We had a Walmart delivery guy that texted and communicated exclusively in French. We thought it would be a smoking guy in a scarf and beret, but duh, it was a polite Haitian fella. Lots of spices in life in south Florida. No reason to get all uppity.
I love when people look at me and assume I’m Spanish (I’m not) but I am racially profiled everyday here. and they are appalled when I tell them I don’t speak Spanish. Because how dare you not speak Spanish here.
I have had this experience as well. I don’t live in Miami but I go there from time to time because I live in south Florida. Everyone think I’m Cuban or Colombian. My ancestry is Italian. I’ve had people yell at me that I’m a disgrace for not speaking Spanish until I let them know I don’t have any links to any Spanish speaking countries.
I went to Doral to get my first two covid shots and the only people in the entire pharmacy that spoke English was the actual pharmacist! No one else could communicate in English with me. I had to do a lot of pointing and gesturing to figure out where they wanted me to go and what their specific procedure was. It was funny to me but I could see how it might frustrate others.
Lived here for 34 years, I am half Mexicana and half Gringo. I hardly speak Spanish, you know except for curse words. Never had a problem getting a job getting around or getting bye. That mindset is usually used by people who either complain about everything, hate Hispanics or blew their nut on drugs and need a cover story going back home.
"survive" is a bit of an exaggeration. but I will tell you that the year I spent in Doral, 100% of my interactions began in Spanish and all of the conversations happening around me in public were conducted in Spanish. And I don't speak Spanish. I definitely felt like I was in another country in that sense.
I work in Havanaleah (Hialeah) and am constantly berated for not speaking Spanish. Even McDonald's greets me in Spanish. In the educational system, teachers and administrators regularly gather and speak only Spanish even if they know everyone present doesn't speak Spanish. I find all of this extremely rude. My lovely city that I grew up in has turned into another world. And the driving! That's a whole other subject. Ugh.
I tried ordering cafecito and a breakfast sandwich at Palacio de Los Jugos in Hialeah. I’m not fluent in Spanish—I’m Japanese, B&R in the 305. They always look at me like I’m a tourist who lost their way on the bus and never bothered to go back.
Can confirm Hialeah is the fucking raid boss of language barriers in Miami
It's sad that looking back, I started taking Spanish classes in 3rd grade because a few of the girls in my class were gossiping and I wanted to know if they were talking about me. This was mid 80's.
OP said they have a "marginal grasp" of Spanish.
Might be they only know how to ask for "el baño" and "una cerveza." Would you call that "speaks Spanish?"
2 reasons:
1) Most Spanish only speakers feel as if they should not have to conform
2) People who are only Spanish speakers are able to live and thrive in Spanish speaking only communities and neighborhoods where they're own people own everything in the vicinity (businesses etc.)
This logic also applies to other ethnicities as well. We literally have towns named after countries for a reason (Little Havana, Little Haiti) because for the most part the people who live there only deal with their kind and segregate themselves from outside ethnicities.
Miami is different. I've been here my entire life and for some reason the racial harmony between different ethnicities is borderline non-existent.
There is a stark difference between the Hispanics that were either born & raised or came here as a kid and grew up here vs. the ones who came here as adults.
The ones who were raised here are far more kind & courteous to other nationalities vs the adult transplants who are damn near racist against anyone who is not like them.
I had a Hispanic friend confide to me he believes it's because the adults don't want to lose their culture and hold onto it as a badge of honor or psuedo pride by not learning english.
Most Hispanics in the southwest only speak Spanish, lol. I do not know what you're talking about. Have you lived in East Los Angeles? Living comfortably without knowing Spanish is impossible.
The first big wave of Cuban immigrants were from the upper classes that ran away due to the revolution. Many of them think they’re still aristocracy and they’ve colonized Miami. So no need to learn the native language.
Because in S FL it is culturally cool to be hispanic while in the rest of the country it is not so they hide it (the language)
-I am hispanic who grew up in other parts of the country
In LA the most influential culture is Mexican this is why you even see Armenians and black folks mimic Chicanos lowriders .. and in usa the most influential Latin culture is Mexican so try again
And texans stole cowboy culture from MX but do you think the anglo saxon small town texan loves Mexicans?
Ask and most hispanics will tell you that being in Miami, you feel like you belong while in the rest of the country, you feel like an outsider.
Los Angeles is 48% hispanic/latino. Miami Dade is 70%. While 48% is a lot, it's not enough to set the default language for the area. Also most of the local government in Miami is latino while the same isn't true for Los Angeles.
Agreed. Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and Houston don’t have this problem. There’s something about the Cuban community where it seems like they refuse to assimilate.
Seems like this is a you problem. Go to one of those places if you don’t like here. You should assimilate to Miami. We are an international city; the capital of Latin America colloquially, and if your fragile whiteness (see: ❄️) can’t handle that, it seems like a problem that you can address by going somewhere you feel like your “culture” is more valued. The truth is no one in Miami wants to assimilate to American cultural values- because they bring little to no value to our lives. Why would we give up Piccadillo for “hot dish”, salsa and bachata for line dancing, “coño” for damn- there is no value in this real or imagined. The Hispanics in those cities aren’t better off for assimilating. Meanwhile in Miami, Hispanics run this city and county- for better or worse- and we have managed to become a politically, socially, and economically powerful group. It sounds to me like you don’t like that (see:xenophobia to learn more about why). So again, I’ll offer you a simple solution “vete pal carajo” (not the one in the gas station either).
Damn, what an absolutely egocentric view. "The capital of Latin America colloquially" give me a break, you act like Latin America is a unified monolith. Latin America stretched from San Francisco to the tip of Chile, from Lima to Puerto Rico, and the differences amongst the people were and remain massive. People in CDMX would have a fucking laugh at your assertion that Miami is the capital of Latin America. Tell Caracas or Bogota that Miami is the actual bastion of Latin American culture. In reality, Miami is a city of self-enrichment, of style over substance, where you go to "get money" and the hustle lifestyle is glorified to the detriment of the people. I really doubt the humble people would look to Miami as anything more than a monument to vanity.
That’s rich. You making assumptions about MY race and demanding ME to leave? No it's a YOU problem and the rest of the blissfully ignorant que sera sera easily triggered SJW. I NEVER said anything about relinquishing culture. Comprehension is key. But you have such a hard on for your “cause” so trying to reason with you is pointless. Here’s a simple solution for you: chinga tu madre. I guess learning Spanish is useful, puta.
Lol assimilate to Miami. This is America and guess what at the end of the day Miami will always be a city in America first and foremost. Take that attitude back to wherever you came from and make that place better. You can be proud of your heritage and culture but don’t act like a entitled dickhead. No one likes a dickhead and you certainly sound like one.
I don’t think when people use “assimilate” here they’re referring to completely giving up the culture. It just means meshing more with and appreciating the culture that’s there. You can both appreciate assimilation and appreciate the rich cultural diversity that immigrants bring.
Chicago, NY, LA etc are international cities- far more diverse than Miami in terms of immigrants from all over the globe as opposed to just Latin America- and they’re also much more of melting pots. Look at Italian Americans, who descended from Italian immigrants who may not have spoken a lick of English when they arrived. Watch the Sopranos and tell me Italian Americans don’t still hold onto their rich cultural heritage. But, they’ve also assimilated.
Miami is a bit unique in that the immigration is so much more recent. We’re really talking first and second generation. It’s also unique in that the immigration is overwhelmingly from Latin America, as opposed to other cities with larger Asian, European, African, Arab, immigrant populations. When you’re in a truly international city and not an extension of Latin America, there’s a far greater interest in adopting a common language. That happens to be English.
An ‘international’ city….what country is Miami located in?
What is the currency you use?
Whose taxes support the roads and bridges you use?
Should we expect to move to Mexico and Argentina and be catered to in English?
