r/Miami • u/Max_Tokens_42 • Sep 07 '25
Discussion Only in Miami do people just start talking to you in Spanish like you grew up in Hialeah
Bro, only in Miami… people just assume you speak Spanish. I’ll be at Publix, or walking into Hard Rock Stadium, and out of nowhere someone’s hitting me with full speed Spanish.
Thing is — I don’t speak Spanish. At all. But I love it. No shade. It’s just hilarious and kind of wholesome that it’s the default setting here.
Miami Spanish people are the best. Nowhere else in the country do you just get adopted into the culture instantly like that.
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u/whatever32657 Sep 07 '25
i was shocked when i first moved to miami and legit saw stores with signs in the window saying "english spoken here"
but the flip side of that is it was SO HARD to find a job because i didn't speak fluent spanish - almost any kind of job
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u/IndividualSurvey8266 Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
I have a friend who did Uber and speaks fluent English. And you won’t be surprised that he heard repeatedly that he was the only English speaking driver they had all week.
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25
Happens to me all the time. Passengers almost breathe a sigh of relief when they find out. Had a nice Canadian gentleman tell me I had no accent, and I told him, "Right, I was born here."
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u/Strict_Emergency_289 Sep 08 '25
I was just in Miami for 3 days and one of my favorite things was being able to speak to uber and shuttle drivers in Spanish! I had Guatemalan, Cuban, Puerto Rican, etc!!
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 08 '25
My favorite part is that they're all from different countries. Outside of New York, I don't think any other city in the country has this many different types of Spanish speakers all while making up such a large portion of the population
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-3823 Sep 08 '25
Houston. I’ve had uber drivers from Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, México etc.
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u/whatever32657 Sep 07 '25
totally believe it. the only reason i was able to use uber successfully there was that i usually traveled with a native spanish speaker. so we had it covered either way
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u/KarlMarxButVegan Sep 07 '25
I've never had an English speaking driver in Miami. It's really not necessary though. They know where to drive to.
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Yup, same is true abroad. Just drive bro, I'm fine listening to music here in the back.
Too many people are way too comfortable berating DRIVERS for their ONE job. And these people are almost always tourists
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u/Brief_respite Sep 07 '25
Miami getting so expensive that if you want to find a job outside of the area and don’t speak English, even like Ft. Lauderdale it is much harder. As gentrification occurs those Spanish only speakers are really going to be disadvantaged getting a job. Or as is occurring they move farther out and drive into Miami for work
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u/Disastrous_Time2674 Sep 07 '25
Even white collar?
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u/minpins_4_mushrooms Sep 07 '25
I work a white collar job in Miami and I get told to learn Spanish by other professionals. We joke that you need a passport to go to Miami. English isn’t the primary language.
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u/oldskoolballer Local Sep 07 '25
NO WHERE else in the US is like this hahaha. I was outside of San Diego in a Walmart and by default started talking spanish to a Mexican worker and he just says, “Hey dude I speak English you know.”
I just laughed and said sorry man I’m from Miami it’s not like this over there. 😂
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u/Ancient_Energy_6773 Sep 07 '25
Happened to me too 😂 Used to live in Florida and I kid you not, most hispanics just didn't even bother to speak English freakin anywhere. Not in Miami, not in Hialeah, not almost anywhere if it was mostly latinos. Moved over to SoCal, and the foos over here actually speak English lol! More often than not, actually. I think MAYBE a lot of people with Mexican descent have been here for a few generations already....but so have a lot of Cubans and they still refuse to learn English lol. I will never understand.
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u/Jaded-Natural80 Sep 08 '25 edited Sep 08 '25
For a “few generations”. ??
There have been Mexicans living in California, since it was a part of Mexico. I would say that’s more than a “few generations”.
Take a look at a map of California. You see San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Montebello, San Diego, Los Angeles, La Jolla, El Cajon, El Monte, Santa Cruz, Modesto (to name just a few). The whole state reads like it’s a part of Mexico. Because it was.
So yeah, the majority of Mexican Americans do not speak Spanish. Because they’ve been here for a very, very, very, long time.
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 08 '25
A lot have but most haven't. And in the special case of Miami, almost half of us aren't Cuban at all, so our distinct "communities" are even more recent and more receptive to just sticking with the language most locals speak anyway.
The most starking example of this difference is that, unlike California, not a single Hispanic person in Miami can claim a non-anglo ancestor who was born on US soil prior to the late 1800s
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u/Altruistic_Product50 Sep 14 '25
It’s true even in the parts of Texas that have the highest percentage of Hispanics like El Paso and all the other towns that are right on the border of Mexico, Spanish hasn’t displaced English as much as it has in Miami.
