# What might make people switch to English when I speak to them in Spanish?!!



## Philippa

Hi there folks!
A little rant from me.....
I phoned Spain this afternoon to book a canoe trip  and it was fine until the moment I missed something and said ¿cómo? when I got an answer in English. I persisted in Spanish and the person mostly (but not completely GRRR!!) swapped back to Spanish. I ended up shouting at the phone, as soon as I'd put it down!! This isn't the first time this has happened, but it's the first time for a while and as I (hopefully) get better at Spanish it shouldn't really happen, should it?!!

I know this happens more with touristy things - do people working in such industries tend to assume that foreigners are all 'phrase book' types who can speak, but can't understand much, and so it's simpler and quicker to switch to English?
I don't think this happened to me once in México, and I was in touristy areas with people who probably mostly spoke at least some English. Is it that the mexicanos wanted to be nice and stick to the language I had started in? Is it that españoles are really keen to practise their English?
I'm sure my accent gives me away as being foreign straightaway, but it isn't absolutely dreadful (I hope) - at least one (quite important!!) forero has commented that my accent in Spanish is okay. What are the other pitfalls to avoid to stop people switching back to English, do you think? It isn't always possible to avoid asking for something to be said again, I did this once (pride!!) and then I had to confess to my Spanish class that I wasn't really sure what time we could check in to our hotel in Madrid!!
If you work with tourists, how do you approach this situation?
Any other thoughts or experiences welcome, Spanish/English or otherwise.
Saludos castellanos
Philippa


----------



## vince

If it's in a situation where a serious business/commercial negotiation is taking place, I think it makes more sense to do it in the language that is most understood between the two people. When you were booking the canoe trip, perhaps the operator felt that having the transaction run smoothly and have both parties mutually understand everything, was more important than you practicing your Spanish. Maybe you could make it clear that you would prefer to speak in Spanish, so that he/she wouldn't feel bad for not switching to English, the language you are most comfortable with.

But I think that with casual chatter, people are only going to switch to English to practice it, so it should be easier to communicate in Spanish then.

One alternative strategy a friend of mine brought up was to say that you speak some other foreign language when the person on the other end tries to speak to you in English. This would work best if it's unlikely that the other person would know the other language, for example Swahili or Taiwanese. I think I might try this if I ever go to Spain or Mexico hehe


----------



## KateNicole

This happened to my mom when we went to Cancun a lot. She would always approach the staff at the resort in Spanish, and 95% of the time, they replied in English. My mom's level of Spanish is actually quite high and her grammar is great, but she didn't learn to speak until her mid-thirties, so her accent is very strong and gives her away immediately. A lot of times people, perhaps subconciously, are too quick to think that someone doesn't understand or is incapable of conversation, just because they have an accent! This is a true story: in a restaurant in the resort, my mom ordered in Spanish, and then the waiter turned to me and asked "Does she speak Spanish?" Hello?!?! It was extremely disheartening and embarassing for my mom because she has studied for so long, and every time someone responded to her Spanish in English, it was like they were telling her she just wasn't good enough. (But she was . . . they just wouldn't look past her accent.) HOWEVER, in the markets of Cancun and on the streets, the every day residents that we encountered always replied to her Spanish, even if they knew a little English.
So, in a nutshell, I think that because the importance of English is stressed so much in the service industry, many people come to think that most English speakers want to be addressed in English (even if they speak a foreign language) and use English in attempt to be courteous . . . and it backfires every now and then.  Don't worry, I bet you the person thought they were relieving you by switching to English.


----------



## Fernando

I find the following alternatives:

a) He/She wanted to practice his English
b) He thought you were having a bad time trying to speak in Spanish and he was so kind to speak in English to avoid you any problem.
c) He is stupid.

I prefer to think the answer is (b)


----------



## angel101

I think a lot of the time Spanish people respond in English because they want to practise their English. In February our Spanish teacher organised a trip to the the Small town of Segovia, north of Madrid. Obviously, our main objective was to speak as much Spanish as possible. However any time we went into shops and restaurants (I'm guessing our accents gave us away!!) so many of the employees would ask if we were English and would then continue talking in English!! Me and my friend were in a bar and got talking to the two locals and we asked them why people were always so keen to reply to us in English. (Were our attempts at speaking Spanish that bad?!!!!) They simply said that it was really rare to come across native English speakers in the non-touristy areas of Spain. Despite this, I did find it disheartening when Spanish people replied in English. As KateNicole said it was like they were saying my Spanish wasn't good enough; it really did knock my confidence!


----------



## Residente Calle 13

I have spoken Spanish for as long as I have been speaking. I don't have a foreign accent. But it happens that if I am speaking to some non-Caribbean Spanish speakers, I will get answered in English more often than in Spanish. I don't look like I'm from Mesoamerica so Hispanics in Utah (where I used to live) tended to either stare at me like I was from another planet or answer me in English when I spoke to them in Spanish. 

Understanding was never an issue. I understood everything they said and made sure they would understand everything I said. I have never had that problem with Central Americans or Mexicans here in New York. 

But I guess I didn't look the part or they didn't know what to make of me in Utah where you are either white, have blonde hair and blue eyes and speak English or not and speak Spanish.* There may just be an instinct to speak foreign to anybody who doesn't look the part.

That's my poorly thought out theory anyway based on the three years I spent in Utah.


*This is not entirely true. There are also white people with green eyes and some with red hair in Utah.


----------



## Cereth

Como mexicana puedo decir que aqui siempre tratamos que la persona se sienta bien y muchas veces cambiamos de español a inglés porque queremos que la otra persona no la pase mal, no porque desconfiemos de sus capacidades es que la verdad no es muy común que los extranjeros hablen español, sin embargo yo ya me he topado con esas situaciones y prefiero preguntarle a la persona en que idioma le parece bien que sostengamos la conversación, casi siempre resulta en spanglish!...jaja


----------



## KateNicole

I agree, Cereth. I think that when someone switches to the other person's native language, it's done with the best of intentions, but I also think it's important to avoid doing this if the person is making a good effort and expressing him/herself readily. I, as an American, am guilty of doing this too. When I worked as an interpreter, if a Mexican person entered our office speaking understandable yet broken English, I usually switched to Spanish. I did this because I figured they would prefer to be attended in Spanish, and because they might become offended if five seconds later they heard me attend another non-English speaker in Spanish. They might have wondered why I didn't give them the same service. To make a long story short, I attended the vast majority of English-speaking Mexican nationals in Spanish, and I'm sure I accidentally hurt a few people's feelings along the way, although most seemed overjoyed to learn I know Spanish. I'm much more aware of that now though, and at my other interpreting job, I actually wear a small pin that says "Hablo español" and now resist the urge to switch from English to Spanish.


----------



## marygg

If a person come to me and speak in spanish I usually answer in spanish, it doesn't matter the accent, maybe is because I don't have the confidence to speak in english 

Sería muy bueno que eso pasara en USA, que escucharan mi acento malo y comenzaran a hablarme en español porque batallo mucho para expresarme en inglés.


----------



## danielfranco

Well, back when I used to live close to the USA-Mexico border, I had this trick to stop people switching back to Spanish, when I was trying to speak in English (badly, it seems): I would ask them to repeat what I hadn't understood "because I can't hear you very well". This often made the other person speak a bit clearer and louder, so that afterwards I could follow the conversation easier!!!


----------



## diegodbs

Normalmente, si alguien se dirige a mí en español y tiene acento inglés, le respondo en español e intento seguir hablando español. Si veo que la persona tiene muchos problemas a la hora de expresarse, entonces intento facilitarle las cosas y procuro hablar en inglés. 
Cuando hago eso de cambiar o alternar el español y el inglés no es para decirle: "hablas tan mal español que no quiero hablar contigo" sino para facilitar la conversación y no tener que estar preguntando continuamente "¿qué?", tanto él como yo.
Creo que esto es como una especie de acuerdo tácito que se establece entre las dos partes.


----------



## natasha2000

My two cents...

For some time, I worked at the reception of a hotel in a very touristic part of Barcelona, and I got used to speak in English, rather than in Spanish. Once, after many many guests that were changing in front of me speaking in English, came two people, speaking to me in Spanish, but at the same time, giving me the US passport (since they were Cubans living in the US). I really do not know why, but I automatically started to speak with them in English. They kept on answering me in Spanish. My talking to them in English wasn't at all premeditated, it is just what went out from my mouth. After some 5 minutes and a quite number of exchanged sentences, the women asked me with a smile on her face: Pero ¿por qué me está hablando en inglés?". I felt a little bit stupid , but it was only then when I realized what I was doing. 

So, MAYBE people do that because they are used to speak English in their jobs and sometimes it just goes out from them when they hear the English language... (although this was not my case, since they were Cubans, but maybe my trigger was the US passport?? )


----------



## Chaska Ñawi

This is heresay, because I don't do the resort thing, but I believe that in some places the staff can be disciplined for NOT speaking English to the guests.

I find that a certain amount of sizing up takes place during the first part of a conversation, and then people automatically settle into the language which best allows communication.  If practice is more important than clear communication, this has to be established courteously.

(In Montreal and Ottawa, both bilingual cities, I invariably embarass myself:  if I speak to somebody in French, they answer in English .... and vice versa!)


----------



## KateNicole

I agree Chaska.  I think that because many Americans and other English-speakers are notorious for expecting everyone else to know English, many people might assume we're all like that, or at least that we'd rather be spoken to in English whenever possible, especially at a resort.  There's a lot of us that do love foreign language though!


