Can any native Spanish-speakers answer this question?

[Anonymous]

Simple solution OP.

Pick up the phone and call your cell phone provider or your internet/cable company and when the recording says "Para Español, marque número dos" then press #2 and practice all you want.

At least then the person on the other end will be getting paid for their time.

[Anonymous]

I switch to Spanish only when I notice that the other person is having trouble communicating in English, then I ask if they happen to speak Spanish. Otherwise it's a little weird. However, you can find people to practice speaking with online as an exchange, or even pay for conversational lessons over Skype.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the immediate implication is that you assume they don’t speak English - this may insult them.

OP here. No, the conversation starts in English, and then I say I'm learning Spanish and ask if I could try that. The answer always comes back "si," but of course, as a couple of posters upthread pointed out, they might feel obligated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tell the cafeteria workers at my job "gracias" after they serve me. They smile. Sometimes we'll carry on a simple conversation.

If you have doubts, just tell them "quiero practicar el espanol. Me interesa aprender otros idiomas."

Political correctness should not be a reason to limit your capacity to learn things.

OP here, and thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It wouldn't be a big deal if you just ask the person if they speak Spanish and ask if its okay to practice speaking it with them. I speak English to everyone. I've had Hispanic or other Spanish speakers ask do you speak Spanish or you speak Spanish? I let them know I do and we start conversing in Spanish from then on.

Yes, that's exactly what I do.

[Anonymous]

My parents are from Latin America, and I was born and raised in the US: I speak perfect English and Spanish. I can’t count how many times new (white) friends are so excited that I speak Spanish and try to speak Spanish with me. I personally find it annoying, and imagine these workers do, as well. Also, I’ve attempted to speak Spanish to Latino immigrants and they’ll respond in English. It can be insulting to imply that they only speak Spanish.

In any case, I would just stop. Get a tutor if it’s that important to you to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have more power than your housekeeper and fast food workers. They have to put up with you and Speak Spanish if the want to keep their job— or at least they might think that.

Turn it around: how would you feel if you were just trying to do your job, and your boss walked up to me and insisted and speaking in very poor, broken English that You had trouble understanding. And expected you to respond appropriately, in English, at a level they could understand?

I don’t think it’s okay to forcible conscript people working for or serving you into being your Spanish language study buddies.

It does also seem condescending. Lots of better ways to make someone feel welcome. Like treating them the way you would want to be retreated. This isn’t it.

NP here: Are you a native Spanish speaker? Have you experienced/been annoyed by what OP describes?

Native Spanish speaker here-

It annoys me greatly. I have no obligation to teach you Spanish. There are lots of people charging good money for that work. When I come across someone who cannot speak English or is badly struggling, I ask them if they’d like to speak Spanish. By the way, my Brazilian friend gets a lot of people like the Op who insist on speaking Spanish to her when she does not speak it at all.

Do not do this.

OP here, and thanks for the insight.

OK, I've gotten enough feedback to see that it likely isn't received well in many instances, so I'll stop.

Thanks to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ain't no universal response.
Some folks may like it and play along.
Some folks may mutter under their breath, "¡Qué puta de mierda!"

+1

I don't care and would speak with you.

My brother would say the bolded. He finds it condescending and I don't.

[Anonymous]

Fascinating. Spanish speakers where I work always speak to one another in Spanish, even though their English is just fine. I’ve never seen one insist on English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fascinating. Spanish speakers where I work always speak to one another in Spanish, even though their English is just fine. I’ve never seen one insist on English.

I’m op and Yes, it’s weird. I don’t know how to explain it fully except that there’s a level of Condescension that might come across trying to practice. Something like “we’re always here to serve you”. I don’t feel that way that’s how my brother has expressed to me before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fascinating. Spanish speakers where I work always speak to one another in Spanish, even though their English is just fine. I’ve never seen one insist on English.

I’m op and Yes, it’s weird. I don’t know how to explain it fully except that there’s a level of Condescension that might come across trying to practice. Something like “we’re always here to serve you”. I don’t feel that way that’s how my brother has expressed to me before.

Not op- meant PP.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine. I speak garbled Spanish and always use it with our cleaners and other workers. Often times their English is worse than my Spanish, so it makes sense. If you're demanding that they converse with you for an hour that would be a different thing, but if you're just saying "Por favor, usar las sabanas de algodon" I think it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fine. I speak garbled Spanish and always use it with our cleaners and other workers. Often times their English is worse than my Spanish, so it makes sense. If you're demanding that they converse with you for an hour that would be a different thing, but if you're just saying "Por favor, usar las sabanas de algodon" I think it's fine.

Oh also, another reason I do this is so that they know I understand them when they are speaking Spanish. I don't want to embarass myself by hearing them complain how crappy my house is (which it is).

[Anonymous]

A Chilean friend of mine told me about flubbing something once when he was speaking Spanish to a clerk in a store and he heard the clerk say something dismissive about "gringos." So I've always been careful about whether to speak Spanish. My house cleaner is clearly more comfortable speaking in Spanish than in English so we speak more often in Spanish. The head worker in the construction team at our house now always speaks in English so I follow his lead.

OP, I work online with a tutor in Nicaragua via Skype. I highly recommend it. And given the economic differences between countries, on-line tutoring is very inexpensive.

[Anonymous]

I speak mid-level Spanish and I speak it if I see the workers are speaking it to each other _and_ their English doesn't seem that great. Otherwise, and again only _if_ I hear them speaking Spanish, I'll just add a pleasantry like "hasta lluego" but not go into full conversation.