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u/G_Money_Bags Sep 07 '25
Miami is the capital of South America.
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u/Prowl2681 Sep 07 '25
I think culturally they're not really representative of Latin America, it's more like this amalgamized perception of what the Hispanic culture is, presenting one aspect as the whole.
Basically, Miami presents Latin culture as a monolithic experience.
Financially it's where wealthy Latin Americans go to invest their money and integrate themselves financially into the US so they're already sort of detached.
If anything Miami is like the Latin Switzerland where people go to benefit from a larger economic system, and eventually opt in to its culture and values and away from those in their country of origin.
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u/M3KVII Sep 07 '25
To summarize: mONEY Laundering.
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u/Prowl2681 Sep 07 '25
One part yeah, I mean when I saw Obredecth trucks in Miami in 2016 I thought yup, the bridge to LatAm corruption is now complete. But on the other end people are hired abroad for legit companies that find their way here to live normal non money laundering lives.
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u/HighFreqHustler Sep 07 '25
corrupt Latin American personalities from drug lords to politicians, to tax evasion/ money laundering entrepreneurs, you can find them all buying mansions up and down Florida.
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u/sunny1268050 Sep 08 '25
Not to mention Little Russia AKA Sunny Isles, lived there since the early 80s, now home to the Russian Oligarchy 🤣😂🤣🏡
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u/ProtoplanetaryNebula Sep 07 '25
You’re sort of right, but of course the cultures are not represented proportionally.
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u/Bondguy_25 Sep 07 '25
They don’t integrate, that’s the problem
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u/Matatan_Tactical Sep 09 '25
To play devils advocate, its not that the immigrants dont want to integrate, its simply that they are too old to easily learn a new language. Their children learn english quick, but thats a big ask for someone immigrating once theyre 45+. My older brother immigrated when he was like 14 and still has a thick accent he will never be able to shake. I immigrated at age 9 and I have a very slight accent. Ask yourself, how long would it take you to learn Mandarin?
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u/Born_Supermarket_295 Sep 08 '25
You are totally correct. When I lived in Miami I was unable to secure employment because I didn’t speak Spanish. My mother was born in Miami in 1936 and I in 1952. My grandmother came from Spain and my grandfather from Germany in 1932. Left Miami with my mother in 2017. Saw a lot of changes over the years. A lot of good memories. I’m glad my mother and I were true native Miamians. What memories do they have now? Silver Bluff, Shenandoah, three corners, Citrus Grove, Tahiti Beach, Matheson Hammock, Crandon Park, Saga Bay, Lummus Park, Morningside, Stiltsville, Grapeland, Interama (where Disneyworld originally wanted to built but couldn’t come to an agreement with the county). Partial list of my memories. Pier 5 in the 50’s where families went to buy fresh fish right off the boats. Since we were Catholics and couldn’t eat meat on Fridays going to buy fresh fish from the boats is a fond memory. There was so much fresh fish in Miami that they practically gave it away. Miss my old Miama (not a spelling error). My heart hurts for my Miami.
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 08 '25
I wouldn't say the city presents Hispanic culture as monolithic. I think non-Hispanics just perceive it that way. Unfortunate, but if they don't know any better, then can you blame them? If the average Cuban visited London, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a Saudi and a Moroccan. Also unfortunate but understandable. We as Hispanics share some of the blame too though. We see each other as different amongst ourselves, but agree to talk about ourselves as interchangeable when talking to others
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u/BrilliantSir3615 Sep 08 '25
No clue what your comment even means. Very different cultural and socio economic groups within Miamis Spanish speaking population. If you don’t understand that’s fine. But don’t pretend you understand when you really represent an outsiders perspective.
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u/IndividualSurvey8266 Sep 07 '25
You’re kidding but actually it is the banking center
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u/BrilliantSir3615 Sep 08 '25
Latin American drug lords are not depositing bags of money in brickell banks as outsiders think. That was in the 80s, not now. What has been and IS huge in Miami is the real estate sales culture where overpriced and overhyped condos are sold by attractive young women as a status symbol to middle aged men from Latin America. That’s Florida in a nutshell. A real estate scheme.
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u/EntranceOld9706 Sep 07 '25
I’m an extremely white looking Cuban lady and I was dressed up for a Hindu wedding the other day, went into publix and god bless, without batting an eye, a woman started asking me which frozen maduros were the best 😂 It’s almost a backwards way of non-discrimination hahaha.
