Any of y'all ever been in a foreign country where the natives

[raccoon]

Speak a language other than English, and heard one of the natives say, “speak French, German, or Norwegian, or Chinese” or whatever their native language is?

(Of course, in order to understand what was said, you would have to know French, German, Norwegian, Chinese, etc.)

Just wondering if that is only an American thing.

[malaise]

1. Yes

Years ago one of my nephews and I were in a small shop in Denmark. He was speaking English because I don't speak Danish and the owner (who knew him) asked him why he was speaking English and he told him that his aunt doesn't speak Danish.

[Awsi Dooger]

3. I'm amazed because I'm naming the same country

I have traveled extensively through Europe many times, and since age 12. As soon as I read the OP the only example that stood out to me was Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen when I was 15.

I was watching an outdoor stage performance when a father and son standing behind me began talking to me. I had no idea what they were saying. This went on for several minutes. I tried to politely explain to them I did not understand. They became increasingly miffed and non accepting. Finally the father got a mean facial expression and both started gesturing at me. I gave up, then turned around to face the stage as my dad told me they were ranting that I should be speaking Danish. He thought it was funny but I remained shook up, which is obvious since I remember the incident more than 40 years later.

To this day I have no clue what they were trying to tell me.

[malaise]

4. Big sis told me that Danes can be very insular

To be fair that was my only incident in four decades although I've only been five times,
Happy travels

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. But did he then pitch a fit over your nephew and you speaking English?

Did he DEMAND you speak Danish?

Why do I think the answer to both questions is no?

[malaise]

6. It was his tone - it startled my nephew

but he did not throw a fit like some I have seen in the US

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Right. Notice the remarkable difference compared to how Americans all too often behave.

[malaise]

8. Agree

[GulfCoast66]

16. Americans don't "too often" behave this way.

In fact it is rare enough that if recorded it becomes an internet meme.

I’ve traveled enough overseas to know we are no more blessed with dumb shits than any other country. Definitely more vocal as we can say what we want. But no more full of dumb shits. I listened to a man in Austria tell me how the Germans had the right idea in WWII about keeping out foreigners. Unmentioned was the fact they actually killed them.

[Victor_c3]

29. Denmark was the only nation I had issues in too

They were friendly enough, but I had the hardest time getting around in that country as the bit of foreign languages I spoke were of no use. I speak German, I can fake Spanish, and I can get by in Arabic.

Fortunately, pointing, smiling, and being patient was good enough for most people.

[malaise]

33. That's what I found

I never have a problem getting around because big sis and her family are there.
I love the place.

[treestar]

76. Odd because tourism

would be an industry there as much as any other European country, I would have guessed.

[ZZenith]

2. The French will speak English with you

but will make no effort to disguise their dismay that you haven’t learned French yet.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. I will say that the times I was in France, and they were all in the 1970s, I never was treated badly

because of my limited French.

My best story is this: I went to the Air France office in Paris to reconfirm my return flight to the states. The people in front of me spoke English with the Air France employee, so I knew she spoke excellent English. However, I started my conversation with her in French, and even though it was extremely obvious I was an American, she stuck with French. For many years I wondered about that, and once, when I described to a French person about what I happened, I was assured that I was being paid a high compliment. If that Air France employee had honestly thought I couldn't really carry on the exchange in French, she'd have switched immediately to English. The fact she stayed in French was a compliment to me.

[GulfCoast66]

20. Hah. Know what you mean. 5 years ago I was planning our trip to Lyon.

Our credit card concierge was able to make all the reservations I wanted except for one Bouchon in which I really wanted to eat. The concierge could not reach them. I figured out why...they did not answer the phone during service hours and left as quick as they could when service was over.

So I called at 2:05pm Lyon time and a lady answered. I went thru an exhausting time making my reservation in French. It was ugly. At the end of the call she summed up my reservation in perfect English! I but a guy laughing! When asked why she went through the drama of listening to my bad French, her answer was classic. “But Sir, you need the practice”! Turns out she was the owner and I met her when we ate there.

