Code-switching is when a bilingual person moves between two languages in the same conversation, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. For Hannah, a Spanish teacher from the US who lives in Mexico, it usually happens for three reasons: a Spanish word says something English needs five words for, a word has no real English equivalent, or she learned an activity in Spanish and never used its English vocabulary.
Hannah and Arturo are a couple who speak each other’s languages. People often ask them whether they talk in English or in Spanish, so they recorded a conversation about it. Hannah speaks English, Arturo speaks Spanish, and both understand each other. The interesting part is when and why that rule breaks.
Key Takeaways
- Code-switching means switching between languages inside one conversation.
- A common trigger is efficiency: one Spanish word can capture an idea that takes several words in English.
- Some words, like estrenar, have no single English equivalent.
- Vocabulary follows experience. If you learned an activity in Spanish, the Spanish words come first.
- Sports vocabulary often stays in English even on Spanish-language broadcasts in Mexico.
- Arturo sees code-switching as different from Spanglish, and prefers to keep his languages separate.
What is code-switching?
Hannah described it this way: code-switching is when a certain word or phrase captures an idea more concisely in one language than in another. She might be speaking completely in English and drop in one word in Spanish, because it is easier to say that one word than the five English words that mean the same thing. It also works in the other direction.
Arturo agreed that it happens a lot, especially with very specific topics, where one word in Spanish would need four, five or six words in English to say the same thing.
Switching languages depending on who is around
Before getting to code-switching, Arturo explained the default. At home, Hannah speaks English and he speaks Spanish, and each understands the other perfectly. That way each keeps their own personality in their native language.
The environment changes that. If they are with people who only speak English, everyone speaks English. If everyone around them speaks Spanish, they switch to Spanish, out of respect for the people in the room.
Hannah added one more reason couples switch: if you are in Mexico and you both speak English, a little English between the two of you can be a private way to check in, even in a crowded place. Many people in Mexico understand English, so she does not recommend sharing secrets that way.
Words that don’t translate: estrenar
Hannah’s example is estrenar. If she is wearing a new outfit, she might say “estoy estrenando.”
In English she could say “I’m wearing a new outfit for the first time” or “I’m showing off my new outfit.” Neither has the same emotional impact for her as “estoy estrenando,” so the Spanish word wins, even in an English sentence.
Arturo said examples like this one are the ones that happen most in their conversations.
When you learned something in Spanish, the Spanish comes first
The last category is vocabulary tied to experience. Hannah has done canyoneering (cañonismo) and rappelling in Mexico, including certifications, and she learned to ride a motorcycle there. She has never ridden a motorcycle in the US.
So the equipment, the movements and the terminology for those activities come to her in Spanish, even though English is her native language. She might say, in English, “I’m packing my ocho, I’m packing my casco, I’m packing my guantes.” She could say figure-eight descender, helmet and gloves, but she rarely uses that vocabulary in English.
Arturo’s explanation: she learned and does the activity in a Spanish-speaking environment, so that terminology comes to her automatically.
| Spanish word | English | Why it stays in Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| estrenar / estoy estrenando | to wear or use something new for the first time | No single English word carries the same feeling |
| el ocho | figure-eight descender | Rappelling gear Hannah learned about in Mexico |
| el casco | helmet | Same activity, same language |
| los guantes | gloves | Same activity, same language |
| cañonismo | canyoneering | An activity she has only done in Spanish |
Why sports vocabulary stays in English
Arturo pointed out that it goes the other way too. With many sports, the terminology arrives in another language. His example is fútbol americano: Mexican broadcasts are in Spanish, but much of the terminology is said in English, and even Mexican teams use the English terms, because that is simply how it is said.
Code-switching is not Spanglish
Arturo drew a line between code-switching and Spanglish, or what some people call being pocho. He said the two of them keep things clear: English is English and Spanish is Spanish. Personally, he likes to speak pure Spanish or pure English and does not like mixing much.
The exception is a very specific or very local word. In his words, it “va directo a la palabra,” in whichever language it belongs to.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is switching between Spanish and English within the same conversation. Hannah describes it as using the language that captures an idea more concisely, such as one Spanish word instead of five English ones.
Not for Arturo. He sees code-switching as reaching for one precise or local word, while he prefers to keep his Spanish and his English separate otherwise.
In Hannah and Arturo’s conversation there were three reasons: a word is more concise in one language, a word like estrenar has no real equivalent, or the vocabulary was learned in one language through an activity.
It means you are wearing or using something new for the first time. Hannah uses it because the English versions do not carry the same feeling.
According to Arturo, even when a game is broadcast in Spanish, much of the terminology is said in English, and Mexican teams use it that way too.
Practice it in real conversations
Hannah and Arturo practice real everyday Spanish in their group conversation course, Spanish for Relationships and Real Conversations. You can see how the small group classes work on the group conversation classes page.
