2. Index
1. What is a ‘cliché’?
2. Are true the clichés about Spain?
3. First cliché: Spain is different
4. Second cliché: Spain is Africa
5. Third cliché: We love bullfighting
6. Fourth cliché: It’s warm all year round
7. Fifth cliché: In Spain people usually talk very
loudly
8. Sixth cliché: It’s cheap to live in Spain
9. Bibliography
3. What is a ‘cliché’?
A ‘cliché’ is an
stereotypistic idea of a
country, a community,
a job or another part of
the social reality
which is not always
true.
4. Are true the clichés about Spain?
There are a lot of clichés about Spain and
Spaniards: it’s always sunny and hot; we all sleep
the ‘siesta’; all the Spanish people love
bullfighting and flamenco; we are so lazy; we
speak very loudly…
Even though there are some of them that are
really true, others are completely false. We are
going to talk about the truthfulness.
5. First cliché: Spain is different
It’s true that Spain, in spite of being a developed country,
it has its particularities: its economy is strongly based on
tourism; its history is independent from European history…
So, if you think about this cliché, you’ll draw your own
conclusions.
6. Second cliché: Spain is Africa
Secondly, let’s talk about
the location of Spain.
Spain is an European
country located in the
southwest zone of Europe.
That’s just something one
can see in any map.
Maybe, people think this
because Spain is very
close to Morocco.
7. Third cliché: We love bullfighting
Bullfighting is the most
traditional of Spanish
Fiestas, but lately some
people who defend the
animal rights demonstrate
against this celebration.
So, not all the Spaniards
love bullfighting.
Moreover, some regions of
Spain (Catalonia, for
example) have forbidden
this kind of celebrations.
8. Fourth cliché: It’s warm all year
round
The climate of Spain varies
across the country. There is a
mix between Mediterranean,
oceanic and semi-arid
climates.
In summer, it’s very hot.
The average temperature is
about 86º K (30ºC).
9. In these maps we can
see the temperatures
according to touristic
zones and regions.
However, in winter,
more in the inland
than in the coast, the
temperatures are very
cold. It usually snows
or freezes.
10. Fifth cliché: In Spain people
usually talk very loudly
Spanish people have a bad reputation for talking very loudly
and being unpolite. In one hand, this is a reality, because in
Spain we are quite careless when we talk but, in the other hand,
this happens because of our accent. Here we have a recording
example of rural Spanish accent. (click here)
So, if you are foreign
maybe the people voice level
is going to surprise you.
11. Sixth cliché: It’s cheap to live
in Spain
This is completely true. If we compare the
cost of living of the developed European
countries, we’ll discover that Spain is one
of the cheapest countries of the EU along
with Hungry, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria
and Poland.
12. For example, if we compare the price of a Combo meal at
McDonalds, we have the next figures:
Ireland Greece Norway Poland Germany Morocco Spain
7.00€ 6.00€ 12.28€ 3.89€ 6.00€ 5.00€ 6.50€
Also, one can see the difference in monthly money
necessary for food per person (assuming 31 day per month):
Ireland Greece Norway Poland Germany Morocco Spain
235.9€ 183.8€ 372€ 113.1€ 200.5€ 111.3€ 163.9€
We have to consider the salary differences between these
countries but, for a tourist who is visiting Spain, the daily life
would problably seem to him cheap.
13. There are more clichés; some are completely absurd
(Spaniards wear Mexican ‘sombreros’); but others are quite
veracious:
• We all sleep ‘siesta’: it’s true that a lot
of people in Spain love it.
• Spanish people dance ’sevillanas’ and
sing ’flamenco’: these genres are
mainly spread around Andalusia, but not
all the Spaniards dance flamenco.
• Spanish people are always drinking
‘sangria’: to be honest, most Spaniards prefer a
good wine or beer. The tourists are actually the
only ones who drink sangria compulsively.
14. Bibliography
Some interesting webs where I have found the
information are:
• http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
• http://www.eyeonspain.com/spain-
magazine/top-cliches.aspx
• http://mybeautifuladventures.com/2011/04/04/g
uest-post-top-7-spanish-cliches/
If you are interested in this topic, you will find
information about it on the Net.
