I go to the costa del sol every year,and I have found if you try and speak a few words,or sentences in spanish they are much nicer to you...i love the spanish and love there way of life...live there tomorrow if I could some turks are ok,but I find them a tad pervy..

I have never had a problem with the Spanish, either on the mainland or in Majorca, the vast majority are very friendly, helpful, and always polite, and, just as we do in the UK, appreciate it when visitors respect the area and customs of the country they are guests in.
As Kazza said above, even just asking for a coffee in Spanish will be greeted with a warm smile, as although the waiters get used to being asked in english or german, it's nice for us to make the effort. I am not saying you need to be fluent in Spanish, but a little goes a long way in shops and bars etc, especially the Spanish for 'please' and 'thank you'

I am sure you will have a great time, Spain is a wonderful country

most spanish are ok till they get behind a wheel of a car,i dont think saying por favor/gracias in a spanish place makes any difference as the spanish dont,just speaking of the coast tho,might be different inland,its all training tho,the checkout girls in lidl say hola,the ones in mercadona dont
the spanish according to my neighbour call us the please and thankyou brigade as we do
i remember going into a bar in torremolinos on the beach when i first moved here,'una botella de budwieser y una agua sin gas por favor'

i got the EEEEHHHH screech response even tho it was same barman and our second round in a quiet place

what i am saying is they can be ignorant if they want to be,that twat knew what i wanted

all down to staff training imho,just be nice as you would in uk then you should be ok

I've never holidayed on the Costas - only in the cities of inland Andalucia and La Gomera in the Canaries and always been treated with courtesy. Yes, it's not the custom in most Spanish speaking countries to say 'please' and 'thank you' quite as much as we drum into our kids but in my experience, my ingrained habit of saying 'gracias' and 'por favor' is regarded indulgently as a pleasing eccentricity, especially when my own manner makes it clear that I do not regard them as being rude for not doing the same. I think that one of the reasons why the Spanish regard many German visitors as being rude and arrogant is that their even more extensive habit of saying 'danke' and 'bitte' ofen leads them to make it clear that they don't consider it acceptable that Spanish shop assistants and waiting on staff don't do the same.

In my experience in Spain as in anywhere else that I've travelled you'll be treated with courtesy and respect if you make the attempt to speak the local language - however incompetently - and you remember that you are a visitor and respect local cultural norms of behaviour and dress etc. Treat people with respect and on the whole they'll respond in kind is my motto when travelling. And this includes not using the more personal, 1st person singular of 'you' when you should have used the 3rd person plural. If one wants to see what a really arrogant or rude shop assistant or waiter is like then 'tu' a French one when you should have used 'vous'

SM

Ah yes, have firsthand experience of rude shop assistants/receptionists/rail personnel/ when staying in Paris, and wasn't just because I used 'tu' instead of 'vous', but presumably simply because I wasn't a Parisian, and apparently they extend the same rudeness and arrogance to fellow French folk who are not from the capital. Parisians must take the prize for being the most rude and arrogant hands down.
As for Spainiards, all accounts have been more or less what I expected.
Will purchase a Spanish phrase book and start practising.

A few years ago I went on holiday to Spain and ended up meeting a Spaniard who I was with for two years. I've never found the Spanish anything but friendly. Most of his family couldn't speak English but went out of their way to try and communicate with me, as did his friends. I realise that's a slightly different situation to meeting people on holiday, but that's how I first went over there.

As previous posters have said, por favor and gracias are almost taken as said and just not seen as necessary. However, you will find a big difference if you make an effort, even if its just hola, adios and using their name. Like most holiday resorts the majority of the staff work extremely long hours (40+) on a shift basis, and for the minimum wage. Whilst tipping is an individual decision, there is no doubt that those who tip get better service!!

I must admit I have been to many different parts of Spain on my holidays and love the Spanish people and have not found them rude at all, on the contrary in fact. I always make an effort and try to communicate in Spanish, albeit a bit broke, then I think that they appreciate this and it doesn't really matter if you get the odd word wrong, but the mere fact that you show an effort goes a long way.

