Accomplished actress and author Elsa Pataky has shared an unfulfilled promise husband Chris Hemsworth made to her when they met.
Pataky told the Herald Sun her husband promised to learn Spanish when they met almost six years ago but is yet to deliver on it. And we must admit, it’s not the easiest of promises to meet.
The 40-year-0ld is currently one of the top Spanish actresses and is fluent in five languages.
The mother-of-three said she speaks to her children in her native tongue but is struggling to give them enough exposure.
“I speak to my kids in Spanish all the time, but it’s difficult because they don’t use it at all, no one else speaks Spanish," she said.
"I think it is good for kids to know other languages and it’s been for me almost everywhere I go I speak the language, it’s something really special to have."
Pataky said her efforts to bring Spanish into their Byron Bay home have hit a minor roadblock with husband Chris.
“I’m pushing and pushing all the time and I try to speak to the kids and when he is not understanding he starts trying to make an effort. The kids say some of the words in Spanish, sometimes he has to say to me, ‘What did she say?’”
The author joked her husband's past promise to learn the language was simply a tool to win her over.
“I say, ‘No, you learn Spanish and then you will know what she said,'" she said.
"He promised me when we met he would do it and now we are together a long time it is like, ‘You promised so you could get me in your pocket right?’ ”
Of course, this is all in good humour. Pataky has acknowledged Hemsworth as a wonderful husband and father and sometimes when we make big promises to the one we love, it just shows the lengths you want to go to just to make them happy. And hey... Hemsworth still has time to perfect his Spanish, right?
Pataky and Hemsworth met in early 2010 and married later that year. The two welcomed their daughter India in 2012 and their twin sons, Tristan and Sasha, in 2015.
Feature image via Instagram @elsapatakyconfidential.
Top Comments
Learning multiple languages is great. I speak another language (besides English) as does my brother and sister. My Mum and Dad speak 3 each. My husband speaks 4 languages (all of which were taught to him as a child). It's a great skill to have. We're teaching our daughter another 2 languages in addition to English.
Australia is very bad at teaching other languages. It is the downside to being an island so far away from any other countries - so we can't "pop" over to another country to learn a language. Most countries have excellent language classes at school - we don't. Most other countries speak their language AND English. But because we speak English, we can get by in so many other countries with that. And learning another language comes easy to some people, and harder for others. But, it's worth the effort!
I think it depends on your language class and teacher. My high school French teacher was excellent (and not a native speaker!), and by our Year 12 exam we were practically fluent - half our class gained merit scores. It's possible to get a good education in a second language in Australia! But you're right in that English speakers are often not serious about learning a second language, because it's so easy to get by with just English. It's certainly lazy on our part!