[ProfessorGAC]

68. Lyon Story

I left Rome and flew into Lyon.
I had business in that area for a couple days.
I landed around 9:30pm.
So, customs, immigration, the off to get rental car. (A really nice Peugeot, BTW)
I get to counter & 3 young women are waiting.
I lay credit card & passport on counter, and the 3 had a look on their faces like someone just kicked their dog.
In perfect English, one says "You're an american!". I confirm.
She then says, " I'm very sorry but we don't have cars for Americans. ". Me, " Huh?"
She says they have no cars with automatic transmission! They're freaking out over this.
I assumed them that many, many Americans can drive a stick, we just generally choose not to.
They smiled in relief, gave me my keys, and off I went.

[GulfCoast66]

69. The last time I rented a car there was to go to Dijon and Reims

Was so excited about getting to drive a stick again. Got there to find they automatically given me an automatic transmission! And I could not make a change. The lady said Americans can’t drive a stick shift! Worst shifting car I’ve ever driven.

[ProfessorGAC]

70. Essentially The Opposite!

That's really odd!
I used to drive the band truck. I'm no longer ever excited to drive a stick!
355 V-8 on a full truck of 20,000 pounds meant a whole lot of shifting. That was plenty.

[raccoon]

80. Was this a long time ago? Nt

[ProfessorGAC]

81. Guessing 2008 or 2009

Wasn't my last time there, by quite a bit.
Last time i was there was late 2015.
So, I'm guessing 6 or 7 years earlier.
Before 2005, I never went to that site through Lyon, so had to be after that.

[Happy Hoosier]

21. I had one a,using incident in France...

Most of the time, people who could speak English to me did with no apparent complaints. And every time O encountered someone who could not speak English, I was able to make myself understood in my terrible rudimentary French. Once, a t a restaurant, charming young woman stopped me while I tried using French and checked and said, “I appreciate your efforts, but you are much more likely to get what you want if we use English.” I just gave her. “bien, sûr” and switched to English.

[Aristus]

34. When I was in France, the only people who had a problem with my English

were British tourists, who liked to make fun of American English.

The French were very polite and helpful, both in French and in English.

[Ms. Toad]

74. Oops - attached this to the wrong post. n/t

[Victor_c3]

38. The only people I saw being rude in France were English speakers

I reeked of American Soldier when visited there several times between 2003 and 2007, when our popularity was generally low with the war on Iraq and all and nobody was anything but great to me.

I was in Paris during thanksgiving and I was determined to find turkey for dinner. I was really proud of the fact that I found turkey - Indian curry turkey (I know it had nothing to do native Americans, but I still thought it was funny).

[ZZenith]

40. I'm not saying the French are rude.

They just don’t like hearing their language butchered and would rather continue in a foreign language than suffer through the noise of less civilized people.

I LOVE the French. And all one has to do is at least make the attempt to speak their language and then they’ll get this pained look on their face, correct all your mispronunciations and then continue the conversation in perfect English and accommodate whatever it was you were asking for.

[moriah]

62. That was my impression from having to call Quebec.

They very much appreciated me making the effort to attempt to start in French, as respect for their preferred language....

But my accent was horrible, and so in order to keep me from continuing to murder such a beautiful language, they preferred to stop the bloodshed early by switching to what was clearly my native tongue (I have a Southern US accent, I can only *imagine* what I sounded like...).

[EllieBC]

41. That happens in Quebec too.

They also hate hearing Anglos speak French though. They just hate non-native French speakers full stop.

[moriah]

61. I won't criticize, but can testify to the fact that....

... if I called one of our French Canadian stores and started in English, I would get hung up on before I could explain it was important.

If I started out in French, they IMMEDIATELY switched to English, because I was clearly murdering their poor language and they wanted to make me stop, fast.

[treestar]

78. Had that too - they claim not to be able to understand

presumably because your pronunciation is so bad.

[treestar]

77. I found in the old days they could not understand your French

because it was so bad. Not so much in later times.

[unc70]

10. A number of times, mostly in 1970s

Particularly in Germany. Neither my wife nor I spoke German at the time. She was fluent in French and passable in Italian, I was functional in French. But at that time, relatively few people in Europe could or would speak English. Signs were rarely in anything other than the local language, even in places like train stations.

[phylny]

11. No.

We went to Italy last year. Most people spoke English, plus their native Italian, plus a possible dialect, plus Spanish and maybe French.