----------



## Mei

diegodbs said:
			
		

> Normalmente, si alguien se dirige a mí en español y tiene acento inglés, le respondo en español e intento seguir hablando español. Si veo que la persona tiene muchos problemas a la hora de expresarse, entonces intento facilitarle las cosas y procuro hablar en inglés.
> Cuando hago eso de cambiar o alternar el español y el inglés no es para decirle: "hablas tan mal español que no quiero hablar contigo" sino para facilitar la conversación y no tener que estar preguntando continuamente "¿qué?", tanto él como yo.
> Creo que esto es como una especie de acuerdo tácito que se establece entre las dos partes.



Hehe, same here! 

Mei


----------



## Philippa

Thank you, guys, for your comments, stories and suggestions on this.
Daniel, I'm going to try your idea in Spain over the weekend .


			
				danielfranco said:
			
		

> I would ask them to repeat what I hadn't understood "because I can't hear you very well".


----------



## Tatzingo

Fernando said:
			
		

> I find the following alternatives:
> 
> a) He/She wanted to practice his English
> b) He thought you were having a bad time trying to speak in Spanish and he was so kind to speak in English to avoid you any problem.
> c) He is stupid.
> 
> I prefer to think the answer is (b)



Hello,

Just a minor correction. The verb is 'to practise' with an S. Practice is the noun.

Tatz.


----------



## lazarus1907

La próxima vez diles que eres serbia, u otra nacionalidad por el estilo, y que no hablas inglés. Yo también lo encontraría molesto.


----------



## natasha2000

lazarus1907 said:
			
		

> La próxima vez diles que eres serbia, u otra nacionalidad por el estilo, y que no hablas inglés. Yo también lo encontraría molesto.


 
jeje... es muy difícil eso....

El acento traidor la dilataría en seguida... 

NADIE en este mundo tiene el acento como los angloparlantes.... En en especial los serbios....


----------



## cuchuflete

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hello,
> 
> Just a minor correction. The verb is 'to practise' with an S. Practice is the noun.
> 
> Tatz.



Another lovely BE/AE distinction.  Here the verb is practi*c*e.


----------



## Tatzingo

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Another lovely BE/AE distinction.  Here the verb is practi*c*e.



Hi,

You learn something new everyday. In that case, I stand corrected.

Tatz.


----------



## Magmod

danielfranco said:
			
		

> I had this trick to stop people switching back to Spanish, when I was trying to speak in English (badly, it seems): I would ask them to repeat what I hadn't understood "because I can't hear you very well". This often made the other person speak a bit clearer and louder, so that afterwards I could follow the conversation easier!!!





			
				lazarus1907 said:
			
		

> La próxima vez diles que eres serbia, u otra nacionalidad por el estilo, y que no hablas inglés.





			
				lazarus1907 said:
			
		

> Yo también lo encontraría molesto.


 

*¡*Qué dos ideas tan excelentes! Lo mejor que he oído en mi vida  
 Quiero añadir que es posible que conversar en dos lenguas el mismo vez: tú hablas en español, es decir una lengua extranjera y la otra persona también habla en una lengua extranjera ¿no?  
Saludos cordiales


----------



## scotu

Magmod said:
			
		

> Quiero añadir que es posible que conversar en dos lenguas el mismo vez: tú hablas en español, es decir una lengua extranjera y la otra persona también habla en una lengua extranjera ¿no?
> Saludos cordiales


 
Tienes razon, this often happens with my Mexican friends. 
I live in a small village near a major tourist center in Mexico. It occurs to me that my Mexican neighbors who speak English have various reasons for speaking it with foreigners; first they like the opportunity to practice, learn and maybe show off their English. Second the general assumption (correct or incorrect) is that the foreigner doesn’t speak Spanish so English is a courtesy to a foreign guest.  Finally in a commercial relationship it is simply more efficient to conduct your business in the language that is most clearly understood by both parties. Unfortunately locals have dealt with too many foreign visitors that insist that everybody "should" speak English in the tourism business and too few that have taken the time to learn even the most simple courtesies like _por favor_ and _gracias_.


----------



## lazarus1907

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> NADIE en este mundo tiene el acento como los angloparlantes.... En en especial los serbios....


La probabilidad de que tu interlocutor español sea capaz de distinguir el acento de un inglés del de un serbio al hablar español es tan baja, que apostaría sin miedo mi casa.


----------



## natasha2000

lazarus1907 said:
			
		

> La probabilidad de que tu interlocutor español sea capaz de distinguir el acento de un inglés del de un serbio al hablar español es tan baja, que apostaría sin miedo mi casa.


 
Créeme, te quedarías sin casa.
El acento inglés es muy fuerte y muy característico y además, fácilmente reconocible.
El serbio no, pque no es conocido, igual lo confundes con ruso (lo sé, pque a mi me ha pasado esto - siempre cuando hablo en serbio y aparece alguien que es lo suficentemente curioso com para preguntar, lo pregunta de la manera siguiente: "Perdone, que idioma están hablando? Ruso?").

Pero si escucharas a un angloparlante hablando español, lo reconocerás 100%!!! Y aún más si viene de EEUU.
Seguro. Dime, ¿un español normalito, ¿cuántas veces ha oído inglés, y cuantas veces ha oído serbio? La proporción sería X:0 donde en vez de la X puedes poner cualquier número superior a entre 10 y 50 como mínimo, dependiendo donde vive. 

Igual que reconocerás a un español, hablando inglés.

Por cierto, los únicos españoles que conozco y que no tenían un acento fortísimo hablando inglés eran los españoles que vivían un tiempo en EEUU o en Inglaterra. (Nunca he conocido a un angloparlante que hablando español no parece a un *angloparlante* hablando español (lo que no quiere decir que no existen, claro)


----------



## Tatzingo

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> (Nunca he conocido a un angloparlante que hablando español no parece a un *angloparlante* hablando español (lo que no quiere decir que no existen, claro)


Hola,

Pues yo! Cuando hablo castellano, no tengo accento ingle's. Algo de acento extranjero, si' que tengo, pero es dificil precisar.

Tatz.

Edit. Es un placer conocerte. ;-)


----------



## natasha2000

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hola,
> 
> Pues yo! Cuando hablo castellano, no tengo accento ingle's. Algo de acento extranjero, si' que tengo, pero es dificil precisar.
> 
> Tatz.
> 
> Edit. Es un placer conocerte. ;-)


 
Igualmente, Tatz.... 
Me haría muchísima ilusión oírte. De verdad. 
Por supuesto que no pienso que la gente como tu no existe, simplemente que no he conocido nunca a un angloparlante sin acento. Incluso la gente que lleva viviendo aquí 30 años, pero les sigue dilatando la RRRR.. inglesa...


----------



## lazarus1907

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> Créeme, te quedarías sin casa.
> El acento inglés es muy fuerte y muy característico y además, fácilmente reconocible.
> El serbio no, pque no es conocido, igual lo confundes con ruso (lo sé, pque a mi me ha pasado esto - siempre cuando hablo en serbio y aparece alguien que es lo suficentemente curioso com para preguntar, lo pregunta de la manera siguiente: "Perdone, que idioma están hablando? Ruso?")


 Un momento: No digo que suenen igual, ni mucho menos. Digo que es improbable que se den cuenta, o de que estén lo suficientemente seguros como para decirte que te creen. Piensa que la mayoría de los españoles no habla varios idiomas.

A mí en el Reino Unido me han preguntado si soy de tropecientos países. Lo más normal es que tengan la genialidad de pensar que soy francés (cuyo acento es bien distinto). Otros piensan que soy norteamericano, o alemán, o árabe (¡sí, árabe!).... la lista es bien larga. De vez en cuando incluso aciertan con el español, pero muy rara vez.

Dije serbio porque se me vino a la cabeza sin más y porque además es muy improbable que sepan como suena, y bastante probable que, o bien no sepan dónde se habla, o que ignoren si allí se habla inglés como lengua materna.


----------



## Tatzingo

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> Igualmente, Tatz....
> Me haría muchísima ilusión oírte. De verdad.
> Por supuesto que no pienso que la gente como tu no existe, simplemente que no he conocido nunca a un angloparlante sin acento. Incluso la gente que lleva viviendo aquí 30 años, pero les sigue dilatando la RRRR.. inglesa...


Hola,

Algun dia quizas . Creo que la mayoria tiene algo de acento,  los franceses que conoci' en espana hablaban con un buen acento pero a veces, (y sobretodo despues de haber bebido unos cuantos chupitos de tequila) salian elementos de su acento nativo... intonacion francesa etc... Los ingleses, no se' porque nunca hablaban conmigo en castellano pero supongo igual que los franceses. Te recuerdo que no soy "sin acento" sino, tengo un acento distinto a lo que se espera de los ingleses ;-)

Tatz.

Edit. Gracias a Lazarus1907 por haberme dicho lo de la 'c' en "accento"!


----------



## natasha2000

lazarus1907 said:
			
		

> Un momento: No digo que suenen igual, ni mucho menos. Digo que es improbable que se den cuenta, o de que estén lo suficientemente seguros como para decirte que te creen. Piensa que la mayoría de los españoles no habla varios idiomas.
> 
> A mí en el Reino Unido me han preguntado si soy de tropecientos países. Lo más normal es que tengan la genialidad de pensar que soy francés (cuyo acento es bien distinto). Otros piensan que soy norteamericano, o alemán, o árabe (¡sí, árabe!).... la lista es bien larga. De vez en cuando incluso aciertan con el español, pero muy rara vez.
> 
> Dije serbio porque se me vino a la cabeza sin más y porque además es muy improbable que sepan como suena, y bastante probable que, o bien no sepan dónde se habla, o que ignoren si allí se habla inglés como lengua materna.


