What NOT to do in Spain! I’ve lived here for 8 years with Yoly my Spanish wife, and I’ve learned a lot of the do’s and don’ts of this culture. These rules will really help you get in sync with the locals and not make any major mistakes! Venga, let’s go! 🥝
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Spain is a complex country! It’s also a pretty easy going one. But there are certain things that you just don’t want to get wrong. And here they are!
11. Don’t go OTT on please and thank you.
In Spanish we just don’t use the words as much. We are more likely to work ‘please’ and ’thank you’ into the tone of how we speak, or by tweaking the words (such as adding “ito” to the end of a word).
10. Don’t put bread on your plate.
In Spain, you always leave your bread beside your plate on the table. It sites beside your cutlery, because it kind of is a piece of cutlery.
9. Don’t eat with your hand under the table.
I grew up with no elbows on the table. But here in Spain we also have the rule that you should have your hands above the table at all times. Because you might have a knife??
8. Don’t offer guests a beer at 5pm
Because we eat lunch and dinner later, beer o’clock is usually about 8pm… not 5pm.
7. Don’t help with the dishes after parties.
It’s just not something that’s done here. At the end of a party or dinner party, you might help tidy up slightly, but you don’t help do the dishes.
6. Don’t be a ‘pesado’ in social situations.
Chill out! Don’t ask people what their job is straight away when you meet them in a social setting and don’t expect people to cut to the chase when telling a story – we take our time here!
5. Don’t misinterpret loud conversations.
When Yoly speaks with her mother on the phone, it can get heated. But they’re not arguing – it’s just that conversations here often sound more intense.
4. Don’t generalise about Spain.
This is a highly regional country. So don’t assume that every region of Spain has the same language, customs or food.
3. Don’t call Catalan a dialect of Spanish.
Catalan is its own language – and don’t get that wrong (especially when speaking to a Catalan)
2. Don’t used ‘usted’ willy nilly.
Here in Spain we’re pretty informal and so don’t use “usted” unless we’re speaking with older people or in very formal situations.
1. Don’t mention the civil war casually.
The Spanish civil war and the dictatorship is a really complex topic, and still an open wound in Spain. So wait until you know someone pretty well before diving into the topic.
WHO ARE WE? 🥝
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Hola, Spain lovers! We’re James and Yoly. James is a New Zealander, and Yoly is from Spain. And we both live in Madrid. This channel is all about giving you a local insight into life in Spain, and helping you experience this country like a local when you come to visit (or live!). If that sounds like your kind of thing, bienvenido!
*This description contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you use them 🙏🏻
23 Comments
Nice couple
Yolanda I think u are a bubbly woman and very free spirited person too as hey James you are the man bro
add- Don't support bullfighting.
Aussies and NZ’ers always help to do the dishes. We often drink wine as we do the dishes. If we don’t, I oftehave friends who come back mid morning to do the dishes and clean up the beer bottles to take to the tip!
My advice to anyone going to Spain – respect the law but as far as culture goes just be yourself and don’t adjust yourself to fit in. They don’t care about you. Just be yourself, be happy and ignore all these stupid “rules”.
I feel really awkward when people I have just met ask about my job since I don't really love my job… I wish people would stop doing this in my culture too.
Yoli, totalmente deacuerdo con todo. CON TODO! Otra cosa que convendría es añadir es el hecho de que la gente por ejemplo de Estaddos Unidos está muy acostumbrada a pedir "zumos" o Cocktails o smothies mientras come un menú del dia o una comida tradicional y creo que eso personalmente nos choca. Cerveza, agua, vino, una "casera" o como mucho coca-cola…
Huh. I live in Spain and see people drinking beer from lunchtime everywhere and its totally normal 🤔 just because you had one straight edge friend doesn't mean it's generally true 😘
I've lived in Spain on and off for 5 or 6 years. I love Spain and hope to move back in a month or two. But one thing that has always bothered me is their strict timetable for eating lunch and dinner. I didn't know about beer o'clock. That's weird too. I love coffee but if I have one at 5pm I might not sleep at night. haha. In the US we have happy hour, so we also like to have a beer around 5pm.
Her English is really good but it makes me laugh how often she says "reckon." It's kind of old cowboy slang here in the US.
Castilian Spain is a Pariah state: It is not a democracy. Spain is not sustainable because people don’t want to be part of a corrupt repressive criminal military regime with constant violence, no justice, political prisoners, people in exile, 3 m people still missing and constant denial of the Spanish Holocaust against Catalans. Do not suport fascist crimina Spain.
Spanish person here who can confirm or deny this facts!
3:02 I mean, we don’t really care about the bread. It’s just more comfortable not putting it on the plate.
3:44 That’s true but a lot of Spanish people put the hand under the table soooo… Its just protocol, but many don’t follow it.
5:10 That really depends on the person XD
10:08 Hahahahah ok that’s true
We, Spanish people, have always been individualised(in all about culture) so there are a lot of people who don’t like it when someone generalises. The culture of a Spanish person is not really something appreciated here. It’s much more appreciated the place where you come, such as Madrid or Valencia. You will see a lot more people who don’t define themselves as a Spanish person culturally… But they’ll define themselves as a person from Valencia, or Cataluña, because the culture spread in different points.
11:45 Not only Cataluña, but Valencia and Galicia too. They have completely different languages with different origins(specially Cataluña). So don’t call it a dialect because that’s really wrong. It can be taken as a offence to their culture. But don’t worry if you get confused, there are a lot of people who will understand you got confused 😀
14:25 So true. Please take it very seriously. Our fantastic politicians are still getting the remains of Franco(the person who governed after the war) and moving it to another place continuously. Instead of treating economic matters, they care about a person who died on 1975 soooooo
And that’s only the politicians. There is a lot of drama surrounding the civil war and the period after.
You guys look like a lovely couple, that truly love each other ☺️
I'm a spaniard and I think we can make a deal. I'll get all those beers that your guests refuse at 5pm….
Yo doy las gracias hasta cuando me traen la cuenta en un restaurante y obligaba a mis hijos a hacerlo cada vez que tocaba, imagino que es lo que has vivido en tu casa.
Wait so for #11, don't say gracias, say that really long sentence instead?
The "Thank you and Please" is soooo WRONG!! Please Yolanda, talk about your region and your city, Spain is diverse and where I am from we say both words all the time, and, actually if you don't say it, people will ignore you!!
People should not listen to your RULES!!! This is so wrong. I AM SPANISH by the way!!
You don't have to stay behind and help with the dishes, that's it I'm moving to Spain. 😉 Stupid Canada.
" So, what do you do for a living?" "Assassinate curious people." 😉
What the hell are New Zealanders doing with their hand under the table?
There quite special the Spanish police thick
Also don't mention the inquisition or how they massacred native Americans in Latin America and killed their history, languages and religions.