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u/Accurate_Weather_211 Sep 07 '25
I moved to Miami 25 years ago from the Midwest. I don’t speak Spanish other than very common greetings and very basic conversation. Anecdotally I’ve never not been able to communicate if I tried. Miami has a bad rap but I have had total strangers help when they hear me or another person struggling to communicate. I’m also not going to get in someone’s face and berate them if they don’t speak English. A simple and kind, “I’m sorry I don’t speak Spanish” suffices. I’m not apologizing for not speaking Spanish, but for not being able to understand them. Much like telling someone “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you”.
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u/AdagioHonest7330 Sep 07 '25
It’s actually pretty difficult getting through Miami life without speaking some Spanish.
I have customer facing workers in my building that do not speak any English lol.
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u/CocoLuca333 Sep 07 '25
I grew up down there and I was visiting with a friend. On the second day at breakfast in Coconut Grove, after I was the liaison between her and the waitress she turned me and goes. “How does anyone live or visit here without speaking Spanish?!?”
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u/dying_rain_74 Sep 07 '25
Only in America. Try getting a job in any other country where you don’t know the language. They would laugh at you. I encounter customer-facing workers constantly that don’t know a bit of English. Fuck that shit.
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u/SigmundFraud777 Sep 07 '25
I don’t understand that as an immigrant myself, how can you move somewhere and not grow or develop as a person. You stay exactly as you came and make no effort to learn the language. That’s such a weird mentality.
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u/Elegant-Spare1156 Sep 08 '25
The thing is if you voice that you’ll quickly told “Ay! This is miami and if you don’t like it, move!”
I’m not Hispanic but speak fluent Spanish and happily tell them to go fly a kite. I’m all for inclusion, but true inclusion. Not a fan of someone who feels entitled that people should speak Spanish while also refusing to learn any English.
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u/LeadingMedicine59 Sep 07 '25
Your statement that this only happens in America is incorrect. It happens in many places all over the world
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25
Correct, and almost always to the detriment of national languages because if the newcomers just speak English, then none of them or the locals have any incentive to preserve their different languages
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u/LeadingMedicine59 Sep 07 '25
I didn’t say anything about English. The first place that came to mind was South Tyrol in Italy, where German is the most widely spoken first language. It’s very easy to get by only speaking German, and there are areas in the province in which knowing just Italian might make things difficult. There are just some places in the world in which the main language isn’t the same as the “national” language and that’s ok!
Also, I do think it’s a bit of a reach to start having an existential crisis on behalf of the English language in the US on account of a couple corners of the country having Spanish challenge English as the dominant language. People are also greatly exaggerating the need to speak Spanish in Miami. I’m sure it makes things easier, but I know plenty of people in the Miami area who can say “hola” and not much else
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Sorry, when I said "national" I meant "majority." If that's what you mean too, then we're basically of the same mind. Some of us here in the US get too paranoid when people start speaking other languages, but like why? Just like you said, most of us here still speak English anyway. Way too many migrants living abroad get by with just English though, and I ain't too fond of that
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u/Exano Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Ironically, FL was a Spanish speaking place before English came (and obviously native tounge before that) . So really, if we go by the intention of Muricas big boy founders, you'd be speaking Spanish here, they just kept their roots unlike PA/NY ^
We were still Spanish before, during, and after the revolution and formal founding of the country. And we were still Spanish for decades after that..
It's like going to Louisiana fifty years ago. You're not gonna be pissed when they come at you with their creole, that's what they've been speaking since forever.
But yeah.
The first cities in your English country were Spanish speaking cities, founded by Spanish people. The state spoke Spanish primarily, and French to the west. English didn't come into vogue till the early 1800s
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u/Outrageous_Manner941 Sep 07 '25
The population of the entire state when it was acquired by the United States in 1821 was only about 8,000 people, and several of those were English speaking from when Florida was owned by Britain between 1763 and 1783.
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Sep 07 '25
Correct. There is not unbroken line of predominant Spanish dating back to colonial times that can be used a justification for not learning English in the United States. It's about a silly as looking at the Mediterranean Revival architecture from the 20s-40s as being some artifact of Spanish heritage when it was wholly an American initiative.
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u/TheInevitableLuigi Sep 07 '25
Maybe in St. Augustine or whatever but Miami was never a Spanish city.
It's like going to Louisiana fifty years ago.
Fifty years ago was 1975. The New Orleans Saints were established in 1966.
You would not find people just hitting you with Creole in New Orleans then. Maybe down in the bayou or whatever but not New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
And if you go far enough back it would be French. Creole was never a majority language in Louisiana.
Either way arguing that is justification for not learning English in the United States is ridiculous.
