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it's true, french and spanish have a lot in common ; i don't speak spanish but i can figure a lot of it out.
"tu" is not used as an insult, although obviously if you are being insulting you won't use the respectful "vous"*. it's a familiar term, for friends, family, dogs... but french culture is a lot more relaxed than some others, apparently ; i say "tu" to someone around my age, even if i don't know them, especially if it's in a social context (like at a party).
on the other hand, usually when i'm in a new work situation, even though colleagues usually say "on peut se tutoyer" ("we can call each other 'tu'"), at the beginning i have the reflex of saying "vous" to everyone ; it's a representation of the distance between us, because after all just because we're colleagues doesn't mean we're friends. so i don't necessarily have the easy "tu".
* although you can actually be really cutting, in a sneaky way, while remaining apparently polite. it's an art.
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