studying-spanish

We often hear from our English-speaking parents that they’d love to learn some Spanish themselves so they can share in the learning adventure with their children.  A new year is a great time to start!  In this blog post, you’ll find some helpful Spanish phrases, along with a few other fun resources.

The SSH monthly vocabulary is shown on our calendar, but making complete sentences can be a challenge for those less experienced with the language.  Try a few of these common sentences to get the ball rolling…

 

Are you hungry? ¿Tienes hambre?

What do you want to eat?   ¿Qué quieres comer?

Please pick up your toys/your clothes.  Por favor, recoje tus juguetes/tu ropa.  

 Do you need to go to the bathroom?  ¿Necesitas ir al baño?  

Please wash your hands. Lava tus manos por favor. 

Time for bed!   ¡Es la hora de dormir!

Let’s brush our teeth. Vamos a cepillarnos los dientes. 

Put on your seatbelt.    Ponte el cinturón. 

What song did you sing today?   ¿Cuál canción cantaste hoy?

 Have fun! ¡Diviértete!  ¡Qué te diviertas!

 I love you!   ¡Te quiero!

Another idea is to take a pad of Post-It notes and a Spanish dictionary, and label items in your house.  This can go a long way in increasing your family’s vocabulary by giving you a constant visual reminder (the door/la puerta, the oven/el horno, the chair/la silla, etc.).  Ask your children to help place the labels around the house.  SSH students are already familiar with many of these words and will be proud to take the role of teacher!

There are lots of fun apps your family can use for practicing Spanish together.  Some free ones include Babbel, Duolingo, 123 Teach Me, Memrise, Chillola, Gus on the Go, and Hello World.  You could tune into a Spanish radio station once in a while or, when watching family favorites on DVD, try switching the language setting to Spanish.  When you already know the story line, you’ll be surprised at how much you understand!

A few words and phrases each day will increase your family’s Spanish in no time!  ¡Buena suerte!  Good luck!