If you are not sure where to start, book a free Spanish Roadmap Session.
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What Our Students Say
Real conversations are where Spanish sticks. Here is what one of our students said about learning with Hannah and the team.
toya 2u · Google review, July 2024
I have worked with Hannah in group classes and one on one and she is by far the best Spanish teacher I have ever had. She is patient, kind and loves teaching.I recently took a Mexican slang group class with Hannah and her new instructors and it was fun and very insightful. I highly recommend Speak Better Spanish.
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Hannah: So people always ask us, do you speak English or Spanish together? We’ve been together for almost two years now, and people are always curious about how we actually communicate. So Arturo, can you share with anyone who’s watching this video, when do we use English, when do we use Spanish, and what do we do when one of us doesn’t know a word?
Arturo: Es una pregunta o un tema muy interesante, porque quienes hablan dos o más idiomas sabrán o se darán cuenta que muchas veces la personalidad no es la misma en un idioma y en otro idioma. Incluso yo me atrevería a decir que hasta el timbre de voz es distinto en un idioma que en otro idioma. Entonces, lo que nosotros, lo que nosotros hemos hecho, mi lengua natal es el español, aunque hablo inglés, y la lengua natal de Hannah es el inglés, aunque habla español. Entonces, lo que hemos hecho es que ella habla todo en inglés, yo entiendo perfectamente todo lo que me dice, y yo hablo todo en español y entiende ella perfectamente lo que yo le digo. Entonces, de esa forma, cada uno sigue con su personalidad y pues no es una barrera en el idioma.
Claro que hay ocasiones en las que terminamos hablando español o terminamos hablando inglés dependiendo del entorno en el que estemos. Si estamos en un entorno en donde hay otras personas que solamente hablan inglés, bueno, hablamos todos inglés. O si estamos en un entorno en donde todos hablan español, pues terminamos hablando por respeto también de forma general español. Pero así es un poco como lo hacemos. Sí, por alguna razón hay palabras muy específicas o regionalismos o algunas frases coloquiales o algunos dichos, etcétera, de uno o de otro idioma muy específico que no conozcamos, pues sí nos preguntamos, ¿no? Oye, ¿qué significa eso? ¿O cómo aplica aquí? O etcétera, ¿no? Que normalmente son cosas como muy culturales, muy, muy locales, muy, muy regionales y que traen pues toda, toda una historia, ¿no?
Hannah: Interesting. So yes, and I have to say that’s all very true. It’s interesting. I’ve spoken with other students as well who speak more than one language. And everyone seems to agree that, I mean, even if you speak a language fluently, like myself, obviously, I’m a Spanish teacher. I’ve been speaking for 20 something years, teaching for 19 years. I speak it fluently. I could easily speak Spanish with you. And we used to when we first started dating until we realized that our personalities, our sense of humor, our way of expressing ourselves, all these different components of how we talk and who we are, are different in the language. It doesn’t mean that I have multiple personalities or you have multiple personalities. It just means that Spanish culture and English speaking culture are different. They have different ways of expressing themselves. They have different ways of relating to people, like you mentioned, even different tone of voice.
So in one language, we might be a little more serious. In another language, we might be a little bit more joking or teasing people or things like that. And at the same time, there’s also a factor of how well do you speak that language? In our case, like you mentioned, we can both understand each other. So that’s not a limiting factor. But if someone was in a relationship with someone that speaks another language and their level, let’s say they’re learning Spanish, but they’re not at a fluent level, then there’s other factors there as well, right? So there’s not necessarily one right way of like, oh, you have to do it this way or you have to do it that way. This is just what we found has worked for us as a way to connect and maybe get to know some other parts of the other person’s personality that might not come out if they were speaking their non-native language.
Arturo: Yeah, correct.
Hannah: Yeah, that’s true. And I would also say like one bonus of dating someone who speaks another language well enough to understand each other. Like if you guys speak each other’s languages, then let’s say that you are in Mexico and you both speak English. Of course, tons of people understand English in Mexico. We’re not the only ones, but in some places they may not speak or understand as much. And sometimes you might want to have like a little joke or a little, you know, a little conversation just between the two of you, even though you might be in a crowded place. So using the language that is not native to that area can be a way to connect. Obviously, you don’t want to tell like any top secrets or anything like that because people still can understand you, of course, but it can be a way to, you know, kind of check in with each other or connect in kind of a private way when you’re in a public setting. Wouldn’t you say?
Arturo: Yeah, exactly.
Hannah: Yep, exactly. And I would say one other time that we haven’t spoken about yet in this video, or one other situation where sometimes we might switch languages is, and you’ve seen me do this all the time. Like, I mean, it’s called code switching. It’s where a certain word or phrase can capture an idea more concisely in one language as compared to another. So sometimes I might be speaking to you completely in English, and I might throw in one word in Spanish, because it’s easier to say that one word in Spanish than it is to say like the five words in English that mean that one word, or vice versa.
