AIBU to be annoyed

[Belvedeer]

When stood in a group of 3 people, all speak English but 2 speak another language, to be annoyed when they start having a conversation which I can’t understand. I find it so rude and awkward, it’s not me interrupting, it’s all of us stood there then the convo changes and they start speaking another language. This happens at pick up drop off at my kids school and I find it so annoying, anyone feel the same?

Yes. I used to work in a office with a number of people from the same country who used to speak in their language at lunch breaks in the staff room. It was very offputting and a lot of us were convinced they were talking about us. In the end management put a stop to it and explained why they had to speak English. Not sure they were happy but they did it. Nowadays I would just say ‘ do you know how rude you are being, suddenly talking in a language I can’t when we are having a cinversation’ Better yet I would love to learn said language and just pitch in with the conversation!

Haha I would also love to just start pitching in

I think I'd really enjoy being able to speak my native language with someone if I lived in another country

It is the height of rudeness, to socially exclude someone - you do need to say 'I cant understand you'.

I too worked on a multi cultural office, where some staff would drop into their native tongue. We ended up with a diktat that the common language would be used at all times.

If you're standing right there, in a triangle with them, it's extremely rude. It's deliberately and knowingly excluding someone banal interaction. They may as well turn their backs on you and whisper to each other in English.

I don't like it. I remember telling a friend off for speaking Russian to our acting teacher as we all walked down a street together.

She was Belgian and she dismissed me....she said it wasn't rude at all!

I don’t have a problem with people speaking a different language if they’re having a conversation just involving the two of them (like at their own table in a work lunch room for example). But if I was in a conversation with them and they abruptly switched from English, then I think that’s shockingly rude.

Was it a full blown conversation of just a few words? It is rude but I do think sometimes people do it without realising it. We have Italian and German friends who speak both languages and English and they occasionally drop into a particular language when saying something specific to each other, forgetting that me and DP don't speak the other 2 languages. I don't think they do it on purpose.