Now, we helped a Nonna traveling by train to see her grandchildren and I spoke a little Italian, but mostly gestured and used Google translate on my phone to let her know we would stay with her and yes, our train was a bit late, but we would be sure she got to it on time and make sure she found her car. As we parted, she said to me, in Italian, "Next time in Italy, you speak Italian!" But she was being good-natured and was proud that an Italian-American loved her country so much.

I spoke Spanish to a man who only spoke Spanish and Italian. My favorite part of that ride to the airport was him asking, in Spanish, "Your husband - does he speak or understand Spanish?" When I answered that no, he did not, he grinned and said, "All the better!" Good flirting there

[GulfCoast66]

12. Kind of...

Im fortunate that I have been able to visit Europe over 10 times.

I studied French online seriously for over a year and it served me very well. Far, far from Fluent, but can get around OK And speaking French at all will greatly improve your experience and the treatment you receive.

Once in a bar in Lyon I was speaking with a few people I had met a few night prior. Mostly in English but in French where my limit ability allowed. A man was leaving the bar and approached me kind of haughtily. Told me I should learn better French before I tried to speak it! Then he left. The folks I was speaking with seemed horrified. I just laughed.

I learned long ago Americans don’t have a monopoly on being an asshole. You find them everywhere.

[lindysalsagal]

13. Most will mix their limited english w anything you offer them

And smile and nod and point to maps, or turn on google translate.

The few who hate us pretend they have no english at all. Scowl, and proceed to completely ignore you.

[Chili]

54. I LOVE

...your cat .gif!

[lindysalsagal]

66. Stole it from a Du'er!

[Chili]

73. I blew it up so I could see it better

I take care of 7 cats, all feral / strays - 3 of them come & go inside / outside. I'm crackin' up! Two of them are heading in that direction!

[TlalocW]

14. From what I understand

If you speak German, you'll never actually get the chance to in Germany as everyone will want to try out their English on you.

TlalocW

[Happy Hoosier]

22. The last time I was in Germany, almost everyone spoke English to me...

Even though I speak a little German. and yeah, it seemed less about them disregarding my poor German, as it was they were excited to use their English, which varied from pretty rough to quite good. One restaurant there staff did not speak English but I spoke enough German to successfully order our meal.

[FakeNoose]

25. That has been my experience as well

I've been to Germany, Austria, Switzerland about 7 times in the last 30 years. I can speak and read enough passable German to get around, but I wouldn't say that I'm fluent. Whenever I make the attempt to speak German, they will immediately understand that I'm an American and they'll speak English to me.

I get that it's polite for them to do that, however I really want to try out my German.

[Aristus]

35. The Germans are wonderful.

If you ask a German if he/she speaks English, and the reply is "A little", it means they speak it fluently.

[smirkymonkey]

52. I agree. I studied in Austria and lived with an Austrian family while I was there, but they

really wanted their daughters to get the experience to speak perfect English while they were with me. It was amazing, because they would have me read their English homework papers and their English was almost flawless, probably better than teenagers in the US.

They had a distinct accent, but their grammar and syntax were excellent. On the other hand, I was trying to learn to speak German from them, although I had lessons at my school, I wanted them to improve my German pronunciation. It was kind of a trade-off.

[MaryMagdaline]

15. In Germany our waiter groused "You are in Germany but I'm speaking English"

In Miami, I heard German tourists complaining that no one spoke English.

In France when I tried to speak French (badly) the woman in the store yelled at me “Speak English!”

It’s a mixed bag.

[COLGATE4]

17. Years ago I worked with a Hungarian gentleman

who spoke seven languages with native fluency. Born in Hungary to a Hungarian father and German mother he learned those languages from them plus Russian from his Nana. He later studied in Sweden where he picked up the language plus his wife. After that, learning French, Italian and English (the last) was a snap. I can't vouch for the other languages but his English (British to be sure) was absolutely impeccable. You could not distinguish him from a native speaker.

While this man is remarkable for having mastered these languages it is not at all uncommon to find students in Europe who speak three or four languages fluently. Here, not so much...

[DFW]

48. By the time I was halfway through college

I spoke Swedish, French, Spanish, Catalan and Russian. It may not be common, but it‘s not unheard-of.