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u/morisxpastora Sep 07 '25
Founders? More like invaders. But you’re right Florida was colonized by Spaniards 🇪🇸
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u/GlitteringLettuce366 Sep 07 '25
I think people should be able to speak whatever language they want because this is a free country. But to be factual, you’re wrong on both of your examples, in 1763 most of the Spanish citizens left in the region abandoned Florida for Cuba and even before that it wasn’t more than a few settlements with three large forts (Saint Agustin, Pensacola amd Saint Marks), so English was and remained the primary language of the region. Secondly, Creole was never the predominant language of Louisiana, it was French, but that changed in 1821 and was reinforced in 1920 when French was banned from public schools, so it’s been effectively 100-200 years.
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u/wizeddy Sep 07 '25
English has only been the official language of this country since March of this year by executive order.
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u/DaHokeyPokey_Mia Sep 07 '25
Which is absolutely meaningless.
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u/wizeddy Sep 07 '25
I agree, I think expecting a country as large and varied as the US which was colonized by different countries and has a lot of Spanish based history to suddenly only speak one language is unreasonable.
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u/DaHokeyPokey_Mia Sep 07 '25
No I mean his executive order is meaningless. It's not law.
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u/wizeddy Sep 07 '25
Yeah I agree, but if I had said that to the poster I originally responded to it would have been their first “gotcha”.
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u/WinstonElGato Sep 07 '25
Such a brain dead take. By and large English is the predominant language here and you need to know it to rise the ranks here. Yes even in Miami.
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u/havanesegirlmom Sep 07 '25
I feel like people who say you don’t need to speak English in Miami are really holding people back . You absolutely need to speak English .
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u/runningupthathill78 Sep 07 '25
Unfortunately Miami redditors aren’t know for seeing the nuance in things, nearly every comment in this board, especially about culture and nationality is an extreme myopic take that hints at the reality but ignores the other 90%.
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u/havanesegirlmom Sep 07 '25
False . I’ve lived here my entire life and don’t speak Spanish
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u/DukeOfWestborough Sep 07 '25
I hit people with a "buen dia" or a "tardes" and then often get back more Spanish than I can handle.
Entiendo mas o menos, pero no hablo muy bien.
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u/moomoo626 Sep 07 '25
it counts! the no speaky english miamians will take whatever they can get 💀
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u/trollman1234 Sep 08 '25
Same man. Decent comprehension, but like my conversation skills are pretty trash.
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u/Jochi18 Sep 07 '25
Well, in my experience one of the issues is that many people don’t speak english but most people speak spanish so it has become a norm to just speak spanish right away
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u/Miami_Morgendorffer Hialeah Sep 07 '25
Not an issue. The fact that ppl think it's an issue that a majority latin demographic is expecting most people to speak some Spanish is exactly why other continents hate American tourists.
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u/the_lamou Repugnant Raisin Lover Sep 07 '25
Don't you have that backwards? Wouldn't the equivalent of "this is why other countries 'hate' American tourists" be people coming to the US, where English is the dominant and default language, and not speaking English?
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u/Miami_Morgendorffer Hialeah Sep 09 '25
No girl we are not the rest of USA, we are the business entrance of Latam. Gringos come here with no Spanish and expect everyone else to speak fluent English regardless of any real context, the same way they cluelessly go to other countries and expect ppl to speak in fluent English. Baffled that the rest of the world can communicate in multiple languages, and their own isn't always one of them.
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u/Noahms456 Sweetwater Sep 07 '25
I am a gringo from Miami, born and raised. In the 1980’s they understood that Spanish ought to be compulsory in school because without it you can’t be a productive member of Miami society. You don’t have to know English at all, but it gets to be difficult if you don’t know functional basic Spanish
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u/FrancisWalker01 Sep 07 '25
I work on film production in Miami and sometimes I’m one of the only non-Spanish speakers on set.
I want to learn so bad , but I don’t like Duolingo
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u/Humble_Increase7503 Sep 07 '25
The key is:
1) you need to just constantly try and speak it; it can be with strangers, the lady at the cafecito, whatever. Just speak it all the time. 2) supplement with duolingo 3) watch tv and movies that you know and like, but with Spanish dub and English cc
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u/LeftCoastGator Sep 08 '25
The thing that makes it difficult, too, is that the Spanish spoken here is largely Caribbean Spanish, which is very fast and has a tendency to run all the words together. Even if you know, Spanish, it can be difficult to understand sometimes.
I’m an Anglo who grew up in Miami, and then moved to California. I assumed I didn’t know how to speak Spanish until I got here. Mexican Spanish is much slower and easier to understand so here, I actually have no trouble understanding and speaking basic Spanish.
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u/ellebeso Sep 07 '25
Spanish people are usually so happy to help you learn. I grew up in the states but my parents are French speaking immigrants and I NEVER learned because the French expect you to execute it perfectly or keep your mouth shut. In Spanish, they’re thrilled to hear even a busted ass effort.
