Is Catalan very different from Spanish?
Is Catalan very different from Spanish? Catalan is not a way of speaking Spanish, but a complete language on its own, with different grammar, sounds and words. Some people call Catalan a dialect in a pejorative way (it is well known that Spanish and Catalan communities don't always like each other much, unfortunately…).
Is it OK to speak Spanish in Barcelona?
There are two official languages in the city: Catalan and Spanish. The overwhelming majority of Barcelona's residents consider themselves fully bilingual. That means they can switch from Catalan to Spanish with ease.