Trying Out My New Language in Public

[protojoe]

First, may I say that the "sticky" threads on this forum are pretty amazing. As are some of the very comprehensive posts and responses to questions. Those of you that take the time to respond to questions in that way are very much appreciated.

I live and work around people who have Spanish as their native language. I would like to attempt to converse with them (people I don't know personally) in Spanish but don't want to be rude or offensive.

First, would it be offensive if I tried to speak to them in Spanish when they are obviously very fluent in English? If so, how is the best way to approach them? I was thinking of something like (in English) "Pardon, would you mind if I tried to speak with you in Spanish?"

Thanks,

Joe