“Do you speak English or Spanish?” is a meme referencing prank videos by famous TikToker @alfonsopinpon_ who posed the challenge “whoever moves first is gay.”
The creator approaches random individuals in a public place and first asks them which language they speak, and that question is now associated with the prank and has become a meme in and of itself.
@alfonsopinpon_ has made many videos in the same format, spreading the trend until both phrases became memes.
What does “Do you speak English or Spanish” mean?
TikTok user @alfonsopinpon_ is a Spanish speaker living in an area where most people speak either Spanish or English. It started as a courtesy to ensure that the video would go smoothly, but viewers quickly began to associate that with the prank itself as more TikToks were made in this format.
@alfonsopinpon_ Hombre ser feliz #hombres #hombre #machoalfa #bromas ♬ sonido original – alfonsopinpon
His very first entry, posted on February 25, 2024, poses this question to a man and a boy walking by as the footage begins.
As the videos went viral, other users began to make their own posts and memes referencing this question. On June 1, user @_aviation__guy uploaded a video showing a plane frozen in the sky over a bridge with the caption “English or Spanish.” The joke is that anyone who hears this question will anticipate the next part of the video, which demands that the target refrain from moving or be labeled gay.
Whoever moves first is gay
The crux of the prank that led to the “do you speak English or Spanish” meme is to approach one or more individuals who appear to be straight in a public place and say “el que se mueva es gąy,” which translates to “whoever moves first is gay.”
People who are faced with this challenge, typically men or boys, tend to freeze up instantly due to persistent homophobia. Still, it’s amusing to see how far some straight people will go to prove their sexual orientation. Participants will often remain still for a long time or struggle not to smile or laugh, making the prank that much funnier.
In addition to single, pairs, or groups of young men or boys, the TikTok prankster has approached couples including a man and woman, which often results in another layer of hilarity as the woman tends to reject the premise and may judge the man for taking it so seriously.
@alfonsopinpon_ Quien se mueva primero pierde #hombres #bromas #parejas ♬ sonido original – alfonsopinpon
The most popular of these videos, which collected over 51.4 million views since June 2, 2024 (just over ten days) starts with such a couple.
While the man immediately freezes and stays that way, his girlfriend moves after just a second, turning to her boyfriend and making a face before she starts laughing. This gets funnier as time goes on and the man, who has clearly already won the challenge, refuses to move.
“Whoever moves first is gay” song
Over time, these videos became so popular that the targets of the prank began to recognize the TikTok user as soon as he said “whoever moves first is gay.” This was illustrated in a tribute video from a fan who used the song “Static” by Steve Lacy.
@dr1nkz7 ib:@Moe 𖣂︎ | song: static by steve lacy | #capcut #english #or #spanish #edit #trend #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #4k #hd #xyzbca #dr1nkz7 ♬ original sound – dr1nkz
The edit was so popular that it became known as “the ‘whoever moves first is gay’ song” and became its own TikTok trend, very often playing in “do you speak English or Spanish” meme videos.
English or Spanish meme examples
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