stranger"

Dick Dasterdly

For me,the way they all seem to talk at the same time,especially in restaurants and bars, not only talk but shout, wave their arms and fists in the air and often look like they're going to get seriously violent.

When I first visited Spain I used to watch what appeared to me to be their seriously aggressive antics with great interest, just hanging around to see who would strike the first blow.

I'm still waiting all these years later.

Problem is that newcomers to Spain, especially Brits, can easily take this all the wrong way and decide to get their retaliation in first bigtime, say over a motoring or parking dispute or mishap.
Thats just one of the reasons that the Spanish often remark about the British being very aggressive.
They generally prefer simply to have a good shouting and gesticulating match and then walk way, but instead occasionally find themselves waking up looking at the stars.

TheLostPhotographer

No. Spanish men kiss. More common in Southern Spain. I think it's a Med' thing - like Italy. East European and North African men kiss also. I hang around with them sometimes. Common for men in Andalucia to great with a hug and a kiss to each cheek. Then again, I suppose Southern Spain is not to far removed from North Africa culturally.

Rosemary

One of the first things that I remember saying to a very good Spanish friend is that with everyone talking it means that no-one is listening......she agreed immediately. Now 4 or 5 years later I am helping a couple of people with their English and they tell me that their tutor says that their listening skills are not good.....I wonder why??????

Rosemary

cricketman

I definitely have never seen it in the North or Madrid, but I've not seen it in Andalucia either, I spent a couple of years there and spent a lot of time with Spanish guys at football and tennis. Never saw it even once

My (Spanish) wife says Spanish men never kiss each other. Well, maybe if it is a close family member, but that depends on the family and context

Has anyone else seen this?

sujee

The Spanish men in our local bar greet each other by a kick on the shin or a thump on the shoulder. They shake hands but I haven't seen them kiss.

One cultural difference I have noticed is the workmen never accept a drink whereas the expat ones like all British workers expect tea/coffee on the half hour.

steviedeluxe

I have seen it a couple of times, but shaking of the hands is far more common.

Not really surprised they don't accept a drink while working. They probably have a terrible image of Brit-made coffee compared to Spanish (or French or Italian etc). Plus they don't have our tea culture.

Talking of drinking (the alcoholic kind), it's still the case that the Spanish can make a small cana last a while. Brits generally "need" pint sized measures, and boy can most drink fast. It's not even the case that the Spanish don't like alcohol, as anyone watching them knock back the whisky-coke or Gin-tonics can verify.

Incidentally, when a mixed group of people enter a bar, here's how you tell the difference between a German group and a Spanish group (of course appearance and accent will tell you anyway). With the German group, the men enter first, to check the place is decent for the women folk. The Spanish do it the other way around - the guy holds the door open whilst the women enter first.

Pocaloca

Oh C-man, they most certainly do!!!