Was this rude or not?

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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
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    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
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    ventobig.jpg
  • EdwardNortonFan43
    EdwardNortonFan43 Posts: 150 Member
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    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
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    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
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    He was being rude.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    Yes, it was rude. Of him to say that, not you for speaking your native language.
  • ktsimons
    ktsimons Posts: 294 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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: 1,908 Member
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    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: 131 Member
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    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
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    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: 784 Member
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    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
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    Send him to America... we have all kinds of rude a**holes here :-D
  • Hestion
    Hestion Posts: 740 Member
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    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: 555 Member
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    I think it's obvious that this guy has issues and acted rudely.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
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    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
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    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
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    the guy was a douche. Ignore him. Your conversation was none of his business anyway.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    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 !

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