Catalan, Castellano, and English by jhoolko
Catalan is the official language of Barcelona, so don't be surprised when your Spanish (Castellano) knowledge seems to fail you when overhearing conversation or reading street signs. Most places will also have a Castellano translations, and major signs and notices, such as the metro system, also have it written in English. If you only speak English, you will be able to get by in the main parts of the city because of the overwhelming presence of tourists there. If you venture outside this center into areas such as Gracia, chances are you might run into a number of non-English speaking people. Castellano is understood and spoken by almost everyone in Barcelona, and it is not out of the ordinary to hear it spoken on the street. It is HIHGLY BENEFICIAL to have a knowledge of Castellano. You will be able to communicate effectively with nearly everyone if you can speak it. The only time I ran into problems is when really old ladies would start talking to me on the metro or the street, and sometimes I had to explain to them why I didn't speak Catalan. But even then I could do it in Castellano. Linguistic effort is generally appreciated, as it always is, in Barcelona, and it is good to know some key phrases and to try to use them when you can. 'Jo no parlo catala' will suffice if you need to alert someone that you don't speak Catalan, and 'No hablo espanol/castellano' for Castellano. I don't think I ever had to use the former, because honestly, most people can tell the natives from the tourists and visitors, plus, they speak Castellano. Don't worry if you speak only Castellano and you are approaching someone to speak, becuase they will generally speak to people who look foreign or from out of town in Castellano without even trying Catalan. Most places also have menus in other languages, sometimes upon request. I also found that having some basic knowledge of French vocabulary helped me read a lot of signs and understand some other things a bit.
