Jennifer Lopez Praises Ben Affleck’s Spanish: “He’s Much Better at It Than I Am”
Spanish is undoubtedly one of the most romantic languages, its sultry melodies peppered in acentos for extra spice. For Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck they have found one more thing they have in common — a love for Spanish language.
Surprisingly, one of them is way more comfortable speaking it than the other. Spoilers: it’s not JLo.
Lopez and Affleck’s rekindled romance is the sweeping love story we never knew we needed. The world was reintroduced to Bennifer last year after a 20-year hiatus, a whirlwind engagement, and an intimate Vegas chapel wedding. Bennifer stans rejoice!
The newlyweds have been spotted canoodling all over town ever since, showing the world that maybe true love really is worth the wait.
The “Jenny From the Block” co-stars couldn’t keep their hands off each other in 2003 and certainly won’t stop now. And with good reason — they’re making up for lost time.
Did Ben win JLo back with his impressive Spanish skills?
Always playful when answering questions about one another, Lopez was recently asked about the viral videos of Affleck speaking Spanish. In one such video, he’s asked what his favorite Spanish word is and his answer might surprise you: “sacapuntas.”
Why, you may ask? “It’s not what it sounds like,” he explains. “It sounds like a dirty word but it really means ‘pencil sharpener.'” In fluent Spanglish, he adds, “The rest of them are all palabras malas que no puedo decir en la television.”
He goes on to share that he lived in Mexico for a year when he was 13, which is where he learned Spanish. He calls la lengua Española “muy linda” y “muy bonita”, and expresses how much “alegria” it brings him to practice his Spanish. We always knew we liked you, Ben.
JLo is not as confident in Spanish as her bilingual hubby
In the interview clip, which took place during press for Lopez’s new film, “The Mother”, JLo briefly describes her complicated relationship with Spanish. “I speak Spanish…understand Spanish. I don’t practice Spanish all the time, but I love the Spanish language,” she divulges.
While she enjoys singing in Spanish, in conversation, she confesses that her vocabulary isn’t “as great as it is in English” and admits to feeling “very self-conscious.”
This is so relatable and representative of a real struggle in the Latinx community. For some, the ability to speak one’s ancestral tongue can often be perceived as a determining factor for cultural identity. Even for someone like Lopez, who is considered by so many to be the iconic Latina.
Lopez gives Affleck major props, calling him “brave”
Candidly, when asked about her husband’s gift of gab en español, Lopez admitted, “He is much better at it than I am. He’s much more brave too, I am so self-conscious!” While it’s hard to imagine the triple-threat superstar being self-conscious about anything, as it turns out, JLo is just like us!
In a TikTok video comparing Lopez and Affleck speaking Spanish, fans and trolls took to the comment section to give their dos centavos. One user said, “Ben’s accent impressed me,” while another took the opportunity to throw major shade, writing, “Maybe Ben Affleck can teach Jennifer Lopez some Spanish.”
Or maybe, just maybe, they can simply begin practicing together. Learning many new palabras— buenas y malas. After all, the couple that practices their Spanish together stays together. Isn’t that how the saying goes?
