Lesson from Madrileño to a Texan, for Americans learning Catellano *forgive the typo in headline, can't seem to edit it* Hello, I am a native English speaker from Texas learning Castillian Spanish. I was in Madrid a few weeks ago in a department store. I was turned around and could not find the staircase. I saw a salesman and I said, ¨¿Dónde está la escalera?¨ The salesman looked at me sharply and answered, ¨Buenas tardes, ¿Cómo está?¨ I learned in that moment that it is rude to just barge in with a question. I should have started with a greeting. So I answered him, ¨Buenas tardes, muy bien gracias y ¿cómo está usted?¨ He then answered and told me where to find the staircase. From then on I began each interaction with a Spaniard with a greeting of some sort. I caught myself several times just jumping into the question, but ultimately incorporated a brief greeting before the question. That´s a lesson I´ve never seen in a textbook. I am grateful for his subtle correction.