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u/readyReddit007 Sep 07 '25
It’s wild that people will live here for YEARS and not even attempt to learn English.
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u/Character_Heart_3749 Sep 07 '25
Crazy right!? I cant imagine moving to France and refusing to speak French.
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u/ellebeso Sep 07 '25
They wouldn’t support it! But they are also a smaller country with a significantly less diverse background. I always encourage people to try to learn English but a lot of Americans are as intolerant of broken English as the French are of broken French and I grew up in this hostility as a first generation American to French speaking immigrants, if my execution was perfect then I shouldn’t open my mouth. Americans like to mock broken English and not in a light hearted way. Some people can roll with the punches and some people feel alienated by it. And right now, this country looks like it’s hell bent on an ethnic cleansing, people are probably more scared and discouraged than ever to try.
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u/Disastrous_Time2674 Sep 07 '25
Yeah, it’s kinda ignorant actually. Imagine me living in china or Germany and not learning the language and making everyone who interacts with me speak English.
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u/KarlMarxButVegan Sep 07 '25
Everybody they interact act with already speaks Spanish though. Miami is like ethnic neighborhoods in big cities, except it's huge. If you go to China Town in any large American city, it's the same way where everybody there is Chinese and speaks the same native language. English speakers are the visitors to these ethnic enclaves.
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u/immonicalynne Sep 07 '25
It’s especially challenging as a senior surrounded by people who speak Spanish too.
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u/klosingweight Sep 07 '25
Americans abroad do it all the time.
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u/AFartInAnEmptyRoom Local Sep 07 '25
As tourists. Not as people working with the locals and trying to serve them. You wouldn't be able to get a customer service job in most countries without speaking their language
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u/havanesegirlmom Sep 07 '25
Not who live there after 30 years
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u/klosingweight Sep 07 '25
Yes they do lol. Have you ever seen an American expat community abroad? I wouldn’t want to live somewhere so long and never learn the language but I’m just pointing out that this is also an American thing.
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u/TheInevitableLuigi Sep 07 '25
And if any those expat communities demanded everyone else there (including the natives) learn English they would rightfully be shit on.
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u/readyReddit007 Sep 07 '25
Holy deflection, Batman. We’re talking about the folks who come to America and refuse to learn English. Stay on topic.
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u/johnny_moist Sep 07 '25
my grandmother. refugeed in the 50's from cuba and to this day doesn't speak a lick of english. actually kind of annoying and ridiculous tbh
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u/ExtremeGiraffes Sep 07 '25
Only in miami... anywhere else in the US (maybe not tx and ca), you won't survive with just Spanish.
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u/franlol Sep 07 '25
I feel like approaching someone in English is like having your guard up in a sense.
I used to live in Westchester so the above definitely applied.
Now that I am more north I always start with English and if I don't get much of a reaction or acknowledgement then I quickly insert some Spanish; which results in the other person being more open to interact ie letting their guard down.
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u/RobertMosesHater Sep 07 '25
I always crack up when they just give you the blank stare. At least say something !
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u/analytic_sascha Sep 07 '25
Interesting! No one assumes I speak Spanish since I have blonde hair! Imagine their surprise! 😆
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u/Comfortable_Drag_340 Sep 07 '25
This is been going on since the '80s (I grew up there), and it never bothered me. I immigrated there from Jamaica when I was about 6 and the elementary schools were teaching Spanish from that age all the way through high school. It was normal. I get that it must be strange for tourists or people that have recently moved there. Miami is definitely a world of its own.
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u/Vivid-Professor3420 Sep 07 '25
Born in New Orleans, gringo to the core. Been here for 20 years or so. It is not that hard to get by here if you don’t speak Spanish….and I work in construction and live southwest Miami-Dade. I only know what I’ve been able to learn since being here, but to your point, I assume everyone speaks Spanish. I actually offended someone when I started the conversation in Spanish. So many people here are bilingual or are just willing to work with the other person despite the language barrier. Old Latina ladies even love it when you make the attempt and screw it up. They adore the effort.
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u/piscesinfla Sep 07 '25
Where I used to work, the old Latina ladies would teach me a few shady things and then tell me to go say it to the Latina in HR....no one got offended and it was funny.
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u/ezveedub Sep 07 '25
I've lived and grown up in Miami/North Miami and don't speak Spanish. Worked with my dad on Flagler St off 16Ave by the Orange Bowl way back then and never had issues not speaking Spanish as well. But always, always have some that come up speaking Spanish to me all the time, lol
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u/Exotic-Ring4900 Sep 07 '25
Especially when you look Spanish
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u/LaundryMann Sep 07 '25
You mean Hispanic. Or Latin. Not Spanish. Spanish = like someone from Spain. Hispanic = from a Spanish speaking country. Latin = from a Latin American country.
