I am at a loss on what to call the collective group of foreigners/immigrants/new arrivals/pateros/guiris/nationals that relocate/expats etc.

After being informed that it is seen as a bit of an "insult" in a sneering sort of way, a little input might be of use to find an accectable term for this groups or groups of people

What would you like to be called as a collective nown?

I know we are all people but sometimes we diferenciate in discussions.

I actually think immigrants is the most honest

Expats implies a goes-without-saying superiority to the native population. As if you've been posted abroad to keep the natives in check. It gives me the image of a British army general in India tiger hunting and ordering the Raj about

Apologies to the owners of the site

Chris Stewart called them una plaga de guiris!

I have always steered clear of the word immigrant, because not all "incomers " are immigrants.

Immigrants to me means that a person has emigrated which is not the case with EU countries.

Would most Brits class themselves as immigrants to Spain, the ones who are 6 months here and 6 months there for example, or people who are here with their job.
People working for a while in a language school before settling down in their home country, would they be classed as an immigrant who has been through all the hassle of the family grouping process?

PLAGA ........the more sensitive members will be doubly offended at my "sneering".

And it is still not the right collective word.....

Well given the Plaga connotation, and one of the words most often used with that collective is Locusts, I find myself wondering if that is so far from the mark for some of us......... arrive in large numbers, don't really care what effect we have on the locale, consume everything that's available then bu&&er off to find pastures new

I would say I'm an immigrant - but this is definitely my home country now

yet the Spanish kids I used to teach English to in a language school, said that I wasn't because I am European


the girl in the group from Colombia was an immigrant however, even though they had a common language

The OH and I call ourselves immigrants, we have chosen to leave the country of our birth and live in another one all year round, so that is what we are. I don't think that coming from an EU country has anything to do with it.

We don't think we did Spain a favour by coming here, and hopefully we're not doing Spain or the Spanish people any harm either.

Perhaps some people think the word immigrant has negative connotations because of the way they themselves use it to describe those who have gone to live in their home countries.

The British don't seem to like being called immigrants, that is what they are. Incomers doesn't sound right as they are regarded as that if they come from the next pueblo. Locusts can't be right as the Brits put a lot of money into the economy.

However you trim it up....they are immigrants. That is how I would think of them if I were a spaniard.

Well ok I was being a bit daft/provocative, but do you really think the Brits put a lot into the economy? Really? Which bit(s) of the economy?

What does the average Brit spend monthly in Spain...I don't know but it would have to be at least 1000 euro. Food, petrol, IBI etc. Having their houses cleaned, painted, repaired. Buying white goods, cars. The majority of this income comes in from the UK. pensioners, disability allowance etc. private income, savings. Many spend much more than this. Add to this the people who invest in businesses, don't mean the crappy bars but eg. Iceland which we all know. Many of the shops in the large shopping complexes are British/Irish owned. I have friends who employ 4 spaniards, they are paying high taxes. There are many businesses that are not visibly British but they are british owned, bowling centres, golf courses.

All this helps the economy, the money is spent locally. I don't know how many British and other foreigners are on the coast but all their spending goes back into the economy one way or another.

If a Spanish person to whom you're not related calls you Tio, is he taking the piss?

I'm not so sure that "most" of the money Brits spend, helps the economy. Obviously a certain amount must do, it must be impossible not to make some kind of contribution. But if someone only shops in Iceland and other Brit shops, drinks Carling and Gordons gin in expat bars, and imports baked beans, tea bags etc. then they may not be making a huge contribution - especially if they employ Brits for any building, tv satellite or car work. Unemployment tends to be higher in the southern tourist areas too - not too sure why? Perhaps because a lot of work is seasonal and done on the black?



I suspect the rise of "all-in" inclusive hotel holidays in certain places is also taking money out of the local economy.

I thought this was an equivalent of "mate" or "pal". Since the Spanish are not averse to calling you guiri directly, I doubt they'd use "tio" to take the piss - I could be generalising based on a couple of regions though. Different slang is used in different areas.

If you live there then all your money is going into the economy. If the businesses employ workers of whatever nationality then whatever they spend to live goes into the economy. They will spend their wages in Mercadona etc. The Brit that puts up the satellite dish has to eat, clothe the kids, buy a car...and get it serviced. Makes no difference what nationality they use the money is in the local system.

Try a crash course in economics