[COLGATE4]

64. What degree of fluency did you have in each?

[DFW]

65. Differing degrees

Spanish and Catalan near native, as I had lived with a Catalan family while going to school in Barcelona in my teens. Even today, when I speak Catalan in Barcelona, people sometimes tell me I have almost lost my accent, but they can still tell I'm from Mallorca, which speaks a version of Catalan that is close, but not completely identical to the Barcelona version. Even native Mallorcans sometimes assume I'm from there. In other parts of Spain, they say I have a slight Catalan accent in my Castilian. In Latin America, they just assume I'm from somewhere in Spain, unless I make a conscious effort to adjust my accent. I usually don't bother. I just come across as would a Brit making an unsuccessful attempt to imitate an American accent. I'm not Hugh Laurie.

French--close to native, but not entirely, as I wasn't up on all the latest slang. Now, they rarely peg me for a foreigner, though in Marseille or Toulouse, I come across as a northerner (Paris, Lille, etc.). I can imitate a Marseille accent somewhat, but it's difficult to master, and if you get it wrong, they get pissed, thinking you are making fun of them, which the Parisians always do. It's best not to go there.

Swedish--fully conversational, got taken for a Norwegian at times by Swedes. Swedish was (I thought, anyway) the easiest language for a native speaker of English to learn, due to its simplified grammar and easy vocabulary. Today, it takes Swedes a few minutes to discern that I'm not one of them, though I don't resemble a typical Swede ethnically.

Russian--I could make myself understood easily enough, and I was complimented on my accent and pronunciation, but I had the dilemma of never having been there. All I knew was from reading 18th, 19th and early 20th century literature and seeing a few old Soviet era films. When I finally set foot in Russia many years later, they looked at me as if I were Rip van Winkle, and asked if I felt well-rested after having been asleep for the last 100 years. My Russian was sort of like what you'd expect of the English of someone who had just stepped out of an Arthur Conan Doyle novel, and dropped in for a brief visit. Obviously I have improved somewhat since then, but I still am lacking in modern slang, so no matter how good my accent is, there is still no way I pass for a native speaker.

These days, I have added Italian, Dutch and, of course, German and Swiss German. Italians sometimes mistake me for someone from "another part" of Italy, but I still make enough mistakes (or lack words) to betray me eventually. With Dutch, I am close to native, have even testified in a Dutch court against some bad guys without needing any language help. They usually spot me for a foreigner eventually--usually thinking I grew up in South Africa, and haven't completely lost my Afrikaans. German--depends on where I am. In Bavaria, I'm a "Preiss (Preusse, or Prussian, the southern German version of yankee)." In the north they either think I'm a native from somewhere else, or from the British Isles. In Switzerland, they just assume I'm from another Kanton, as each one has their own different dialect.

[Hortensis]

18. :) Mexico. Not terribly uncommon for people whose jobs

didn't require catering to tourists/visitors to pretend not to understand English. Or to pretend not to understand my stumbling Spanish when they did.

Of course.

[Foolacious]

28. What made you think they were pretending not to speak English?

We live in an expat-heavy area and nevertheless the vast majority of folks here, especially outside of tourist-oriented services, truly speak no English at all, beyond a handful of courtesy words like “thank you”. And sometimes they struggle to understand me even with my pretty conversational Spanish in a pretty good accent, if I phrase things in a way that is just not what they’re used to.

[Hortensis]

32. We've spent a fair amount of time in Mexico and certainly

know a lot of people don't English, especially outside cities.

[panader0]

19. No. But when I've traveled in Mexico or Central America,

the people seemed pleased with my Spanish, even though I'm not exactly fluent,
I can communicate. I said (in Spanish)--when you talk to me do me a favor and speak
slowly, because when you speak too fast I can't understand. They laughed.
Americans have much to learn from people of other countries.

[no_hypocrisy]

23. Just the opposite:

I toured France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in 1979. I studied intermediate French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Could speak in conversational terms. Even had the direct objects, indirect objects, and all the past tenses in order.

I was kind of disappointed when I tried out my skills on locals/natives, only to be answered in English with an underlying message of "Don't knock yourself out. We know English better than you know (whatever language)."