 
No te discuto en nada de lo que dices, y es probable que haya gente que no puede distinguir acentos. Hombre, a mi también me decían que venía desde Italia hasta Turquía!!! 

Pero aquí hablamos de la gente que sí que habla inglés, y de los angloparlantes que intentan hablar español con estos mismos hispanoparlantes que sí que hablan inglés, y por lo tanto saben distinguir el acento de un angloparlante de un alemán o de un italiano (por ejemplo). 

(Aunque, ya que estamos con acentos, hace poco que conocí a una alemana que lleva aquí 5 años, y si no hubiera sabido que era alemana, habría pensado que era andaluza!!! Acento, rapidez, jerga...Me fascinó un montón!)


----------



## natasha2000

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hola,
> 
> Algun dia quizas . Creo que la mayoria tiene algo de acento, los franceses que conoci' en espana hablaban con un buen acento pero a veces, (y sobretodo despues de haber bebido unos cuantos chupitos de tequila) salian elementos de su acento nativo... intonacion francesa etc... Los ingleses, no se' porque nunca hablaban conmigo en castellano pero supongo igual que los franceses. Te recuerdo que no soy "sin acento" sino, tengo un acento distinto a lo que se espera de los ingleses ;-)
> 
> Tatz.
> 
> Edit. Gracias a Lazarus1907 por haberme dicho lo de la 'c' en "accento"!


 
Pero ¿por qué los ingleses hablarían contigo en castellano? Yo con serbios siempre hablo serbio....(al menos si no estemos en la compañía de algún extranjero, entonces hablamos en el idioma respectivo).

Hay gente con más y con menos talento, con más y menos oído, y por lo tanto hay gente que nunca perderá su acento fuerte, y otros que casi consiguen perderlo por completo.
Yo hablaba en general, lo que es más probable que pase...


----------



## Tatzingo

natasha2000 said:
			
		

> Pero ¿por qué los ingleses hablarían contigo en castellano? Yo con serbios siempre hablo serbio....(al menos si no estemos en la compañía de algún extranjero, entonces hablamos en el idioma respectivo).



Hola,

Por lo que has dicho tu. Estabamos en compania de extranjeros.. espanoles, alemanes, franceses, neerlandeses etc.

Tatz.


----------



## natasha2000

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hola,
> 
> Por lo que has dicho tu. Estabamos en compania de extranjeros.. espanoles, alemanes, franceses, neerlandeses  holandeses, etc.
> 
> Tatz.


 
Claro ... Qué tonta... jajajja

Pues, mira, tampoco es que todo el tiempo hablemos sólo en otro idioma... Si hablamos sólo nosotros dos, hablamos en serbio, por supuesto. Si hay más participantes en la conversación, entonces en el idioma que todos hablamos, claro... Porque de otra manera... Creo que ya sería mala educación....


----------



## moirag

I´ve been living in Spain for 13 / 14 years now and it´s certainly not a problem I have! I speak the language now, but didn´t at the beginning-for example, when giving birth to my first child  - " I feel sick" was definitely not understood!- but I have experienced what you say while on holiday on the mediterranean coast. I used to have a British friend in Germany who was black - therefore obviously American - she simply persisted.


----------



## Magmod

danielfranco said:
			
		

> I would ask them to repeat what I hadn't understood "because I can't hear you very well". This often made the other person speak a bit clearer and louder, so that afterwards I could follow the conversation easier!!!


Hola
¿Puede alguien contarme cómo se dice la frase arriba en español?  

¿Hay otras para jactarme de mi habilitad?  
Algunas más complejo que: más despacio por favor 
 
Saludos cordiales a todos


----------



## Rayines

Magmod said:
			
		

> Hola
> ¿Puede alguien contarme cómo se dice la frase arriba en español?
> 
> ¿Hay otras para jactarme de mi habili*d*ad?
> Alg*o* más complejo que: más despacio por favor
> 
> Saludos cordiales a todos


My attempt:
"Les pediría que me repitieran/repitan lo que no había entendido/entendí: *"Porque no lo puedo oir muy bien".* Esto hacía a menudo que la otra persona hablara un poco más claro y fuerte, de manera que después yo pudiera seguir la conversación más fácilmente!!!"


----------



## nanel

This thread made me think, because when anyone is trying to speak to me in Spanish and he or she is obviously English (or American) I tend to switch to their language trying to help them, but not if they speak Spanish better than I speak English, which is easy  



			
				Residente Calle 13 said:
			
		

> But I guess I didn't look the part or they didn't know what to make of me in Utah where you are either white, have blonde hair and blue eyes and speak English or not and speak Spanish.* There may just be an instinct to speak foreign to anybody who doesn't look the part.
> 
> That's my poorly thought out theory anyway based on the three years I spent in Utah.
> 
> 
> *This is not entirely true. There are also white people with green eyes and some with red hair in Utah.


 My story is even worse, I went to Dominican Republic and although I spoke to everyone in Spanish, because that's their language and also mine, they switched to English and asked: "Do you speak Spanish?"  I used to answer: "No, I AM Spanish" Obviously my accent is Spanish, but I have to recognize that I'm blonde, my eyes are blue and my skin is very fair, so they thought I was American the moment they saw me. And yes, they were just trying to help me.


----------



## natasha2000

nanel said:
			
		

> My story is even worse, I went to Dominican Republic and although I spoke to everyone in Spanish, because that's their language and also mine, they switched to English and asked: *"Do you speak Spanish?"*  I used to answer: "No, I AM Spanish" Obviously my accent is Spanish, but I have to recognize that I'm blonde, my eyes are blue and my skin is very fair, so they thought I was American the moment they saw me. And yes, they were just trying to help me.


 

Nanel... Me parto de risa... Imagino tu cara exactamente igual que ésta que pusiste ....


----------



## mora

Hello

When I speak to people in Spanish they often will answer in English , particularly in tourist situations.  I continue to speak Spanish, and simply say 'quisiera hablar español con usted'. Polite, direct, and in my experience, always works. I see no need to speculate on why a person has switched to English, simply ask for what you want and you will probably get it. 

Mora


----------



## zebedee

I'm with with Mora on this one.

People will have their different reasons for switching languages, the principal ones being a) they think they're being helpful or b) they're glad of a chance to practise their English.

Whatever their reason may be, if you prefer to speak in Spanish then just say so. 

A simple "Gracias por hablarme en inglés, pero prefiero que hablemos en español/castellaño, por favor" with a polite smile and you'll soon see how they change back to Spanish. 

People  - especially in 'customer service' type jobs - normally aim to please but if they don't know what would please you, they can only guess.


----------



## emma1968

I think it's something unconscious, at least regarding italian people.
We have always been considered a country where most of people doesn't speak English. Probably it wasn't even only a reputation. Nowadays it is quite changing but until up my generation it has been a matter of fact.
So, the ones who speak English, even if just a little bit, want to demonstrate to everybody that they are capable to do that. That's way they persist speaking English though you speak them italian.
Obviously it's just a guess of mine.


----------



## Philippa

mora said:
			
		

> I continue to speak Spanish, and simply say 'quisiera hablar español con usted'. Polite, direct, and in my experience, always works. I see no need to speculate on why a person has switched to English, simply ask for what you want and you will probably get it.





			
				zebedee said:
			
		

> Whatever their reason may be, if you prefer to speak in Spanish then just say so. A simple "Gracias por hablarme en inglés, pero prefiero que hablemos en español/castellaño, por favor" with a polite smile and you'll soon see how they change back to Spanish.


Hi Mora and Zeb, yes this is a sensible and good suggestion and I've been asking myself why I don't think I'd feel comfortable with it. Partly it's that I do speculate on, and worry about, why they've swapped to English. Partly it seems to be making a big deal out of something (which language is spoken), when these sort of conversations are short and then you won't see that person again.

I wasn't brave enough to try the 'no te he oído bien' option over the last few days in Spain. Shame!!  
I have decided that it is probably simpler to concentrate and listen hard for the key bits of factual information rather than asking for people to repeat stuff. I reckon maybe I'm getting lazy, because I (too confidently!!) think I can understand it all.


			
				natasha2000 said:
			
		

> El acento inglés es muy fuerte y muy característico y además, fácilmente reconocible. Pero si escucharas a un angloparlante hablando español, lo reconocerás 100%!!! Por supuesto que no pienso que la gente como tu no existe, simplemente que no he conocido nunca a un angloparlante sin acento. Incluso la gente que lleva viviendo aquí 30 años, pero les sigue dilatando la RRRR.. inglesa...


Amazingly, one of the people I spoke Spanish to this week, said that I sounded like Ronaldinho's wife (or was it girlfriend?) - she is Brazilian and not angloparlante, I hope?!! I agree with you really about the English accent, Natasha! And I'm much too bad a liar to pretend to be Serbian!!
Oh and perhaps Zebedee's too modest to comment here that she's an exception to your rule....Will you ever sound and be accepted like a native?  

Saluditos a todos
Philippa


----------



## Tatzingo

Philippa said:
			
		

> [...] Partly it's that I do speculate on, and worry about, why they've swapped to English. Partly it seems to be making a big deal out of something (which language is spoken), when these sort of conversations are short and then you won't see that person again. [...]
> 
> Philippa



Hi,

In this particular situation under discussion, i have the advantage of not appearing English. Thus, i simply put on a confused face, murmur "que'?!" and then state that i don't speak English. Effectively, it means that they either speak to me en castellano or we sit/drink/stand in silence. It's very effective.

Tatz.