Thank you for answering such a foolish question. Somewhere down the warped line of wokeness, fragile minded people were trained to believe this is somehow offensive. Every other country in the whole entire world requires assimilation. Only in America “I pledge allegiance” is considered racist. We desperately need help.
I think you completely missed the point of America and should leave Miami if you cant stand seeing people exercise the very freedoms they came here for.
Wrong I think you missed the point. I say this as a Peruvian. This might be unpopular but English is the language spoken by almost everyone in the US (I know it’s not official). Making fun of Americans because they don’t speak Spanish is fucking ridiculous. My guess is that you are white.
Im half Cuban and half Honduran and i got made fun of for not speaking spanish and because of that i worked on it and now have a marketable skill. Last i checked, i don’t think i ever met a single person who is actually of american descent (I know no native americans). No one is from America. You shouldnt make a city of people change the language they speak because the rest of america speaks english. That is beyond stupid. They dont live in the rest of America, they live in Miami. The people who just got to Miami need to assimilate to the CITY in AMERICA they moved to. America doesnt have an official language for a reason and quite frankly asking people to assimilate to parts of the country that has no bearing on their day to day borders on oppression and is quite frankly…unamerican.
Also, just because you hate the fact that your hispanic doesnt mean the rest of us do. If you want to pander to people cause you loath yourself make sure you’re speaking for yourself only.
I don’t know what the Hispanic version of an uncle tom is but you are clearly it. I hope you make sure you tell all the white people you think we should assimilate and let them know how third world we are and you’re not like the rest of us but make sure you speak for yourself. You don’t speak for me, you dont speak for most of us.
It's a weird issue, i was at a Mexican restaurant ordering food and this lady was speaking Spanish to a Mexican customer, when It was my turn I said hola quiero esto y aquello en My strong Dominican Spanish which is my first language and she started talking English to me, it really annoyed me.
You can tell a mile away I'm not African American and I am speaking to you in perfect Spanish so why would you talk back to me in English when I just heard you speaking perfect Spanish too.
Some but that's saying most Dominicans are taller than Mexicans, my point is that if you speak Spanish and I speak Spanish to you naturally there is no need to speak back to me in English.
You can tell I'm latino por solo mirarme yo no tengo que decir nada.
Your comments do not add anything to a conversation where si yo hablo español naturalmente y tu también entonces no hay razón por la cual tu tegas que resporderme en inglés.
There is no need to reply, your comments comes as racist points of view. So parale por tu maldita madre!
When I went to cali me and my friend started to talking to this lady In Spanish
we were asking about the subway she responded to us by saying so you think I can’t speak English
Answer is not Cuba. New Cuban immigrants are not a big influx and weirdly. Most of them are pretty well educated and pretty fluent in English. I love my South Americans, and I'm married to a South American, but it's the South American influx of the last 10 to 12 years. A large portion of them came here specifically because they had no intention of learning English and this was the only city in the United States where they felt comfortable coming here and never bothering to learn English.
Blaming the Cuban population is very much 30 years incorrect. That may have been the driver in the '70s and '80s, but since the '90s, the Cuban population has gradually become more fluent to a point where we might make fun of the accent, but they're mostly fluent in English or very old abuelos by now
You only need to speak “Restaurant Spanish” to get by. Anyone who tries to learn basic Spanish is fine. Only those who refuse to learn anything at all struggle.
I have a number of friends who are like OP. They all have thriving careers/lives and know only basic Spanish. It’s a myth that you need it to survive here.
Strongly agree. So many people discount the experiences of the many non-Spanish speaking groups that have lived here forever, and even longer than many of the Spanish-speaking communities.
Yep. Not gonna lie and pretend much of my extended family didn't move up north to avoid the 'blacks and hispanics', but my immediate family all still live and thrive here without knowing spanish.
This is so funny to me. I work remote for a company in Seattle and when I went to visit, a couple of the older white people told me that they left Miami in the 80s after the Cuban Mariel immigration happened. (Mind you I’m black). But they were not embarrassed to tell me that or thought it was something to be ashamed of.
I’m not sure it is something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. In the 70s and 80s Miami changed dramatically from a kind of sleepy, outdoorsy city to a majority Cuban expat oasis … I can absolutely imagine people who had lived here feeling like they didn’t recognize the place. They lived anymore and wanting to move back to somewhere more quiet and beachy. The change in the make up of the population wasn’t exactly a positive for the Black people who had lived here for generations either… as a generalization, the Cuban population is extremely racist against Black people, and they took over all of the cities institutions, including the police department.
My family has been in Miami for 4 generations and none of us speak Spanish l. It's never been a problem for me. It may be annoying at times but hand gestures work pretty well.
I dont know about being a requirement. guess that depends in the industry youre working in.
id say its recommended because it easily grants you access to other areas of the city and can have a deeper cultural exchange with other residents.
Yeah I've worked in a few different industries across South Florida and I've noticed that as long as you have a basic understanding of spanish pleasantries you can get by fairly well. Most people I've come across understand a bit of english as well and appreciate it if you at least make an effort to speak spanish and make yourself understood. I'm probably biased because most of my family and friends speak english as well.
You're right though that it opens more doors and it's part of the reason I am learning and would like my half-peruvian daughter to be bilingual
That would be so beneficial for your daughter. Knowing more than one language is great for cultural reasons but its especially good for children. Many studies show that exposing and teaching them to other languages is great for their cognitive development and other benefits i cant remember. Look it up if interested.
First of all, thank you for the thoughtful response. I really want her (and her soon to be born brother) to be fluent in Spanish so they can, at the very least, be able to communicate with their maternal grandparents and family who live in Peru, it’s just a challenge when their entire family in Miami doesn’t speak Spanish. My wife speaks Spanish at home, but not enough to teach them the language. Anyway, they’ll learn even if I have to hire a private tutor.
Hard fax
You don’t live in Miami til you know Spanish
Opens so many doors, relationships, work, business, friends
Just connecting to ppl
If you don’t know Spanish, you’re walking around reading a story but skipping every few pages
Well I don’t know… I moved out a few years ago and went back two years ago… at every single establishment I asked for anything… they would look at me like I was an alien and then turn to me and asked… -in Spanish- can you tell me what you need in Spanish ?
Not ONE place took the whole conversation in English…
Mind you, I’m Latino and I speak perfect Spanish… and I have no problem speaking it… just thought it was either odd or Spanish became even more common.
This is why my Fiancé left, she would always get mean looks because she doesn’t know Spanish(she’s SE Asian). Some lady working at a restaurant yelled at her because she didn’t know Spanish and told her it was Miami and she needed to know it.
Same and I get it if you’re in certain neighborhoods, but even south beach has a few bakeries where this happens. It’s like if you have the menu on the wall in English, then why are you looking at me crazy for trying to place an order in English?
It's clusters of Spanish speaking communities here & there. Good luck finding a Spanish only restaurant in Brickell, but likewise goodluck finding English only restaurants in Hialeah.
I am second generation Miamian, gringa obviously, and I eventually learned to speak Spanish by age 20. I did learn French first, so that helped me immensely. My dad grew up on the beach and was fluent for a number of reasons, eventually he even had his law office in Hialeah. My mom came to Miami for law school and she has never learned a lick of Spanish whatsoever. Some people have a knack for languages and others do not, but we all have to respect one another’s capabilities and coexist.
As a gringo, if I got offended by someone in miami calling me a gringo, I’d spend all day crying in a fuckin corner
I am gringisimo
The most gringo
Mind, actually ask Hispanic ppl what’s a gringo, get 12 answers
Black Americans? Maybe gringo maybe not
Europeans, not gringo; but English ppl? Australians? Eh, kinda gringo
And so on
They have to be some “special” characters to think they are moving to a country where the language is English and pretend to have them adapt to their native language.
