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> and [unlike Barcelona] everyone speaks English Do you have any stats proving that? Just asked a portuguese friend living in Barcelona and said that is a quit

> and [unlike Barcelona] everyone speaks English Do you have any stats proving that? Just asked a portuguese friend living in Barcelona and said that is a quite bold statement.

sanedigital 8y ago
I'd second this. Almost everyone in professional circles speaks English in Barcelona. I would say on average Portugal has much better English penetration than Spain, but Barcelona is definitely an exception.
- jonathanstrange 8y ago
  > I would say on average Portugal has much better English penetration than the rest of Spain I'm sure it's just a slip of tongue but never ever say things like that in Portugal...
  - severine 8y ago
    Yeah, Portugal isn't part of Spain.
    - nailer 8y ago
      Weird historical fact: they shared a king for a little while a few hundred years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Union
  - katzenjam 8y ago
    I think the GP intended "the rest of Spain" to mean "Spain excluding Barcelona", rather than "Spain excluding Portugal". But I read it as "Spain excluding Portugal" the first time too.
  - bogomipz 8y ago
    I think you need to read both sentences together. I believe the OP is just excluding Barcelona from the comparison of English speaking between the two countries.
  - andai 8y ago
    English(Portugal) > English(Spain − Barcelona)
  - sexydefinesher 8y ago
    "Why havent Spain conquered you yet?"
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
eggie 8y ago
I agree. Even in the big cities the level of english speaking is pretty low, and definitely lower than in Barcelona. But this shouldn't be a problem. Take the month or two of effort it takes to get started in the local language where you live, make an effort over time, and you'll find it to be no barrier.
nelsonic 8y ago
Stats would be nice, I agree. I have searched but haven't found anything concrete ... the best data available is: https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/regions/europe/portugal https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/regions/europe/portugal in lieu of stats, I'll give you the logic [facts] instead: English as a Second Language (lessons) begins in the 5th grade in Portugal. It's compulsory for all people and generally high quality. see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Portugal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Portugal Students cannot graduate from High school without proficiency in English. So the system is setup to ensure that the next generation [the one you will be interacting with in most situations] is fluent in English. I know from first-hand experience of going to a "government" school and being taught by a fantastic teacher who studied at Cambridge, UK. The English lessons are predominantly "mechanical" i.e. grammar/vocabulary and sentence structure. But the fact that all television is sub-titled, not dubbed, means that all popular CSI/Fox shows are in English so the general population learn English "in use" much more effectively than in Spain, Germany or France. All "Top Tier" STEM Universities are taught in English in order to help attract foreign students and help graduates get jobs abroad. This is a "double-edged sward" that has resulted in considerable "brain drain" to other countries. But we are seeing many Portuguese educated people who have worked abroad returning to start their own companies now which is really promising! In Spain, many people speak English, however - and this is not meant to cause a "flame war" - since all television/media is "translated" [dubbed] people don't practice listening to English nearly as much, so the level of spoken english in the general population [outside of tech] is lower. There's a reason for the "Manuel from Barcelona" Fawlty Towers sketch/stereotype: https://youtu.be/s6EaoPMANQM https://youtu.be/s6EaoPMANQM I love Spain and Barça [especially] is lovely! I worked there [as a waiter!] for 3 summers as a teenager. Loved it! But again, from first-hand experience, the level of English was much lower than in Portugal. This worked out well for me, because it forced me to learn Spanish. ;-) The "stats" comparing Spain and Portugal: https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/compare/regions/pt/es/ https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/compare/regions/pt/es/ Mucho amor a todos los amigos en Barçelona!
- sergioj97 8y ago
  Isn't English compulsory almost everywhere throughout the EU? I live in Madrid and it definitely is here in Spain. It's true, however, that the fact that every TV show is completely dubbed makes it harder for us to develop our speaking (our listening doesn't seem to be so affected for some reason). When you finish college you're only supposed to have a B2 English level. I don't know about it, but I wouldn't be surprised to know it's a fairly low standard for a European country.

