Board / tabletop games that don't require language?

[monsterastuckiosa]

I live in Spain, and have a DP and DSS (16). DP speaks fluent English, I speak decent Spanish, DSS is doing an amazing job between school and hanging out with us at learning English, although he's not fluent yet.

DSS has a lovely girlfriend he's been with for a year or so, and she's like part of the family – spends a lot of time with us as her (single) mother works 3 jobs and is out of the house a LOT. She hardly speaks English at all.

My dad (who speaks very little Spanish) is coming out to visit for a couple of weeks in September, and so we're probably going to have a few days or evenings where it's all 5 of us together – and I'd love to find some games we can play after dinner / around the pool to help my dad and DSS's GF feel connected and relaxed, and have a giggle together... but they need to be easy to play with people who don't speak the same language!

We have which is perfect because it's so physically-focused, and Taco Gato Cabra Queso Pizza, which is great because it only involves 5 words, but I'm looking for more options...

Any games enthusiasts with good ideas?

Uno, have played with zero English-speaking Germans and Spaniards.

Jenga
Snap
Connect 4
Guess who (lots of actions and a few colours)

Ligretto! But it's very fast, need to be quick-witted. Each pack is for four people so you'd have to buy two packs different colours.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Schmidt-Ligretto-Green-Card-Game/dp/B0018ZG51Y/ref=mpssa111?crid=HSBP7YQSZ5ZK&keywords=ligretto+cards+game&qid=1659389189&sprefix=ligret%2Caps%2C58&sr=8-1

You are all a bunch of legends. Labyrinth, Qwirkle and Ticket To Ride are on their way....!

Quirkle - simple rules, placing blocks in turns to fit either colour or shape, quite strategic for a simple idea!

Hive - a strategy 2-player game involving placing the pieces correctly to take the other persons queen bee. Similar to chess I suppose but much easier to pick up.

Carcassone - detailed rules but much much easier to understand and play without the farmers in play.

I LOVE ticket to Ride so much. It’s the best ever!!

you can watch a quick YouTube video about it beforehand, Wesley crusher from Star Trek makes great videos about board games, if you do get into them, his name is Will Wheaton.

Ticket to Ride is so simple but what I love most about it is that you don’t actually know who won until the game is over, it really sorted out the board flippers here!

we all play it and love it.

Enjoy it!

I used to play none men's morris with my spanish friends - no language needed apart from explaining the rules

Hive, ticket to ride, pandemic, mysterium? (You have to guess clues based on pictures)
Carcassonne, Dragon's breath, we have a lot of Haba games in the German boxes because they were cheaper and they're not language dependent!