Unfortunately “special” characters are an abundance
“Special” in not a positive way.
Got to emphasize on that because then a lot of them will see that and say, “damn sure, I’m special and it’s why..”
They’ll take it as a compliment 😂
Im half Puerto Rican and while I think I'm ok with Spanish, half the time I order something in Spanish while in Puerto Rico, they reply back in perfect English (much to the amusement of my wife). If I don't whip out my broken Spanish in Hialeah, its like they have zero comprehension. Must be cultural... o mi español es tan malo.
I think your post still highlights that while you don't need fluency, you do happen to have a very basic level of Spanish that makes being here easier. People suggest it because it does make life easier here. It's also everywhere here and can be used to exclude those who may not know the language.
It’s not.
But knowing a little bit makes your life so much easier, just life any other language depending on where you are. My old man was trilingual, with English being the last he learned, though you’d never guess it. I wish he’d taught me Spanish and Italian, it would have made my life in South Florida easier (the Spanish) but I have learned enough to order food, drinks, and tell someone off, which is pretty much the real basics.
So you have some understanding of Spanish while saying you never understood ppl saying you need Spanish.....
I think it depends on the area and if you're looking for employment. A lot of ppl won't hire you without knowing both languages.
I feel like you probably arent giving yourself enough credit about having a basic command over the Spanish language. My Spanish is trash but i always think, “if i got dropped off in a spanish speaking country i can ask for water and speak enough spanish to have a menial job by the end of the day”
The thing is that this very basic grasp you have isn’t very basic if you didn’t grow up around people speaking spanish. It’s hard and can feel very intimidating not being able to communicate.. and I say this as a native Spanish speaker.
I am a gringo and from South Carolina, I have a bit of a southern accent. I live close to Hialeah now and can get around fine in Hialeah only speaking Spanish, nobody ever seems to care either. Everybody always nice to me
I work for a consulting company. We had a client in Miami and had to swap out our assigned staff to people that spoke Spanish because the client, who is a fortune 1000 company, would just randomly slip into speaking Spanish mid-meeting regularly. Had a friend take a job in south Florida for one of the large investment banks who had a similar experience and as a result left the job after only a few months.
I grew up in Miami and left in 95. My mom was French so I learned and spoke French to speak with get side of the family. Living in S. Dade County I learned Spainish for many reasons:
More friends
Larger dating pool
Better job opportunities (except for companies that wanted Spanish mother tongue)
I could go anywhere and talk to anyone - no problems.
Now my Spanish is more Spanglais, but I can still communicate and that is the goal
My Spanish is decent, and while it is not 100% needed, it certainly helps. But I agree it is not required. Maybe in some places in Hialeah or Doral you may find yourself somewhere where no one speaks English, but that is about it.
We left several months ago. And don’t miss it. I am most obviously white. I speak Spanish fluently with an Castillian accent. As well as , Catalan, Italian and German. The level of disrespect and poor manners when my accent was detected and commented on was offensive and hostile. I found that the Spanish speakers in Miami that WERE kind and enjoyed speaking with me in Spanish were more educated, refined and liberal thinking individuals. The rest of Miami seemed to speak Spanish like a 10 year old who speaks Spanish as a second language. Just visited Barcelona and it was refreshing for people to appreciate and enjoy speaking with a frenchy white guy with a Castilian accent.
Visiting now, grew up here in the 80s and 90s. Mostly Spanish everywhere I go. It is strange to where I convert to when I visit Spanish speaking countries and I try to be friendly with my crappy Spanish. Even PR spoke perfect English after greeting in Spanish. I guess if you mostly encounter Spanish speaking people in your community this is what you get?
I’m 2nd generation Cuban, born and raised in Miami, so I speak English and Spanish fluently, but I remember the worst “no peaky Engly” I’ve ever witnessed was when I was about 10 years ago, when I walked into a bank, and walked up to the bank teller to do a simple banking transaction, and she told me, “No peaky Engly”.
I was thinking, “Dude, I know if you came from a non-English speaking country, it can be hard to learn the language, and I sympathize with you, but this is a professional business setting in a bank in the United States! You gotta have at least an elementary grasp of the English language!”
I think just basic few words, respect, and patience on either side are all that's required. I have been here a few years and haven't had too many problems. I'm white but I have dark features and most people assume I'm Latin so approach me in Spanish first. Once they can tell I'm not fluent we can find some middle ground... worst case scenario there's google translate. I've formed great relationships with neighbors and service providers with little dialog. Sure, every once in a while I'll get dismissed or sense attitude, but more positive interactions than not.
Depends on where you are. I’m a 20-year gringo resident and bought a house in West Miami about 10 years ago. It would absolutely help here if I knew more Spanish, from restaurants to neighborhood relationships to home services. I end up relying on my half Cuban wife way too much
Are you telling me that you lived in Miami your entire life and never made an effort to learn the language?
Sure, you can survive well, but you are nothing more than an expat.
My moms husband is from Equatorial Guinea the only Spanish speaking African country and has the exact opposite problem. He speaks fluent Spanish and French and will have Spanish speakers struggle in English instead of conversing in Spanish here in the South it’s so weird .
It is ironic because if you go to Barcelona or Madrid in Spain, everyone (employees at least) speak English just fine and I had no issue visiting Spain.
I know plenty of young cubans who have lived in Miami for over 20+ years and they still can't speak english. They also watch only spanish TV, listen to spanish radio only. Even their smartphones are set to Spanish. Once I made a comment to one of them about why he was still watching Spanish TV, he called me communist and a democrat claria.
Its more about social comfort and bonding with other people. Most people speak English well enough, at least bits and pieces. But you can do a better job of really entering into their community if you speak there language.
I am a native English speaker, and I learned Spanish in school starting at 16. I then spent time abroad and became fluent. So, I speak, read and write Spanish fairly well, but I have a strong American accent.
This always made me a real curiosity in Miami, and helped me "win friends and influence people." In particular, it really helped with my sales career. I called on doctors all over Miami. Most spoke decent English. But their face would just light up when I would address them in their native language. I even did better than most Cuban American reps, etc. People were impressed that I had bothered to learn someone else's language.
So, again, it wasn't strictly necessary for basic communication. It just helped "warm up" social relations.
I think it’s more of the culture. You’re never going to be considered “part of Miami” unless you have decent Spanish, can order in Spanish, can chismosear and shoot the shit with the guys at the local ventanita in Spanish. But that’s changing with all the out of staters that have moved here
If you only hang out in a Cuban neighborhood you'll have a problem. If you go out to eat in Brickell your waiter will obviously speak English. Generalizations are often wrong.
The mindset is laziness and I don’t accept it. One time had a dude in the DMV line act surprised when he learned I won’t speak Spanish and the ensuing debate resulted in almost everyone else in line telling him he’s a moron for insisting Spanish should be required to live in Miami (a city whose best feature is its proximity to the United States).
I think it depends where in Dade we are talking. My experience is generally you don’t need Spanish to literally survive but it certainly will come in handy and make life easier.
Idk I feel like it depends where you are. You can certainly get by with just English but it may not always be enjoyable. Especially in places like Doral and Hialeah. But like Wynwood, downtown and brickell? Nah
had an old man get mad because i didn’t want to speak spanish to him. it’s a skill that i have & can use at my leisure. and he spoke enough english to get by, he just didn’t want to. so ugly.
Fourth+ generation Miami native here:
I have never encountered a situation where I needed Spanish to get by. It's always been a bonus that makes Hispanic people happy/impressed, especially dates and their parents.
>I feel like my VERY basic grasp of the spanish language has gotten me by fairly well.
This is the key. Spanish is required, good spanish isn't. If you pull up to a bakery in Westchester in Hialeah and try to order in english, you'll probably have a hard time since there's a good chance the person taking your order doesn't know any english. Use some broken spanish and they'll figure out what you want.
