Spanish Habits

The Spaniards are a cheerful people who like to go out a lot. There are more bars in Spain alone than in the rest of the European Union countries put together. However, if you are an American you will find most of their habits a little rude. For example, Spaniards like to share their food in the same plate. Don’t be surprised if you see two or more people eating from the same plate. They are also very affectionate and physical.  Men who are friends hit each other as a sign of affection.  You may also see people hit others in the back or on their cheek with no other intention than to show that they care.

At the Table

At the table the Spaniards are not very different from the Americans, except that there is nothing wrong with sharing the salad or the “tapas” if they come first. Tapas are like an appetizer that is shared. Most people drink red wine with Casera, Spanish citrus soda, with their meals. You will find that wine is cheaper than soda in Spain, and do not expect a big soda if you order one.  Bars and restaurants serve a bottle or can of soda, not from the tap.

Making an Acquaintance

When you meet someone in Spain for the first time, if you are a woman you must give two "kisses," first on the right cheek and then on the left. You do not actually kiss the person, but sort of kiss the air.  Now, if you are a man you must give the same "kisses" to a woman, of any age, from a teenager to a 70 year old grandmother.  If you are a man, do not try to kiss a man, you only shake hands, but do it like you mean it. 

THE SPANISH KISS-  Here is the right way to do it:  the Spanish give two kisses, first your right cheek to their left cheek (facing you), then your left cheek to their right cheek.  Men do not give kisses to men, though women give kisses to women.  It is more of a Hollywood “kiss”, you do not actually kiss the person, but you touch cheeks and kiss the air.  DO NOT give the kiss in a business relationship.

Waiting in Line, Aggressiveness

In Spain it is not exactly like waiting in line in the U.S. You may see that there are like three or four lines going to the same counter, so do not be to polite or you never will get where you want to. You probably will experience this at the airport, so probably that is a good place to start getting used to the Spanish “politeness." 

Spaniards are quite aggressive, whether driving or waiting in line.  Many times people will not move out of the way if you are trying to pass them on the street.  You will need to be aggressive at the bar if you want to order during a busy time.

Relationships, Sex

There is no such a thing as a date. You can meet someone that you like and think that s/he likes you, and yet find that s/he does not ask you on a date.  It's just that Spaniards do not date much. If you like someone, go where s/he goes and try to strike up a conversation.  In general, Spaniards are attracted to foreigners, so this should not be a problem. Now, Spaniards are not very romantic, so do not expect much of that if you end up in a relationship with a Spaniard.

Europeans in general are much more open about sex.  You will see much more nudity on television and in movies, even in advertisements.  You will also see pornographic magazines openly available without any shrink wrap.  PDA, or public displays of affection, are also much more common than in the U.S.  If you go out to the bars at night, you will see couples in the street engaging in major PDA.  There are also a lot of strip clubs and prostitution houses in the major cities, some of which specifically target foreigners.  Interestingly, the average age for first time sex for Spaniards is much older than in the U.S., usually around 18 or 19 years old.  American women have a reputation for being promiscuous in Spain, so be careful.

The Spanish Schedule

The Spanish schedule is a little different from the schedule in the U.S.  for example, banks are not open on evening as well as anything related to the government. Stores are open from 9 to 2 and 4 or 5 to 8 pm, and only big stores, which are not very numerous, are open from 8 am to 10 pm with no closing for lunch. This store schedule is from Monday to Saturday, though some stores do not open on Saturday evening.  Do not try to buy anything on Sunday except the newspaper. On Sunday in Spain almost everything is closed except for bars and some restaurants.  If you get together with a friend and he or she is late by more than 20 minutes do not panic, it is normal in Spain.  Even in businesses people are frequently late.

Spaniards eat breakfast at around 8 and usually go to work at 9.  Lunch is not until 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and dinner is anywhere from 8 to 10 or 11.  You will be hard pressed to find something open much outside the schedule other than McDonald’s or a bar for tapas.  Spaniards are night people, they stay up late even on a work night or school night.  You will see children in bars even late at night.  Spaniards are very family oriented.  Clubs and discotecas are open until early morning, some until 10 or 11 a.m.  The Spanish know how to party.  “Marcha” is night life. 