[FakeNoose]

27. Yes that's exactly it

They all learn English from grade school on up, plus in movies and television, rock songs and their entire culture. They all have English as a 2nd language. The internet is really where they all use English constantly. Meanwhile in the US hardly anyone bothers learning a 2nd language and we're not so great with our first language either.

You go to Europe and everyone speaks at least 3 languages, and probably understands another 2 or 3 even though they're not fluent. No wonder they think we're so stupid, because we are.

[MuseRider]

24. Actually no and that got me to thinking

how damned sad it is that I always expected people to either know some English or to at least try to get what I was saying. How damned special we think we are, enough so that I, who never would claim to be special because I was an American, did not even see what that thinking actually was. Arghhh. Of course I was never mad or rude when they did not try or was not able to get what I was saying, I just simply assumed they would know. Even in Russia where it seemed nobody knew English at all. Still, to your point, nobody ever expected me to know their language enough that they were angry.

I have seen Americans in other countries yell at people for not understanding them and certainly here some people do that a lot.

I am glad you thought if this. It is certainly worth all of us thinking about.

[betsuni]

26. My niece and nephew became rapid nationalists because of my English addiction.

I'm bad at talking, even in my native English. My mother had the same disability but even worse She couldn't finish a sentence. She'd come to the middle of a sentence and forget where it was going and give up. It was like she wasn't a native speaker. I often had to translate for her when out in public. I took first year French three times (junior high, high school, college) and just couldn't get beyond individual words. I have a problem. I'm language stupid.

I live in Japan and my husband is Japanese. We speak English to each other. SCANDAL. The niece and nephew obviously heard their parents complaining about my poor Japanese ability and became distressed whenever they heard me speaking English, they hated it! They're adults now, but when they were kids it was pretty funny how they were nationalistic language police.

On the other hand, I freaked out when the niece showed me her copy of "Little Sambo" she was reading for school.

[brooklynite]

30. No it is not...

First, you are describing the role of a foreign tourist, not a resident or immigrant. If you were living in France or Germany the expectation that you would speak the local language wouldn’t be a matter of debate, and there wouldn’t be anything approaching the level of level of accommodation in signs and official documents that you get in the US.

[obamanut2012]

43. that's a good point

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

44. An expectation is different from yelling at 2 Algerians on their lunch break, or whatever

(minding their own business), to "SPEAK SPANISH!!". Might it happen? Sure. Is it as common as it is here? Probably not. Maybe their bigots prefer to keep it to themselves and their fellow bigots who agree with them.

[SKKY]

31. I lived in Spain for just over 18 years...

...never once had the Spanish version of Karen yell at me in the street to speak Spanish. Also, throughout my 20 year Navy career, I have had the pleasure of living in and visiting more than 15 countries. Didn't experience anything like that either. It's a uniquely American thing from my experience.

[MineralMan]

36. Everywhere I have gone, I have tried to learn enough of the language

to be at least polite with greetings, thanks, apologies, requests for directions, and to be able to count and understand numbers. The one sentence I learn first in every language is: "I am sorry I speak [language] so poorly."

That effort has always paid off, since I get some points for at least trying.

I've never had a problem at all in any country.

[dreamland]

37. Same here. Just start with a general greeting and they'll start

Speaking English with me because they realize that I'm not native. But the attitude is so different, they seem happier to help.

[elevator]

39. I've lived out of the US four times and do currently.

I lived in Mexico for six months, Belgium, for a year, where they speak both Flemish and French and Germany for a year. I learned early on if you would just try to speak their language at first they would welcome you and then speak English. Picking up enough of a language quickly to get by is one of my few talents. I always enjoyed learning the other languages and knew I was progressing when I could make a joke in that language. Flemish was the hardest language to try to learn.

I have lived in Mexico now for almost six years and while nowhere near fluent I have no problems with conversing in Spanish if needed. It is very beneficial for older brains to learn a new language.

[obamanut2012]

42. Yes, it happened in France

Because my schoolgirl French is so bad, and I was in a tourist area, and I asked, in French, if they spoke English, and was told no. So, I spoke my very bad French, and the dude became annoyed and semi-yelled at me to just speak English, because my French was so bad. His English was perfect.