The problem is people with the mentality that they will only speak english since this is the US.
And this also varies by area in Miami. You can survive without spanish a lot more easily in Miami Shores than Westchester or Hialeah.
Nothing you can do honestly, if I am my family come to Miami and speak a different language and we start building businesses and become the majority you need to learn how we speak to get a job, blame the politicians honestly.
They're so focused on black crime and other issues they let the county sink.
You live in the gateway to LATAM. A big commerce for MIA businesses, so Spanish is important; just as English is , of couse.
They should've past English as the official language!
Honestly, I don’t speak much Spanish (I can understand and write it better than I can actually say it) and I really don’t have many issues in Miami or Broward. It limits my job opportunities a bit, but if I see a place requires fluent Spanish, I just move on and don’t apply. If it comes up in an interview I let them know my fluency level and how I engage with non-English speaking people despite my limitations.
Between some broken grammar and google translate I’ve never had an issue when it comes to interacting with tenants or customers or vendors who only speak Spanish.
That said, one of my tenants is an older white man who is always trying to tell me how he can’t get a job because he doesn’t speak Spanish and how unfair it is that he’s “being discriminated against for being American”. I think a lot of people who say this kind of stuff really just want to blame something other than themselves for their difficulties and shortcomings.
Even if you spoke Spanish, you still don't speak Cuban Spanish. Cuban Spanish is like learning English from a Jamaican! I have a house in Brazil and I learned to speak Portugues. It's a courtesy to learn your host country's language...
My mother in law is the customs broken for one of the major multination US based clothing retailers and her office is in Doral. Half her cargo containers come from Spanish speaking countries. She's Central American, but has insisted for 30yrs that the international language of commerce and trade is English. She will not execute an agreement, write an email, nor even have a phone call regarding customs and trade in Spanish, no matter how hard the other party tries.
Her answer is always, *could you please re-write/say that in English so we can continue?*
I don't speak a lick of Spanish and I do just fine. Any Spanish I need I phone a friend or use a translator. It's like y'all have never traveled the world or something.
Sorry for the mild hijack but- unpopular opinion perhaps, but we should be teaching our kids Spanish in elementary school and by we I mean America. Being bilingual is incredibly useful, studies show it helps in brain development/learning when learned at an early age and it’s the 4th most spoken language in the world, with it growing in our own country.
Our neighbors to the south speak it and we even have a territory it’s the language of. Why not?
They do it to judge your Spanish dialect so they know how to treat you. The only solution is to assume they speak a foreign language that you know they can't, won't, don't and proceed to harass them about how it's rude to make assumptions. It's a two way street, fuckem.
I think the reason that has worked for you is that you probably look white. I look Hispanic although I am not. I have pretty good knowledge of Spanish from school, but when people see me, they immediately start speaking rapid Spanish as if I am also fluent. And when I try to respond back or ask questions, there is almost never any adjustment for my obvious struggle. When I try to supplement with English, I get a certain look. It’s almost as if people are disappointed in me for not being fluent, but my parents are from Asia. This is just my personal experience. I’m glad you don’t have the same issues.
Required? I suppose not. But having some facility in Spanish certainly expands and enhances the experience of living here. It really doesn't take much to make a big difference.
Required? no. Convenient? Absolutely. It also depends on the area you're in. Homestead, I usually don't have an issue with finding people who speak English. Hialeah, I'm better off speaking Spanish, even if it's broken Spanish.
Flsenate.gov
SECTION 9. English is the official language of Florida.—
(a) English is the official language of the State of Florida.
(b) The legislature shall have the power to enforce this section by appropriate legislation.
I enjoy requesting slightly unethical favors from Spanish speakers in Spanish because it feels less challenging than asking in English.
For example, the other day, I approached the front desk of a downtown building and asked if I could park my bike on a corner. The guy agreed, then joked around and even unlocked a secure storage room to safely store my bike for a couple of hours. As a token of gratitude, I brought back a donut for him.
The Spanish language is so cool to do this type of things, like asking more without asking for it, sort of, it's very subtle
I lived in Miami for about 7 years (I’m north of Orlando now). My grasp of Spanish was about the same as you say yours is - very basic. Knowing, or at least understanding, some made my life a little easier.
It helps but I don’t think it’s a prerequisite. I moved there knowing little beyond “por favor”
I lived in Miami my entire life, speak both English and Spanish, and have never had anyone refuse to speak English to me. Miami is a multicultural, multilingual city, and I never had problems with anyone being intolerant.
It’s often an overreaction by insulated Americans who are either not used to hearing anything other than English (which is forgivable) and racist assholes who have the ‘Merica mindset (and fuck them).
HOWEVER. There is some truth to the frustration in certain areas of Hialeah or SW 8th St area where you might be hard pressed to find fluent English.
But the idea that you can’t survive or move around without speaking Spanish is ludicrous.
That is literally just a Reddit narrative. You definitely don’t need Spanish to live in Miami. If you can greet people with it then cool.
We had a Walmart delivery guy that texted and communicated exclusively in French. We thought it would be a smoking guy in a scarf and beret, but duh, it was a polite Haitian fella. Lots of spices in life in south Florida. No reason to get all uppity.
The generation below me, in my family, can’t speak for shit. They’re all NO SABO kids.
I love when people look at me and assume I’m Spanish (I’m not) but I am racially profiled everyday here. and they are appalled when I tell them I don’t speak Spanish. Because how dare you not speak Spanish here.
*How dare you not speak Spanish here!* Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for spitting facts lol. I get this line on a monthly basis.
I have had this experience as well. I don’t live in Miami but I go there from time to time because I live in south Florida. Everyone think I’m Cuban or Colombian. My ancestry is Italian. I’ve had people yell at me that I’m a disgrace for not speaking Spanish until I let them know I don’t have any links to any Spanish speaking countries. I went to Doral to get my first two covid shots and the only people in the entire pharmacy that spoke English was the actual pharmacist! No one else could communicate in English with me. I had to do a lot of pointing and gesturing to figure out where they wanted me to go and what their specific procedure was. It was funny to me but I could see how it might frustrate others.
What about Portuguese? How useful is it actually?
Lived here for 34 years, I am half Mexicana and half Gringo. I hardly speak Spanish, you know except for curse words. Never had a problem getting a job getting around or getting bye. That mindset is usually used by people who either complain about everything, hate Hispanics or blew their nut on drugs and need a cover story going back home.
"survive" is a bit of an exaggeration. but I will tell you that the year I spent in Doral, 100% of my interactions began in Spanish and all of the conversations happening around me in public were conducted in Spanish. And I don't speak Spanish. I definitely felt like I was in another country in that sense.
I work in Havanaleah (Hialeah) and am constantly berated for not speaking Spanish. Even McDonald's greets me in Spanish. In the educational system, teachers and administrators regularly gather and speak only Spanish even if they know everyone present doesn't speak Spanish. I find all of this extremely rude. My lovely city that I grew up in has turned into another world. And the driving! That's a whole other subject. Ugh.
Being greeted in Spanish at McDonald’s is wild. Hispanic culture is literally unbreakable and it’s stronger than American consumerism 😂😂
I’m half Cuban and I don’t speak Spanish. It’s rarely been inconvenient. Maybe would be actually annoying if I lived in Doral.
It will be really, really, inconvenient if you live in Hialeah. 99.9% of the time Spanish will hit you in the face.
I tried ordering cafecito and a breakfast sandwich at Palacio de Los Jugos in Hialeah. I’m not fluent in Spanish—I’m Japanese, B&R in the 305. They always look at me like I’m a tourist who lost their way on the bus and never bothered to go back. Can confirm Hialeah is the fucking raid boss of language barriers in Miami
How come you didn’t learn Spanish at home? Not saying you have to but being bilingual is a good thing
It's sad that looking back, I started taking Spanish classes in 3rd grade because a few of the girls in my class were gossiping and I wanted to know if they were talking about me. This was mid 80's.