----------



## natasha2000

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> In this particular situation under discussion, i have the advantage of not appearing English. Thus, i simply put on a confused face, murmur "que'?!" and then state that i don't speak English. Effectively, it means that they either speak to me en castellano or we sit/drink/stand in silence. It's very effective.
> 
> Tatz.


 
jajaja... And some of them, for sure speak worse English than you Spanish...
I think I can understand the deseperation of you, guys, when people want speak to your mother toungue and you don't.
I remember once I called Spanish embassy in Belgrade, and the guy (Spaniard) kept on trying to speak to me in Serbian, I begged him to speak in Spanish, not in order to practice my Spanish, but to be sure I understood what documents I needed, since  I couldn't understand him speaking Serbian, not a single word... The funny thing is that the guy was so persistent and stubborn, that I had to ask him theree or four times NOT TO SPEAK in Serbian, then he tried English, which was a complete desaster, worse than Serbian, and after some twenty minutes of torture, he finally decided to please me, and to speak in Spanish....
(Maybe he wanted to practice his Serbian )...


----------



## Magmod

Tatzingo said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> In this particular situation under discussion, i have the advantage of not appearing English. Thus, i simply put on a confused face, murmur "que'?!" and then state that i don't speak English. Effectively, it means that they either speak to me en castellano or we sit/drink/stand in silence. It's very effective.
> 
> Tatz.


Entonces ¿por qué estas escribiendo en inglés? Si he visto que puedas escribir en inglés por lo tanto puedo hablar contigo en inglés ¿no?  

Si una persona me oyó hablar con mi mujer en ingles ¿Cómo puedo no hablar con la persona en ingles?  

Mi solución: siga hablando en cualquier lengua que quieras. En muchos casos la otra prefiera hablar en español, especialmente si fuera un camarero. A veces me corrigen mis errores.


----------



## tvdxer

Muchos quieren mejorar su proprio inglés, y piensan que lo pueden hacer por hablando contigo


----------



## Tatzingo

Magmod said:
			
		

> Entonces ¿por qué estas escribiendo en inglés? Si he visto que puedas escribir en inglés por lo tanto puedo hablar contigo en inglés ¿no?  Ay, veo que no me entiendes. Asi que me pongo a explicartelo en castellano. Lo que describi' arriba era solo un metodo que solia emplear cuando no queria hablar con la gente en ciertas situaciones [en ingle's]. En estos foros, no pretiendo evitar a nadie, - no me molestais!!  asi que escribo en ingles!
> 
> Si una persona me oyó hablar con mi mujer en ingles ¿Cómo puedo no hablar con la persona en ingles?  Pues enseñale castellano a tu mujer.
> 
> Mi solución: siga hablando en cualquier lengua que quieras. En muchos casos la otra prefiera hablar en español, especialmente si fuera un camarero. A veces me corrigen mis errores.Bueno, es una posibilidad pero antes estabamos hablando de situaciones en que la gente queria hablarnos en ingle's.


 

That's my opinion anyway!

Tatz.


----------



## Eugin

Hi Philipa!
I also think, as many have already stated, that those people who changed to speak English with you, they only did that because they could perceive you were a foreigner and they only wanted to help you. At least, that is what I would tend to think if a foreigner approached me speaking in Spanish. I consider to be an act of politeness to speak in the other´s language, that is, if you know the language, of course!!!

In my case, besides, I would seize that chance to be able to practice my English, jeje!!
But you can always explain, clarify that you prefer people to speak to you in Spanish and they should not feel offended for that. It´s just a matter of asking for it...

Anyway, good luck for the next conversations!!!

All the best,


----------



## argentina84

Everytime I address a foreigner,I do so in English. It's unconcious. I really need to make a great effort to speak or write in Spanish without switching into English when communicationg with English-speakers/non-Spanish-speakers. 

And I have to make a great effort to address a Spanish-speaker in English! I think I uncounciously ask myself : Why are we speaking in English if we can understand each other in our native tongue?

Weird!
Regards!


----------



## Sepia

Danes, especially those from Copenhagen frequently have the bad habit of speaking English to everyone who seems the least bit foreign to them - withoug giving it the least bit of intelligent thought if it is in any way probable that, first, that the other guy understands it, secondly, if it is in any way necessary. 

The worst example I have ever experienced - and I found it very embarrasing - was once when I was shopping in Flensburg (5k south of the border) with a colleague from Copenhagen. She persisted speaking English to the people there although I told her several times she shouldn't, because the chance they would speak English well were slim, and they'd most likely be spaking fluent Danish. That day she - the only day I went shopping with her in Flensburg - she did not speak one single word Danish with the people there, not even when I demonstratively began speaking Danish to them. 

A strange behaviour I cannot explain. 

In Spain, I think people are different, on the average.


----------



## avok

Residente Calle 13 said:


> There may just be an instinct to speak foreign to anybody who doesn't look the part.
> 
> That's my poorly thought out theory anyway based on the three years I spent in Utah.


 
I totally agree with your theory


----------



## sokol

argentina84 said:


> Everytime I address a foreigner,I do so in English. It's unconcious. I really need to make a great effort to speak or write in Spanish without switching into English when communicationg with English-speakers/non-Spanish-speakers.


 Typically this attitude (speaking English to foreigners even if they address you in your native tongue) happens:

- with *'small' languages* because the 'ethnical' meaning and background of the language is much more present (that is, Slovenian or Danish or Basque or whatever have a more pronounced 'ethnical' value) and also because oftentimes in these cases native speakers don't feel too comfortable with the standard language and prefer using their dialect *or *English rather than using their standard language (this probably could be the case for Danes; it certainly is for many Slovenians)

- with *'world' languages *in cases when puristic attitudes are present and (probably) very pronounced: this probably could be the case for French and Japanese (when native speakers probably prefer to rather speak English than have to hear their native tongue in a heavy accent) and most certainly not for English, probably Russian too counts here (Russians aren't too puristic, but then if you constantly mix up perfective/imperfective verbs and make too many errors with declension communication could become rather difficult)

Now I don't think that Castellano speakers are too puristic (and certainly Spanish counts as a world language), but probably Spanish is somewhere in-between: _some _puristic attitutes being present, and on the other hand the local accents (of which there are many) _probably _being an important ethnical marker.
I noticed with my first Spanish teacher from México that she didn't like at all when I made errors (even if they didn't give any problems with understanding of what I said), but I don't think that this counts as teachers are supposed to correct their students.


----------



## SpiceMan

Foreign face equals American in the Japanese narrow mind so people do say "hello" or whatever at first but never ever continue in English after I answer in Japanese. 

I don't know about France, but that "Japanese people would rather speak English than to hear their native tongue in a heavy accent" must be an urban myth, since I've never had a conversation -however short- in English in 2 years. Either my Japanese skills are top-notch  or maybe it is because I love to answer "I can't speak English" in Japanese after some curious person asks me "where are you from?" in English .

Once in a restaurant I was offered an English menu and asked for the Japanese one saying I didn't understand the English one... which was true since I don't have the slightest idea about fish names in English. In fact, I'm more savvy in fish names in Japanese that even Spanish !!

Anyway, my point is I did at one time or another pull up the "I can't speak English" stunt, but don't do it usually, and people just keep Japanese (even those whom I thought that maybe could speak English since their pronunciation was not the usual broken one.)


----------



## palomnik

The strangest situation of this sort I've had was in Brazil, when I spoke to a sales clerk in Portuguese...and he answered me in Spanish.  Since I'm an American, I didn't know whether to be flattered or disappointed.


----------



## Dr. Fumbles

Residente Calle 13 said:


> I have spoken Spanish for as long as I have been speaking. I don't have a foreign accent. But it happens that if I am speaking to some non-Caribbean Spanish speakers, I will get answered in English more often than in Spanish. I don't look like I'm from Mesoamerica so Hispanics in Utah (where I used to live) tended to either stare at me like I was from another planet or answer me in English when I spoke to them in Spanish.
> 
> Understanding was never an issue. I understood everything they said and made sure they would understand everything I said. I have never had that problem with Central Americans or Mexicans here in New York.
> 
> But I guess I didn't look the part or they didn't know what to make of me in Utah where you are either white, have blonde hair and blue eyes and speak English or not and speak Spanish.* There may just be an instinct to speak foreign to anybody who doesn't look the part.
> 
> That's my poorly thought out theory anyway based on the three years I spent in Utah.
> 
> 
> *This is not entirely true. There are also white people with green eyes and some with red hair in Utah.




I know, i speak the spanish dialect with mixing in from the mexican dialect because that's how i grew up with it.  I used to wonder, at the start of my job as a bilingual tech support, i know i didnt really speak castellano antes de comin here, pero en serio es tan obio, do i have an accent commin thru?  Not to mention i speak in spanglish for the most part.  Well i found out that i'm not the only one that happened to.  Apparently, our clientes realize we're bilingual, and even tho we do the call completely in castellano, they sometimes would answer in english when something wasnt getting thru.  Its not me, that happens to me in english, but hey were over the phone not every things gonna come thru.  so why if we do every thing else in spanish must you answer me/us in english?  Well, to dispell them, i'd just continue with si, pero señor/a, si uté no lo ve etá bien.

What do yall think?

And before i forget, i can speak and understand just fine in person its over the phone, but then again, most of the spanish calls usually have noise and they speak very soft, i know its a cultural thing, i usually catch myself doing it, and then when i go into english, my volume goes up.  And to complicate matters, i only get some calls like that in english, but i cant ask them to answer in spanish.  if i didnt here what they said.


