There's nothing like a language barrier to cultivate moments of loving effort.
A video posted to TikTok by Carmen Roman (@carmenrmallen) has gone viral after revealing a heartwarming moment between her father, who only speaks Spanish, and her boyfriend, who only speaks English. Roman, 28, spoke to Newsweek about the two men who, despite the language barrier, have become "besties." Since the video was posted, it has been viewed over 232,000 times and has received over 20,000 likes.
"Watch my dad (only speaks Spanish) and my boyfriend (only speaks English) become besties," she captioned the video, which shows the two communicating over a coffee machine. "The bromance."
Roman, who lives in Seville, Spain, said that her boyfriend and father have known each other since June. She and her boyfriend began dating in March 2023 in Australia. This is his first visit to Spain, and the two plan to live with Roman's parents until mid-August before they move into an apartment of their own in Barcelona.
In the clip, Roman said her father was explaining how to work their Swiss coffee machine to her boyfriend.
"He wanted to teach my boyfriend how to make coffees there, so he could make his own whenever he wanted," she said. "My dad is a coffee lover."
Roman said her father has started learning English with a stunning dedication.
"He has been doing Duolingo every day since he knew my boyfriend was moving to Spain, but it is very hard for him," Roman said. "He hasn't skipped a day in more than 100 days now. He loves it, but Duolingo's English and Australian English are very different."
There's effort on both sides too. When the couple move to Barcelona and get settled, Roman said her boyfriend plans to learn Spanish.
Viewers in the comments were touched by the short clip documenting the connection between Roman's two loved ones—and could relate with their own experiences of cross-cultural relationships and communication.
"Had the same exact experience with my American ex-boyfriend and my Italian dad," @caroriva01 wrote.
"Honestly this is my family!" @joanadasilva wrote. "My dad only speaks Portuguese, my husband [Greek] and [English]. Somehow, they have the perfect friendship. Love has no barriers!"
Many also acknowledged the effort it takes to communicate even the simplest things without a common language. The intensity with which the two make eye contact in Roman's clip was palpable.
"Wow the tension between them is insane," @mozartrellapizza wrote, to which Roman acknowledged: "Jajajaja they're both trying hard."
About the writer
Maria Morava is a Newsweek reporter based in Edinburgh, U.K. Her focus is reporting on relationships. She has covered news, ... Read more
