I was thinking about that when I was dropping my 6 year old off at some hobbies earlier - it’s pretty much expected to have learned how to ride a bicycle before starting school, and it massively expands the area you can go to by yourself. When she went to school by bicycle she can easily make a detour via a shop to spend some pocket money before coming home, while by foot that’d be rather time consuming.
Quite a lot of friends from outside of Europe either can’t ride a bicycle, or were learning it as adult after moving here, though.
edit: the high number of replies mentioning “swimming” made me realize that I had that filed as a basic skill pretty much everybody has - probably due to swimming lessons being a mandatory part of school education here.
Clapping. Spaniards can clap, other people can’t. I took me years to figure out what they mean when they say that foreigners can’t clap and learn to do it properly.
Is clapping something other than slapping your hands together in Spain?
This sounds more like a particular region doing a common thing differently rather than other people not knowing how. Like, I’m pretty sure Americans know how to clap. I’ve seen them do it. Not to brag, but I’ve done it a time or two m’self.
Yes and no. Of course if you’re applauding someone like during a speech or something it doesn’t really matter how you clap. But if you’re watching live music (especially flamenco but not only) and you’re trying to ‘accompany’ the musicians it does. You often see tourist clapping to some music and not only can’t they keep the rhythm they also don’t make any sound. Spaniards usually just know how to keep the rhythm, can do complex patterns, can ‘double’ the claps* and can make them sound nice. If you hit your palms the right way they make this strong snapping sound. Spaniards just know how to do it, for them that’s clapping. I had to learn.
Oh! So Spaniards are better at clapping than everyone else! Oh, well, yeah, that’s 100% true based on that video and some memories from my time in Europe oh so long ago.
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As a musician this is both hilarious and amazing. The amount of awesome moments at shows where people clap and start speeding up and get so off and ruin the moment is just so damn high. Yay for Spain. The world needs to learn from you!
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Have Spaniards finally cracked the world’s greatest mystery and learned how to produce the sound of one hand clapping?
Wut? Please explain.
I just did in another comment. Basically, if put enough Spaniards in one place they start doing stuff like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW6L_lTrIFg
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As in, being able to make a strong sound while clapping? Or being able to keep rhythm? I know for sure from concerts in America, England, Germany, etc. that people cannot keep a rhythm to save their lives…
Both, actually. They are good and keeping complex rhythms and can make it sound strong.
Please enlighten us
You mean that sound of finger bones clicking against one another? Just have to clap sufficiently hard and fast.