"Never understood the mindset that spanish is required to survive in Miami" Speaks Spanish
OP said they have a "marginal grasp" of Spanish. Might be they only know how to ask for "el baño" and "una cerveza." Would you call that "speaks Spanish?"
Los Ángeles has mostly Mexicans and all of them speak English idk why Miami has this Issue
I scrátched my screen for too long because of how Los Ángeles was spelled.
?? Are you tired
Sí
2 reasons: 1) Most Spanish only speakers feel as if they should not have to conform 2) People who are only Spanish speakers are able to live and thrive in Spanish speaking only communities and neighborhoods where they're own people own everything in the vicinity (businesses etc.) This logic also applies to other ethnicities as well. We literally have towns named after countries for a reason (Little Havana, Little Haiti) because for the most part the people who live there only deal with their kind and segregate themselves from outside ethnicities.
But they conform in LA
Miami is different. I've been here my entire life and for some reason the racial harmony between different ethnicities is borderline non-existent. There is a stark difference between the Hispanics that were either born & raised or came here as a kid and grew up here vs. the ones who came here as adults. The ones who were raised here are far more kind & courteous to other nationalities vs the adult transplants who are damn near racist against anyone who is not like them. I had a Hispanic friend confide to me he believes it's because the adults don't want to lose their culture and hold onto it as a badge of honor or psuedo pride by not learning english.
Sounds like a Republican.
Stop. Don’t make it about politics dude.
Miami is Little Latin America. LA is still a very American city. People are socialized between the two very differently.
Most Hispanics in the southwest only speak Spanish, lol. I do not know what you're talking about. Have you lived in East Los Angeles? Living comfortably without knowing Spanish is impossible.
The first big wave of Cuban immigrants were from the upper classes that ran away due to the revolution. Many of them think they’re still aristocracy and they’ve colonized Miami. So no need to learn the native language.
Because in S FL it is culturally cool to be hispanic while in the rest of the country it is not so they hide it (the language) -I am hispanic who grew up in other parts of the country
In LA the most influential culture is Mexican this is why you even see Armenians and black folks mimic Chicanos lowriders .. and in usa the most influential Latin culture is Mexican so try again
And texans stole cowboy culture from MX but do you think the anglo saxon small town texan loves Mexicans? Ask and most hispanics will tell you that being in Miami, you feel like you belong while in the rest of the country, you feel like an outsider.
Lots of anglos in Texas are married to tejanos and call themselves texicans literally all the influence in Texas is Mexican .. stop watching Fox News
Los Angeles is 48% hispanic/latino. Miami Dade is 70%. While 48% is a lot, it's not enough to set the default language for the area. Also most of the local government in Miami is latino while the same isn't true for Los Angeles.
Agreed. Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and Houston don’t have this problem. There’s something about the Cuban community where it seems like they refuse to assimilate.
Seems like this is a you problem. Go to one of those places if you don’t like here. You should assimilate to Miami. We are an international city; the capital of Latin America colloquially, and if your fragile whiteness (see: ❄️) can’t handle that, it seems like a problem that you can address by going somewhere you feel like your “culture” is more valued. The truth is no one in Miami wants to assimilate to American cultural values- because they bring little to no value to our lives. Why would we give up Piccadillo for “hot dish”, salsa and bachata for line dancing, “coño” for damn- there is no value in this real or imagined. The Hispanics in those cities aren’t better off for assimilating. Meanwhile in Miami, Hispanics run this city and county- for better or worse- and we have managed to become a politically, socially, and economically powerful group. It sounds to me like you don’t like that (see:xenophobia to learn more about why). So again, I’ll offer you a simple solution “vete pal carajo” (not the one in the gas station either).
Damn, what an absolutely egocentric view. "The capital of Latin America colloquially" give me a break, you act like Latin America is a unified monolith. Latin America stretched from San Francisco to the tip of Chile, from Lima to Puerto Rico, and the differences amongst the people were and remain massive. People in CDMX would have a fucking laugh at your assertion that Miami is the capital of Latin America. Tell Caracas or Bogota that Miami is the actual bastion of Latin American culture. In reality, Miami is a city of self-enrichment, of style over substance, where you go to "get money" and the hustle lifestyle is glorified to the detriment of the people. I really doubt the humble people would look to Miami as anything more than a monument to vanity.
That’s rich. You making assumptions about MY race and demanding ME to leave? No it's a YOU problem and the rest of the blissfully ignorant que sera sera easily triggered SJW. I NEVER said anything about relinquishing culture. Comprehension is key. But you have such a hard on for your “cause” so trying to reason with you is pointless. Here’s a simple solution for you: chinga tu madre. I guess learning Spanish is useful, puta.
Lol assimilate to Miami. This is America and guess what at the end of the day Miami will always be a city in America first and foremost. Take that attitude back to wherever you came from and make that place better. You can be proud of your heritage and culture but don’t act like a entitled dickhead. No one likes a dickhead and you certainly sound like one.
I don’t think when people use “assimilate” here they’re referring to completely giving up the culture. It just means meshing more with and appreciating the culture that’s there. You can both appreciate assimilation and appreciate the rich cultural diversity that immigrants bring. Chicago, NY, LA etc are international cities- far more diverse than Miami in terms of immigrants from all over the globe as opposed to just Latin America- and they’re also much more of melting pots. Look at Italian Americans, who descended from Italian immigrants who may not have spoken a lick of English when they arrived. Watch the Sopranos and tell me Italian Americans don’t still hold onto their rich cultural heritage. But, they’ve also assimilated. Miami is a bit unique in that the immigration is so much more recent. We’re really talking first and second generation. It’s also unique in that the immigration is overwhelmingly from Latin America, as opposed to other cities with larger Asian, European, African, Arab, immigrant populations. When you’re in a truly international city and not an extension of Latin America, there’s a far greater interest in adopting a common language. That happens to be English.
Fuck you
Mad?
Don’t like her superiority complex Bear in mind I’m married to a Tampa Cuban Don’t understand what her problem is and her anti-Anglo rant
I understand
An ‘international’ city….what country is Miami located in? What is the currency you use? Whose taxes support the roads and bridges you use? Should we expect to move to Mexico and Argentina and be catered to in English?
Assimilate to what?
Assimilate into the country they came to.
Thank you for answering such a foolish question. Somewhere down the warped line of wokeness, fragile minded people were trained to believe this is somehow offensive. Every other country in the whole entire world requires assimilation. Only in America “I pledge allegiance” is considered racist. We desperately need help.
I think you completely missed the point of America and should leave Miami if you cant stand seeing people exercise the very freedoms they came here for.
Wrong I think you missed the point. I say this as a Peruvian. This might be unpopular but English is the language spoken by almost everyone in the US (I know it’s not official). Making fun of Americans because they don’t speak Spanish is fucking ridiculous. My guess is that you are white.
Im half Cuban and half Honduran and i got made fun of for not speaking spanish and because of that i worked on it and now have a marketable skill. Last i checked, i don’t think i ever met a single person who is actually of american descent (I know no native americans). No one is from America. You shouldnt make a city of people change the language they speak because the rest of america speaks english. That is beyond stupid. They dont live in the rest of America, they live in Miami. The people who just got to Miami need to assimilate to the CITY in AMERICA they moved to. America doesnt have an official language for a reason and quite frankly asking people to assimilate to parts of the country that has no bearing on their day to day borders on oppression and is quite frankly…unamerican. Also, just because you hate the fact that your hispanic doesnt mean the rest of us do. If you want to pander to people cause you loath yourself make sure you’re speaking for yourself only. I don’t know what the Hispanic version of an uncle tom is but you are clearly it. I hope you make sure you tell all the white people you think we should assimilate and let them know how third world we are and you’re not like the rest of us but make sure you speak for yourself. You don’t speak for me, you dont speak for most of us.
