I know, I know, they speak Spanish there, right?
The short answer is yes. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain and one of the primary destinations for tourists. The predominant language in Spain is Spanish, or "castellano", Castilian, which is spoken in the Castile regions (Castilla y León and Castilla-la-Mancha). Outside of Spain we usually call it "Spanish", but inside Spain, you'll hear it referred to as Castilian.
The region of Catalonia has its own regional language, Catalan, and it is not, as many people like to claim, a "dialect" of Spanish. It's a full-fledged language being descended from Latin, and it's more closely related to French and Italian than it is to Spanish, being in the Occitan continuum, most of its siblings spoken in France. The grammar and pronunciation are closer to a cross between French and Italian than Spanish, though most Spanish speakers find it relatively easier to understand than either of these two.
And yes, Catalonia is in Spain and Spanish is the vehicular (a fancy way of saying "used in government") language of the entire country we know as Spain, and all Spanish citizens are required to learn Spanish in school and have the right to use it everywhere in the country according to the Spanish Constitution.
In most areas popular with foreigners, English (and of course Spanish) is understood and used by many of the shopkeepers and restaurant staff as well as museums.
However, I must mention that for a trip to Barcelona, having the knowledge of a few basic Catalan phrases will help you make more of your time in the city than if you just speak Spanish or English. It'll help the locals understand you as a friend instead of just another foreigner coming to take over their culture (not everyone thinks this way, but it's very common for foreigners to not treat the locals with respect so they often come off as rude because of this; they're tired of their culture and language being disrespected) and will open a lot of doors for you in terms of hospitality and friendliness.
Check out my Catalan Pronunciation Guide here for a more in-depth look at how Catalan is pronounced if you'd like!
"Hola!" (OH-luh) - Hi!
"Grà cies!" (GRAH-see-uhs) - Thank you!
"Si us plau/sisplau" (see oos PLAU / sees-PLAU) - Please
"Fins aviat" (FEENS uh-bee-AHT) - See you later
"Adéu!" (uh-DHAY-oo) - Good-bye
"Ón és (el bany)?" (OHN ays (uhl BAÑ/BAIN)) - Where's (the bathroom)?/Where is it?
"Quant costa?/Quant és?" (kwahn COHS-tuh/kwan AYS) - How much is this?
"Com està s?" (kohm uhs-TAHS) - How are you?
"M'encanta!" (muhn-CAHN-tuh) - I love it!
"SÃ, m'agrada molt!" (SEE, muh-GHRADH-uh MOHL) - Yes, I like it a lot!
"El compte, sisplau" (uhl KOHM-tuh, sees-PLAU) - Check, please!
"(Jo/ell/ella) Voldria..." (ZHO/ELY/ELYA) bool-DREE-uh) - I/he/she would like...
"Aquest/aquesta" / "aquell/aquella" (uh-KET/uh-KELYA / uh-KELY/uh-KELY-uh" - This/that / that one over there
"Com vaig a..." (KOHM bahch uh...) - How do I get to...
"Em/ens pots fer una foto?" (UHM/UHNS pohts FAY oonuh FAW-too) - Can you take a photo of me/us?
Let me know if you use any of these phrases and how they worked for you! Also, let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions for phrases!