Two years before, I was in Germany, in a non-touristy area, and spoke my also bad tourist German, and the man listened to me, smiled, and started speaking excellent English, and thanked me for trying.

Every time I have been to Quebec, I have people refuse to speak to me in English, so they get to hear my terrible French.

I live in an area where Spanglish is spoken more than you would think, and I've gotten pretty good at that!

I am fluent in Latin, and very proficient in Italian.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

46. Isn't that the opposite? They seemed to be yelling at you to "SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE!!!". nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

63. Latin is the key to Romance languages.

I took Spanish in junior high, from native speakers (easy to find in Texas), Latin in high school, and later in life, Italian. I learned to sing in French, German and Italian.

I was young enough when I took Spanish (10-11-12) that it stuck.

There was a kid in my high school Latin class who said, "I learn my English in Latin class, and my Latin in English class." Some teacher got all over his case and didn't understand. When I took Latin I realized what a terrible language English is. It was so nice to not need pronouns because of subject-object-verb and noun and verb endings. My grandmother, dad and sister had all taken it so I took it. Basically, I didn't have a choice. They said "It's good for you. It helps you understand English".

Of course I learned the ancient rhymes "Sum, esse, fui, Latin is screwy" and "Latin is a dead language, dead as dead can be, first it killed the Romans and now it's killing me." I had trouble learning all the cases and the endings, but I was dead on with English words derived from Latin. The medical profession is mostly Greek with some Latin as well. The "People named Romani, they go to the house" graffiti skit in Life of Brian is a hoot. I'm sure all those guys got the classical Latin & Greek education.


People who become lawyers have to learn some Old French and Latin. I have heard so many law students with no Latin background mangle "res ipsa loquitur". They told us that "Mortgage" means "death grip" in Old French. Very appropriate.

German baffles me totally.

[grantcart]

45. In Thailand if you can speak 6 Thai words they heap effusive praise over you

If you are conversant they call you older/younger brother/sister.


If you are fluent then you are automatically a "professor"


If you die and leave your body to the medical university you are widely admired and are called "Master Professor".

[sarisataka]

47. I have had the experience of talking to

A foreign person while in a country neither of us were native to. We also did not speak each other's native language so had to communicate in a 3rd language that we had in common but was different than the country we were in.

[DFW]

49. The key to a friendly reception where they speak a language other than your own

At least ASK if they know English if that's all you know.

One reason many people in other countries think so many of us are ignorant buffoons is that so many of us just barge into some shop, hotel or restaurant and start out speaking English as if they were in the middle of Maryland. The Germans are disliked for the same reason, especially in countries that they occupied in World War II. They often barge into stores or locales and start speaking German as if it were still 1942.

In countries I have visited in the last 20 years where I spoke none of the local language (Hungary, Romania, e.g.), I learned at least enough to explain in the local language that I speak none of theirs. If your pronunciation is TOO good, they think you're putting them on. In Budapest, at the airport, we got a taxi, and I must have said "good morning (jó reggelt) " a little too convincingly. The driver assumed I spoke fluent Hungarian and started gabbing away as if I had been born there. It took some convincing before he believed me when I said I spoke no Hungarian--in Hungarian. Unfortunately, he knew no other language. Luckily, before leaving for Budapest, I had asked a Transylvanian friend what the Hungarian word for "hotel" was: száloda.

In countries I regularly visit for work, I never speak English anyway, unless there is some special reason I need to pass for an ignorant (as in knows little) American. That is usually not the case, and if you're somewhere regularly for work, you're an idiot if you DON'T learn the local language. If I'm in France or Holland or Zürich pretty much every week, they have every right to expect me to speak French, Dutch, or Schwyzerdüütsch. If someone from France, Holland or Switzerland is in the USA every week for work, we have every right to expect them to speak English, after all.

But it's just as polite (or, rather, impolite) to go to Barcelona and immediately start speaking English as it is for someone from Barcelona to walk into a store in midtown Manhattan and start speaking Catalan. The difference is that most Catalans will never do that, and most Americans will.

[steve2470]

59. you are right, as usual

When I was in Germany, I would say " My German is horrible " ( Mein Deutsch ist schrecklich , if that's correct ). They would smile, maybe laugh, and then speak enough English to help me complete my transaction. So I at least tried, and they were hospitable.

