🤭 Start With Hola or Stay Home

Tough love for those who are terrified of speaking another language

A few weeks ago, I visited Barcelona. At check-in, the hotel staff offered me and my husband a welcome beverage. While I debated between a glass of water or cava (Spanish sparkling white wine), three weary-looking Americans walked up to the check-in desk, chests puffed with bravado, and said: “Hello, we’re finally here after a very delayed flight...” and I was livid. Not because my drink order was disrupted (okay that too), but because these folks either forgot or didn’t care they just landed in a foreign country. Yes, the hotel staff could speak English, Catalan, and likely several others—Europeans are impressive polyglots. But when I hear Americans refuse to speak even basic Spanish here, me da rabia (it makes me angry), and I think: “We deserve our rude reputation.”

A common courtesy when traveling abroad is to start any interaction with a greeting in the local language. It is your obligation as a tourist to learn how to say hello wherever you go. If you can’t be bothered to Google it or ask someone, don’t bother traveling.

Spanish is Hard, but Hola is Not

I get it. The language barrier can be intimidating. You might worry about sounding silly or being misunderstood. But this small effort of leading with “hola” goes a long way in showing respect for the Spanish culture and its people.

Also when you do switch to English, remember to keep it simple. Last week,

The Bubble Newsletter

shared this genius viral social media post reminding English-speaking tourists to speak more clearly:

A viral Instagram post shared by @postureoespanol reads: “Dear English Speakers, our lovely staff tries their best to understand all your different accents, synonyms, and colloquialisms, but, dude, like aren’t you supposed to be the ones learning a new language in this scenario? :-) Which one is easier to understand: 1) “Yeah, um, lemme get one of uh them cookies there” or 2.) “One chocolate chip cookie, please.” Please make their lives a little easier - thanks.

American idioms are often lost in translation, leaving hotel and food service workers confused.

For example, instead of saying,

“Hey, cut me some slack? (idiom)”

Try saying:

“Can you speak more slowly, please?”

The second version is much easier to understand.

Why We Speak in Idioms

Speaking clearly is especially hard for my West Coast Americans. Since moving to the mid-Southern USA and Spain, I have realized an unspoken rule of the West Coast is to be deferentially cute and overly idiomatic with our language. We do this to communicate friendliness but if often comes across as false humility.

The unspoken social currency of many Americans is using slang-of-the-moment such as:

“I low-key want some Spanish friends so I can glow up my language skills.”

And trendy tonality:

“Can we, like, let the vocal fry die in a California forest fire already?”

This way of speaking might work when you’re speaking with other Americans. But when you travel to another country, clarity is king.

At the risk of using another idiom, to learn a language is to eat a slice of humble pie. Unless you are a unicorn (idiomatic word) who picks up languages and sounds effortlessly, when you sign up to learn a language, you are signing up to succeed and fail, in thrilling and embarrassing ways. Cringe is an avoidable part of the process. The good news is: each attempt to learn, no matter how clumsy, is a step towards understanding another culture more deeply.

There’s no sugarcoating it (another idiom!)—refusing to adapt and expecting the world to accommodate your language everywhere you go is ignorant. Since Spain is breaking its pre-pandemic tourism records, there’s never been a better time to habla español (speak Spanish).

Learn the Big Five

For those of you ready to go beyond “hola”, consider adding these words and phrases to your Spanish vocabulary:

1. hola (hello)

2. por favor (please)

3. gracias (thank you)

4. lo siento (sorry)

5. adios (goodbye)

This Spanish shortlist will put you in the good graces of locals. Practice these before you leave or when you arrive and you’ll be on your way to being a better tourist or foreign resident in any country.

In short, knock it off with the “English-only” attitude. Starting with “hello” is a choice; choose differently. In a world where we are tethered to our phones, try to embrace the analog, the humanity-affirming process of learning a language. You will likely mess it up, but your effort won’t go unnoticed by locals.

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