paintermujer

I have come across many spaniards who speak english fluently.....and other languages too at times.

evamar

Exaxctly... a VERY BIG THANK YOU!!! They didn't HAVE TO, you know...

When and if I ever find a British person who can speak to me fluently in Spanish in the UK I will definitely faint. Why? I simply don't expect them to!

Well done, continue with your Spanglish and maybe try to improve it for the next time you need to deal with Spanish people in Spain. It will only make your life easier.

Domino

my BH works with young Spanish girls some of whom speak 5 languages......

evamar

In Spain very few people use kettles, therefore you cannot really expect them in hotels.

Not that many Spanish people use a sauce pan or similar to make their coffee... remember that many Spanish people don't drink tea and many tend to prefer proper coffee with a "cafetera" on the cooker, not a simple sauce pan with water. Or, if they do drink instant coffee many use only milk, not water and milk, and simply get the microwave to heat it.

Kettle prices are going down, tea is quite fashionable now and demand is pulling down the prices. But, it's still unusual for Spanish people to have kettles, so you'd better check with your hotel rather than going mad if they don't have one.

I guess that Italian people also prefer "proper" coffee, so they wouldn't use kettles either.

I'll definitely bring our kettle when we move.

Domino

If I was in a hotel in a "foreign" country I would abide by their ways - its their country!
And I don't remember going MAD at anyone over the non-availability of a kettle. When first starting to visit Spain I noticed no kettle, but always had a bottle of water available so it didnt make a great deal of difference other than the water was better for me.

perhaps it is the insidious influence of the Brits that is changing the drinking habits of the Spanish, but I see there would be a greater sale of coffee making machines than in the UK and I do prefer the coffee that is served in Spain compared with the weak stuff we get in the uk at a higher price.

paintermujer

We had a few days break in Benidorm at the beginning of september.We have never been in a spanish hotel and found a kettle in the room so we were clever and took our own little travel kettle,tea bags and coffee.Bobs your uncle.

My brother travels to the USA on a regular basis and they dont appear to have kettles in the bedrooms either.

But like someone said drinking tea infusions in Spain is becoming very fashionable now so who knows...maybe in the future.

Just thought.. when I lived in Valencia before I once asked for tea in a cafe bar.All was fine until I asked for milk...the reaction was similar to if I had asked for arsenic to go with it.

evamar

It's really only recently that young people are seriously studying languages; before it was quite rare to find a Spanish person fluent in English (unless of course they actually need it for work or personal circumstances). It was actually the one subject that everybody took a fail as not too important.

Spanish people have been more and more conscious of International trade and tourism and we also have the "titulitis" complex... our parents couldn't get a higher education so let's make sure that our children go to University or at least get a degree. Check our jobless statistics and you will realise that we have one of the best educated lot of unemployed people!

If one position demands English and the employer gets candidates with other 4 languages extra ... they might have a chance.

evamar

I was still thinking of my sister-in-law!

I noticed that some friends of mine have started drinking tea, but not really because of the Brits (they actually don't know any Brit!), it's more because of the "exotic" countries: China, Japan, Morocco even. Not the typical Breakfast tea...

PAINTERMUJER: I think Spanish people think that if you want tea that's it, cannot spoil it with milk. Also all those "exotic" teas we are beginning to drink usually are taken without milk. You just have to ask for it... but surely they will put faces because they think tea is tea... Just as you order a café... and it comes without milk.

cricketman

Including my OH and her two sisters who each speak 3 languages fluently and another 2-3 at conversational level

Domino

IMHO the inexperience is quite noticable. Asking for a tea con lache and you get a cup of milk and a tea bag dunked in as if it is the feast of the passover. YUK !! I like to be able to taste the tea at the back of the throat, a small amount of milk just takes away the bitter taste.
have to ask for a tea and a milk as 2 separate items and do your own mixing away from prying eyes, but a guy in a cafe in centre of Granada does know the difference, but then he is serving English every day.

cricketman

What do you expect Domino? Spain isnt England. Generally people dont add milk to their tea.

I wouldnt go to a greasy spoon in the UK and ask for a paella or a mariscada or complain because they havent given me Spanish chorizo or butifarra sausages with my English breakfast

Domino

what the .... are you trying to start an arguement for ? ? ?

everyone one is different, and under human rights legislation is entitled to

• add a lump of ice to red white or rose wine
• add milk to tea or coffee
• add sugar to tea or coffee
• have chocolate instead of coffee
• have water instead of anything else (ISTR bars etc are required by law (?) to serve a glass of water FREE on request)
• add coke to brandy or rum or bacardi or whisky
• add lemonade to lager
  etc etc

and I would expect the person serving the drink to serve it the way I have asked, it isnt for them to decide what and how I drink, which with an extra milky tea could be the way I have asked for it.

as to paella etc, more and more places in UK are selling this as an alternative, giving jaded chefs the chance to do something a bit different, last place I was at had sold out before they were half way thru lunch.
If asking for bacon egg & chips I don't expect to get pancetta.

I have eaten and drunk (and been thrown out of a few bars) in every continent from Oslo to Manila, Key West to Tokyo (great meals on the Ginza). I generally eat the local food, its part of the experience, as are the local drinks (tried Oranjeboom, Kirin, Tiger or Castle ?).
The only bad experience was a plate of mussels in Salou, but they did taste good, just what they did to my insides that evening.

whitelinen

Interesting........does that mean you have never met a Brit anywhere who is fluent in Spanish?

In the 10 years I have lived in Spain I have never encountered a Spanish person who spoke fluent English.

I dont have a problem with that at all and with a few exceptions I have always managed in Spain using Spanglish or French.

However I do know several Germans, Dutch and Belgians living in Spain who speak English fluently.

cricketman

Well you obviously dont hang around talented young people then

Not sure what point your trying to make. Some people you've met can speak English. So what?

HBG

I have a short message for those people who will faint if they hear a Spanish person speaking fluent English - if you ever come to Benidorm or Torrevieja, bring smelling salts, lots of them.