How well can I survive in Barcelona if I speak English, French, Japanese, and Chinese….but very little Spanish?

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I suddenly got a job at a pretty well-known university at Barcelona, and the irony is I’ve been preparing the wrong European language the whole time (French)…

And I’m asking not just about communication, but culturally: do the Spanish HATE IT if they see someone speaking French? I get the French aren’t that welcomed in Europe. What about someone speaking English, Chinese, or Japanese?

Posted Jun 12, 2026, 11:53 PM UTC

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