----------



## SaritaSarang

Philippa said:


> Hi there folks!
> A little rant from me.....
> 
> I phoned Spain this afternoon to book a canoe trip  and it was fine until the moment I missed something and said ¿cómo? when I got an answer in English. I persisted in Spanish and the person mostly (but not completely GRRR!!) swapped back to Spanish. I ended up shouting at the phone, as soon as I'd put it down!! This isn't the first time this has happened, but it's the first time for a while and as I (hopefully) get better at Spanish it shouldn't really happen, should it?!!
> 
> I know this happens more with touristy things - do people working in such industries tend to assume that foreigners are all 'phrase book' types who can speak, but can't understand much, and so it's simpler and quicker to switch to English?
> I don't think this happened to me once in México, and I was in touristy areas with people who probably mostly spoke at least some English. Is it that the mexicanos wanted to be nice and stick to the language I had started in? Is it that españoles are really keen to practise their English?
> I'm sure my accent gives me away as being foreign straightaway, but it isn't absolutely dreadful (I hope) - at least one (quite important!!) forero has commented that my accent in Spanish is okay. What are the other pitfalls to avoid to stop people switching back to English, do you think? It isn't always possible to avoid asking for something to be said again, I did this once (pride!!) and then I had to confess to my Spanish class that I wasn't really sure what time we could check in to our hotel in Madrid!!
> If you work with tourists, how do you approach this situation?
> Any other thoughts or experiences welcome, Spanish/English or otherwise.
> Saludos castellanos
> Philippa


 
It's frustrating I know. There are some people that just absolutley refuse to speak to me in Spanish, even though I speak to them 100% in Spanish, they respond only in English. And I consider myself to be a fluent speaker and have a very good accent.


----------



## VivaReggaeton88

SaritaSarang said:


> It's frustrating I know. There are some people that just absolutley refuse to speak to me in Spanish, even though I speak to them 100% in Spanish, they respond only in English. And I consider myself to be a fluent speaker and have a very good accent.



When they begin to speak in English, tell them you don't understand


----------



## SaritaSarang

VivaReggaeton88 said:


> When they begin to speak in English, tell them you don't understand



Hahaha, good idea!


----------



## Katejo

The problem is not just with Spanish. My Spanish is very rusty but my German is good and my Italian reasonable. Whenever I speak German, I get one of 2 responses.

1. The person replies in English even though I can speak German without hesitation and my knowledge of grammar is pretty good. This irritates me no end.

2. The person tells me how wonderful my German is, even though I have only asked one simple question!

When I practise my Italian, Italians ask me why on earth I want to learn their language.


----------



## Awwal12

> The problem is not just with Spanish. My Spanish is very rusty but my German is good and my Italian reasonable. Whenever I speak German, I get one of 2 responses.
> 1. The person replies in English even though I can speak German without hesitation and my knowledge of grammar is pretty good. This irritates me no end.
> 2. The person tells me how wonderful my German is, even though I have only asked one simple question!


It seems you still have an accent despite your supposedly fine skills in other aspects of German. That may have such effects, which have psychological nature - even if you don't make mistakes (and if you do, the effect is cumulative).


----------



## Katejo

Awwal12 said:


> It seems you still have an accent despite your supposedly fine skills in other aspects of German. That may have such effects, which have psychological nature - even if you don't make mistakes (and if you do, the effect is cumulative).


 
I absolutely don't dispute that I have an accent and I that I do make mistakes. That is no reason to automatically reply  to me in English when I want to improve my German or any other language. How would anyone improve their knowledge of a language if native speakers refused to allow them to practise?


----------



## Awwal12

> That is no reason to automatically reply to me in English when I want to improve my German or any other language.


You most likely should express your wish to speak German directly, even if it may sound impolite in some situations. Otherwise switching of interlocutors over to English is pretty probable. The reasons can be the next:
- people don't like (either consciously or not) when you speak German;
- people believe that the speech will be easier if they will speak ENglish (either for them only, or they also believe that they speak English better);
- people don't want to tire you by making you speak German;
...and maybe several other possibilities.


----------



## stevea

Well I've done the tourist stuff and in Spain there's no point in the vast majority of cases asking for anything in Spanish. I have noticed however that the cleaners and other support staff who don't have to do a lot of the communication don't try and speak in English so when I have spoken to them it stays in Spanish (not that mine is that great but nevertheless suitable for some general chit chat).

I've wondered whether I should have some clear Spanish fill in phrases ready to start any conversation off that aren't at the level of "Hola, que tal" for example. My guess is that when the staff hear this, they are assuming we're just trying to be polite and that's about the limit of what we can be bothered to learn and so in an effort to be helpful they change to English. 

The bad thing about it is that it gives the impression that my Spanish is so bad they can't understand any of it and it is off putting.


----------



## Grux

Katejo said:


> That is no reason to automatically reply  to me in English when I want to improve my German or any other language.


Do they really know that you speak German because you want to improve your skills?. Probably not, and they are trying to be polite. Or perhaps they want to improve their skill in a foreign language, too, like you. In any case it doesn't mean that they think your German is bad.

If you go on speaking their language when they start to speak English, I suppose they will realise that you prefer to speak their language and they wil return to German. In other case, you can say it explicitly.

Maybe I don't fully understand you because I can't speak _fluently _any foreign language


----------



## Dr. Fumbles

Tatzingo said:


> Hello,
> 
> Just a minor correction. The verb is 'to practise' with an S. Practice is the noun.
> 
> Tatz.



Adding to chuchuflete, also, if you think about the normal Englishy pronunciation (US/Brit), practice is the better spelling because wouldn't practise naturaly be pronounced practize?


----------



## Dr. Fumbles

Dr. Fumbles said:


> I know...they said.



 Sorry, guys, here’s my cleared/cleaned up version of what I originally wrote, and hopefully my original message won’t get deleted but again here’s a more condensed version:
  I know, I speak the Spanish dialect mixed up with the Mexican dialect.  And that’s because that’s how I grew up speaking Spanish.  Now, when I started my job as bilingual tech support, I used to wonder why after an entire call in _castellano_, a client would answer me in English.  C’mon now, you can be serious, “acabamos de hablar completamente en castellano y me dices que vas a responderme en inglés.  ¿No estamos para servirte en castellano?  Well I found out that I ain’t the only one that happens to.  So apparently, our clients realize that we’re bilingual.  And, yes, it’s hard to understand the English calls to.  For instance, I know I had three or four calls where I could barely make out what they were telling me.  So, in this case, it’s more of a why do you answer me in English, when you already know I speak Spanish?  In terms of the original question, yes as some said, it may just be that the service “rep” was trying to make things go smoothly.  But in my case, WHY?  That’s all I can ask.  Entonces, ¿qué opina foro?  What do you think forum?


----------



## Dr. Fumbles

Ok, and this is my final opinon on the matter, here's what I'd do:
If you learn another language and want the chance to practice that language, and we'll assume Spanish for native English speakers and vice versa for hablantes nativos de castellano.

So, for you natives of English simply ask, ¿Puedes hablarme en castellano/español?  Quiero/necesito (what ever you want to use) practicar mi castellano/español.

You can even go so far as saying, Hablemos en inglés y castellano/español.  Hablo en c/e y puedes hablar en inglés.

So what do y'all think on this one?

Y para los nativos de castellano podéis decir:
Simplemente pedir: ¿Can you talk to me in English?  I want/need to (lo que queréis usar)  practice my English.

Aun puedes llegar a decir: Let's speak in English and Spanish.  I'll speak English and you can speak Spanish.

Entonces, ¿qué pensáis en esto?


----------



## nach_in

Yo trabajo con mucha gente que habla ambos idiomas (aunque son todos argentinos) y más de una vez nos pasa que pasamos de un idioma al otro, muchas veces porque algunos conceptos los tenemos más incorporados en inglés o simplemente porque usar otro idioma le agrega alguna connotación a la conversación (humorística generalmente), pero nunca hay malos entendidos. Por eso en mi opinión el problema es que como la situación es de dos personas desconocidas entre si es dificil saber que idioma prefiere usar el otro, y eso si no tenemos en cuenta lo divertido que es hablar en otros idiomas, especialmente cuando uno tiene una base que desea pulir 

Creo que la mejor opción es siempre preguntar o aclarar si se quiere hablar en un idioma, o si no mezclarlos, que aunque a muchos les haga doler los oidos no me pueden negar que es un ejercicio genial para ir de un idioma al otro


----------



## merquiades

People frequently switch languages with me for whatever reason. The last time was at an airline ticket window at an airport. We were speaking in French then all of a sudden the attendant switched to English. I didn't care because at that moment language was the least of my concern. Sometimes I do care especially when I have to work to understand them or when I think they want a free class. Even that only bothers me because I teach English and want a break from work... and quite honestly I can't turn off. If they make a mistake I correct them. Once in a while I make an exception. I do speak with a good friend in English because she asked me in such a nice way I couldn't refuse. But I don't want to speak English in shops, restaurants, etc. In general, usually by insisting in the language you want to speak the person will give in, also a nice request is usually not denied. But often you have to state your desire.

I don't insist ever in Germany but do in Italy. My German is not up to snuff and I know it's work to try to understand me. Strangely enough people try speaking to me in French there.
Catalunya is also particular. When I speak in Catalan people answer me in Spanish. It's so consistent that the first time I spent time there I didn't learn a thing and gave in always with no resistance. Now I insist with better results. At the very least I continue in Catalan, so at least I practice and they answer in Spanish. Really, bilingual conversations are not hard to get used to. If your goal is to attain a decent level in the language you simply must insist. 

But know it takes energy and nerve to start up in another language when a person has just gone on 3 minutes in fluent English, but in general they take the hint. At times you might want to give up and avoid the hassle

Another option that can be used when both people are learning a language is to make a deal. I'll speak x language and you speak y language or we'll speak 15 minutes in one and 15 in another. It's a good compromise but not really effective when one person is fluent and the other a beginner. That's also a nice way to make friends too. They'll often introduce you later to friends of theirs who have no desire to speak English. Also in my experience groups of people are great ways to practice languages. Put 3 Spaniards, Frenchmen, Germans etc. together and even if they speak fluent English, the language you end up using together is their common language.

