1. Your family is always commenting on the fact that you don’t speak Spanish (even though it’s not your fault you weren’t taught).
You may even have that grandparent who doesn’t speak that much English and either playfully yells at you for not learning or only interacts with you by saying “hi” and “I love you”. On holidays and special occasions, they share stories and catch up while you sit trying to figure out what they are all laughing about (as you suspect it might be you).
2. There’s always that one person who thinks it's okay to give you a lecture on how you are not “embracing your culture”.
You may have even encountered the occasional person who tells you are in fact not Hispanic. So not only is the fact that Spanish wasn’t spoken around the house for you to learn the language your fault but now we supposedly have no claim over a part of our identity. It’s even worse when these comments come from other Hispanics. It's not good enough that you can order a whole plate of food without even a glance at google translate.
3. When you were a kid your parents definitely spoke in Spanish so you wouldn’t understand what they were saying.
Now that I am older I can piece together a conversation but my mom conveniently switches languages when she is speaking about something serious (or talking about me). But they are also the people you turn to for a translation when a family friend starts talking to you in Spanish.
4. When you go to the hair salon the ladies talk to you in Spanish until you piece together enough words to understand what they are saying.
One of the most dreaded events is when I have to get my haircut and the lady washing my hair is directing me in Spanish. We look at each in frustration as she repeats the same word for the fourth time. Finally, after a series of gestures, I finally realize she was trying to get me to sit up.
5. Strangers come up to you and ask you for directions in Spanish until they figure out you have no idea what they are saying.
Nothing is more embarrassing than when you are at work or on the street and someone comes up to you obviously in distress and starts asking you questions in Spanish. And you can’t interrupt so you wait until they are finished before informing them that your Spanish is both bad and limited. And lastly that disappointed look they give you as they look for someone else’s help.
6. All those times someone has spoken to you in Spanish and you smile and nod in response till they move on.
You laugh when they laugh and sometimes you can actually make it seem like you understood everything they said. Other times you may get that knowing look and a quick “you don’t speak Spanish?” that comes with another look of pity. Maybe even had someone ask you to translate something for them.
7. You can’t help thinking how easier life would be if you were bilingual.
Stare at your friends in longing as they interact in fluent Spanish (without you). When people mention how much easier it will be to find a job when you can speak more than one language. How great it would be to be able to go to Puerto Rico and not have to study so you don’t look like a tourist.
8. When everyone around you tells you how easy it is to learn Spanish.
And don’t get me wrong, for some people it’s easy. But it’s a lot easier to learn it when you're learning how to speak in general. Personally, I have taken two Spanish classes in college (passed both) and I still have yet to understand enough to have a proper conversation. When your Spanish speaking friends tell you they’ll help you but don’t actually understand how it feels to have to learn in your twenties. They were pros when they were still rocking diapers. And they don't hesitate to call you out when you attempt to speak in Spanish and completely mess up the ending of each word. You may have even had that one family friend who tells you the quickest way to learn a language is to date someone who speaks it fluently.