If I could I would move to Spain in the wink of an eye.

I'm glad I read this thread as it does explain different cultures views on what we may class as 'rude'. My husband's parents are Polish & although he was born and raised here it always irks me if he doesn't say 'yes please' or 'no thank you', When in his parents home they just accept 'Would you like a cup of coffee?' the reply 'No' I still curl my toes & want to say 'No thank you'

Yes, it is surprising how some nations/cultures have differing attitudes.
In Turkey, which we visited last year, the Turks seem to have a rather lax attitude to queuing which infuriated the British and Germans who spent the better part of an hour queuing for a buffet laid on in a large restaurant for visiting coach parties to Ephesus, only to see any Turkish people in the coach parties rush forward and help themselves without as much as an apology to those obediently waiting in line.
And they looked genuinely confused when we tried to point out to them that there was a queue, though just what they thought we were all doing stood for ages in line is beyond me!!!

ardath wrote:

Yes, it is surprising how some nations/cultures have differing attitudes.
In Turkey, which we visited last year, the Turks seem to have a rather lax attitude to queuing which infuriated the British and Germans who spent the better part of an hour queuing for a buffet laid on in a large restaurant for visiting coach parties to Ephesus, only to see any Turkish people in the coach parties rush forward and help themselves without as much as an apology to those obediently waiting in line.
And they looked genuinely confused when we tried to point out to them that there was a queue, though just what they thought we were all doing stood for ages in line is beyond me!!! :think

Must admit I think the Brits are obsessed with queuing for everything I would love to go straight to the front like other folks do but my conscious (sp) won't let me

I don't mean this in a nasty way, but IMO ignorance of the language and culture is usually the reason for some negative opinions about the Spanish, and politeness in Spain often doesn't rely on the "please" and "thank-you'' and instead the Spanish language is expressed with short and sharp requests for either action or information, and in most cases to keep saying "please" is being very formal or a sign of exasperation"¦.the tone of your voice and body language becomes very important.!

I've found that "please" and "thank you" is used more in Latin American Spanish because of the influence of the English speaking USA.
Sometimes the shopkeepers will only utter a quick "hola" or "Si" ? and when picking up the phone they don't say hola (hello) and instead they give a command for action by saying "digame" (tell me/ talk to me)...they're not being rude, it's their culture and the structure of the Spanish language.

Whether I use please/thank you (por favor/gracias) depends (1) on the situation.(2) the way they have spoken to me (3) who I'm talking to and whether or not I'm using the formal/respectful "usted", and invariably using "gracias" prompts the response from them "de nada" which is literally saying " don't mention it/you're welcome" or "thanks for the thanks".
Just as in English, the Present Indicative "Quiero" (I want) is less polite than the Subjunctive "Quisiera" (I would like/would you mind giving me?)
Quiero" is also translated as ‘love' in the phrase "Te quiero" (I love you/I want you), but the correct phrase in Spanish to express a deeper feeling of love is "te amo" (I love you).

I've found the Spanish very polite and friendly, I've met some lovely Spanish people and their families, and I've made some sincere Spanish friends. Naturally you will encounter a grumpy person because some may be having a bad day, or they've got out of bed the wrong way that morning, tell me who doesn't ?

People come across the Spanish and never utter a word, they never say something like "Buenos días" (good morning) or anything and then they say the Spanish are ignorant.
If you ask if they can speak English (¿hablas ingles?) the majority of them will say "no" or "a little" (un poco) and it's because most are not confident enough to get into a full blown English speaking conversation, but, if you then try and communicate in Spanish (chose how basic it is) you'll inevitably find that they can speak pigeon English and understand more than they want to disclose"¦. the youngsters are better at speaking English because they are exposed to it through the internet/pop music and they are taught English in schools.

This puts you both on a level playing field because neither of you are able to engage in a full blown conversion in English/Spanish and if you persevere you'll both "feed" off each other and they love teaching you their language and explaining traditions
Sometimes you end up speaking "Spanglish" where you both mix both languages because you don't know how to say a particular word or what it means, and you'll find that your body language and your hands become very important.

