DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend, "Raul," has been having the same issue all of his adult life, but it's new to me because we have been together only a few years.
Raul was born in Mexico, but has been raised in the United States since he was an infant. For some reason, every time Raul and I go somewhere, whether it be the bank, restaurant, store, etc., people always speak to him in Spanish and direct English questions/remarks to me.
At first, I thought it was funny and would tease him about it. But now I see how much it annoys him. I want to help him address the issue in an appropriate manner. What's the best way to respond (other than in English) that their assumption of his limited language ability is offensive? -- SANDRA IN SYLMAR, CALIF.
DEAR SANDRA: I'm sure no one does this to be intentionally offensive. However, because being spoken to in Spanish annoys your boyfriend, all he has to do is smile and say, "I speak English." That ought to fix the problem.