Proficiency in spanish

Many get by, but not ideal, many have difficulties without translators. But try and understand Spain before you come, see my blog below.

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Blog..... .   

There are two parts of the Costa del Sol, 'where the Spanish live' and where tourists seek to buy & rent homes, (Tourist areas often have an over supply of property and many lay empty and can attract squatters), in good Spanish residential locations you will hardly find any apartments or homes empty, this includes those places with a sea view, generally, the nearer the coast milder in winder and less hot in mid summer. One rule worth bearing in mind, just like restaurants, 'if full of Spanish people a really good one' they also know the nicest 'communities' to live and unlike UK people do not question 'noisy neighbours' ? Spanish communities always have some noise, be it the 'sound of children' music or motor bikes, people do not tiptoe around, that's part of the 'wonderful vibe'. Many Brits who move to Spain want, Highcliffe On Sea in the sun, or a sleepy English village, where folks use baby sitters & leave the kids at home for their evening meal. 'The real heart of Spain is the people', in particular in Towns & Cities, to really understand the culture folks should check out 'Old Town Malaga' and where Antonio Banderas has his idyllic penthouse on the 6th floor, above a restaurant, just a stone's throw from the historic city monuments of Alcazaba, Moorish fortress and the Roman Theatre, his balcony has views of the Picasso Museum. That's the 'real Spain' and where the magic is, however, many Brits never even go into this magnificent city, they leave the airport & head down the coast and never see the real treasure of Malaga. 'My advice explore and understand Spain before you buy'. If you walk and love the streets of Old Town Malaga, Spain and Andalucía is for you. 

Be warned, once you move here you become a 'fiscal resident' & bear in mind UK is like a 'tax-haven' compared to Spain, with no age cap on 'social security payments' so check carefully with a 'Spanish accountant' the real costs on income and pensions from the UK,. Without a 'Golden Visa' you must become a fiscal tax resident, although if fortunate to be a retired 'Civil Servant' your pension tax deductions remain in the UK.. 

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4VaNwunxR0

Thank you very much for your reply👍. Insightful and very perceptive. There is food for thought for us , especially financial which I didn’t know, and you have helped immensely.

Regards Anthony 

Well if you are going to retire I would try and improve your Spanish.

Firstly they do appreciate you trying and we seem to avoid a lot of the trouble the English have because they do not make the effort.

Secondly, it boosts your confidence in handling situations like going to the doctor or hospital. I have just been referred and the doctor suggested I took a translator.

You can certainly survive, especially if you hang out in English ghettos, but that takes away a lot of the enjoyment that can be had interacting with local Spanish.

Most expats get by. I rarely encountered a problem.  Try “Synergy Spanish”. It’s an easy way to learn and there are several free tutorials without paying for the course, which is very reasonable.  He will teach you the easy way and in fact you know more Spanish than you think. Words ending in ‘ity’ like community become ‘idad’ i.e. communidad etc. City becomes cuidad etc etc. There is a free 38 page download on Santa Maria’s website. Best of luck.

We found Duolingo good for learning the basics and then once you live there and have the confidence with the basics the rest should follow. 

Get your timing right for the move out. The Spanish tax year runs from Jan-Dec. If you sold your house and moved out within the Spanish tax year, spending more than half the year there (ie before July) then you will have to pay Capital Gains Tax on the profits of your house sale!  This delayed our move by six months!  

Finally, try watching James Blick and his wife Yoli on Youtube. A really good insight into Spain, there traditions and the way they live. 

Good luck with it all!