Spain is an incredibly popular destination for British expats with its warm climate, high quality of life and beautiful beaches. In fact, recent estimates suggest that there are over 284,000 Britons living in the southern Mediterranean country as of 2023.
Over 23,000 of those expats live in the northeastern region of Catalonia, home to the iconic city of Barcelona.
One expat, Paulius Skrebutenas, has now shared something he “wishes he had known before moving to Barcelona” via his YouTube channel, Paulius Creates.
He said: “I’ve lived in Barcelona for the last three years and there are certain things that I wish I had known before moving here.”
Learning Spanish is obviously very helpful, but learning Catalan specifically will help upgrade the experience – “it’s the way to go”, said Paulius.
Skrebutenas said those who only speak English and do not have a basic understanding of the Spanish language may struggle and reckons they could “find themselves in a bubble”. Skrebutenas warned that seeing a doctor could prove difficult, as well as finding a job or making friends.
He said: “If you’re able to speak Spanish and English, most likely you’ll be able to speak with 99 percent of people living here.
“You won’t have that same issue when trying to make friends, see a specialist, or go to some sort of event.”
However, to truly assimilate into the Barcelona culture, Skrebutenas advised express to learn some Catalan which is different than Spanish and retains more Latin features, according to Verbalplanet.
Today it is spoken by some nine million people in Spain. It is also the official language of the Balearic Islands, the Valencian community as well as the country of Andorra in the eastern Pyrenees.
It is the language of instruction in Catalonian schools, where Spanish and another foreign language, usually English, are taught, according to Barcelona International Welcome. It is also the institutional language and used in administrative affairs.
Spanish speakers who do not speak Catalan may understand the gist of conversations in the language, but not enough to understand exactly what is being said. On the other hand, Catalan speakers nearly all speak and understand Spanish as they are bilingual and use Spanish on a daily basis.
“I think that you won’t fully be fully integrated into the city unless you speak Catalan,” the expat warned.
Skrebutenas continued: “Locals are very proud of their culture and traditions and if you want to break that invisible wall and fully integrate into the city and culture, you will have to learn Catalan.”
He concluded: “If you’re coming to Barcelona for a year or two, you might not need to learn Catalan. However, you will have a much better experience if you speak Spanish.
“But if you want to put your roots here and you’re planning a long-term stay, learning Catalan is the way to go.”