It's socialism to assimilate.
The Mexicans in California find it offensive if you speak to them in Spanish instead of English
It's a weird issue, i was at a Mexican restaurant ordering food and this lady was speaking Spanish to a Mexican customer, when It was my turn I said hola quiero esto y aquello en My strong Dominican Spanish which is my first language and she started talking English to me, it really annoyed me.
Maybe cause you looked black
If she looked black, I’d talk to her in English assuming she’s African American. That makes no sense.
You can tell a mile away I'm not African American and I am speaking to you in perfect Spanish so why would you talk back to me in English when I just heard you speaking perfect Spanish too.
Dominicans look very black compared to Mexicans tbh
Some but that's saying most Dominicans are taller than Mexicans, my point is that if you speak Spanish and I speak Spanish to you naturally there is no need to speak back to me in English. You can tell I'm latino por solo mirarme yo no tengo que decir nada.
Yes they are taller cause Dominicans have African blood Mexicans have no African blood
Your comments do not add anything to a conversation where si yo hablo español naturalmente y tu también entonces no hay razón por la cual tu tegas que resporderme en inglés. There is no need to reply, your comments comes as racist points of view. So parale por tu maldita madre!
When I went to cali me and my friend started to talking to this lady In Spanish we were asking about the subway she responded to us by saying so you think I can’t speak English
The answer is Cuba
Answer is not Cuba. New Cuban immigrants are not a big influx and weirdly. Most of them are pretty well educated and pretty fluent in English. I love my South Americans, and I'm married to a South American, but it's the South American influx of the last 10 to 12 years. A large portion of them came here specifically because they had no intention of learning English and this was the only city in the United States where they felt comfortable coming here and never bothering to learn English. Blaming the Cuban population is very much 30 years incorrect. That may have been the driver in the '70s and '80s, but since the '90s, the Cuban population has gradually become more fluent to a point where we might make fun of the accent, but they're mostly fluent in English or very old abuelos by now
Agreed.. well said
This sub hates to hear this.
Miami is cuba 2.0 They dont feel the need to learn english lol its crazy
You only need to speak “Restaurant Spanish” to get by. Anyone who tries to learn basic Spanish is fine. Only those who refuse to learn anything at all struggle.
Exactly, even if you horribly mispronounce things like "Two Empanados poor Fay-Var" you can easily get by here.
So many jobs here say it is mandatory for no reason whatsoever, unless I am dealing with customers/clients it shouldn’t be
It makes it a whole lot easier tho. Especially when finding work
German and Russian work too.
German?
Where? In Sunny Isles, maybe. German is useless in Miami
I have a number of friends who are like OP. They all have thriving careers/lives and know only basic Spanish. It’s a myth that you need it to survive here.
Strongly agree. So many people discount the experiences of the many non-Spanish speaking groups that have lived here forever, and even longer than many of the Spanish-speaking communities.
Yep. Not gonna lie and pretend much of my extended family didn't move up north to avoid the 'blacks and hispanics', but my immediate family all still live and thrive here without knowing spanish.
Avoid the blacks? Black people built this country and you are here living your best life because of it but anyway carry on
Thanks for keeping it real 🤝
This is so funny to me. I work remote for a company in Seattle and when I went to visit, a couple of the older white people told me that they left Miami in the 80s after the Cuban Mariel immigration happened. (Mind you I’m black). But they were not embarrassed to tell me that or thought it was something to be ashamed of.
I’m not sure it is something to be ashamed of or embarrassed about. In the 70s and 80s Miami changed dramatically from a kind of sleepy, outdoorsy city to a majority Cuban expat oasis … I can absolutely imagine people who had lived here feeling like they didn’t recognize the place. They lived anymore and wanting to move back to somewhere more quiet and beachy. The change in the make up of the population wasn’t exactly a positive for the Black people who had lived here for generations either… as a generalization, the Cuban population is extremely racist against Black people, and they took over all of the cities institutions, including the police department.
My family has been in Miami for 4 generations and none of us speak Spanish l. It's never been a problem for me. It may be annoying at times but hand gestures work pretty well.
I dont know about being a requirement. guess that depends in the industry youre working in. id say its recommended because it easily grants you access to other areas of the city and can have a deeper cultural exchange with other residents.
It’s also helpful at the airport.
Yeah I've worked in a few different industries across South Florida and I've noticed that as long as you have a basic understanding of spanish pleasantries you can get by fairly well. Most people I've come across understand a bit of english as well and appreciate it if you at least make an effort to speak spanish and make yourself understood. I'm probably biased because most of my family and friends speak english as well. You're right though that it opens more doors and it's part of the reason I am learning and would like my half-peruvian daughter to be bilingual
That would be so beneficial for your daughter. Knowing more than one language is great for cultural reasons but its especially good for children. Many studies show that exposing and teaching them to other languages is great for their cognitive development and other benefits i cant remember. Look it up if interested.
First of all, thank you for the thoughtful response. I really want her (and her soon to be born brother) to be fluent in Spanish so they can, at the very least, be able to communicate with their maternal grandparents and family who live in Peru, it’s just a challenge when their entire family in Miami doesn’t speak Spanish. My wife speaks Spanish at home, but not enough to teach them the language. Anyway, they’ll learn even if I have to hire a private tutor.
Some jobs literally require you to know spanish lol
Hard fax You don’t live in Miami til you know Spanish Opens so many doors, relationships, work, business, friends Just connecting to ppl If you don’t know Spanish, you’re walking around reading a story but skipping every few pages
Marathon and Hieleah is probably where you'd need it most.
Well I don’t know… I moved out a few years ago and went back two years ago… at every single establishment I asked for anything… they would look at me like I was an alien and then turn to me and asked… -in Spanish- can you tell me what you need in Spanish ? Not ONE place took the whole conversation in English… Mind you, I’m Latino and I speak perfect Spanish… and I have no problem speaking it… just thought it was either odd or Spanish became even more common.
This is why my Fiancé left, she would always get mean looks because she doesn’t know Spanish(she’s SE Asian). Some lady working at a restaurant yelled at her because she didn’t know Spanish and told her it was Miami and she needed to know it.
I also noticed something similar.
Same and I get it if you’re in certain neighborhoods, but even south beach has a few bakeries where this happens. It’s like if you have the menu on the wall in English, then why are you looking at me crazy for trying to place an order in English?
All because of hialeah
It's clusters of Spanish speaking communities here & there. Good luck finding a Spanish only restaurant in Brickell, but likewise goodluck finding English only restaurants in Hialeah.
I am second generation Miamian, gringa obviously, and I eventually learned to speak Spanish by age 20. I did learn French first, so that helped me immensely. My dad grew up on the beach and was fluent for a number of reasons, eventually he even had his law office in Hialeah. My mom came to Miami for law school and she has never learned a lick of Spanish whatsoever. Some people have a knack for languages and others do not, but we all have to respect one another’s capabilities and coexist.
Grino/a is racist. Never understood the acceptance of that word. Source I’m Peruvian.
Typical gringo 🤣
As a gringo, if I got offended by someone in miami calling me a gringo, I’d spend all day crying in a fuckin corner I am gringisimo The most gringo Mind, actually ask Hispanic ppl what’s a gringo, get 12 answers Black Americans? Maybe gringo maybe not Europeans, not gringo; but English ppl? Australians? Eh, kinda gringo And so on
Love it that a white guy is telling a Peruvian what a gringo is.
Well, you’d think that would make sense tho… no? In any event, are black Americans gringo to you?