> and [unlike Barcelona] everyone speaks English Do you have any stats proving that? Just asked a portuguese friend living in Barcelona and said that is a quite bold statement.

sanedigital 8y ago

I'd second this. Almost everyone in professional circles speaks English in Barcelona. I would say on average Portugal has much better English penetration than Spain, but Barcelona is definitely an exception.

jonathanstrange 8y ago
> I would say on average Portugal has much better English penetration than the rest of Spain I'm sure it's just a slip of tongue but never ever say things like that in Portugal...
- severine 8y ago
  Yeah, Portugal isn't part of Spain.
  - nailer 8y ago
    Weird historical fact: they shared a king for a little while a few hundred years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_Union
- katzenjam 8y ago
  I think the GP intended "the rest of Spain" to mean "Spain excluding Barcelona", rather than "Spain excluding Portugal". But I read it as "Spain excluding Portugal" the first time too.
- bogomipz 8y ago
  I think you need to read both sentences together. I believe the OP is just excluding Barcelona from the comparison of English speaking between the two countries.
- andai 8y ago
  English(Portugal) > English(Spain − Barcelona)
- sexydefinesher 8y ago
  "Why havent Spain conquered you yet?"
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

eggie 8y ago

I agree. Even in the big cities the level of english speaking is pretty low, and definitely lower than in Barcelona. But this shouldn't be a problem. Take the month or two of effort it takes to get started in the local language where you live, make an effort over time, and you'll find it to be no barrier.

nelsonic 8y ago

Stats would be nice, I agree. I have searched but haven't found anything concrete ... the best data available is: https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/regions/europe/portugal https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/regions/europe/portugal in lieu of stats, I'll give you the logic [facts] instead: English as a Second Language (lessons) begins in the 5th grade in Portugal. It's compulsory for all people and generally high quality. see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Portugal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Portugal Students cannot graduate from High school without proficiency in English. So the system is setup to ensure that the next generation [the one you will be interacting with in most situations] is fluent in English. I know from first-hand experience of going to a "government" school and being taught by a fantastic teacher who studied at Cambridge, UK. The English lessons are predominantly "mechanical" i.e. grammar/vocabulary and sentence structure. But the fact that all television is sub-titled, not dubbed, means that all popular CSI/Fox shows are in English so the general population learn English "in use" much more effectively than in Spain, Germany or France. All "Top Tier" STEM Universities are taught in English in order to help attract foreign students and help graduates get jobs abroad. This is a "double-edged sward" that has resulted in considerable "brain drain" to other countries. But we are seeing many Portuguese educated people who have worked abroad returning to start their own companies now which is really promising! In Spain, many people speak English, however - and this is not meant to cause a "flame war" - since all television/media is "translated" [dubbed] people don't practice listening to English nearly as much, so the level of spoken english in the general population [outside of tech] is lower. There's a reason for the "Manuel from Barcelona" Fawlty Towers sketch/stereotype: https://youtu.be/s6EaoPMANQM https://youtu.be/s6EaoPMANQM I love Spain and Barça [especially] is lovely! I worked there [as a waiter!] for 3 summers as a teenager. Loved it! But again, from first-hand experience, the level of English was much lower than in Portugal. This worked out well for me, because it forced me to learn Spanish. ;-) The "stats" comparing Spain and Portugal: https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/compare/regions/pt/es/ https://www.ef.edu.pt/epi/compare/regions/pt/es/ Mucho amor a todos los amigos en Barçelona!

sergioj97 8y ago
Isn't English compulsory almost everywhere throughout the EU? I live in Madrid and it definitely is here in Spain. It's true, however, that the fact that every TV show is completely dubbed makes it harder for us to develop our speaking (our listening doesn't seem to be so affected for some reason). When you finish college you're only supposed to have a B2 English level. I don't know about it, but I wouldn't be surprised to know it's a fairly low standard for a European country.