In the United States I usually speak to anyone in English and let them know I could switch to their language, like Spanish, with no problem. I think it's different because many of them are immigrants and want to integrate American society. So perhaps speaking in Spanish reminds them they might not have reached that point and they might take it as an insult. Their opposition could be something like... yes, yes, I really can do it honestly... But if I don't want Italians speaking to me in English in Milan, it's the same courtesy to speak English to hispanics in New York or Chicago, that is if it's their decision I honor it.

So my advice is to ask politely and insist if you really want to speak in any given language. More often than not it's not about you or your linguistic lacunes, but all about them. Other times, it might not even be about language skills at all. I'm about as Anglo-saxon looking as you can get. It can cast me as a tourist even if I've spent years living in Paris.

There is another choice though that an American I know does. He starts speaking in a strong Appalachian dialect no one can understand and quite quickly they drop English.


----------



## Lianta

Mira, desde mi punto de vista, en realidad es un fenómeno no sucede solo entre hispanohablantes. A mí me hacían lo mismo en Alemania continuamente. Me esforzaba por hablar en alemán, pero los asistentes de las tiendas, establecimientos etc. en cuanto notaban mi acento o que era extranjera, pasaban automáticamente al inglés. Sé cómo te sientes, yo también tenía la sensación de que me estaban infravalorando y de hecho, una vez me timaron en la oficina de correos por eso. 
Llegué a la oficina de correos con una caja que ya había comprado allí y con el contenido para enviarla a España. El dependiente me preguntó en alemán si ya había pagado la caja; le respondí en alemán que sí. Pero en el momento en que le dije que mandaba la caja a España, asumió directamente que no había entendido su pregunta anterior y el pobre hombre empezó a hablarme en español -un español francamente malo; ni siquiera le entendí -y al final ¡Me cobró la caja que ya había pagado!
Son malentendidos de la comunicación. En realidad, yo sé que el hombre no tenía mala intención cuando hizo la intentona de hablarme con las cuatro palabras que sabía de mi lengua materna, que solo quería ponerme las cosas más fáciles. 
Normalmente solo se pretende facilitar la comunicación (aunque a veces sea un rotundo fracaso, está claro). También puede ser porque alguien para practicar su inglés/español o lo que sea. Por ejemplo, el otro día estuve haciendo un trabajo con una compañera canadiense que está de intercambio en mi universidad. Hablamos en español prácticamente toda la tarde; para empezar porque es para eso para lo que ella está aquí, pero hubo un ratito justo antes de que se fuera a casa en que hablé en inglés para practicar un poco. De todas maneras, ella me contestó en español


----------



## bondia

My experiences, for what they're worth.
Traveling extensively in Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia, I speak (fluent) Spanish to everyone. I am replied to in English in hotels, whereas in other places, shops, markets etc., local people speak to me in Spanish, however surprised they may be by a blonde, blue-eyed woman speaking their native language. When I travel with my Spanish husband it becomes even more confusing as in the hotels they speak to him, too, in English. (There are some funny anecdotes, but this isn't the time or the place)
I understand that people whose work brings them continuously into contact with English speakers (who speak no other language), are trained to address everyone in that language, but I particularly remember in a wonderful hotel in Todos los Santos, Baja California, after 3 days there, no way would anyone answer me in Spanish. I asked them why, and they said that I looked too American.
Whatever, I'm rambling on. Interesting thread.
Saludos


----------



## koniecswiata

In some parts of the world, language is correlated to looks.  So, no matter how well you speak the language that does not correspond to your looks (at least what people there perceive that to be), many people will feel that you don't speak their language.  You will really, really have to try to convince them:  possibly shocking them somehow.

Also, if you are an English speaker, in many places, it may be almost impossible to become proficient in the local language unless you do something drastic, like absolutely refusing to respond in English--which requires a very, very hard-headed attitude.  Especially in more urban or touristy environments, a lot of people just won't give you the chance to speak their language.  One way to get around this hurddle would be to already reach a really high level of proficiency--be pretty advanced with a very good accent.


----------



## salvador_1_99

Philippa said:


> Hi there folks!
> 
> 
> I don't think this happened to me once in México, and I was in touristy areas with people who probably mostly spoke at least some English. Is it that the mexicanos wanted to be nice and stick to the language I had started in? Is it that españoles are really keen to practise their English?
> I'm sure my accent gives me away as being foreign straightaway, but it isn't absolutely dreadful (I hope) - at least one (quite important!!) forero has commented that my accent in Spanish is okay. What are the other pitfalls to avoid to stop people switching back to English, do you think? It isn't always possible to avoid asking for something to be said again, I did this once (pride!!) and then I had to confess to my Spanish class that I wasn't really sure what time we could check in to our hotel in Madrid!!
> If you work with tourists, how do you approach this situation?
> Any other thoughts or experiences welcome, Spanish/English or otherwise.
> Saludos castellanos
> Philippa


 
As I was reading your post I was thinking obout the same you were writing, I think mexicans were kind and let you speak in spanish, I have the feeling that most of mexicans feel good (and some times proud) when foreign people (no native spanish speaker) is speakin in spanish, at least when I hear a no native spanish speaker he/she calls my atenttion immediately.

I also think people want to make sure you got the information as clear as posibble I think that is the reason why they switched from english to spanish I remember myself in the airport being in canada I wanted to speak in english but the air hostless as soon as she looked at the color of my skin (brunette) she started the conversation in spanish and I wanted it to be in english but at the time I wasn´t sure of my english speaking to dare switching language, I guess she wanted to convey all the information in the easiest and fastest way due to her job, she also has to deal with other clients I guess.


----------



## uchi.m

Soy descendente de japoneses y vivo como un brasileño sencillo, hablando portugués en mi casa, con mi família. Cuando estuve en Japón, algo espantoso se pasó: le hé preguntado a una chica que passaba por la calle dónde se quedaba el correo, en japonés, tal vez, sufrible. Ella me miró espantada, abrió los ojos tan grandes e se puso a correr  Creo que sea porque me parezco japonés en la fisionomía, pero en la fluencia...  por suerte el correo no se quedaba lejos de allí. Pués tienes suerte si la otra persona te contesta a tú en inglés, por lo menos!

I am a Japanese descent born in Brazil, and, as such, I speak Portuguese at home, with my family. When I was in Japan, something striking happened: I asked this girl on the street about the nearby post office in a not-so-good Japanese, I believe. She stared at me with her eyes wide open and just in a blink of an eye fled away  I believe that was because of my having a Japanese look but no fluency in the language...  luckily the post office was not far away from there. You're lucky that the counterpart can answer you at least in English!

日系ブラジル人ですが、やはりブラジル人ですので、うちではポルトガル語ばかり話していていました。日本に留学していた際、目立つぐらい条件がありました。郵便局へ行きたかったんですが、行き先あまりよく分からなかったので、歩行者に伺ったほうがいいと思って、あるお姉さんに聞きますと、お姉さんがびっくりしてあっという間に逃げ出してしまいましたが、それはどうしてかと思い切って、たぶん僕が日本人に見えても、日本語が苦手だからだと思いました。ようやく郵便局はそこから便利でありましたので、よかったです。とにかく人にスペイン語ではなく、英語でも答えられることくらいはいいではありませんか？


----------



## Istriano

Today a weird thing happened, I talked to a random girl from France on MSN.
And after 30 minutes or so of our chat she asked me:
''Do you speak French or you're just using Google translator'' 

I asked her why?
She responded ''you sound so formal'' 

Next time I will  make sure I speak English to French people. 
You can never go wrong with the magic expression: ''In English please!''


----------



## Ushuaia

My brothers and I run a hostel in our hometown of Ushuaia. I'm glad to speak Spanish to guests who want to practise theirs... as long as it doesn't keep me from doing my job properly: when a bus arrives and I have a line of seven hungry, exhausted, money-paying customers in desperate need of a shower waiting to check in, I am by no means going to make their wait longer because someone whose Spanish is worse than my English wants to improve their language skills. Our business is hospitality, not language-teaching!

Of course, I've spent many an afternoon speaking in Spanish with guests who were less than proficient, and will continue to do so as long as I don't have anything else to do at the time. The ones with acceptable Spanish get to choose every time: again, our business is hospitality... and it's not like me to pass by a chance to spread our sweet _castellano rioplatense_!


----------



## bondia

Ushuaia said:


> My brothers and I run a hostel in our hometown of Ushuaia. I'm glad to speak Spanish to guests who want to practise theirs... as long as it doesn't keep me from doing my job properly: when a bus arrives and I have a line of seven hungry, exhausted, money-paying customers in desperate need of a shower waiting to check in, I am by no means going to make their wait longer because someone whose Spanish is worse than my English wants to improve their language skills. Our business is hospitality, not language-teaching!
> 
> Of course, I've spent many an afternoon speaking in Spanish with guests who were less than proficient, and will continue to do so as long as I don't have anything else to do at the time. The ones with acceptable Spanish get to choose every time: again, our business is hospitality... and it's not like me to pass by a chance to spread our sweet _castellano rioplatense_!