Arturo: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, correct. Y llega a suceder mucho, ¿no? Sobre todo en cuando estamos hablando de cosas muy específicas en las que, como comentas, el decir una sola palabra que en español puede significar X o Y cosa, tienes que decir otras cuatro, cinco, seis en inglés para que signifiquen eso, ¿no? Entonces también, también llega, también llega a suceder. Algo de lo que tal vez no es el espacio, creo que eso que comentas es muy distinto al Spanglish o a ser pocho, voy a utilizar ese término, ¿no? Que puede llegar a suceder, creo que nosotros no tanto lo tenemos muy, como muy, muy establecido, inglés es inglés, español es español, incluso a mí en lo personal, a mí me gusta. Si hablo español es puro español, si hablo inglés es puro inglés, no me gusta tanto mezcla, pero sí, hay ciertos momentos en los que alguna palabra o algún acto muy, muy local va directo a la palabra, ¿no?
Hannah: True.
Arturo: En el idioma que sea.
Hannah: That’s true. That’s a good point. Like, there are some words in Spanish that either don’t exist in English or the way you would have to explain it to capture that is much longer. For example, if I got a new outfit, I might say estoy estrenando or, you know, because estrenar, we don’t have the same word in English. So even though I could say, oh, I’m wearing a new outfit for the first time, I’m showing off my new outfit. It doesn’t have the same, like, emotional impact as me saying, like, estoy estrenando.
Arturo: Sí, correcto. Correcto. Como ese tipo de ejemplos, por ejemplo, creo que son los que se dan un poquito más. No tanto, voy a decirlo así, el pochismo o el espanglishismo. Ese creo que no tanto, ¿no? Como que tenemos muy claro inglés, inglés, español es español, punto.
Hannah: And there’s one final category where I would say that I will use a mix of the languages together. For example, there are some activities that I have only done when I’ve lived in Mexico. I never done when I’ve lived in English-speaking countries like the U.S. or otherwise. For example, cañonismo, rappelling, I’ve done, you know, certifications and lots of different activities of that type. So all of the equipment, all of the different movements, all of the different terminology that’s very specific to that sport are all things that I’m only familiar with in Spanish. Now, I might know what the translation for some of them is, but it’s not a word that I used often when I was living in English-speaking countries. So it’s not necessarily a concept that my mind goes directly to the English word, even though English is my native language. It’s a concept where my mind goes to the Spanish word or like when I bought a motorcycle and I learned how to drive it here in Mexico. I’ve never driven a motorcycle in the U.S. So a lot of the terminology and the different parts of the motorcycle and things related to that, my mind goes directly to the Spanish because that activity I’ve only done when I’m speaking Spanish.
Now, obviously, I can speak English when driving a motorcycle. I can speak English when canyoneering, but I do that a very small fraction of the time. So sometimes I’ll even say things to you, you know, like, oh, I’m packing my stuff for the rappelling trip. I’m packing my ocho. I’m packing my casco. I’m packing my guantes. Just like that. Even though, obviously, I could say it in English, right? I could say I’m packing my eight descender. I’m packing my helmet. I’m packing my gloves. But I don’t typically use that vocabulary in English because this is a sport that I practice here. So my mind goes directly to the Spanish version.
Arturo: Yeah, correcto, correcto, correcto, porque aprendiste y haces esa actividad en un ambiente que está en otro idioma. Y aunque lo conoces, a tu mente viene automático esa terminología, en este caso en español, así como muchos de los deportes, nos viene automático la X o Y terminología en algún otro idioma, ¿no? Por ejemplo, el fútbol americano, aunque lo vemos y quienes lo transmiten ya lo hablan en idioma español, mucha de la terminología es en inglés y así lo dices, aunque incluso los equipos de México, porque en México también se juega fútbol americano, los equipos de México lo dicen en inglés porque, porque, pues, típicamente así se dice, ¿no? Entonces yo creo que es más o menos un ejemplo más o menos claro.
Hannah: So if you yourself want to build real relationships in Spanish, whether that’s with friends, your partner, your in-laws, you can join the two of us this October for our group online course, Spanish for Relationships and Real Conversations. We’ll practice the conversations people actually have every day, much like what we were talking about here today, both the cultural aspects, the language aspects, and just the real life Spanish for conversations and relationships. So we’d love to see you in that course if you can’t make it or you’re watching this video at another time and that date has passed. We have a lot of other videos of this type and we will be making more as we go, so feel free to check some of them out. I think you’ll be able to find some, some great, helpful, just real Spanish, which is always both fun to learn and also practical. So if you’re someone who wants to connect with Spanish speakers around you, we hope this has been helpful for you and we’ll see you in the next video.
Arturo: Adiós.
Hannah: Bye.
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