Are the Spanish closed-minded?

• I've been living in Spain for 3 months now - and all of my friends are foreigners. I don't know why, but it seems really hard to make friends from Spain, especially if you don't know the language well. As for the souther "openess", i haven't found much of this over here. At least in Madrid, it looks like the Spanish prefer to stay among themselves.
  
  I don't know how I will improve my Spanish this way, it's like a vicious circle. Anybody got any idea on this??

  12 Jun 2006, 09:04 Anonymous

Replies

• Spain sucks ...

  I know exactly what you're talking about. have been living in Barcelona for almost half a year and have basically given up on knowing any Spaniards ...

  Anonymous 12 Jun 2006, 09:05 - Report

• same as everywhere

  it must be the same reason why when you live in the uk, you can never make British friends....even when you speak very good English there is always a problem guys. do you speak Spanish fluently? do you live like the Spanish peple live? do you hang out where they do? I can tell you it is the same everywhere so please do not call us closed minded because at least we tried to help and we TRY to speak English when necessary and I can tell you nobody helps you when you are in London or Cardiff or Kent....so here you have the other side or the coin, mate.

  Anonymous 17 Jun 2006, 02:31 - Report

• Making Spanish Friends

  I have to say that I have lived and worked in Andalucia for a year and a half now and have made many Spanish friends here. I go out with Spanish people all the time and rarely socialise with English people here. I speak quite good Spanish now but only had the very basics when I arrived, my husband had no Spanish at all and we were still accepted. I have found the Spanish to be very open minded to us and want to learn about us and get to know us. I am very glad we moved here, I find the Spanish more open minded than a majority of English people.

  Anonymous 19 Jun 2006, 01:56 - Report

• it's a problem of mentality, not of language

  have been living for almost a year in madrid now and haven't met any spanish friends AT ALL! but if they want to stay among themselves - so be it ...
  
  and it's NOT a problem of the language as i speak fluent spanish. i have been living in mexico for 2 years before and - guess what - met LOTS of real nice mexicans with whom i'm still in contact today!

  Anonymous 22 Jun 2006, 12:16 - Report

• Really?

  In my mind ,the spanish are very kind. They will help you when you want to someone to help u. But I also feel, if they don't know well about u,they will not talk to you,even say "hi" to u. But after they know u much , they are will full of passion. And they don't like ask friend to their own home. I don't know the reason. ...
  HAHA,I am a student in China . I wanna go there. And I hope find somepeople to chat online then know more about Spain. Can you help me. My msn addass is :[email removed]
  U can add me. I hope to talk with u more.
  HAHA~~~

  Anonymous 17 Jul 2006, 06:45 - Report

• open minded

  I live for 5 years in Spain now, I have MANY Spanish friends. I don't want to be rude, but in general, read good, in general, the Spanish don't like Enlish. Why? Most off the time they don't want to learn Spanish or they don't speak Spanish, they drink to much, they fight to much and they are very loud. They stay together and everything in the UK is always better. So I can understand when they say: why don't you go back the your own country if everything is better overthere. They have a nice joke about the English, I will tell you;
  How do you call somebody who speaks 3 languages? Tri-langual. How do you call somebody who speaks 2 languages? Bi-langual. How do you call somebody who speaks 1 language? English.
  So English people; LEARN SPANISH AND A NEW WORLD WILL BE OPEN FOR YOU.

  Anonymous 22 Jul 2006, 11:23 - Report

• RE: Are the Spanish closed-minded?

  Hi people! I'm a native spanish from Girona (Near Barcelona). I can say that Spain is very big, and there are a lot of diferences betwen people of diferent situations. Here, is said that the people from the south are more open-minded, and this is relatively true. But really, if you wanna make friends the big cities like Barcelona or Madrid are bad places for this objectives. Here the people tink in theirselves. But this is the surface, if you investigate, you will find alot of movements, events, and social venues where find a very opend-minded people. This next september i'm going to netherlands. I will compare both societies, and the we will opine. If anyone needs help or have any question about a good way to make friends please no dubt and contact me, I will try to do my best to help you [email removed]
  
  
  

  Anonymous 08 Aug 2006, 09:59 - Report

• we are very friendly and cool people! :-)

  I am spanish and we are not close-minded at all, we are friendly people. If your level of Spanish is very low, that might be the problem, it's not that we don't want to hang out with you guys, many people might not understand you. Language do is a barrier, in my case, I studied in the US for a year and didn't make any american friends, but it was my choice I realized we have different priorities in life, however I did make friends with some Germans, Dutch and Indians, we were more alike. Personally I would love to have friends from all over the world, you can learn a lot from the experience. Think about what you are doing in order to mingle with the spaniards, you can join a gymn, take a course in something you'd like....and don't be shy and approach them!

  Anonymous 09 Aug 2006, 12:57 - Report

• Closedminded

  We have lived in Costa Calida for 3 years now and right from the very beginning we have found the spanish people to be friendly, generous and very family orientated. They will not allow you into their home without you having food and drink with them. Some ex-pats do not TRY to speak spanish in fact in the local shop one Brit was 'boasting' I am English, why should I speak spanish!!!!!In that case mate, get on the plane back to UK, why did you want to come here in the first place if you dont want to integrate in comunity. Viva Espana.

  Anonymous 09 Aug 2006, 04:17 - Report

• it needs two parts for making friends

  first of all. 40.000.000 people are closed minded and you are the best "friends maker" of the world. it's what you have said, ok? please think a minute about your thoughts before.
  
  Second. I would like to have foreing friends and learnig English, i prefer talking in Eng. than Spanish, then. And i maje few foreing friends in Barcelona (where i live) why? becouse i don't try it!! i make my life (home to work-work to home) i don't go out to have friends, and don't say: "foreing people (6000 millions people) are closed minded", please!!!!
  

  Anonymous 24 Sep 2006, 10:11 - Report

• are the Spanish closed -minded? = NO.

  I am English, i live in Oxford,i think i sound English,look English myparents are both English. Ok English people ask me where i am from! Ha ha they think i am french,russian,south african,swedish,German,Dutch. Some know i am English straight away it makes a nice surprise. I feel lonely in England,some people are nice, but they are hard work! Not too friendly, i know, and have more foreign people/friends here than english friends.The English usually do not make effort to speakother language. I know i am looking English in Spain but i make an effort. I said to my Spainish partners mum-I like England only because i speak the language,i like all about Spain apart from not speaking a lot.But in time i will!

  Anonymous 05 Oct 2006, 06:40 - Report

• hm

  Spanish people are usually very kind-hearted to european Volks ,but i have sadly realised that they are crap to latinoamerican people,well there are of course these and those, to make spanish friends one needs to speak spanish, spanish peole are just like the french people ...in their own language! lol

  Globetroup 02 Sep 2007, 11:21 - Report

• Americans....

  From any country of the new world; from Canada to Argentina, from California to the Caribean are more affectionate, friendly and nicer than people from any country in Europe. Most Europeans are colder than the iceberg than sunk the titanic.... he he he
  
  Note: Please, don't kill the "messenger"....

  Belle 07 Sep 2007, 02:56 - Report

• Spainish friends

  I'm from Cuba, I was living in Spain, and it os hard for latin people to make spanish frineds, don't worry. It's an european syndrom.

  Carlos 16 Dec 2007, 08:57 - Report

• they are

  if you are blond,american,north european,you dont supose to have problems in spain.but if you are black,chinese,latinamerican,rumanish,from russia,they will make your life a living hell,no jocke,this people is in extreme racist.i was surprised!

  r 17 Dec 2007, 09:55 - Report