Was this rude or not?

joselo2
joselo2 Posts: 461
in Chit-Chat
OK opinions appreciated! I was walking down the street with one of my sisters and one of my brothers, in the town centre. We were speaking in Spanish as it is our first language and the way we naturally speak to each other.

Some guy comes and says 'Hey this is England, speak English please. If you are coming here, you have to speak like us'. He was kinda annoyed.

Were we being rude? If I am in company I try to avoid speaking a language one party doesn't understand, as it can make them feel very excluded, I think it rude. The only time is difficult if there is no shared language between two people. But surely a private conversation is OK, since people travel places without knowing the langauge... do Brits never speak English when out in public in Spanish speaking countries? I am sure they do.

Should we have done it more disretely, not done it at all? What do you think? xx
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Replies

  • Naomi0504
    Naomi0504 Posts: 964 Member
    I think the guy was rude. Geez, it was your own private conversation, it wasn't his concern or his business :smile:
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    ventobig.jpg
  • EdwardNortonFan43
    EdwardNortonFan43 Posts: 150 Member
    OK opinions appreciated! I was walking down the street with one of my sisters and one of my brothers, in the town centre. We were speaking in Spanish as it is our first language and the way we naturally speak to each other.

    Some guy comes and says 'Hey this is England, speak English please. If you are coming here, you have to speak like us'. He was kinda annoyed.

    Were we being rude? If I am in company I try to avoid speaking a language one party doesn't understand, as it can make them feel very excluded, I think it rude. The only time is difficult if there is no shared language between two people. But surely a private conversation is OK, since people travel places without knowing the langauge... do Brits never speak English when out in public in Spanish speaking countries? I am sure they do.

    Should we have done it more disretely, not done it at all? What do you think? xx

    You weren't being rude. That guy is an *kitten*.
  • Suleya
    Suleya Posts: 20
    You weren't the one being rude, this stranger was. People like that are just so ignorant, you did nothing wrong at all. So don't worry :)
  • zanne54
    zanne54 Posts: 336 Member
    He was being rude.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Yes, it was rude. Of him to say that, not you for speaking your native language.
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
    You are NOT rude...he was!

    I know about 100 Spanish words and my husband knows about 10 - think we speak Spanish when we go to Mexico?? That would be a NO.
  • TribeHokie
    TribeHokie Posts: 711 Member
    Yeah that was pretty rude. It is one thing if you move somewhere permanently and make no attempt to learn the language, but having a private conversation in your native language when you're fluent in another one is completely different.
  • mou_254
    mou_254 Posts: 153 Member
    I think the guy was rude. Geez, it was your own private conversation, it wasn't his concern or his business :smile:
    this!
  • JenAndSome
    JenAndSome Posts: 1,893 Member
    You weren't being rude. I would have gave him the middle finger. I'm pretty sure that's something people who speak pretty much any language can understand.
  • Chickyjd
    Chickyjd Posts: 136 Member
    He was rude... What us Brits would call a small minded prick to be blunt! Not worth your time or thoughts xx
  • kittenful
    kittenful Posts: 318 Member
    Dude was incredibly rude. You were speaking to your family, not intending on including anybody else in your conversation. That is waaay out of line for him to approach you and expect you to listen. Why, so he can eavesdrop? I don't get that.
  • cessnaholly
    cessnaholly Posts: 780 Member
    Yeah that was pretty rude. It is one thing if you move somewhere permanently and make no attempt to learn the language, but having a private conversation in your native language when you're fluent in another one is completely different.

    This. Totally this.
  • barwwd
    barwwd Posts: 63 Member
    Send him to America... we have all kinds of rude a**holes here :-D
  • Hestion
    Hestion Posts: 740 Member
    It was rude when its your private conversation with family members, not condoning his behaviour but i can see why he is maybe irritated with what goes on in this country, but i think that's a bigger issue than than some family members talking to each other in Spanish.
  • Erikalynne18
    Erikalynne18 Posts: 558 Member
    I think it's obvious that this guy has issues and acted rudely.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    He was a racist @rse, simple as.

    Spain is full of Brits living there who have made effort to learn the language whatsoever.

