Why do people get mad when someone speaks Spanish but when they talk in English they don't? It's a free country !"?
Why people get mad when someone speaks spanish not english? Free country.
27 Answers
I believe it is mostly because they don't understand the language, they would like everybody to speak so they can understand it. This happens to me all the time if I speak in French to someone who speaks French, but if there is someone around who doesn't understand it they get offended. Of course, we need to mind our manners and speak a language everyone can understand if, let's say you are having dinner with friends or family and one family member or friend is anglophone only. It would not be polite to speak a language that this person does not understand.
However, I feel that, if you are shopping let's say with a friend who speaks the same language as you and you are discussing different products together, there is no need to feel obligated to speak in English, because other people are not part of your group discussion.
La gente se enoja porque no puede entender lo que dices si hablas en español. Le parece mal educado y sospecha que quizás hables de ella. Porque muchos americanos creen que el inglés es el idioma que se debe usar, se molestan cuando no pueden encontrar a nadie que hable inglés. En realidad si estás con amigos, no importa en cuál idioma hables si ellos te entienden. Pero cuando estás con alguien que no habla ese idioma, es mal educado hablarlo en frente de ella porque no puede entender y se siente incómoda.
I think if you´re going to speak another language in country where the majority of people don´t speak it use some common sense and some social intellgence. Don´t use language as a means to exclude people . That´s what a lot of people fear. I see both pros and cons to English only A lot people use as an excuse to be hateful towards Hispanics However English is the majority language in the U.S.. If you don´t speak the language of the majority you are going to be pretty isolated. Many countries have their one or two official languages with many other languages spoken. That´s how I see the realtionship between English and Spanish in the U.S.
By the way, my discomfort of hearing people speak in Spanish is what motivated me to learn again.
If you are referring to the United States, I think the issue is that even though English is not the official language, it is regarded by the public as the language everyone should be able to use even if they are not fluent. Therefore you can imagine how frustrating it is for someone whose only language is English to walk into a store or restaurant (even national chains like Walmart or Wendy's) and find that no one can speak to you in English.
Si estás hablando de la situación en los Estados Unidos, pienso que el problema es, aunque el inglés no es el idioma nacional, la mayoria de la gente lo considera como el idioma que todos deben poder usar aunque no sean fluido. Por eso, puedes imaginarte cómo frustrante es para alguien quien solo habla inglés cuando entra una tienda o un restaurante y encuentra que no hay nadie quien pueda hablar inglés.
Nací en Lima, Perú pero he vivido la mayoria de mi vida en Inglaterra. En mi experiencia he observado que algunas personas Inglés que hablan soló Inglés se ponen molestado al oir otras personas hablar lenguas diferentes que sus lengua nativa ( p ej: español, Francés, Italiano, Alemán) Creo que la razón de esto es porque no pueden entender nada. ( ¿o quizás un poquito ?) ¿Quizás podrían tratar de aprender una otra idioma aparte de Inglés? Después de todo,.. quieren que alguna persona que les ayuden si se perdió en un país extranjero y no podía hablar el idioma. ...¿ No es cierto? Para muchas personas, Inglés no es un idioma facil de aprender. Tengo amigas de Perú y Brazil que me dijeron que Inglés es dificil de aprender.! No es un idioma fonético comparado que Español ! Finalmente, creo que puedo ver algunas senales esperanzador que más jovenes están tomando un creciente interésen aprender otros idiomas.(Por ejemplo: Español, Francés y Alemán)
I was born in Peru but I have lived the majority of my life in England. In my experience of Life I have observed that some English people that speak only English become upset when then hear other people speak languages other than their (the British person's) native language.(eg Spanish, French, Italian German etc....) I think that the reason for this is that they do not understand anything.9or perhaps only a litttle?) Perhaps they could try to learn another language apart from English? After all they would want someone to to help them if they got lost in a foreign country and couldn't speak the language. Isn't that true? For many people English is not an easy language to learn. ¡ It isn't a phonetical langauge compared to Spanish ! Finally, I believe that I can see some encouraging (hopeful) signs that young people are taking an increased interest in learning other languages
A hatred of Spanish that exists in the United States is from the influx of Spanish speaking people that refuse to learn English. I remember, many years ago, the bumper stickers “Will the last American leaving Miami please bring the Flag.” and “Speak English or get the hell out.”. Then add the illegal immigrants from Mexico that drain our tax dollars from the social systems without the need to learn English because on the phone the citizens of the united states need to press 1 for English or stay on the line for Spanish.
TRUE STORY: I was having a conversation with a friend many years ago that owned a small store and two ladies walked in and started having a conversation in Spanish. When they left my friend tells them something in Spanish and the faces of the two women was a Kodak moment then they hurried off. I asked what had just happened, and my friend explained that the women were bad mouthing the store including us. My friend simply said have a good day and hope to see you again.