Spain Spanish

From my experience in Spain and in South America, I have noticed that South American Spanish is much more Americanized compared to Spain Spanish.  For example, in Argentina if you ask for a plátano, they  do not know what you are talking about, you must ask for a banana.  In Spain it is only a plátano.  In Spain you say coche, in South America carro.  In Spain you say ordenador, in South America computadora.  In Venezuela you can even say that you are going “shopping” and be understood.  In Spain people talk with a lisp, which is stronger in some regions than others.  The Spanish use the “vosotros” form, which is not taught in a lot of American school.  It stands for “you all,” used instead of Ustedes in the informal use.  Spaniards talk very rapidly, faster than South Americans.  In the northern region including Barcelona there is a Spanish dialect called Catalan, which is basically Spanish combined with French.  Gallego is a Spanish dialect from the region of Galicia.  Vasco is the Basque language, which is spoken by only a minute sector of the population.  Basque is a unique language in the world, with prehistoric origins.  The Basques and the Catalans have strong separatists movements, sort of like the Quebec region in Canada, except that the Basques have a terrorist group, E.T.A. to supposedly further their cause.  You will notice that Portuguese in Portugal has more influence from Spanish from Spain than from Brazlian Portuguese; it is quite different from Brazilian Portuguese.

Personal Space

In Spain, as in South America, people have a different idea of personal space.  Spaniards will stand quite close to you to talk.  Spaniards gesture a lot when they talk.  It is not uncommon for a Spaniard to touch your arm, or even to put their arm around you, when they are talking to you.  Americans will have to adjust to people standing in their personal space, rather than at a distance.

Gestures

The Spanish speak with their hands, and gesture a lot when they talk.  A showing of one pinky finger means someone is skinny.  A shaking of a fist means someone is cheap.  The equivalent of “the finger”, the middle finger, is also done with the arms, crossing one arm over the other, with one arm extended up and the other across the bicep.  A hand motion of the hand palm up moving side to side means that a child is going to get a spanking- the gesture is directed toward the child as a warning.

Sounds as Part of Communication

The Spanish say “eh?!” when they can’t hear you, as in “What?”.  Sometimes they just make a SSSS noise, almost a hiss, instead of saying Si, which means Yes.  A cluck of the tongue means No, also sometimes a Tssk, tssk.  They also sometimes only say “Hmm…” for “Yes.”

English Not Spoken

The younger generation of Spaniards now learns English starting in preschool.  However, many tourist facility and store employees have little to no English ability.  The good news is, unlike in France, the Spanish are happy if you try to speak their language.  Spain competes with the U.S. each year between the number one and number two spots for tourism, so the Spanish are used to millions of tourists each year, and their accents.

Typical Spanish Names

For Males- Angel, Jesús, Felix, Enrique, Eduardo, Alberto, Juan + Carlos, Pedro; Mariano, Jorge, Sergio, Oscar, Rafael, Iván, Diego.

For Females- Maria + Montserrat (Montse), Isabel (Maribel), Luz (Mariluz), Jose (Ajo), Esther, Maria Jesus (“Chus”), Maria Paz (“Maripaz”); Marta, Susana, Eva, Laura, Sara.

Smoking

According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, about 34 percent of the Spanish population smokes.  However, when you are in Spain it seems like almost everyone smokes.  One in every three cancers in Spain is smoking-related.  Do not be surprised to see waiters smoking while they serve food, or office workers smoking at their desks.  The only place I have seen smoking prohibited is on the metro.  There are smoking sections on Spanish buses and flights of Spanish airlines.  I have known Americans who prefer the Spanish brand of cigarettes, Ducadas, or Fortuna.  There is not much of an anti-smoking campaign in Spain as compared to the U.S.  In fact, the Spanish government used to control the Spanish tobacco industry.

Spanish Movie Theaters

Although you are assigned a seat on your movie ticket in Spain, people sit anywhere they want.  The same thing happens on the bus.  In Spain movies are dubbed, not subtitled.  You will find it strange to hear a Spanish version of your favorite actor or actress, or a Spanish voice for that of a foreign voice in a movie.  American movies usually come to Spain a few months or up to a year later than in the U.S. other than really popular movies.  Spanish theaters show more American movies than Spanish movies, as well as some foreign cinema, especially French movies, also dubbed.  Usually the same actor or actress dubs all of the movies made by a particular actor or actress.  Sergi López, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas do not do their own dubbing when they make a movie in English, according to Fotogramas, a Spanish entertainment magazine.