Spanish speakers getting annoyed when you don't speak Spanish. (Salinas: home, high school)

[drshang]

I am white (darker hair, but don't really look Hispanic) and my wife is Asian and neither of us, in our entire time living here, have once ever encountered anyone who expected us to speak Spanish, or were snobby about us not speaking Spanish. In situations like certain Latin American restaurants or some Hispanic run businesses where there was little or almost no English language ability by the employees or owner, there didn't seem to be any expectation we would speak Spanish. Much like in any situation involving language differences, you get by and manage.

[RavenChris06x]

Assurily !
I had been not listening to a spanish speaking person(s) within experience of areas those speaking would be and I had not understood but I had a experience for learning the relative speaking ...

[AntonioR]

Originally Posted by LABornandRaised

I find it ironic that she would think you were racist by not speaking spanish, when spanish is the language of the conquistadores from Europe (Spain), not the native language of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc.

Most of the people from most Latin American countries (maybe Bolivia and Guatemala are exceptions) have Spanish ancestry too, but they are racially mixed. Anyway, Spanish is as much the native language of a mixed race descendant of Spaniards as it is to a fully descended one.

[illuminatedpast]

No one's ever seemed outwardly annoyed that I can't speak Spanish. Though my boyfriend's mother reportedly knows English, but will only speak to me in Spanish, which might be a passive aggressive criticism. She's also really shy though so she might just feel as uncomfortable speaking English as I do trying to speaking Spanish.

When people speak to me in Spanish I've tried speaking back in the same language but my vocabulary is so limited and my pronunciation so bad that I've had just as much luck speaking in English. I look super white so speaking English meets strangers' expectations. Sort of a bummer I am so predictable!

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by illuminatedpast

No one's ever seemed outwardly annoyed that I can't speak Spanish. Though my boyfriend's mother reportedly knows English, but will only speak to me in Spanish, which might be a passive aggressive criticism. She's also really shy though so she might just feel as uncomfortable speaking English as I do trying to speaking Spanish.

When people speak to me in Spanish I've tried speaking back in the same language but my vocabulary is so limited and my pronunciation so bad that I've had just as much luck speaking in English. I look super white so speaking English meets strangers' expectations. Sort of a bummer I am so predictable!

I am white, but that is about the extent of my "bi-lingual-ism" as well. It's so much easier to understand than to speak a different language!

[DistrictDirt]

I have never heard of this happening. This is America. If your a native English speaker, speak english. Spanish speakers usually know enough english that you can communicate.

On the contrary, even though I can speak broken Spanish, I never even try to with spanish-speaking shopkeepers. I feel like its condescending, as if to say "You probably speak crap English, so don't even try. I'll speak your language instead."

[Pray4America]

Originally Posted by franklin_mac

How often does this happen to regular folk?

When I went to the South Bay Galleria and the Del Amo Mall it happened several times to me.
I wouldn't have cared, but I don't speak Spanish!

It made my husband really angry though.

[100mg]

I've never had this happen to me, although like others have said, maybe it's because I'm clearly not Latino/Spanish, so there's no expectations. On the other hand, I could see how a 3rd-4th-5th etc., gen Latino might get an attitude for speaking English and not Spanish.
I do wonder, though, how often the "complainant" in these sorts of scenarios is actually misreading the situation. There's no shortage of tension over the use of Spanish v English in Cal. so it wouldn't surprise me to see some projection in these cases.

[illuminatedpast]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

On the contrary, even though I can speak broken Spanish, I never even try to with spanish-speaking shopkeepers. I feel like its condescending, as if to say "You probably speak crap English, so don't even try. I'll speak your language instead."

I feel that way too!

[DewDropInn]

Never.

But I have had Spanish speakers who, upon hearing my Tijuana accent, ask me to speak English.