 
Of course I agree with all that, but Ushuaia, te ruego que cuando vengan personas hispanoparlantes, ¡les hables en español! Ya he explicado en otros hilos mi frustración en viajes a centro-sud-américa donde nadie me responde a mi_ "_buen" castellano si no es en inglés-spanglish o lo que sea. Lo siento, pero me da una rabia


----------



## Ushuaia

bondia said:


> Of course I agree with all that, but Ushuaia, te ruego que cuando vengan personas hispanoparlantes, ¡les hables en español! Ya he explicado en otros hilos mi frustración en viajes a centro-sud-américa donde nadie me responde a mi_ "_buen" castellano si no es en inglés-spanglish o lo que sea. Lo siento, pero me da una rabia



¡Pero más vale! Siempre empiezo en castellano y sólo cambio de idioma si está claro que no vamos _ni para atrás ni para adelante _(en muchos casos, te juro, basta con "hola, ¿tienen reserva?" para que me miren como pidiendo piedad).


----------



## bondia

Ushuaia said:


> ¡Pero más vale! Siempre empiezo en castellano y sólo cambio de idioma si está claro que no vamos _ni para atrás ni para adelante _(en muchos casos, te juro, basta con "hola, ¿tienen reserva?" para que me miren como pidiendo piedad).


 

Que vaya por delante que entiendo tu opinión, pero, no todas las personas te miran como pidiendo piedad. Yo he viajado mucho y repito, (qué pesada soy) que en muchos lugares hispanoparlantes no me han permitido comunicarme en castellano, y mira, me molesta mucho, me da rabia, me da un no sé qué, que más vale que me callo. Pero creo que entiendes lo que quiero decir..


----------



## Ushuaia

Entiendo: a mí y a mi muy morocho marido nos daba la misma bronca cuando nos decían "gringos" en algunos barrios de Río de Janeiro (¡y yo ni siquiera soy rubia!).

Muchas veces la gente usa esas defensas para que quede clara la diferencia cultural; el turismo es, además de una fuente de ingresos, una industria muy invasiva... ¡está estudiado! Hay etapas en la relación entre quienes viven del turismo/en lugares turísticos y los turistas, y una de las más avanzadas es un odio visceral que puede traducirse en actitudes del tipo "te grito gringa por la calle", o "practico mi inglés aunque no te guste". Ojo, no creo que este sea siempre el caso. Como se mencionó varias veces en este hilo, hay gente que lo hará con la mejor intención, y sin tener en cuenta que _no hay comedido que salga bien_.

Que el bienestar de otros seres humanos sea tu trabajo es siempre muy rico, pero también agotador. ¡Y somos, se sabe, una especie difícil!


----------



## Istriano

There are two types of people:

1. people who want to help you no matter what it takes

2. people who will tell you ''if you want to practice the language, go to a language school or enroll on a language course''.


Let's say that your in France:

1. some people will be polite and want to help you, using whatever it takes (including English) to make the communication possible

2. some people will refuse to answer you in English, even if they know how to speak English (they say ''We're in France, so you should speak French'').

3. some people will keep correcting your French to an extreme point  (where grammar correctness is more important than the language communication; how it's said it's more important than what is said)

4. and there are those kinda people who will refuse to communicate with you in either nonperfect French or English (which most of them can speak!!!)

this is just an example, it happened to me in France, but it also happened with a German friend of mine in Brazil...


----------



## jazyk

> Entiendo: a mí y a mi muy morocho marido nos daba la misma bronca cuando  nos decían "gringos" en algunos barrios de Río de Janeiro (¡y yo ni  siquiera soy rubia!).


Cualquier extranjero es gringo en Brasil. Me acuerdo de amigo que llamaba gringos a unos angoleños (negros), quienes hablan el mismo idioma que nosotros.


----------



## Ben Jamin

Istriano said:


> There are two types of people:
> 
> 1. people who want to help you no matter what it takes
> 
> 2. people who will tell you ''if you want to practice the language, go to a language school or enroll on a language course''.


 
There are also people who are conceited and believe that thay can speak your mother tongue (or English) better than you can speak their language.
If one is in a service role, and really wants to be polite, then one should:
1. keep speaking the langugae one has been addressed in unless there is a serious communication problem
2. if there is such a problem, ask politely "do you mind changing the langauge?"
Some nationalities do not like people speaking their language "with an accent", and they look at them as less clever than themselves (see the article on accent discrimination in Wikipedia). The French are probably on the top of this list. 
I read once an allegedly true story from Japan "An American speaking perfect Japanese in a bar in Tokyo was approached by a Japanese man who asked 'Why have you dyed yor hair blond?'"


----------



## merquiades

Ben Jamin said:


> There are also people who are conceited and believe that thay can speak your mother tongue (or English) better than you can speak their language.
> If one is in a service role, and really wants to be polite, then one should:
> 1. keep speaking the langugae one has been addressed in unless there is a serious communication problem
> 2. if there is such a problem, ask politely "do you mind changing the langauge?"
> Some nationalities do not like people speaking their language "with an accent", and they look at them as less clever than themselves (see the article on accent discrimination in Wikipedia). The French are probably on the top of this list.
> I read once an allegedly true story from Japan "An American speaking perfect Japanese in a bar in Tokyo was approached by a Japanese man who asked 'Why have you dyed yor hair blond?'"



Hi Benjamin. I tried to find the wikipedia article about Accent Discrimination but couldn't.  Would you happen to have the link?  Thanks a lot!


----------



## doinel

Je vais répondre en français si cela ne vous ennuie pas.
Voilà je vais manger au restaurant avec une amie Américaine que j'ai rencontrée par le ... WRF. Son français est irréprochable et notre accent ici est à couper au couteau pour qui n'y est pas habitué. Chaque fois qu'elle demandait quelque chose aux différents serveurs ils lui répondaient dans un anglais assez approximatif. Au moment de partir elle leur a dit qu'elle vivait dans notre ville depuis X années et trouvait blessant qu'on lui réponde en anglais. Elle n'a fait aucune remarque sur la qualité de leur anglais et s'est montrée très polie. Ils se sont offusqués. Cet incident n'est pas un cas isolé. Que fait en général un serveur ailleurs, je ne sais pas ? Ayant vécu 15 ans à Paris intra muros, il ne s'est pas passé un jour sans que quelqu'un ne rie de mon accent du Sud. Revenue au ' Pays' comme on dit on m'a traitée de Parisienne!!! Nul n'est prophète dans aucun pays !


----------



## COF

It is mainly because Spaniards are somewhat bigotted towards British people, particularly in the South of Spain, and tend to assume that most British people are stupid and couldn't possibly have the intelligence to speak a foreign language.

When a British person does try to speak Spanish in Southern Spain, most of the locals, particularly in the tourist areas just assume that the British person has memorised his phrase book and had no idea of the structure of the language so they just revert to English.

However, in Middle and Northern Spain it's not like that and a British person can speak Spanish and the locals will reply in Spanish, its usually only in Southern Spain that they have a mildly anti-British attitude, which leads to them assuming that all British people are dumb and lingusitically ignorant.


----------



## Roy776

Ben Jamin was probably referring to this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accent_(linguistics)#Accent_discrimination
 It contains a short text about Accent Discrimination. But searching for it in Google will also present you with a lot of interesting hits.


----------



## Pedro y La Torre

doinel said:


> Je vais répondre en français si cela ne vous ennuie pas.
> Voilà je vais manger au restaurant avec une amie Américaine que j'ai rencontrée par le ... WRF. Son français est irréprochable et notre accent ici est à couper au couteau pour qui n'y est pas habitué. Chaque fois qu'elle demandait quelque chose aux différents serveurs ils lui répondaient dans un anglais assez approximatif. Au moment de partir elle leur a dit qu'elle vivait dans notre ville depuis X années et trouvait blessant qu'on lui réponde en anglais. Elle n'a fait aucune remarque sur la qualité de leur anglais et s'est montrée très polie. Ils se sont offusqués. Cet incident n'est pas un cas isolé. Que fait en général un serveur ailleurs, je ne sais pas ? Ayant vécu 15 ans à Paris intra muros, il ne s'est pas passé un jour sans que quelqu'un ne rie de mon accent du Sud. Revenue au ' Pays' comme on dit on m'a traitée de Parisienne!!! Nul n'est prophète dans aucun pays !



Et ne parlons pas de l'accent québécois ! L'aristocratie linguistique parisienne est connue partout dans le monde pour son arrogance et son intolérance envers les accents qui se montrent différents de le leur. Quand j'ai vécu en France j'ai jamais, mais jamais, entendu un accent du midi dans la bouche d'un animateur des émissions "sérieuses" telles que le Journal de 20 heures, les débats politiques etc. etc. C'est comme si si on ne parle pas avec cet accent dit "standard", on fait forcément pauvre plouc, pas très éduqué etc.

Cette intolérance se manifeste aussi à l'égard des langues régionales, la France étant l'un des rares pays européens qui refuse encore de signer la Charte pour les langues minoritaires car ça pourrait nuire (apparement) à la vitalité et à l'unité de la langue française. J'adore votre pays mais le nombrilisme des élites parisiennes est vraiment, excusez-moi, nul à chier.


----------



## Fericire

I used to have a Nigerian assistant professor in English classes/periods [?] at school.
Althought he had a really good Portuguese (if it weren't the accent and some hard time pronouncing nasal sounds, he would probably be mistaken for a Brazilian), everytime he spoke Portuguese with me, I tried to answer in English, so he wouldn't have to pay much attention — or having a hard time understanding slangs, sayings, proverbs and so on — to what I was talking about.

I mean, why to make it harder if you can just [try to] speak the person's native language and make it all easier? 

correct my english, please


----------



## Pedro y La Torre

Fericire said:


> I used to have a Nigerian assistant professor in English classes/periods [?] at school.
> Althought he had a really good Portuguese (if it weren't the accent and some hard time pronouncing nasal sounds, he would probably be mistaken for a Brazilian), everytime he spoke Portuguese with me, I tried to answer in English, so he wouldn't have to pay much attention — or having a hard time understanding slangs, sayings, proverbs and so on — to what I was talking about.
> 
> I mean, why to make it harder if you can just [try to] speak the person's native language and make it all easier?
> 
> correct my english, please



If he was Nigerian, chances are his native language wasn't English.