[Chili]

50. Tahiti

The Tahitian people - poor, discriminated against, with little hope of improvement - at least 20 years ago - were sad in demeanor and seemed condemned to their circumstances - at least that's how a tourist may see them. It hurt me to see them so unengaged when out in public.

But I was lucky enough to come upon a large dance rehearsal for an up-and-coming event, where there were no French Tahitians visible, no horribly obnoxious French tourists. Just me. I asked permission to stay and watch, and they let me. They were joyous and free and it almost made me cry to see the difference. They are at the bottom of the economic scale, on their own island, the French and partial-French Tahitians, and anyone who had any money to buy the best land, ruled and ran the country, and probably still do. Tahiti is still a part of the French Republic, islands known as French Polynesia. And it was crawling with French tourists so arrogant and dismissive that I stopped even looking at them. It was awful, but I wasn't there to see them. I was alone for 10 days, and loved it and the Tahitian people and their beautiful islands (oh Moorea!). They were kind to me, and I appreciated their hospitality.

And yes... French Polynesia and the Hawaiian islands. Similar histories, but not the same today.

I will continue to hope that something can change for them, and improve the quality of life for the people who lost their island to British oversight when Captains Wallis and Cook (with Bligh), and then Bligh and the Bounty, visited them in the 1770's (and so did de Bouganville of the French). Have not forgotten that Bligh's mission was to collect breadfruit plants to feed the slaves in Caribbean plantations. But they were essentially a free kingdom until France colonized the islands in 1880. It has never been the same.

[Zorro]

51. I was in Miami once

and the store owner gave me shit for not speaking Spanish.

[GulfCoast66]

53. DFW makes an excellent point. Almost all of us have experienced Europe as tourists.

I have no doubt that if an American moved to France the expectation would be that you learn decent French. Especially if you were wanted to take employment.

I read an article by someone who thought about moving to France after college. He spoke little French and what dissuaded him was the fact that all government paperwork is only in French and they do not provide an interrupter. And he said there would have been lots of paperwork.

I know you cannot become a French citizen without being able to speak, read and write French. They take their language seriously.

I visited Iceland last year. Everyone speaks English. But unless hired as a tourist worker on a temporary visa and want to really move there the expectation is that you will speak Icelandic. I was told this by a couple we met on a food tour in Paris! After the tour we went out to eat with them. We kept in touch and they had us to their home for Dinner one night.

[Decoy of Fenris]

56. I can second that. America is, if not unique, at least head and shoulders above most countries.

For as xenophobic as we can be, the catering to multiple languages is one of the strengths I've not seen at -all- in other countries, in my personal experiences. If you live in China, you speak Chinese. Live in France (as mentioned), speak French. Live in Italy, speak Italian. It's just an expectation that apparently doesn't need explaining, nor do those governments seem keen on offering alternatives that we have here in the U.S. I've lost multiple job prospects to the language barrier, and perhaps the burden of that was on me in having something of an expectation of tolerance or acceptance that we normally display here in the states.

[treestar]

79. That's a good point. Obviously living there

you would be expected to learn some of the language. You would not think that unreasonable yourself. I know I would learn it and make efforts to learn it.

There are Americans who fear this cultural takeover thing by immigrants, which has never happened and wouldn't because immigrants don't make up a majority and that of any one nation.

I think we do have Spanish as a second language, and possibly a few people could survive in the US speaking Spanish and no English, but generally people will become bi-lingual and the next generation always will.

There are also those who fear some other country becoming predominant - also absurd. English is not spoken all around the world because the US has been the predominant superpower and England before it.

[Decoy of Fenris]

55. Multiple times in two countries. Italy and Spain.

Not counting the time when the Brits I was staying with insisted I speak "English, not American" during a particularly colloquialism-filled rant.

[meadowlander]

57. Yes, but in fairness I wasn't a tourist.

I'd lived and worked there for five years and some of my coworkers wanted to know why I didn't really speak the language. Mostly I was just too busy to learn and a bit rubbish at foreign languages generally.

