try to speak spanish... no way

[laswalkirias]

My partmer walked into a fast food outlet in Torremolinos and tried to order food in Spanish and and was treated with absoloute rudeness and contempt for his basic linguistic skills and made a hasty retreat after the lady assistant shouted at him to order in English please!!!!
So I went in and ordered in English and got a pained look from the same lady and a young man behind me shouted at me that THIS IS SPAIN WHAT DO YOU EXPECT!!!! Speak Spanish
Well..............................

[Babby]

Patience....... you have to practice and practice and practice until you get it right. There is no need for rudeness from anyone if you are making the effort to speak a foreign language.

Don´t give up, keep trying

[Alan-LaCala]

My experience is that that is not the norm.

All I can say is don't go back, tell everyone you know, including here, the name of the place so that everyone can avoid it.

Alan

[silver]

laswalkirias.. you must have been really hungry to return after your partner was treated with absoloute rudeness and contempt for his basic linguistic skills... I would have "up yours" to the stupid lady assistant.

[Valencia_Paul]

I have found the Spanish to be helpful and supportive when I speak to them in Spanish. Sometimes they switch to English if they can tell that their English is much better than my Spanish.

You get some rude people everywhere - don't worry about it and keep learning Spanish.

[melandsharon]

How rude ....... but keep trying, we haven't experienced that, we have always been helped even when we say it totally wrong, just keep trying we have founded that most in fact all are very pleased with out effort.

[tigerlilly]

Maybe you should give up on 'fast food' places!!!! Spanish food is fresh and delicious and I've always found that the Spanish are helpful and usually patient when you try to speak Spanish to them.
Spanish people are not over polite in general. I think you should try to get into the Spanish mode - friendly - but not too hot on the pleases and thank yous!!
If you are living in Spain, however, you must try to learn the language!!! Don't be put off by rude people - they are not typical of the Spanish people - once you start to improve your Spanish - you'll be able to put them in their place. Well done to your boyfriend for trying - and don't give up.

[toddcl]

You could always include the place in your travel advice as 'one to avoid'
or speak to them in cockney rhyming slang 'That'll throw them'.

I find that when I try speaking Spanish [It's more like Spanglish], I'm met with a smile and I've even had a thank you for trying.

[concorde]

Tried to learn French as were thinking of buying there, but the minute I opened my mouth in France everything was forgottten, I politely told the owner of a cafe 'you are a toilet' in my best French. Luckily we'd paid for the drinks and were leaving after he kindly directed me to the loo.

It takes us about 10 mins to walk to our nearest bar here and are exhausted by the time we've said hello, good evening etc to all and sundry, nearly as bad in the evening in the summer when everyone is sitting outside at 1 a.m cooling off.
We feel like royalty as I do one side of the street and my hubby does the other.
The shortened version of greeting here is "La" and I feel like an extra in "Teletubbies" everytime we go out.
As rotten as I was at French, somehow I can remember words in that language when I'm trying to speak Spanish.
So " Dos Cervasas, si'l vous plait' is quite a common request around here and nobody bats an eyelid.
Perhaps I should learn Japanese then suddenly my Spanish might kick in.

[Colinm]

Just following on from Concorde's 'La, La' I was in Torre del Mar last week and I swear that the locals were saying 'hallo' when leaving. I thought that it might be a derivative from 'a luego', but they definitely seemed to be saying 'hallo'. Am I imagining it?

[alaninspain]

Down here in Benalmadena we often get BUENA or DIA as a greeting and LO for hasta luego. If it gets any shorter we will be miming.

[peteroldracer]

Colinm - you have about got it! The Axarquia way was explained (sort of!) to me by our builder, when I could not correlate the castillian I had been taught in the UK, with the local Spanish that I was hearing....for example, you want 2 lemons - castillian is "Dos Limones" - 4 syllables, yes? Because the only word you could be trying to say when you want 2 is 'Dos', why bother with the final 's'? Similarly, 'once you have said 'limon' it can only mean you want to say 'limones' and the fact that you have (nearly) said 'Dos' means it is plural, so no need for the final 'es' syllable, and in fact almost not worth saying the 'n'! So it comes out as 'Do limon' - easy isn't it!!
The standard goodbye is "hasta luego" - literally "until later", but the 'h' is never said anyway, the whole of the 'has' disappears.. as does most of the 'lue' , leaving you with 'ta lego'....said at the usual speed, heard as 'allo'!
And do try never, never to say 'por favor' - it marks you as a guiri straight away!

[katy]

Around here its a'luego although the people who have been away to university etc tend to speak castillian spanish. Most used forms of greetings...¡Buenas! ¿Qué hay? sometimes ¿Qué pasa? I think a'luego could sound like hello to an untrained ear.

[JAKE M]

On a similar thread, why is it if i say hasta luego, the reply is adios and if i say adios the reply i get is hasta luego.? Is there a reason ?

[anyroads]

On holiday in Ibiza recently, and hearing snippets of mobile phone conversations in the street, I noticed how much the word "vale !" is used.

has anyone got any thoughts about the most useful Spanish phrase ?


Anyroads

[daneinspain]

And do try never, never to say 'por favor' - it marks you as a guiri straight away!

The spanish people I deal with find it refreshing that I a say porfavor and gracias and pronounce things properly, my blonde hair marks me as a guiri, I am what I am and refuse to adopt poor spanish to fit in, this doesnt bring me any problems quite the opposite I am always treated very well everywhere I go.

Just think about the UK all the immigrants who speak poor english, dont you prefer the ones who speak good english rather than saying "arite mate init"

[caroig]

has anyone got any thoughts about the most useful Spanish phrase ?

Years ago a Spanish friend of mine who spoke very good English scattered the exclamation 'Oh dear' in nearly every phrase she uttered. It was some time before I realise whe was actually saying joder - quite different!

My favorite phrase de poota madre (mispelt for the beeper) - can be used in most social situations for 'excellent'.

I try hard to keep my gracias and por favor's to a minimum, although it sounds rude in translation, just listen to a polite waiter falling over his de nada's in reply.

[melandsharon]

The word i constantly hear is "Claro" and "OI OI OI OI OI " a saying that my other half uses when he is displeased LOL

[toddcl]

In Alcaudete I have found that hasta luego is reduced down to 'go' that sounds more like gor followed by a hand raised as you walk or stagger out the door, on the point of using porfavor and gracias makes you a tourist nerd, that's not what I find. The Spanish people who serve me in the bars and stores all seem to appreciate the politeness.

[katy]

I agree with Dane in Spain, why lower your standards if speaking with the locals. when the madrileños come down they don't start saying grasias instead of grathias. If you visit Newcastle would you change your way of speaking to geordie? or adopt eyup as a form of greeting if you are in Yorkshire.