If you have a word of advice or other information that would be appropriate for this page, please send it in!

Disclaimer: The information presented is not intended to replace any official information you receive by the church regarding your mission or the mission field. We provide this information simply as a public service.

Between 1936 and 1939 Spain was rocked by a brutal civil war. At the war's end, the fascist General Franco became ruler of Spain. In late 1975 Franco died, and the government shifted to a democracy. Many of the strict prohibitions from the "Franco Days" were lifted by the new democratic reforms. Spain is now a thriving, modern democracy that is an important participant in the European Economic Community.

With time and as you become fluent, you will notice the influences recent history has made on the people of Spain. In particular, you may notice a "generation gap" between those who remember Franco and those born after his rule.

City vs. Pueblo

The Madrid Mission can be divided into two parts: Madrid and "the pueblos" (or small towns). The work is very different in the city than in the pueblos. Madrid is much like a "normal" mission, with large wards and a lot of member involvement. In the pueblos, where membership tends to be substantially less than in the big cities, the missionaries ARE the church. Pueblo missionaries must fulfill their missionary endeavors in addition to performing nearly all of the callings in their respective branches.

The Use of "Vosotros" in Spain

The Spanish in Spain uses the full range of verb conjugations. In contrast, the Spanish of Spanish America uses all but one.

Both Spain and Spanish America use verb forms for "YO," "TU," "USTED," "NOSOTROS," and "USTEDES." But, missing from Spanish American Spanish is the informal plural form "VOSOTROS," which is an integral part of Spanish in Spain.

Your MTC teachers may not teach you the "Vosotros" form of verbs but you WILL encounter them in nearly every speaking situation!

Anyone your age or older will refer to you (single informal) as "TU." But, they will refer to you and your companion together (plural informal) as "Vosotros," and will conjugate all verbs accordingly.

Also, when you talk to a group of people your age or younger, you will be expected to speak to them using "Vosotros" verb conjugation. For you to use "Ustedes" instead of "Vosotros" in these situations will appear strange and foolish.

The scriptures in Spanish use the full range of verb forms and are an excellent resource to learn the correct use of "Vosotros."

The Use of "The Ceta" in Spain

Spain uses the original pronunciation of Spanish that includes a sound not used in Spanish America. In Spain, the letter "z" and the letter "c" followed by an "i" or an "e" produces a sound similar to "th" in English. This extra sound not only adds more texture to the spoken language, but helps in the spelling of words phonetically.

A story that this sound came about because an old Spanish king talked with a lisp is as untrue as it is ridiculous. The strong "s" sound has always been and still is a integral part of Spanish spoken in Spain!

In the MTC, you might not be encouraged to learn correct Spanish pronunciation for Spain because your teachers served in Spanish America, where the "th" is not used.

However, you will soon learn when you arrive in Spain that speaking without this sound will give as negative impression to Spaniards as it would to use it in Spanish America.

This is not an overwhelming issue for communicating in Spanish. Speakers from Spain and speakers from Spanish America do understand each other quite readily, despite pronunciation differences.

This is the most noticeable difference in pronunciation.

Naming Conventions in Spain

Each Spaniard has a first name and two surnames. The first surname is also the first surname of the person's father; the second is the first surname of the mother. You should address each man and woman by his or her first surname. For example, Francisco González Hernández would be "Señor González," and Pili Sanfélix Flores would be "Señorita Sanfélix."

Things get a little more complicated with marriage and birth. For example, let´s say Francisco González Hernández marries Pilar Sanfélix Flores and they have two children: Jose Luís and María. The boy's name would be Jose Luís González Sanfélix, and the girl's name would be María González Sanfélix.

Now imagine that María marries Juan Fabra López. Her full name would still be María González Sanfélix. As a married woman, María would still be addressed as "Señora Sanfélix." Legally, her name does not change in marriage. However, if she were a Senior Citzen, out of respect you should refer to her as "Señora de Fabra." Since married women in the church are not usually refered to by their husbands' last name, it may be tricky at first to determine who is married to whom.

The same process for transmitting names would then be followed with the children of María and Juan.

Missionary Travel

Bikes and Cars are not used by missionaries in the Spain, Madrid Mission. To travel within your area you will usually walk, although you may use the bus or metro where available. Although expensive, in extreme cases you probably will ride a taxi. Transfers between cities usually mean a train and/or bus ride.

If you work in the Mission Office, you might drive the mission van around the spider web of streets running errands.

Typically however, you are on foot. This lends itself well to street contacting and meeting people en-route to appointments and meetings.

Durable, comfortable shoes are essential to the hard working Spain, Madrid missionary.

Spain in the Modern World

By most standards, Spain is as modern, if not more modern, than the United States. Do not think you are going to a "backward country" in any sense of the term. In fact, they use the metric system, so you're likely to think the United States is a backward country when you return.

Spain is flooded with high technology, consumer goods and modern transportation. For example, Barcelona has one of the most modern metro systems in the world. Their banking system and ATM network rivals that of any other western country (Yes, you can use your credit card or check card in Spain).

In particular, most consumer goods found in the United States are also available in Spain. The few popular exceptions would be Root Beer, Barbecue Sauce, Potato Chip-Dip and Kool-Aid (the latter being a great item for family to mail you during the hot summer).

Many familiar places, like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC and even Domino's Pizza (Alcobendas) are quite prevalent in the mission!

regresar a la pagina de misioneros futures