question for native spanish speakers...what do you think?
i'm reallly shy about speaking spanish.. i'm not SUPER fluent.. but i can hold my own. i can understand an incredible amount, and honestly, when i try.. i can speak back.. i'm not perfect with my verb tenses.. and i've lost some vocab.. but it just takes refreshing..
my question.. how do you feel about english speakers who try to speak spanish? i'm intimidated to speak it around native speakers because i think i sound stupid.. or that my accent makes my words sound funny? is this a big deal?
at work sometimes, or just out in public, i deal with spanish speakers who don't speak a lot of english and would obviously be more comfortable speaking spanish.. but i just act like i don't know spanish cuz i feel like an idiot..
what do you think.. should i quit being shy and speak spanish?
Anonymous2006-08-16T02:45:13Z
Favorite Answer
Honestly, I know how you feel. When I first moved to Poland from Mexico, I had to learn it pretty fast. I was embarressed, but I knew that if I was going to want any friends, I had to try my best. After a visit to Mexico 7 years later, I could not remember Spanish at all. I could understand it, and if I tried hard enough, I could make one sentence. I was giving up, but my dad encouraged me to keep trying, and in 2 weeks, it had all come back to me. Don't give up!! That's the last thing you want to do. Please, keep learning it and you will see how much more you will be able to do knowing it. And another thing, have them correct you, don't let them listen to your mistakes without correcting, that's the best way. Good luck!! Have a good one!
Don't be silly. They will appreciate that you are trying to speak their language! Just go ahead and try it! Being bilingual is an asset in any environment. My parents are Cuban so Spanish was my first language but I was born in the U.S. and feel more comfortable speaking English....anyhow I live in Miami... and it's really hard to get a job here if you do not know Spanish. My friend and I are supposed to be starting an internship now for graduation of our college degree and although she has better grades than me and more experience she hasn't been able to find a placement because she doesn't know Spanish!! I got placed with my first choice after my first interview...and the first thing they asked was "do you know spanish?"
In order to answer your question, just ask this question: do they understand your spanish? If they do, that's good... because that is the goal of learning a different language- so that you can have a discourse with others. You can temporarily forget about mispronounciations and bad accents for a while- those just come in naturally in the long run with practice. Its the same for native spanish speakers, trying to speak english... If they laugh at you, shame on them... In fact, it really helps when english speakers are able to speak spanish because it allows us to understand you much much better.
You must try to relax yourself, the feeling you talk about, is what all of us feel when we try to speak other language, for instance, I'm Spanish, and live in Spain, so, I can't speak with anyone in English, so, to try to improve my English level I use to write here, and also helps me a lot to watch movies in original version with English subtitles.
You must try not to be shy, most people, if you try to speak their language, will make an effort to understand you, and I think they will be pleased for your effort too to speak Spanish...
Anyway, a good way to lose the shame is to go to a place where only Spanish is spoken, to have a real need to speak it, I tell you because of my own experience...
Good luck with your Spanish, and don't worry, it's easy...
Don' t be shy, my husband speaks English only and he know a few words in Spanish, I took him to Mexico for Christmas last year and he was trying so hard to speak the language, my point is my family really appreciate the fact that he was trying and whiling to learn, that's how we see it, it doesn't matter if you say it wrong, what matters is that you try to say it....so don't be shy and keep trying..you'll get there sooner than the ones that don't try...