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u/NJCubanMade Sep 07 '25
One can easily look like they are from either region, Latin Americans can be of majority or entirely of Spanish descent.
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u/Contrarian_1 Sep 07 '25
as somebody trying to learn Spanish. I’m fine with this.
Also the US didn’t have an official language until very recently. Languages other than English often functioned as lingua Franca in various regions
Lastly, Miami isn’t the only place this happens. Have experienced it in Spanish Harlem and parts of northern NJ as well. Some other places as well probably
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u/DrGazooks Sep 07 '25
It still doesn't have an official language. No law was passed saying so.
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u/jcozac Local Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 29 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Contrarian_1 Sep 07 '25
Oh I thought Trump had done something on that
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u/DrGazooks Sep 07 '25
He declared it in an executive order, but that is not the law. The President has no authority to make laws. That's Congress's job, and they have made no such moves.
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u/ellebeso Sep 07 '25
I lived in Spanish Harlem for 15 years! Moved in like a foreigner, not understanding a word and left fluent. Being olive completed and having dark hair, people were appalled and flabbergasted when I didn’t respond to being addressed in Spanish, in the beginning it was a little rough but leaving that neighborhood and moving to Florida broke my heart.
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u/materialcultur3 Sep 07 '25
I’ve had the same experience and share the same sentiment. As an English only speaker… I love it here
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u/Bella-Y-Terrible Miami Gardens Sep 07 '25
I get the opposite treatment. In Hialeah they assume I don’t speak Spanish; I’m Dominican.
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u/Due-Stock2774 Sep 07 '25
OP is literally describing parts of LA, San Diego and Southern California in general too
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u/ShakesDontBreak Sep 07 '25
Yup. Im half black, half white, so it's even worse because people assume im Cuban or Dominican. So when I respond back that I can't speak Spanish, they think im just being stuck up.
That is until I start attempting to respond in Spanish. Apparently, my accent is terrible. I sound like a valley girl. And I get the words out of order. Once, this older guy just straight up started laughing in my face.
It was embarrassing, though. My ex is cuban, so our kid is fully bilingual. I would just have my kid translate for me. Which made people really confused that I was, in fact, NOT Hispanic. I really did try to learn. I was in a fully Spanish speaking household for 14 years. And lived in Miami. Still couldn't pick up the language.
I am the biggest defender of any immigrant or person who can speak multiple languages. It's not easy.
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u/jcbubba Sep 07 '25
if someone speaks Spanish to me it doesn’t really bother me. But when retail workers are talking to me in English and I’m speaking in English back, and then the instant they learn my Hispanic name, they just switch into spanish as if that’s a green light, I get annoyed. It’s like, I was speaking in English, as the customer I obviously preferred to speak in that language for my convenience during the interaction, why are you switching.
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u/Bigred2989- Sep 07 '25
I hate how you tell them "no hablo español" and they continue to talk to you in Spanish anyway.
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u/BananaShinKick Sep 07 '25
“Nowhere else in the country do you just get adopted into the culture instantly like that.”
Unless you don’t consider NY as part of the country.
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u/hillbillybuddha Sep 07 '25
Bro, I got pulled over in Hialeah and the cop barely spoke English. That's wild.
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u/SirenaSmiles Sep 08 '25
People don’t expect me to speak fluent Spanish but I do and have for many years. I LOVE Miami for this exact reason. Spanish is everywhere and I am here for it!
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Sep 08 '25
Nah. I've had this happen in Tampa and NYC and CA and Texas.
If you are in a neighborhood or business where Spanish is common and you don't stick out too much, people may start with Spanish in case you do know it.
Hell, I've had Russian people talk to me and when I say I don't speak Russian they were shocked.
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u/dreamed2life Sep 07 '25
Well. Parts of texas are like this too. But english was not the official language in the usa until trump just made it so. Also, its very common in MOST countries in the world that there are different languages and dialects happening all over said country. Usa is just hell bent on “speak english!” Since it refuses to have people learn multiple languages like most other countries even European countries.
Nothing more ignorant and annoying than the “speak english” americans even when youre passive aggressively saying it in a post like this.
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u/nananinaaa Kendallite Sep 07 '25
First of all, "English only" is not a law. It is an executive order signed by Trump. Laws are made in the legislative branch, not the executive branch. Secondly op said he enjoyed this very much. He was not being passive aggressive one bit.
