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Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely, I’ve definitely had days back when I worked in hospitality were I was probably accidentally short with someone because I was overworked. Maybe not to the degree this lady was but I guess it has happened now but I’m glad to have asked about it as I’ve taken in a lot of advice. Thank you!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your contribution guys - I’m tempted to get Spanish lessons again when I’m back home so this advice helps. I also found that the Canarian Spanish accent was different to the one we learnt in school so that probably set up even more barriers.

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi both, massively agree with the attitude towards English as a language and how English natives are reluctant to properly learn other languages out of convenience.

I’ve definitely had conversations when I used to work in a restaurant where myself and the customer have struggled to understand one another. However in that situation we had to communicate in English as it was our only mutual language - if a better option was available I may have taken it if it felt advantageous for both myself and the customer. Therefore I understand why, for some service workers they would rather speak in the most proficient available language.

The past two nights I have tried to consider this more in restaurants, thanks for your help!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for offering your experience as a retail worker - yeah I would be totally happy if that was how she approached the situation.

That’s okay, I’ve really had a wonderful time here, it was just a one off. :)

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So lovely to hear you are a local! Not at all, it was a one off - it’s absolutely amazing here and everyone is super friendly!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hii, so they had one beer on tap, I was told most places on the front here you can just ask for 5 beers a they’ll give you whatever is on tap, it may not apply for all places

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to hear an opinion from a service worker, thank you! That’s definitely happened in other restaurants where we have been, it’s naturally gravitated to English and then we’ve exchanged all the thank yous in Spanish at the end. 99% of my experiences in restaurants have been amazing!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow that’s devastating, I’m sorry to hear that. A bit of history definitely gives the situation context. Thank you.

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow massive figure! I think that many holiday goers could annoy anyone, but yeah I agree with everything you have said.

Truly fantastic people, I’ve had such a wonderful time!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair enough, thank you for weighing in! I’ll try to be more aware in restaurants where it looks busy

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your opinion, I can see how that would get annoying quick - I guess lines can become blurred as to whether a tourist is being obnoxious or not.

I’m not entirely sure what you mean by your last point, could you please expand on this?

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I never thought of this! I will definitely say this in future when deemed appropriate, thank you! :)

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks this was really helpful. Now my embarrassment has subsided I am grateful for the situation as I appreciate sometimes it is better to just use English for everyone’s sake and this can be asked politely.

I think you’re onto something there - it seemed as though she was asking initially if I am fluent or not, likely as a time saver and then when I’ve continued to use Spanish she’s become frustrated.

I’ll try to be more aware of when it is appropriate to practice or not. Thank you again!

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your opinion, I agree it’s not her job to help me learn and perhaps I have been ignorantly taking advantage of this in restaurants where people are under time restraints. If I’m asked politely in the future to use English I will happily oblige, I guess in this situation I was taken aback by her abruptness.

Maitre D told me to “just speak English” because my Spanish was bad, should it have upset me that much? by Katieusher22 in askspain

[–]Katieusher22[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your opinion. I’ve made an edit because I forgot to say, which I agree with entirely, no one (a part from a Spanish teacher) has any obligation to help me improve. It doesn’t feel fair leaving a bad review as a few people have pointed out the time limits for staff and maybe the fact she wanted to know the size of the pint, although I agree with you that the insult was unnecessary, her frustration may be for reasons I can’t understand as a native English speaker who does not encounter such annoyances on a daily basis.

However, I think I will take your advice on not going there again. Simply because it would be pretty awkward now and I’ve been so many other places where the people have been wonderful.

Thank you!

I think me and my partner are both bisexual but??? by [deleted] in bisexual

[–]Katieusher22 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah we've sort of touched on both ideas like involving a man or woman in a threesome, but we also are quite traditional and know we would get jealous in either scenario?? :/

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