What a Chinese Couple Running a Restaurant Taught Me About Learning Languages

21 Jul 2025 #misc

Yesterday, I revisited an Asian restaurant I hadn’t been to in years.

It’s a family business in a neighborhood I used to live in. It’s still run by the same Chinese couple. And interestingly, their level of conversational Spanish is rather intermediate. Still the same as when I met them. Probably an A2, if you’re familiar with language proficiency levels.

But they know enough Spanish to explain what’s in every dish, take your order, and take your payment. And that’s all they need.

Their Spanish may be basic, but it’s enough to meet their daily needs. Do they speak Spanish? Absolutely. Maybe not about politics, philosophy, or the meaning of life.

Too often we think fluency is about attending a language institute and getting straight As on an exam. But fluency isn’t about perfection.

Fluency is about connection and communication. It’s about knowing the right words for the right moment. And the Chinese couple running the restaurant are completely fluent.

Maybe you’re not opening a restaurant, but here’s how I’d learn a language for work from scratch and 10 hacks I’ve used to learn foreign languages faster.