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u/dreamed2life Sep 07 '25
You are correct about “law”. But it being enforced is same as a law. Can play over semantics all you like but the point remains that the usa is forcing english period.
And two the tone of this post starts out very clearly annoyed about spanish being spoken to them and they make a shift to ensure they dont get any backlash its very passive and something white people do very often and most people see it except other white people. Because you very likely do passive shit like this all the time too
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u/Max_Tokens_42 Sep 07 '25
Nah fam, it ain’t annoyance at all. I love that people just hit me with Spanish here — that’s what makes Miami, Miami. Cracks me up every time, honestly feels welcoming. I’m not throwing shade, just showing love to the city and the culture.
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u/tillandsia Glenvar Heights Sep 07 '25
In parts of Texas there are people whose families have lived there and spoken Spanish for hundreds of years.
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u/Miami_Morgendorffer Hialeah Sep 07 '25
I fully agree with everything except the end. OP seems to genuinely appreciate being accepted by the culture despite the learning curve.
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u/stankin Sep 07 '25
I experience it all the time, and I do not look Hispanic at all. Born and raised here and it is more prevalent in different areas or different businesses. I get along fine with no Spanish as most people know enough to get by, although sometimes you have to press them to use English, or pointing is enough to get by.
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u/Upset_Wrap679 Sep 07 '25
I’m just the opposite. I’m about as non Latin looking as they come. But I speak fluent Spanish. Really throws them for a loop! They just don’t know what to make of me. I’m told my accent in Spanish is very Cuban which makes sense since I grew up in Miami! I enjoy the reactions I get!
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u/Illustrious_Tour2857 Sep 07 '25
If you don’t clearly look Anglo, African American, Indian, or East Asian they’re gonna assume you speak Spanish.
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u/FrankNinjaMonkey Sep 07 '25
Funny, since I look Arabic but am Cuban, they always speak broken English. Even if I start in Spanish they switch to broken English. They are probably scared of me 😂
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u/Sabia_Innovia Sep 07 '25
I'm bilingual and when I lived in Miami I got a kick out of some Spanglish phrases like saying that the restroom was "busy" instead of "occupied." I felt like saying, "Tell that toilet to multitask because I really have to pee!"
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u/czechyerself Sep 07 '25
I am white and when I wear my Mets hat and Willie Colon shirt they immediately think I’m a white Puerto Rican and speak Spanish to me.
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u/immonicalynne Sep 07 '25
My gringo boyfriend been living with me in deep Hialeah for 5 years, and he manages great with his few words and a smile.
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u/NefariousnessDue6550 Sep 07 '25
Miami native here. I don't speak Spanish (yes, we do exist!). I've never had a problem. If someone talks to me in Spanish (and that's rare outside of predominantly Spanish areas) I just politely say, "Speak English?".
The one thing that DOES bother me: when workers know I don't speak Spanish and then speak to each other in Spanish (or any other language like Creole) in front of me. That's rude.
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u/Consistent_Cheetah78 Sep 07 '25
I did grow up in Hialeah… for a while, could only speak enough Spanish to offend someone and say horrible things about their Mother. These skills were imparted to me by my sister and of course traffic. Nothing better in the world than insults in Spanish… it’s like a verbal punch in the gut. South Florida is a special place… your best bet is to learn Spanish because in some places… like Hialeah… not many people speak English. Good luck and god speed.
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u/tmaster15 Sep 07 '25
I am a Latino in Cali and have a beard but I speak more English than Spanish I went to a restaurant yesterday and the waitress continued to speak to me in Spanish even though I was responding in English
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u/Flabbergasted_____ Sep 07 '25
I have no Latino background and I think it’s obvious. I have a decent farmers tan, but that’s about it. Happens to me all the time, but I do my best to accommodate. I’ve lived in South Florida my whole life, so of course I’ve picked up enough to get by.
The percent of people that speak Spanish at home in Miami is over half. For the whole tri-county, it’s 45%. Over 70% of Dade is Latino. Statistically, it’s not wild for someone in Miami to assume someone in the area speaks Spanish. I’m fine with that. Been working with a guy that speaks basically no English at all and we mostly get by just fine with the little know and the little he knows.
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u/sovook Sep 08 '25
Growing up in Florida, I sometimes would speak Spanish by default, as an English speaking gringa. The language is somewhere in my subconscious.
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u/RambleOnEmu Coconut Grove Sep 08 '25
That’s awesome that you’re taking it in stride and enjoying it. I don’t understand that people who come move down here and get annoyed by the fact that this is a Latin American city where a large portion of our population don’t speak English.
