27-07-2025
What the Spanish really think of the English, according to locals
Spain and England have something of a tempestuous relationship.
At points we have been bitter rivals, at others we have fought side by side. We like to bicker over a very large rock. Our royal families have inter-married. The English have stolen plenty of Spanish words (patio, siesta, fiesta, tornado).
And, of course, Britain as a whole sends approximately 18 million tourists to Spain each year (only around 2.2m Spaniards return the favour and spend their holidays here).
As the Lionesses prepare to take on the Spanish women in tonight's Euro 2025 Final, and millions of British families prepare to fly to warmer shores for the school summer holidays, what does Spain really think of us?
We asked our Spanish experts, and two of their local friends (Gina Guillén and Nora Vos Lizari; see audio clips below), to reveal the truth.
'The stereotype of the badly behaved Briton is alive and well'
Eddi Fiegel, Costa Brava destination expert
The British tourist looms large in the Spanish imagination. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given that more of us visit Spain every year than any other nationality. It's also unsurprising that the way we're perceived varies quite dramatically depending on where you are and who you speak to.
Whilst we're generally seen as polite and respectful, the stereotype of the badly behaved, lager-drinking Briton, having it large it till the small hours is alive and well.
Spaniards tend to drink beer in cañas (the equivalent to a half pint), so they're often staggered by some Britons' tendency to down pints in large quantities. They're also surprised at our sometimes devil-may-care approach to sun care.
As one Spanish friend told me: 'Spaniards don't understand this hunger to get tanned real, real quick because most of you have very pale skin and the sun here in Spain burns, so it's like 'Wow, they should put way more SPF and be under the umbrella'.'
People do, however, acknowledge that most Britons are polite and they're delighted when we make an effort to speak their language and express our appreciation of their food and culture.
However, whilst our good manners are seen as a boon, Spaniards are sometimes bewildered when we express our displeasure or complain about something whilst continuing to smile.
To locals who, if feeling unhappy, tend to express their displeasure in no uncertain terms, this seems bizarre.
'Since the Brexit vote, the Spanish aren't such big fans'
Joanna Styles, Costa del Sol destination expert
'English sounds posh,' my Spanish mother-in-law used to say when she heard me speaking to my would-be bilingual daughters. She, like Spaniards born before or during the Franco dictatorship, felt deep admiration for the British, stalwarts of law and order. Proper. Sensible. The Brexit vote numbed that view, and since then, the Spanish aren't such big fans.
They generally divide the British into two camps: those who live in the perfidious Albion, a phrase still used in the press that harks back to the Armada humiliation (piratas is another tag); and those who holiday or live here.
The former live in a gem of a country – oh, how the Spanish adore Cambridge and Oxford; they love the shopping and the pomp and circumstance at London monuments; and can't get enough of the chocolate-box villages and rolling hills.
Britons who visit or live in Spain are different. 'Why do they burn themselves to a crisp, drink themselves into a stupor and want dinner at 5?,' asks my friend Luis, echoing most of his fellow compatriots.
'We call the British ' guiris ' [an affectionate Spanish word for foreigners, comes from guirigay meaning festive chaos]. They're people who are out of place, disorientated, who come here looking for sunshine, food and the fiestas in Spain, who has no sense of the ridiculous,' says Luis.
'We see funny situations when they try to integrate with the Spanish by joining in the dancing and folklore at our fiestas, but it's obvious and we all know that they have no idea what's going on,' he adds.
Spaniards also fail to comprehend why so many British expats – including those who have lived here for decades – don't attempt to speak Spanish. Our long-time neighbour from Clacton said 'Mornin' to my Spanish husband instead of ' buenos días ' for years.
'It's like they think they're better than us,' says Luis. He, like over 49 million others, is hoping La Roja will show just who is superior and beat the British (again) at their game.
'There's a lot of admiration, particularly in sport'
Sally Davies, Barcelona destination expert
There's no sugar coating it – ask someone from Spain what they think of when they think of the English and you're going to hear one of the following: warm beer, ' balconing ' (the perilous practice of leaping from balcony to balcony after a big Magaluf night out) and the 'lunacy' of Brexit.
It could be worse – until surprisingly recently this list would have also included Benny Hill, one of our more bizarrely successful exports.
Catalan actor Pep Planas thinks there's a lot of admiration for the English, 'particularly in sport, and especially football,' though the dining culture leaves him confused.
'They have this great cuisine but they don't give food the same value that we do, particularly at lunchtime. We think about meals as a place to be with family and friends, not just a way to relieve hunger.'
'I don't think one should really generalise,' says Mari Méndez from O Grove in Galicia. 'But I do get a very different impression of the English at home from the English abroad. When we go there, they can be a little impolite, and less inclined to help us out when we're struggling to understand something.
'But when they come to my home town they're always charming, very keen to try our food, and to understand the culture and language.'