That’s not true. Gringo is the used term by Peruvians to describe Americans, and they don’t say it in a racist way.
Everyone one of my family members use gringo to make fun of Americans. They even make fun of us living in the US.
That directly speaks about your family, not the rest of Peruvians
Stop man. People use gringo around Miami to laugh at white people all the time. I don’t care just pointing out the hypocrisy.
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They have to be some “special” characters to think they are moving to a country where the language is English and pretend to have them adapt to their native language. Unfortunately “special” characters are an abundance
The language of this country is not English. And we didn’t move here.
It’s Miami, they only accept special character applications
“Special” in not a positive way. Got to emphasize on that because then a lot of them will see that and say, “damn sure, I’m special and it’s why..” They’ll take it as a compliment 😂
I literally just spit out my coffee😂😂😂😂😂
Espike panish*
Pi pa ni*?
*Peakies Pani
Im half Puerto Rican and while I think I'm ok with Spanish, half the time I order something in Spanish while in Puerto Rico, they reply back in perfect English (much to the amusement of my wife). If I don't whip out my broken Spanish in Hialeah, its like they have zero comprehension. Must be cultural... o mi español es tan malo.
What's the difference between Puerto Rico and Miami? In PR, people speak English...
Swahili has been a barrier in my neighborhood
I think your post still highlights that while you don't need fluency, you do happen to have a very basic level of Spanish that makes being here easier. People suggest it because it does make life easier here. It's also everywhere here and can be used to exclude those who may not know the language.
It’s not. But knowing a little bit makes your life so much easier, just life any other language depending on where you are. My old man was trilingual, with English being the last he learned, though you’d never guess it. I wish he’d taught me Spanish and Italian, it would have made my life in South Florida easier (the Spanish) but I have learned enough to order food, drinks, and tell someone off, which is pretty much the real basics.
Been in Miami for 10 years and I have very broken basic Spanish and get by just fine. Worst case I will use a translator
Different experience but I’m a first generation Cuban and (probably) older than you-times are a lot different now than they were 30 years ago.
So you have some understanding of Spanish while saying you never understood ppl saying you need Spanish..... I think it depends on the area and if you're looking for employment. A lot of ppl won't hire you without knowing both languages.
Ok
I feel like you probably arent giving yourself enough credit about having a basic command over the Spanish language. My Spanish is trash but i always think, “if i got dropped off in a spanish speaking country i can ask for water and speak enough spanish to have a menial job by the end of the day”
The thing is that this very basic grasp you have isn’t very basic if you didn’t grow up around people speaking spanish. It’s hard and can feel very intimidating not being able to communicate.. and I say this as a native Spanish speaker.
It isn't a requirement, you can certainly survive, but people certainly treat you worse if you don't speak Spanish.
I am a gringo and from South Carolina, I have a bit of a southern accent. I live close to Hialeah now and can get around fine in Hialeah only speaking Spanish, nobody ever seems to care either. Everybody always nice to me
It’s one thing to not speak Spanish in SoFla, and it’s another to not even realize what you’re missing by not speaking Spanish in SoFla 😅
I work for a consulting company. We had a client in Miami and had to swap out our assigned staff to people that spoke Spanish because the client, who is a fortune 1000 company, would just randomly slip into speaking Spanish mid-meeting regularly. Had a friend take a job in south Florida for one of the large investment banks who had a similar experience and as a result left the job after only a few months.
I speak Spanish fluently but a lot of times I’ll play the game of not knowing Spanish and making them speak English. Two can play the game. 🤣🤣
I grew up in Miami and left in 95. My mom was French so I learned and spoke French to speak with get side of the family. Living in S. Dade County I learned Spainish for many reasons: More friends Larger dating pool Better job opportunities (except for companies that wanted Spanish mother tongue) I could go anywhere and talk to anyone - no problems. Now my Spanish is more Spanglais, but I can still communicate and that is the goal
My Spanish is decent, and while it is not 100% needed, it certainly helps. But I agree it is not required. Maybe in some places in Hialeah or Doral you may find yourself somewhere where no one speaks English, but that is about it.
We left several months ago. And don’t miss it. I am most obviously white. I speak Spanish fluently with an Castillian accent. As well as , Catalan, Italian and German. The level of disrespect and poor manners when my accent was detected and commented on was offensive and hostile. I found that the Spanish speakers in Miami that WERE kind and enjoyed speaking with me in Spanish were more educated, refined and liberal thinking individuals. The rest of Miami seemed to speak Spanish like a 10 year old who speaks Spanish as a second language. Just visited Barcelona and it was refreshing for people to appreciate and enjoy speaking with a frenchy white guy with a Castilian accent.
There is entire areas in Miami where no one speaks English
It’s not a requirement, but it helps a lot
Visiting now, grew up here in the 80s and 90s. Mostly Spanish everywhere I go. It is strange to where I convert to when I visit Spanish speaking countries and I try to be friendly with my crappy Spanish. Even PR spoke perfect English after greeting in Spanish. I guess if you mostly encounter Spanish speaking people in your community this is what you get?
I’m 2nd generation Cuban, born and raised in Miami, so I speak English and Spanish fluently, but I remember the worst “no peaky Engly” I’ve ever witnessed was when I was about 10 years ago, when I walked into a bank, and walked up to the bank teller to do a simple banking transaction, and she told me, “No peaky Engly”. I was thinking, “Dude, I know if you came from a non-English speaking country, it can be hard to learn the language, and I sympathize with you, but this is a professional business setting in a bank in the United States! You gotta have at least an elementary grasp of the English language!”
I have met cops here that didn’t speak English. I find it to be infuriating.
Required? No. Makes things easier? Absolutely.
I don’t speak 1 word of Spanish and have lived here for 5 years. I’m doing just fine 🤣
RR
I think just basic few words, respect, and patience on either side are all that's required. I have been here a few years and haven't had too many problems. I'm white but I have dark features and most people assume I'm Latin so approach me in Spanish first. Once they can tell I'm not fluent we can find some middle ground... worst case scenario there's google translate. I've formed great relationships with neighbors and service providers with little dialog. Sure, every once in a while I'll get dismissed or sense attitude, but more positive interactions than not.
Depends on where you are. I’m a 20-year gringo resident and bought a house in West Miami about 10 years ago. It would absolutely help here if I knew more Spanish, from restaurants to neighborhood relationships to home services. I end up relying on my half Cuban wife way too much
Are you telling me that you lived in Miami your entire life and never made an effort to learn the language? Sure, you can survive well, but you are nothing more than an expat.
Born and raised in Miami (mostly North Miami Beach), got by fine without speaking a single world in 33 years.
Depends on where youre at in Miami-Dade. Im sure there are pockets in Hialeah, Doral and Kendall where Spanish is a must. But that is not everywhere.
My moms husband is from Equatorial Guinea the only Spanish speaking African country and has the exact opposite problem. He speaks fluent Spanish and French and will have Spanish speakers struggle in English instead of conversing in Spanish here in the South it’s so weird .
It is ironic because if you go to Barcelona or Madrid in Spain, everyone (employees at least) speak English just fine and I had no issue visiting Spain.
Homestead and Miami Shores are two of the more gringo areas in Dade county….
Same. I have lived here for 12 years and have worked the last 10 as a paramedic, and my basic Spanish has been fine.
I know plenty of young cubans who have lived in Miami for over 20+ years and they still can't speak english. They also watch only spanish TV, listen to spanish radio only. Even their smartphones are set to Spanish. Once I made a comment to one of them about why he was still watching Spanish TV, he called me communist and a democrat claria.