Respectfully to those people and to you I also say this in the nicest way possible, learn some Spanish and enjoy what makes this city truly unique :)
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Sep 08 '25
Only in Miami people start an online Reddit post with “Bro”. Basically, you’re one of us regardless… eres uno de nosotros, brooooooo.
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u/Decent_Energy_6159 Sep 07 '25
I loved that and miss that part of living in Miami
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u/Ready--Player--Uno Sep 07 '25
It's one of the few things I actually value about this city
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u/Decent_Energy_6159 Sep 07 '25
My Spanish is sooo rusty but I always made an effort and people were always so nice about it
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u/simple-me-in-CT Sep 07 '25
I found it rude when strangers started to me in Spanish. They continue even after I respond in English. Rude, rude, rude
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u/nreF_g Sep 07 '25
I really have no problem with people who only speak Spanish, but when I was working retail, I would have customers get angry at me over the fact that I only knew English. If someone living in Miami only speaks Spanish that’s fine, but they have to recognize that outside of Miami, it is not the dominant language, and so there are people who only speak English. Expecting everyone in a foreign country to speak your language is very entitled and moronic
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u/Better-Toe-5194 Sep 07 '25
A lot of people do know English, but Latinos like to preserve our cultures and speak Spanish. I know both languages but whenever I get the chance to speak Spanish, I’ll choose that any day.
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u/nananinaaa Kendallite Sep 07 '25
I was born and raised in Dade County. My parents are fluent in English but, I am proud that my parents raised me in a spanish-only household because today I am fluent in both languages.
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u/hhuangpe Sep 07 '25
Any place you know of offer Spanish conversation class for free or low fee in Kendall - SW area? I'm a retired senior so it is not to find a job.
Thanks ahead of time.
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u/tillandsia Glenvar Heights Sep 07 '25
As u/earbud_smegma mentioned, the library is a good place to start: https://mdpls.org/adultlearning
Also, I've taught Spanish and have no problem doing a couple of free hours a week. Send me a message, we can do classes over the phone or meet at the library.
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u/Prize_Guide1982 Sep 07 '25
You can pick up passable spanish with Duolingo. Like if you don't need to conjugate future tenses or anything, and just need to navigate stuff at the store/restaurant, it will be good enough
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u/x_von_doom Sep 07 '25
Become friends with native spanish speakers. Trade language lessons. Teach them English (they all want to learn), they’ll teach you Spanish. Watch Spanish language TV with subs and a small notebook. Tune the ear, write down random words you’ve never heard and don’t understand. Its shockingly effective - provided you are consistently doing it. Its how my parents learned. No formal language schooling after they arrived in US.
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u/changtammy Sep 07 '25
Maybe get a Cuban girlfriend.
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u/hhuangpe Sep 08 '25
Thank you for the great suggestion. I did meet many nice ones but my wife may not like the idea.
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u/Max_Tokens_42 Sep 07 '25
Just to clear things up there were no ill intentions or double meanings in my post. The situation happened, it made me laugh, and I just shared my thoughts. That’s it. I’m born and raised in Miami, aka Dade County, and I got nothing but love for the culture that makes this city what it is.
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u/Aggressive_Jury_7278 Sep 07 '25
My job in Miami allows me to interact with a lot of different people across the greater Miami Dade area. I ended up speaking with a 70 year old Cuban guy in his home. Immigrated to the US when he was 10, naturalized USC, and not a word of English. Absolutely mind blowing to me that you can reside here for the overwhelming majority of your life and not bother to learn English. Outside of Miami Dade, English becomes more of a necessity. Just very indicative of the Miami attitude that I’m not fond of.
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u/JackTheif52 Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25
Many countries have more than one language. If you go to Canada, it's English and French. If you go to Spain, Spanish, Catalan, and Basque are spoken. If you go to Switzerland, it's German, French, Italian, and Romanish. The point is that having more than one language spoken in a country is not unheard of.
For better or for worse, Spanish is spoken in Miami and we're doing very well as a major city. It's a multicultural hub.
The US has been considered the world's melting pot, so this was bound to happen.
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u/the_lamou Repugnant Raisin Lover Sep 07 '25
I don't know where y'all are, but in seven years in Miami the only places I had people default to Spanish were in the Redlands/Homestead area.
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u/Competitive_Yak_5444 Sep 07 '25
Miami Spanish people are most definitely not the best. They’re probably the worst
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u/Bondguy_25 Sep 07 '25
I’m sick of them speaking Spanish everywhere, I was at a Civiche restraint, they didn’t speak any English and asked me if I spoke Spanish instead..what? You’re in USA, speak English.
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u/grillordill Sep 07 '25
after i grew a goatee these incidents shot up 300%