[steve2470]

58. I was in Germany two years ago and the natives were great except for one...

Background: I went to the former East Berlin part of Berlin to explore. I went into a small sports bar. My first night there, I used my Google Translate app extensively on my phone and a friend of the owner, who was tending bar, helped me.

The second night, I only had my app to fall back on. A German (from Munich) guy at the bar wanted to talk to me, so we spoke in English, since his English was very good and my German was almost non-existent.

Long story short, the owner grew fed up with the English, told the Munich guy in German that we must speak German, and he refused. After a few more minutes, we both grew very uncomfortable and left. He said that was an unheard of occurrence to him, and he was a native-born German from a large city.

My guess is the bar owner might have grown up in East Berlin, when it was controlled by the Russians, and learned only Russian and German.

[littlemissmartypants]

60. Bigotry lives everywhere. It's not exclusive to one country or another. ❤ nt

[steve2470]

67. last kick nt

[Beringia]

71. I was in a group of East Indians

And I was talking about morning coffee and they quickly steered the topic to Tea, not what you are saying but I felt something like cultural conformism

[Behind the Aegis]

72. It isn't only an American thing.

As some others have explained, there are definitely other places who have a negative reaction to a language other than theirs being spoken. I hate to break it to you, but bigotry is limited to the US. Sorry, not sorry. France is notorious for demanding people speck French if they live in France, though they discourage others speaking it, unless it is to their level of liking. A problem in of itself. Greece is another place where "Greek Only" signs can be found. Much of the 'speak my language' issues revolve around immigration, so areas with large immigrant populations, one will easily find "speak THIS language" as opposed to whatever the "offender" is speaking.

While many places in Europe....Western Europe, to be exact, do speak English, some amazingly well, not all places speak English, even the basics, so some places do enjoy when foreigners speak their language, even if badly. Interestingly, in Poland, few natives spoke English, but immigrants to Poland, they did speak English! I met one immigrant, who originally thought I was German, and when he saw my confused look (he rattled off German quickly), he apologized, then spoke very broken Spanish, assuming I was from Spain. I can speak Spanish. Eventually, it came out I was not from Europe, but American, and he all but jumped over the counter in his excitement. He spoke very good English and when he explained he was an immigrant from Sophia, to which I interrupted and said, "Oh, you're from Bulgaria? Neat!" He came around and hugged me...apparently he was impressed I knew something about his country. Didn't hurt he was a hottie!! He explained there were so many immigrants in Krakow, that the only way to really communicate without knowing several languages fluently, including Polish, was to know English. He said it was easier for him to understand English from foreigners, than it was to understand their Polish.

In Berlin, most spoke English, but many allowed me to stumble through with my self-taught German, correcting me as I spoke. I think I impressed more than a few Germans when they realized I had taught myself some basic German in a few months prior to my travels, and that, when I was corrected, I would repeat the corrected phrase twice. I went to a gay bar one night, and there were only 5 people the first night. The bartender, a Pole, spoke no English and broken German; I impressed him with a few Polish words; big mistake...he refused to let me order in English or German; I had to order in Polish. LOL! The others sitting at the bar spoke English to me and helped me with my German. The second night, all the same folks and one more, well, that night, they mainly spoke German, and I had to keep up. When I got overwhelmed, they would speak some English to make sure I was understanding. It was AWESOME!!

I will add one more thing, because it is a HUGE pet peeve. Do NOT make fun of Americans who are trying to speak a foreign language because their accent is "wrong". It really pissed me off how many people here (and other liberal sites) ragged on Pete Buttigieg and Cory Booker's Spanish because of their "accent." For fuck's sake, one of the questioner's (I can't think of his name right off hand) spoke with a VERY heavily accented English. If someone made fun of him it would have been called bigoted or racist. I even saw one arrogant comment here, where the poster actually bragged about telling people to speak English as opposed to trying to speak French to him. People rag on Americans (and other Anglo-speakers) for being monolingual, but as soon as they attempt to speak another language, if their proficiency is not native or near-native, they are shamed for daring to speak in another language. STOP IT!

[Ms. Toad]

75. No problems in

Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Russia
Georgia
Usbekistan

In each of those countries, although I made some effort to learn a bit of the language, all were eager to use their English. (The latter three were while they were part of the Soviet Union.)

I haven't been to France - but I've heard reports of problems there.