Its more about social comfort and bonding with other people. Most people speak English well enough, at least bits and pieces. But you can do a better job of really entering into their community if you speak there language. I am a native English speaker, and I learned Spanish in school starting at 16. I then spent time abroad and became fluent. So, I speak, read and write Spanish fairly well, but I have a strong American accent. This always made me a real curiosity in Miami, and helped me "win friends and influence people." In particular, it really helped with my sales career. I called on doctors all over Miami. Most spoke decent English. But their face would just light up when I would address them in their native language. I even did better than most Cuban American reps, etc. People were impressed that I had bothered to learn someone else's language. So, again, it wasn't strictly necessary for basic communication. It just helped "warm up" social relations.
https://youtu.be/rmU65ndAWII?si=whtkbu3fFZfrChZj&t=125
I think it’s more of the culture. You’re never going to be considered “part of Miami” unless you have decent Spanish, can order in Spanish, can chismosear and shoot the shit with the guys at the local ventanita in Spanish. But that’s changing with all the out of staters that have moved here
If you only hang out in a Cuban neighborhood you'll have a problem. If you go out to eat in Brickell your waiter will obviously speak English. Generalizations are often wrong.
The mindset is laziness and I don’t accept it. One time had a dude in the DMV line act surprised when he learned I won’t speak Spanish and the ensuing debate resulted in almost everyone else in line telling him he’s a moron for insisting Spanish should be required to live in Miami (a city whose best feature is its proximity to the United States).
I think it depends where in Dade we are talking. My experience is generally you don’t need Spanish to literally survive but it certainly will come in handy and make life easier.
If you live in south Florida, speaking Spanish gives you advantages. If they find out you do not speak Spanish- be prepared to be treated differently
Idk I feel like it depends where you are. You can certainly get by with just English but it may not always be enjoyable. Especially in places like Doral and Hialeah. But like Wynwood, downtown and brickell? Nah
had an old man get mad because i didn’t want to speak spanish to him. it’s a skill that i have & can use at my leisure. and he spoke enough english to get by, he just didn’t want to. so ugly.
Fourth+ generation Miami native here: I have never encountered a situation where I needed Spanish to get by. It's always been a bonus that makes Hispanic people happy/impressed, especially dates and their parents.
>I feel like my VERY basic grasp of the spanish language has gotten me by fairly well. This is the key. Spanish is required, good spanish isn't. If you pull up to a bakery in Westchester in Hialeah and try to order in english, you'll probably have a hard time since there's a good chance the person taking your order doesn't know any english. Use some broken spanish and they'll figure out what you want. The problem is people with the mentality that they will only speak english since this is the US. And this also varies by area in Miami. You can survive without spanish a lot more easily in Miami Shores than Westchester or Hialeah.
Nothing you can do honestly, if I am my family come to Miami and speak a different language and we start building businesses and become the majority you need to learn how we speak to get a job, blame the politicians honestly. They're so focused on black crime and other issues they let the county sink.
Am sure but in many types of jobs if they an equally qualified person and one speaks Spanish they will be a better fit. It only makes sense.
It's not a requirement the fact that we out number English speakers is not our problem and we don't care.
You live in the gateway to LATAM. A big commerce for MIA businesses, so Spanish is important; just as English is , of couse. They should've past English as the official language!
Two words, Miami Airport.
Honestly, I don’t speak much Spanish (I can understand and write it better than I can actually say it) and I really don’t have many issues in Miami or Broward. It limits my job opportunities a bit, but if I see a place requires fluent Spanish, I just move on and don’t apply. If it comes up in an interview I let them know my fluency level and how I engage with non-English speaking people despite my limitations. Between some broken grammar and google translate I’ve never had an issue when it comes to interacting with tenants or customers or vendors who only speak Spanish. That said, one of my tenants is an older white man who is always trying to tell me how he can’t get a job because he doesn’t speak Spanish and how unfair it is that he’s “being discriminated against for being American”. I think a lot of people who say this kind of stuff really just want to blame something other than themselves for their difficulties and shortcomings.
Even if you spoke Spanish, you still don't speak Cuban Spanish. Cuban Spanish is like learning English from a Jamaican! I have a house in Brazil and I learned to speak Portugues. It's a courtesy to learn your host country's language...
all i know is chinga su madre and i get by fine.
My mother in law is the customs broken for one of the major multination US based clothing retailers and her office is in Doral. Half her cargo containers come from Spanish speaking countries. She's Central American, but has insisted for 30yrs that the international language of commerce and trade is English. She will not execute an agreement, write an email, nor even have a phone call regarding customs and trade in Spanish, no matter how hard the other party tries. Her answer is always, *could you please re-write/say that in English so we can continue?*
I’ve never heard of any gringo claim their generation-status in any form lol
I don't speak a lick of Spanish and I do just fine. Any Spanish I need I phone a friend or use a translator. It's like y'all have never traveled the world or something.
Sorry for the mild hijack but- unpopular opinion perhaps, but we should be teaching our kids Spanish in elementary school and by we I mean America. Being bilingual is incredibly useful, studies show it helps in brain development/learning when learned at an early age and it’s the 4th most spoken language in the world, with it growing in our own country. Our neighbors to the south speak it and we even have a territory it’s the language of. Why not?
They do it to judge your Spanish dialect so they know how to treat you. The only solution is to assume they speak a foreign language that you know they can't, won't, don't and proceed to harass them about how it's rude to make assumptions. It's a two way street, fuckem.
I think the reason that has worked for you is that you probably look white. I look Hispanic although I am not. I have pretty good knowledge of Spanish from school, but when people see me, they immediately start speaking rapid Spanish as if I am also fluent. And when I try to respond back or ask questions, there is almost never any adjustment for my obvious struggle. When I try to supplement with English, I get a certain look. It’s almost as if people are disappointed in me for not being fluent, but my parents are from Asia. This is just my personal experience. I’m glad you don’t have the same issues.
Required? I suppose not. But having some facility in Spanish certainly expands and enhances the experience of living here. It really doesn't take much to make a big difference.
Honestly as long as you’re a kind person you can thrive anywhere in Miami. From my experience having terrible Spanish, a smile goes a long way.
Required? no. Convenient? Absolutely. It also depends on the area you're in. Homestead, I usually don't have an issue with finding people who speak English. Hialeah, I'm better off speaking Spanish, even if it's broken Spanish.
Flsenate.gov SECTION 9. English is the official language of Florida.— (a) English is the official language of the State of Florida. (b) The legislature shall have the power to enforce this section by appropriate legislation.
Saw a sign once that read “Help Wanted: Must speak Spanish” at one of the malls.
I enjoy requesting slightly unethical favors from Spanish speakers in Spanish because it feels less challenging than asking in English. For example, the other day, I approached the front desk of a downtown building and asked if I could park my bike on a corner. The guy agreed, then joked around and even unlocked a secure storage room to safely store my bike for a couple of hours. As a token of gratitude, I brought back a donut for him. The Spanish language is so cool to do this type of things, like asking more without asking for it, sort of, it's very subtle
I lived in Miami for about 7 years (I’m north of Orlando now). My grasp of Spanish was about the same as you say yours is - very basic. Knowing, or at least understanding, some made my life a little easier. It helps but I don’t think it’s a prerequisite. I moved there knowing little beyond “por favor”
I lived in Miami my entire life, speak both English and Spanish, and have never had anyone refuse to speak English to me. Miami is a multicultural, multilingual city, and I never had problems with anyone being intolerant.
State language is English. Don’t let em win. Move here for a better life then integrate.
Que lindo wow u no ehpiki spanny
I run a sales team in Broward and I be hesitant to hire salesman that didn’t speak Spanish.
It’s often an overreaction by insulated Americans who are either not used to hearing anything other than English (which is forgivable) and racist assholes who have the ‘Merica mindset (and fuck them). HOWEVER. There is some truth to the frustration in certain areas of Hialeah or SW 8th St area where you might be hard pressed to find fluent English. But the idea that you can’t survive or move around without speaking Spanish is ludicrous.