Language
The official language of Seville is Spanish. What you tend to find is that each region has its own kind of dialect, and Andalucia, the region of Southern Spain to which Seville belongs, has a particularly strong dialect. In other words they don’t exactly speak the king’s Spanish. Therefore don’t be surprised if you have rehearsed your little bit of Spanish only for a shop keeper or bartender to come back at you with the word “como” meaning “what” or “pardon”. Don’t worry, chances are you have probably said it perfectly, as they would speak it in say, Madrid, but it is not in the local dialect. This can be a little frustrating. I’ve been living and working in Spain for six years and it still catches me out.
Seville backstreets
Having said that, what you will find, particularly in the tourist spots, is that the locals do speak a little English. However if you can speak a little Spanish back, even with some arm waving and gesticulation thrown in, chances are that the person will be a little more receptive to your needs. If you can learn a few phrases such as exchanging pleasantries or greetings then this will stand you in good stead for almost any situation.
When in a restaurant you may well find yourself in the amusing situation where you are ordering your food in Spanish and the waiter is replying in English. Don’t worry about this, it’s natural. I often find myself having a linguistic battle, whereby I will not speak English to the waiter and they will not speak Spanish to me.
Feel free to ask a question or leave a reply!
