I wasn't embarrased by him using the imaginary pencil. What I found amusing is the fact that the waiter is saying "escribelo".

(Sorry can't work out how to put the accent in the i)

Britain has had lots of immigration for hundreds of years, its nothing new. Traditionally they did jobs 'we' did not want to do and guess what, its not changed; the bulk of fruit and veg seasonal pickers/workers are from overseas. Spanish iron workers were welcomed into Wales when the iron industry started 200 hundred years ago, we actively tempted folks from the West Indies to come in the 50's and take the unskilled jobs that were in abundance back then. Lets see if proposed changes to the benefit system slow down the flow of people coming that we can no longer afford to support.

Back to the original question, yep I sometimes see drunken, loud brits on holiday but I also these days see their German and East European counter parts.

Not an insignificant contribution, but back to the original question do their German and East European counterparts attempt the odd word in Spanish?
(nb I didn't mention drunken or loud!)

I think you're losing the battle Fiona, but I might be able to answer your last point.

Not so much in Torrevieja where I live now, but both in Estepona and Denia, I found that Germans make much more of an effort to learn the language if they are permanent residents.

It's easier for them because of the shared Latin roots. It's easier for them because they know their language has little world-wide usage and they learn English at school.

Us English are lazy and arrogant, deep down we still regard Spanish people as backward peasants leading donkeys down Caminos. I might get stick for saying that, but it's true.

HBG, I agree. As you have spent time in Denia you may know 'Els poblets' which is predominantly Spanish followed by German. A great many of the German residents speak a fair amount of Spanish, the Brits (that I have met there) are hopeless.

If so, you're very wrong. Everybody knows we lead mules due to the scarcity of donkeys!

Seriosly, don't be too harsh on yourselves. In my experience, polite and kind Brits are overwhelming majority. An evidence of that is precisely your concern about this topic.

Speak for yourself. Your statement shows such ignorance.

I value the Spanish people as equals who are intelligent, warm and friendly and I am grateful every day that we chose to live with them rather than with Brits.

Rosemary

Loosen up, I was only trying to stimulate the discussion, all my Spanish friends drive BMWs.

And it works both ways. My SIL went out for a meal last night to a Spanish restaurant that I know well. Some months ago, purely by chance, I found myself sitting with my back to a table containing four Spaniards, including the restaurant owner.

They were discussing the Brits and my ears were stinging. I can't even repeat a word of what they said, it would be too offensive. I sat there, stunned and let my coffee get cold. When they left to drive away in their shiny BMWs, I tried to reflect on what I had learned.

I came to the conclusion that a lot of it was true, but I haven't been back to that restaurant since.

I think you've misunderstood HBG's point (unless I have). He's talking about a common British attitude - and it certainly exists even if you and I don't share it. I'll give a brief example. When all those UK banks went bust (Northern Rock, Halifax etc) or were bailed out (RBS, HBOS etc) a few years back, one of the banks who stepped in to fill the breach was Santander bank. It's widely regarded as one of the most secure banks in the world, and even in the worst recession in 60 years it continues to make around 8 billion Euros profit. Yet I've seen on various talkboards Brits trying to spread malicious rumours eg "Santander is next", "I've heard Santander will go bust this month". This has been going on since 2007! It's almost as if Brits can't accept a successful Spanish outfit when several British equivalents went under. By the way I'm not even saying I'd use Santander myself - their customer service still needs improving imo. But there is a reason why it's fairly secure (same for BBVA), and it's down to rigorous conditions imposed by the Spanish system after the Banesto bank went under in the early 90s.
Of course the savings banks (often referred to as Cajas) are a different kettle of fish. and they've needed a lot of re-structuring lately. Would I trust my money in a Caja? Yes, but only to the amount guaranteed by the government.

My guess is that the impression of "the Brits" by Spanish on the coast, will be far different to the impression of Spanish in large cities, especially Madrid. And this impression will change still further if they are youngsters who've had to come to London to find work.
Same goes for us I suppose. If you work in Madrid and come across doctors, stock traders, air traffic controllers and economists daily (as you can if you are teaching Business English) then you may well think of Spanish as being highly intelligent, educated and motivated people, if a little hurried and stressed. There again if you're in a sleepy campo village then you may only come across farmers and labourers most days, and your impression will differ - not always for the worst, it has to be said.

One last thing (in a Columbo accent). We shouldn't forget that many countries still admire the British way of life. For example there seems to be a craze for building British style pubs and houses in Russia:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14851129

The Spanish too seem to have a soft spot for traditional style Brit pubs, although the Irish pub people seem to have cornered this market. You'll find a lot of these establishments in Spanish cities full of Spanish drinking their whisky and coke or Gin-tonics at the weekend. They don't find the Brits (or Irish) embarrassing at that point.

And so are the Brits.

Perfect situation then, everyone is happy.

Graham

Well stated, Steve.

I must admit being surprised when my British bank, the Abbey, was taken over by Santander. I foolishly though about moving my silly little account somewhere safer, like the RBS. My foolishness must have resulted from some deep down thoughts that Spanish businesses were somehow inferior to British ones. How daft can you get?

I know much better now and my bank statements are now sent to me in Spain, rather than have them re-routed from the UK. Haven't Telefonica and Iberdrola also got a strong presence in the UK?

And I've got much better evidence on the subject. I have a very close relative who used to work for RBS at a high level and now works for Santander at the same level, as an investment banker. (I almost feel like whispering considering the bad press they've had since 2008).

This close relative assures me that there is no difference whatsoever in how those big banks operate.

not wishing to turn this totally on its head, but...
if you watch the Spanish they also have a habit of using their hands to describe and amplify what they are saying

many years ago it used to be said that if you cut the hands off a Frenchman he would be dumb ..