While speaking Portuguese with Brazilians is one of the best ways to improve your speaking skills, you’ll sometimes find that some people don’t want to talk in Portuguese, but rather practice their English! That may have been the case with a host from the Multishow channel, who interviewed Shakira on the way to the stage during Rock in Rio last week, and kept falling back into English – even though Shakira was speaking to her in Portuguese.
It’s a conundrum, since sometimes the person just wants to practice their language skills, just like you! So it’s important to keep in mind that you should just go with the flow – maybe engage in English for a bit, and then start to respond in Portuguese. You can also be honest and tell the person that you’d really like to practice your Portuguese, and would he or she mind trying it for awhile? But if the person is very insistent and continues in English, é melhor deixar para lá. (It’s better just to leave it be). You’re bound to find someone who doesn’t speak English who will speak to you in Portuguese.
I also think it’s important to keep in mind that if the information is very important, you should go with the language that both people communicate best in. I’ve sometimes encountered Brazilian businesspeople very eager to practice their English, but when it came down to discussing important details, it was much easier to do in Portuguese. But of course, the opposite can be true as well, depending on the speakers.
What has your experience been with this issue? How have you dealt with it?