    Its also pretty hypocritical, because if there is something Brits are famous for it's the lack of foreign language skills and general arrogance in assuming "well everyone speaks English anyway!".
  • VelvetMorning
    VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
    Yeah, uh, you probably handled that much better than I would. Who is he to call you out of nowhere and give you bs over a private conversation you were having among your friends? Firstly, he shouldn't have been listening. THAT is rude. Secondly, if a few girls are having a conversation and speaking in a foreign language and this upsets him he has some serious issues. What kind of man insults or reprimands a lady out of nowhere? Lastly, if you're all Spanish and speaking Spanish in a foreign country that doesn't have a high Spanish population I'd assume you're a visitor ~ if he was going to say anything at all (which he shouldn't have) he should have offered you guys help. Gosh, maybe you were lost and trying to find your way around? Sounds like some kind of racist bantering. Unless there is some outrageous situation which happened that you didn't mention, he had absolutely no right (like you were speaking Spanish, looking at him, laughing, and he presumed it was about him and got insulted and just said this out of self-defense).
  • justicer68
    justicer68 Posts: 1,223
    the guy was a douche. Ignore him. Your conversation was none of his business anyway.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,706 Member
    The guy was unbelievably rude. Pay no attention to what he said. I spend a lot of time in Southern Spain, where some places have around 25% of residents from GB and even more from other countries and hardly anyone speaks Spanish and no one gets criticsed for it. Here in Mexico very few visitors and very few retired people living here speak Spanish and that's ok.
    I also have to mention that this guy was a very big exception. I have over the last just under40 years lived in 16 different countries and no one has ever criticised me for not speaking the local language. That guy was nuts !
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    You were not rude. It's perfectly acceptable to speak your native language when in a private conversation and all members speak that language.

    Good for you knowing it IS rude to speak Spanish when in a group and someone doesn't understand Spanish.

    That guy was a jerk.
  • BoomstickChick
    BoomstickChick Posts: 428 Member
    I think he was rude... probably was just having a bad day, but still.. jeez
  • ldnmaggie
    ldnmaggie Posts: 222 Member
    Probably having a bad day, he was rude.

    But what i find rudest is when you walk into a staff room and people CONTINUE to talk in their own language when its just you and them in the rude, i find that EXTREMLEY rude.

    **Edit i said was rude meant to say HE was rude. looked like i was saying you were rude!
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    That guy was acting like a total asshat. He had no right to dictate how you speak to others in conversations that don't include him. Personally I would have cracked a joke about him, IN SPANISH in front of him then laughed at him and walked away.
  • Still1Workoutatatime
    Still1Workoutatatime Posts: 250 Member
    He was being rude.


    this
  • Rixx31
    Rixx31 Posts: 220 Member
    It was rude of him to say that. If it's a private conversation, then it's none of his business whether you're speaking English, Spanish, or even Klingon.

    You should have replied to him with 'En su bicicleta' in your best fake English accent ;)
  • AliciaStinger
    AliciaStinger Posts: 402 Member
    No; it's your conversation, and it's your language. I think it was far more offensive that a complete stranger felt it okay to harrass you and your siblings about a private conversation that he had no business trying to listen in on!

    By the way, I live near Chicago. The suburb I live in was about 75% Jewish throughout the 50's, 60's and probably 70's. Now, it is quite mixed. We have a huge population of Assyrian, Indian, and Latino/a people here, as well as smaller populations of just about every nationality. Those who are comfortable speaking in another language will often do so with family or friends who speak the same language. In public schools, people are expected to speak English in classes when possible (unless their English isn't good enough, in which case people are pretty understanding). In any other public space, I have never considered it rude or in any way out of line to speak in the language you're most comfortable with.
  • VeganLexi
    VeganLexi Posts: 960 Member
    He sounds like an arsehole...
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    * Doh nothing I said applies, but I'm sure as England is pretty multicultural now different languages are more acceptable.

    You weren't rude. I wish I spoke Spanish more fluently instead of so broken.

    You could have pointed out if he's so patriotic how come he doesnt speak old English or his ancient tribal language.
  • joselo2
    joselo2 Posts: 461
    It was rude when its your private conversation with family members, not condoning his behaviour but i can see why he is maybe irritated with what goes on in this country, but i think that's a bigger issue than than some family members talking to each other in Spanish.

    What does go on in this country? Whatever it is, I am sure the fact that me and my very large family all coming here is part of it... like, I can't deny we have impacted on the place. All positively though :D

    Yeah, I am reflecting on my own behaviour, to consider if he could have thought we were looking at him. I totally get that people can fear you are talking about them, if they don't know what you are saying, so I hope I didn't do that.

    Glad to hear the resounding opinion that I was not rude, because I hate rudeness. I must stress as someone earlier said, this was a rare thing, I find I experience very little racism or prejudice for my country of birth here. It's cool.

    PS. I live in England not USA, for what that's worth here

    Thanks all!xx

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