In the places where tourists have been visiting for over 40 years, especially on the Costas and the Islands, you can "get by" with English, but go into the interior of Spain without some degree of Spanish and you'll find yourself unstuck.
The biggest thrill I got recently was giving the driving directions to a hotel to a group of elderly Spanish who had parked the car because they were lost in the resort. "¦I walked around all day like the cat who'd had all the cream, and they did say "gracias señora" to me.

Sanji

Queuing?"¦. It is believed/researched that looking at the main nationalities onboard the Titanic, which mainly comprised of English, Irish, Swedish and Americans, and taking into consideration the maritime rule of women/children first and the advantages/disadvantages of the various deck levels, it seems more British died on the Titanic because of their queuing etiquette which increased the fatalities.

Only a group of Brits would create on their own a perfectly winding queue without having barriers to guide them, and we do seem to enjoy a reputation for being polite, patient and the "get-in-liners," and if queuing was an Olympic sport, we'd win hands down! We Brits queue for the sake of it and are programmed/indoctrinated from birth that queuing kindda puts the "civil" into a civilised society.

The Spanish have their own way and they go about their lives differently because they are different.
Different queuing situations are treated differently, for example, buses have no particular structure and when the bus stops, whoever the doors are in front of, they are the first in the queue and everyone else is second.
When in Spain I often have to shout at my OH telling him to stop being the gentleman and get his legs moving because it's natural for him to stand back and let a woman go first.

I've seen a group of Spanish OAP's nearly coming to a punch up because somebody tried to get on the bus before them, but the bus was completely empty at this point and everybody was going to get on it, but that didn't stop two rather large Señoras both trying to step onto the bus and get through the doors at the same time, whilst giving each other a load of verbal"¦.so, even the Spanish don't like queue jumpers.
In the huge supermarkets the Spanish have introduced the ticket system within the store for queuing at various counters, like the meat or the fish counter, but in shops and markets things become more personal and there is a method in their madness"¦"¦

When you enter the shop or go to the market you ask ¿El ultimo? (the last?) and whoever is last says "Yo" then you remember who answered, and you become "El ultimo" yourself until someone takes the position from you, and when the person who said "Yo" has been served, then you know it's your turn.
When it's your turn, this is not the time to be a shrinking violet, but if you hold the position of "El ultimo" and decide to leave the shop, whatever you do, don't leave and not tell someone that you're leaving, otherwise you'll leave behind a scenario of chaos when nobody knows who is next.
I'd be rich if I had a pound for each time I've heard Brits moan about the Spanish queue jumping in shops, but more often than not, it's because they don't know the system and a few basic words in Spanish.

Sanji

When you enter the shop or go to the market you ask ¿El ultimo? (the last?) and whoever is last says "Yo" then you remember who answered, and you become "El ultimo" yourself until someone takes the position from you, and when the person who said "Yo" has been served, then you know it's your turn.

Exactly the same system operates in Cuba - though with the added twist that as a visitor you'll often be beckoned to go forward early but only as long as you observed the nicety of asking for 'El Ulitomo?' in the first place. Woe betide the tourist who just assumes the next time that as a visitor it is OK to jump the queue!

It happens less often now but when I first started going to Cuba, even the 'dollar' shops didn't have that much on the shelves and the bulk of the 'queue' would be kept outside on the pavement to avoid disputes inside over scarce goods. So one had to go through the process to establish one's place in the queue to get into the shop, then once more for the attention of the assistant staffing the counter where the goods you wanted to buy where kept, and then finally to pay for it at the separate cash desk! Oh, yes, I almost forgot - there was also usually a queue for the exit door too because your bag would be inspected and the receipts for what you'd bought checked against the contents of the bag before you could get out of the shop!

Sometimes you end up speaking "Spanglish" where you both mix both languages because you don't know how to say a particular word or what it means, and you'll find that your body language and your hands become very important.

