Do I need to learn Spanish?

[Darren John]

Hello Camino Community,

I will be doing my walk later this year and was wondering if I would need to learn much Spanish to walk the Camino France?

Any help please?

 

[Jan_89]

Hello!

I walked last summer Camino Frances and Spanish language was unnecessary.. Sure if you speak Spanish - good for you! But the Camino is very frequented and locals speak English. In my case I wanna walk Camino again and learn Spanish, because I love this language and wanna talk more with locals..

 

[wayfarer]

Hello Camino Community,

I will be doing my walk later this year and was wondering if I would need to learn much Spanish to walk the Camino France?

Any help please?

You will get along without it but is good manners to have a few basic phrases, ie hello, goodbye, coffee, lower bunk, top bunk, private room and of course beer, red and white wine. That should about cover you.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Hello Camino Community,

I will be doing my walk later this year and was wondering if I would need to learn much Spanish to walk the Camino France?

Any help please?

You don't need to speak Spanish to have an enjoyable Camino but I think you will find it rewarding to learn or become familiar with as much of the Spanish language as you can.

 

[jstorybook]

Hello Camino Community,

I will be doing my walk later this year and was wondering if I would need to learn much Spanish to walk the Camino France?

Any help please?

Learn enough Spanish to be polite--good morning, good evening , hello, please and thank you go along way. A few basic phrases will also help--I reco pimisler Spanish Cd for this. This was all the Spanish I knew and it helps and people appreciate when you try to answer in their own language even if it is just very basic

 

[Charles Hansen]

I agree with wayfarer and the others that having a few common phrases is useful.
I also feel strongly that you should learn how to ask - in Spanish - if the person you're addressing speaks English.
It seems the height of rudeness to assume that of course they do and just start speaking English.
Even if you're fairly certain that they do based on the circumstances, it is their country after all.
Often they will reply they only speak a little, but it's almost certain to be more than the Spanish that you know.

You can often improvise. I wanted pepper at dinner one evening, but had no clue what the Spanish word was.
I asked for "salz negro", and the waiter smiled and brought me the pepper.

As with all foreign travel, any effort to fit in is usually much appreciated.

 

[RoamingTheWorld]

No, you don't need to learn it but any effort is appreciated by locals.

 

[newfydog]

Every bit you learn, from hello, right up through fluency in various accents will enrich your trip.

 

[Felipe]

The tricky part is in restaurants -don't expect bilingual menus. You can go for "menú del día" as far as you don't have particular needs or preferences. And it comes usually with a bottle of local wine, even you are alone at the table.

 

[Charles Hansen]

You can go for "menú del día" as far as you don't have particular needs or preferences. And it comes usually with a bottle of local wine, even you are alone at the table.

I noticed a comment elsewhere that the menú del día may often be more interesting - and perhaps more filling - than the pilgrim meal, if also offered. It makes sense, as the menú del día is what they've prepared as a daily special for their local customers, while the pilgrim meal is whatever they can offer cheaply. In actuality, the prices for each are usually very similar.

 

[Felipe]

I noticed a comment elsewhere that the menú del día may often be more interesting - and perhaps more filling - than the pilgrim meal, if also offered. It makes sense, as the menú del día is what they've prepared as a daily special for their local customers, while the pilgrim meal is whatever they can offer cheaply. In actuality, the prices for each are usually very similar.

The "pilgrim menu" tend to be heavy in carbohydrates -which, actually, can be good the first days. But after that, I usually develop a liking for more balanced meals, provided by "menus del día". Both are good options for a tired and hungry walker. Just listen to your body.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hello Camino Community,

I will be doing my walk later this year and was wondering if I would need to learn much Spanish to walk the Camino France?

Any help please?

You might want to add Galician to your lessons. In any case, you should be OK without any Spanish, lots of others pilgrims to help out.

 

[waveprof]

Personal advice is that I would never, ever go to a country without first knowing how to, in the host language, say hello, goodbye, thank you, and to be able to count to the maximum number of people in your party (so if you are traveling in a group of 3, I'd be able to count to three). Just my .02.

Beyond that you don't "need" to speak Spanish (nor any of the other languages such as Euskara, Gallego, or French, that the camino passes through). But traveling with my wife who is fluent in French and Spanish (and has a Castilian accent) and workable in Euskara, I found a lot of benefits came along with the language proficiency. So not necessary, but a nice bonus.

 

[Mark Lee]

Get yourself a small English to Spanish phrase book to bring with you and practice with before you begin your Camino.

 

[DurhamParish]

Another nice, and relatively simple thing to do, is learn some of the numbers.

I can't speak Spanish (some of my friends tell me I can barely speak English), but I actually had a spontaneous response in Spanish in Barcelona after my last Camino. I was in a tourist shop and wanted to buy a half-litre bottle of water for my wife. The mercado, where it cost 26 cents, was not open yet. When I got to the cash register the guy said "Uno Cinquenta", translated into English, that being "One Fifty".

Well, much to my surprise, I immediately responded in a shocked manner without even thinking: "UNO CINQUENTA?!?!", which in my mush-mouthed southern accent came out "OOO-NO SIH-QUI-EN-TAY?!?!" I thought, "where did that come from?"

I did finally get the water for "Uno", which was still very over-priced.

 

[Albertinho]

Get yourself a small English to Spanish phrase book to bring with you and practice with before you begin your Camino.

Extra weight in your backpack

 

[Mark Lee]

Extra weight in your backpack

Oh yeah, you're right.
Maybe tear the covers off the book and drill strategically placed holes in it to reduce weight......

 

[Albertinho]

I learned speaking Castillean (spanish spoken by most of the in Spain living Spaniards- different to f.ex.spoken in Latin America, Mexico or parts of the USA)
Worked for some years in Spain .
With this knowledge I easily can assimilate to the Portugese language as I did during our last caminho Portugese and our holidaytrips through Portugal and Brasil.
It must sound a bit funny or weird , due to the smiles on the faces of the native speakers so last december I started a proper language course Portugese- Brasilean variant by the way, which to me sounds great !
But back to the base of the question. If you speak english almost everybody will understand you nowadays.
And most of the time with non verbal "talk" you will be understood as well
You want a beer..point at the beertap or bottles .. And make a hand moving gesture to you mouth and they definitively will not give you a sandwich or a newspaper
By the way if you want an (alcoholic) beverage, point with your thumb towards your mouth instead of simulating having a glass in your hand. That is the Spanish way to do !