Spanish stereotypes

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, every country has its stereotypes:

In heaven the chefs are French, the police British, the mechanics Germans, the lovers Italian and the bankers are Swiss; but in hell the cooks are British, the police German, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss and the bankers Italian.

What about regional stereotypes in Spain? We’ve put together a few – whether or not you agree with them they’ll help you understand jokes and comments the next time you’re with your amigos españoles.

Galicians can’t give a straight answer.

Here’s a great phrase you can learn “dar una respuesta a la gallega” – this means when you answer a question without giving away any information. This idea about Galicians is so ingrained that it’s said that if you see a Galician halfway on a staircase you never know if he’s going up or down. Spanish President Rajoy is from Galicia and is renowned for not giving straight answers – just Google “Repuesta a la gallega Rajoy” and you’ll find more than half a million entries!

People from Andalucía are lazy.  Temperatures in Andalucia, especially inland, get really high in the summer and it’s not surprising that it’s hard to work outside during the afternoons for many months of the year. Many Spanish writers have made reference to this stereotype, with one of the most famous lines being “¿Cómo voy a trabajar, si soy de Cádiz? Jokes were also easy to come by during the 1992 Seville Expo where the mascot representing the event was named Curro – which in slang means “work”.

Madrileños are “chulos” (cocky).

Time has changed the meaning of the word “chulo” – originally it referred to the way of dressing in Madrid. However over time this typically dressed madrileño became a “chulapo” and the word chulo was used for those whose behaviour was more than questionable (in modern times it’s the word used for pimps). So if you hear someone say “es un chulo madrileño” they’re just referring to their brazen character, not some unsavoury profession!

People from Catalunya are mean with money.

We need to go back to 1313 where in the poem Divine Comedy the Italians mention their hatred for the Catalans calling them greedy and mean. Then over time as the people of Catalunya excelled in the world of business, they also came to be moneylenders thus leading to lots more insults by those who couldn’t repay their debts.

Basques are brutes.

It’s said that Basques tell things as they are, with little tact and can be somewhat brutish. Just taking a look at typical Basque rural sports reinforces the “brute” theme: anvil lifting, stone lifting (up to 300 kg!) and wood chopping are not the types of sports for the weak. Just watch some of the scenes from the hit film “Ocho Apellidos Vascos” to see how the Basques are represented with humour.

This article was written by Maxine Raynor who runs MoneySaverSpain.com. Maxine is originally from Yorkshire, where apparently people are tight with money. She doesn’t agree with this and has told us that the cobwebs on her purse are a fashion statement…

Maxine Raynor

Maxine Raynor has lived in Spain since 1987. She currently runs the website MoneySaverSpain.com when not sniggering at Google translated Spanish websites!