I guess it is the blatant disrespect that a lot of the Spanish speaking immigrants have for the US and its citizens.
http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_illegal_alien.html http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/back704.html
In addition, the US has not been a free country for over a decade. Originally, laws were to protect the people from other people. Then new laws were made to protect the people from themselves. Now they are increasing the pile of laws to prevent annoying someone else. Keep in mind each new law is a freedom lost. The way things are going you will be arrested for yawning in public without covering your mouth.
Last night in town at a park on the beach some friends and I drank three liters of Cacique a few beers and some wine. Guys and girls alike, when you have to pee walk away a little and pee right there out in the open, don’t even need a tree. In the US and its faux freedom we all would have been arrested for drinking in public, public intoxication, indecent exposure, and probably a few more charges; all because it might have annoyed someone.
Why is the U.S., an English-speaking country (or so you think), catering not only to the Spanish language, but to many others that you don’t even know about? Because the U.S. as a nation has never declared an official language. Many people have tried it with no success.
In 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. His proposal was deemed "undemocratic and a threat to individual liberty.”
This type of debate has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence. And yet, the issue isn't any closer to a resolution than it was 200 years ago.
This doesn’t mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have officially declared English as their language.
I don't know if any state has declared any other language as the official language.
I was literally amazed when I arrived at Miami airport the first time - it seemed that everyone was bilingual..
It's the insecurities, also, of the people around you. Some people might think you're talking about them. I used to think it myself, before learning Spanish. But now that I speak it I don't talk about people or make fun of them in Spanish, it's just silly.
It is amazing how British people often adopt double standards in relation to their own people and foreigners.
So if everyone should speak English in England perhaps we should insist that Bristish Ex pats living in Spain and British tourists on holiday in Spain make more effort to speak Only Spanish? After all ..when in England do as the English (Romans) do 
Just a pity that so many British people are not willing to follow their own advice when abroad lol
I am not trying to attack Bristish people but just the arrogant attitude that says we can inisist on one approach in our country and not follow the same approach when we are abroad
HI latetodinner, funny name, jeje
While all excellent answers, none of them are in Spanish.
We don't know where peach is from, so the natural thing is to answer in English. The question is ambiguous, so we would not know. let us guess she is a Spanish speaker, as this is not stated in her profile.
Peach, si no te importa rellenar tu perfil, te lo agradecemos. No recibirás respuestas en español a no ser que se sepa realmente que no sabes inglés. No pone nada de esto en tu perfil.
Te agradecemos también que respetes las reglas de este foro acerca de la correcta ortografía, al menos en tu propio idioma, gracias
I'm going to assume you are talking about the U.S. I personally don't mind (if I did, I wouldn't be learning Spanish 
); however, the U.S. is a predominately English-speaking country and I guess some people want it to say that way. I see no reason as to why people couldn't speak in a different language. Maybe some Americans have the ideal that the world is centered around America. Unfortunately for them, that is not the case. In my opinion, people who act like this are somewhat ignorant and should probably just be ignored.
This is a bit mystifying to me. It is one thing if you are a tourist, of course. It would be darned hard to get any tourists come visit, if they are required to learn the language first. But if you are going to spend a significant amount of time in a country where a different language is spoken, the least anyone can do is try and learn at least the basic pleasantries!
I think it is extremely rude when some Anglo person comes to live in a Hispanic country, and never bothers to learn the language, but rather expects everyone to understand his/her English.
By the same token, I am not impressed by the Hispanic immigrants who have been in the USA for 15, 20 years, and hardly speak a word of English. Apart from being rude, it is plain silly. You are so terribly constrained!
I believe that even if you are just visiting a country as a tourist, it pays to learn at least to say "hello", "thank you", "Terribly sorry, I don't speak this language", and "oh, please, where is the bathroom!"
La verdad es que no es bueno hacer generalizaciónes. Jamás. Las experiencias de uno no serán iguales a cualquier otro. Por ejemplo lo que contó sfrenchie de la Belga. He viajado cruzando ese país en camino a Holanda quizás 20 veces y a mi parecer los Woloons no hablan con los de habla Francés, ni la revés. La empresa dónde trabajé tenía su sede Europea en la Belga asíque tuvimos mucho que ver con ellos y siempre ha sido gran problema comunicar con ellos. The truth is that one should never ever make generalizations. One's experiences are not the same as someone elses. For example what sfrenchie relates about Belgium. I have personally travelled through Belgium on my way to Holand - probably 20 times (probably way more) and my observations were that the Belgium Woloons rarely speak to the French Belgiums and vice versa. The company that I worked for had it's European headquarters in Belgium so I had a lot to do with them and it was always a huge, I mean huge, problem communicating.
People are people, whichever language they speak. Some polite, some not - some tolerant some not (or not so much)! Some willing to put work into learning a second (or third, fourth....) language, some not, and so on and so on.
You can't please all of the people all of the time.
Speaking as a native English person, I would say 'You can't please the English much of the time', we're a nation of grumblers!
That was one of my few generalisations but it is intended to be taken as humorous. 
While all excellent answers, none of them are in Spanish. For her benefit, would someone give her the gist of the answers (not word for word - just the recurring themes)? Thanks, gang.
Thank you maripositaxx ! I hope she appreciates your effort.