----------



## Ben Jamin

Fericire said:


> I used to have a Nigerian assistant professor in English classes/periods [?] at school.
> Althought he had a really good Portuguese (if it weren't the accent and some hard time pronouncing nasal sounds, he would probably be mistaken for a Brazilian), everytime he spoke Portuguese with me, I tried to answer in English, so he wouldn't have to pay much attention — or having a hard time understanding slangs, sayings, proverbs and so on — to what I was talking about.
> 
> I mean, why to make it harder if you can just [try to] speak the person's native language and make it all easier?
> 
> correct my english, please


Have you ever considered the thought that he might have been not happy with your behaviour? Most of the people contributing to this thread felt offended in such cases.


----------



## doinel

C'est un sujet très délicat. J'ai commandé une pint of Lager à Londres en anglais et le serveur m'a dit: we don't have any ... here. Certes j'ai mal prononcé le A de lager mais il m'avait semblé que l'on pouvait deviner que dans un pub je ne voulais pas un truc impossible. Jamais telle chose ne m'est arrivée en Irlande, ni en Italie où j'ai essayé de parler et où on a pris le temps de m'écouter. Je ne veux pas dire que les Anglais soient comme certains Parisiens... Si on fait l'effort de parler la langue, when in Rome... ayons tous la politesse et la patience d'écouter.


----------



## Charlie Parker

I've had the same experience, doinel, and I know how it feels. In Montréal, I would very often be answered in English because so many sales people and servers are quite bilingual. It always bothered me because it made me feel stupid or that my French wasn't good enough. I wondered: "Is my accent really that bad?" I did find that it improved a bit, probably because my French improved a bit, but also because I asked people politely but directly to speak to me in French. I just said that I don't get too many opportunities to speak French and that I would prefer to practise it when I was in Quebec. I remember one time going through a drive-through and ordering coffee and doughnuts. I stumbled over my words. When I got to the window to pay, I apologized for my French but said I needed the practice and the lady smiled and said: "It's nice to meet people who make the effort." I have to say though, and I hope my friends in Quebec won't be offended, that my experience has been much better in France. I found it much easier to speak French in France than in Quebec. Everywhere I went, people spoke to me in French. And I know for sure I made mistakes, mispronounced words and stumbled, but people were very kind. I know I have an accent and I'm trying hard to improve. I'm very thankful for this forum. I've made wonderful friends and I phone them or Skype them to practise. I now have friends who practise their English with me, so it's a two-way street, a win-win situation. I would encourage all foreros to consider this strategy.


----------



## Pedro y La Torre

Charlie Parker said:


> I've had the same experience, doinel, and I know how it feels. In Montréal, I would very often be answered in English because so many sales people and servers are quite bilingual. It always bothered me because it made me feel stupid or that my French wasn't good enough. I wondered: "Is my accent really that bad?" I did find that it improved a bit, probably because my French improved a bit, but also because I asked people politely but directly to speak to me in French. I just said that I don't get too many opportunities to speak French and that I would prefer to practise it when I was in Quebec. I remember one time going through a drive-through and ordering coffee and doughnuts. I stumbled over my words. When I got to the window to pay, I apologized for my French but said I needed the practice and the lady smiled and said: "It's nice to meet people who make the effort." I have to say though, and I hope my friends in Quebec won't be offended, that my experience has been much better in France. I found it much easier to speak French in France than in Quebec. Everywhere I went, people spoke to me in French. And I know for sure I made mistakes, mispronounced words and stumbled, but people were very kind. I know I have an accent and I'm trying hard to improve. I'm very thankful for this forum. I've made wonderful friends and I phone them or Skype them to practise. I now have friends who practise their English with me, so it's a two-way street, a win-win situation. I would encourage all foreros to consider this strategy.



As regards France, the reason is probably down to the fact that the French aren't exactly reputed for their English-skills. In Montreal, it's often tough to find people to speak in French if you have a noticeable Anglophone accent. Go to somewhere like Quebec City or Sept-Îles though and you'll have no problems.

You might even be wishing they did speak some English.


----------



## Charlie Parker

I took French immersion courses in the Gaspé where very few people spoke English and that was perfect. I had the time of my life and met some wonderful people. That being said, I spent a week in Montréal with a friend and she spoke to me exclusively in French because she knew that was what I wanted. I spoke French everywhere I went, but perhaps that was because I was in her company and that made it easier. One time I went for a walk by myself and went into a coffee shop. I struck up a conversation with a freelance journalist. We spoke the whole time in French. He may have known that that was what I wanted or he may have appreciated the opportunity to describe his work in his own language. I heard him speak English to another patron and he spoke quite well. I can understand if servers are busy and can't afford the time to give tourists language lessons. Fair enough. I would just politely tell people I'd prefer to speak in French. If they don't want to, no harm done. At least I asked.


----------



## uchi.m

Istriano said:


> Today a weird thing happened, I talked to a random girl from France on MSN.
> And after 30 minutes or so of our chat she asked me:
> ''Do you speak French or you're just using Google translator''
> 
> I asked her why?
> She responded ''you sound so formal''
> 
> Next time I will  make sure I speak English to French people.
> You can never go wrong with the magic expression: ''In English please!''


Bon, on peut toujours se tutoyer


----------



## Nanon

Istriano said:


> Next time I will  make sure I speak English to French people.
> You can never go wrong with the magic expression: ''In English please!''


Please, don't . Le conseil d'Uchi-san est le bon.

Para Uchi: tengo una amiga brasileña que vive en México. Como ella es negra, muchas personas creen que es norteamericana. Hace poco fui a visitarla. Estábamos las dos hablando en portugués y al no identificar el idioma que estábamos usando, vecinos, vendedores o desconocidos nos saludaban o nos dirigían la palabra en inglés. Y henos a nosotras pidiendo con sonrisas que nos hablaran en español... Más vale reírse, pero a mi amiga le aparecía una nube negra encima de la cabeza como en las comiquitas ("ninguém merece!" ) y yo empezaba a preocuparme (¿tan echado a perder está mi español? ).


----------



## grubble

Most of my Spanish is from reading. A while back I decided that I also needed to listen to and speak the language and for that reason, I spent a couple of weeks  on an intensive Spanish course in Spain. The problem was that the other students were from various European countries but in every case their second language was English!  Between classes and during social get-togethers they all spoke English and never tried to use Spanish at all.  In the end I decided to become a loner and go around town on my own so that I could at least hear and speak some Spanish!

La mayor parte de mi español viene de la lectura. Hace tiempo decidí que debía escuchar y hablar el lenguaje y por eso me pasé dos semanas en un curso intensivo de español en España. El problema - los otros estudiantes vienen de diferentes países europeos, pero en cada caso su segunda lengua era inglés! Fuera de las clases todos hablaban inglés y nunca usaban el español. Al final decidí ir por la ciudad solo para que yo pudiera por lo menos escuchar y hablar algo de español!


----------



## Ben Jamin

She had an idea of Google translator's quality that is very flattering for the authors of that service.


----------



## JamesM

doinel said:


> Je vais répondre en français si cela ne vous ennuie pas.
> Voilà je vais manger au restaurant avec une amie Américaine que j'ai rencontrée par le ... WRF. Son français est irréprochable et notre accent ici est à couper au couteau pour qui n'y est pas habitué. Chaque fois qu'elle demandait quelque chose aux différents serveurs ils lui répondaient dans un anglais assez approximatif. Au moment de partir elle leur a dit qu'elle vivait dans notre ville depuis X années et trouvait blessant qu'on lui réponde en anglais. Elle n'a fait aucune remarque sur la qualité de leur anglais et s'est montrée très polie. Ils se sont offusqués. Cet incident n'est pas un cas isolé. Que fait en général un serveur ailleurs, je ne sais pas ? Ayant vécu 15 ans à Paris intra muros, il ne s'est pas passé un jour sans que quelqu'un ne rie de mon accent du Sud. Revenue au ' Pays' comme on dit on m'a traitée de Parisienne!!! Nul n'est prophète dans aucun pays !



This raises some questions for me:

How did they decide she should be addressed in English? Was it her clothing?  I've always wondered about this sort of thing.

Did they address you in French?


----------



## doinel

She is American, I am French, born in Narbonne where the scene took place. We both talked in French using a bit of English. Her French is very good but she doesn't sound like someone born here.
They addressed me in French and her in English. 
My sister is a waitress  and she only uses English when people can't speak French at all.


----------



## JamesM

Bravo for your sister!  We spent a few days in Paris and one of our most enjoyable meals was at a bistro where the waiter spoke to us only in French.  We didn't understand some of what he said but we truly appreciated the fact that he did.


----------



## Minnie121728

Just the mere intention to help you my dear, and since english it's the universal language internationally used, most of the people use it with foreigners...just that, people think that they can help you better in your own language, or in english if they don't know where you from, because anyone can understand some english...the last thing people think its that you want to practice the idiom or that you prefer to be told in that idiom, when they do this, they just think in helping...so please don't misunderstand it...


----------



## Ben Jamin

Why should it be the last thing, if it's they that choose to speak your language?


----------



## Orlin

Аз винаги бих се обърнал към някого *на родния му/й език*, ако владея този език, а ако това не е възможно, бих използвал всеки език от тези, които знам, *без английския*. Бих говорил на английски, ако това не е родният език на събеседника, *само ако няма никаква друга възможност*.


----------