Or as happened to me in La Gomera once - a mutual 3rd language once the shopkeper and I established over a couple of days that we both spoke better German than his English and my Spanish!
Given that I was intent on purchasing CDs of Cuban style Latin dance music played by a band from Mali and Senegal whose best known hit had a French lyric written by a Moroocan musician I couldn't make up my mind whether the whole transaction seemed to sum up the global village concept very nicely or was a life lesson in the long term effects of colonial empires

SM

I have lived in Spain for 15 years and totally fluent. Yes some are arrogant and some are very pleasant. Customer service is not one of Spain's strong points. Supermarket staff are particularly unhelpful and surly. I put it down to bad management and the fact that almost everyone in these jobs are on short term contracts. People are not as friendly as they were say about 10 years ago but to be fair they do get some really "difficult" tourists and everyone gets tarred with the same brush.

I don't think that customer service is that good over here in the UK either, with surly week-end staff looking off into space or chatting with other members of staff rather than serving customers, or replying to a query with a mere shrug of the shoulders.
Have noticed that some tourists can be overly picky about 'service' abroad, unable to tolerate the kind of bad service they take with a pinch of salt back at home, and though we have experienced a couple of 'holidays from hell' these were never about the local people but more about poor accommodation that did not match the description given when we booked.
My husband is in fact from the middle-east and he is much less picky when on holiday than us Brits, so perhaps it is a throw back to our not too distant colonial past, inasmuch as we expect the locals to roll out the red carpet and treat us all like visiting dignitaries.

Having just returned from my first holiday in Italy, even the surliest Spaniard will seem friendly!! Being a yorkshire lass I can be quite blunt and to the point, but wow, even I was surprised by the Italians. As others have said, its all down to a difference in culture and the understanding you have (or don't).

I will always remember being asked what all the people were doing across the road by my (then) Spanish boyfriend - they had formed a queue to wait for the tour operator coach that was to take them on a day trip, he was absolutely gobsmacked. As was I when he walked past the huge queue of people waiting to check in at the airport and went to the front. When I pointed to the queue, he pointed to the screens and said there are two desks opening and only one queue - I'm forming a queue for the second desk... what could I say to that!!

I love the Spanish and will hopefully have many more holidays in Spain.

Ive always found the spanish to be friendly, you get the odd misery as you do anywhere but overall i find them very accommodating. I learnt spanish and found when out practicing it went a long way to how they treat you. A lot of english are arrogant when communicating with locals, ive heard comments from holidaymakers that are quite derogatory because the waiter/waitress didnt understand english, you dont have to speak another language to detect when someone is being rude. When in spain try a few words of spanish it goes a long way, get immersed in their way of life, socialise with them and they are fine. Ive been in many a bar where ive recieved compilmentary drinks because they appreciated trying to communicate in spanish. Ive been in parts of northern spain well off the beaten track where no one speaks english and the locals have gone out of their way to try to be understanding and helpful. In general the spanish are fine.

I agree that the spanish respond to how you treat them. Generally they are warm friendly people and on the Costas they rely mostly on tourists for their living so will put themselves out to please you but when I see how some people treat the waiters I wonder how they keep smiling. Being a waiter in Spain is a profession that is regarded very highly (not like the UK) and we know lots who have been in the same restuarant for 30 years but sadly many are being laid off now with the recession. My husband lived in Spain for 7 years so is fluent and I've got a reasonable vocabulary but just a few spanish words will go a long way with these people who work incredibly long hours and are proud of what they do. The same applies to cleaners, porters etc in hotels and apartments - an "hola" or even a smile makes them think you are treating them with respect and not just some menial. Just think how you would like to be treated in their position and why do we always assume that the supermarket girl should speak english - does the girl in Asda speak spanish??

Katy

It is because I am fluent and lived in Spain for many years that I do sometimes find them unwelcoming (I can also understand what they say when they mutter under their breath). There are some people that being nice to them does not make a difference. Spain is not in the past anymore...the younger generation are NOT proud to be waiters any longer. However, I don't want to generalise there are good and bad, and ignorant people in any country!