Spanish language in Morocco?

Question

Since Morocco used to be a Spanish colony, I wanted to know how widespread the Spanish language is there. One would think that most of the people there would have a working knowledge of Spanish seeing how close the country is to Spain. One site said that 20,000 people speak it in the northern part, but is that just native speakers? Also, I wanted to know if they speak a lot of Spanish in Casablanca. It's a spanish name so I think a majority of the people are at least conversational in Spanish. Are there any Moroccans out there who can help (but anyone is welcome to answer).

Answer 1

I went to Morocco once. Everyone that I met spoke Arabic, Spanish and French. I did not meet one person that could not speak Spanish to me.

Based on my experience I would say that it is widespread. It is necessary for the tourism there.

Answer 2

I have seen books which have photos of old documents which were written when Spanish used Arabic letters (during the time of the Moors in Spain).
Spanish also has absorbed many place names:
Alhambra = from Arabic "al hamra" (red) when the place was called "al gilaat al hamra" (The Red Palace), is just one example. Practically all words in Spanish which begin in al- have some relation to a similar word and meaning in Arabic.
It would seem that the move was not to incorporate Spanish into Arabic culture, but rather the reverse trend. So Spanish ceased to be widely spoken in Morocco and Northern Africa.

Answer 3

Ever seen the Movie "Patton"?
There's a scene where Patton enters a city in Morocco, and a old lady follow's him trying to sell him some chickens. She say's, "oiga compra gallinas?

I know, not much help.

Answer 4

The scene was set in Algeria just east of the Tunisian border, where it is highly unlikely anyone had ever spoken Spanish.

Answer 5

im morracan the launges is mostly french and arabic