SPANISH LANGUAGE

The main language of Spain is Castellano (Castilan) and is spoken by most Spanish residents. There are however three other mail regional languages.

Catalan which is spoken in the Catelonia region.
Gallego (Galician) which is spoken in Galicia.
Euskera (Basque) which is spoken in the northern Basque region.

Variants are spoken in the Valencia region and also the Balaeric Islands such as Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca.

The Costa Blanca: As the Costa Blanca is located in the province of Valencia then the dialect that is mostly spoken here is Valenciano. With tourism mainly located on the coast you will find that most of the local Spanish will speak English. If you venture inland then you will need some basic Spanish language skills just to get you by. It is a good idea to either take with you a basic Spanish phrase book, a Spanish/English dictionary or if you have the money then investing in a hand help Spanish/English electronic translator is just the thing you need.

While most of the tourists do not bother too much with learning Spanish due to the fact they are only staying for the short-term in an area that speaks English then the residents have different views.

Many English speaking residents try and make an effort of learning the basics of the language. This is very much appreciated by the Spanish.
Your efforts will be respect and they will admire you for at least trying to communicate in their language. Many will help you with your Spanish while others may communicate back to you in English to assist you.

While some residents prefer to learn themselves in private the best way is to hire a local tutor for one-to-one lessons. More enthusiastic students prefer to sign-up for a night class where they can learn with other people of the same standard. This makes it more of a social occasion and a great way to meet new friends as well as a new language.