Estoy aprendizaje espanol

[tofuscramble]

I'm currently learning Spanish so that I can teach it to my kids and was wondering if anybody has BTDT or just has any tips for me. I'm a complete beginner and this seems so overwhelming. I have been kind of teaching them as I learn it, which has its problems, since they pick up on my mistakes. Its really not easy, I am kind of hoping someone will just tell me that its possible we can all be fluent with lots of hard work and that I'm not crazy.

[CleoQc]

well, I'm sort of in that situation, with the main difference being that I was once fluent in Spanish. Twenty five years of unuse have erased all Spanish from my brain though.

Here's what we're doing.

1. I am going to an adult ed class, so *I* can get conversation with a Spanish teacher.

2. Multiple times during the day, I'll "pounce" on a sentence one of the kiddos just said, and ask the kids (and I) to find the Spanish equivalent. This morning's sentence was "Thanks for the hot chocolate, it's warming me up". Usually one kid will start the Spanish version, the other will add, they'll correct each other, I"ll give some advice, they'll correct me. And we eventually end up with a sentence we can all agree on. We got "Gracias por el chocolate caliente. Me da calor"
Then we got the dictionnary out and found "recalentar" for 'warm up'.

[tofuscramble]

Thanks, I love the idea of picking a sentence and translating it. Glad to hear I'm not the only one in this situation, it makes the whole thing seem a little less daunting. Thanks again!

[Mabelen]

well, I'm sort of in that situation, with the main difference being that I was once fluent in Spanish. Twenty five years of unuse have erased all Spanish from my brain though.

Here's what we're doing.

1. I am going to an adult ed class, so *I* can get conversation with a Spanish teacher.

2. Multiple times during the day, I'll "pounce" on a sentence one of the kiddos just said, and ask the kids (and I) to find the Spanish equivalent. This morning's sentence was "Thanks for the hot chocolate, it's warming me up". Usually one kid will start the Spanish version, the other will add, they'll correct each other, I"ll give some advice, they'll correct me. And we eventually end up with a sentence we can all agree on. We got "Gracias por el chocolate caliente. Me da calor"
Then we got the dictionnary out and found "recalentar" for 'warm up'.

You are doing a good job. If you need to check anything in between Spanish lessons, I can try and help. I don't check in everyday, but do so on a regular basis. For the example you gave above, your translation is actually very good, although a native speaker would probably say something like "Gracias por el chocolate caliente, ya estoy entrando en calor.". Recalentar is used for warming things up, like food, for example "A comer todos en cuanto recaliente la sopa...".

[Mabelen]

I'm currently learning Spanish so that I can teach it to my kids and was wondering if anybody has BTDT or just has any tips for me. I'm a complete beginner and this seems so overwhelming. I have been kind of teaching them as I learn it, which has its problems, since they pick up on my mistakes. Its really not easy, I am kind of hoping someone will just tell me that its possible we can all be fluent with lots of hard work and that I'm not crazy.

Are you using a particular program with your children? I am thinking, since you are not fluent in Spanish, it would be better for your children to be exposed to as many sources of correct native speech as possible. A foreign language is very hard to teach if you are a complete beginner. It really depends on what your goals are. I think, in your situation, if your goals were eventual proficienty I would try to use a structured and sequential program with textbook and a CD component at least so that you exposed to native writing and speech on a regular basis. I would also probably get something computer based even if it didn't match the other program. I would definitely try to be a little ahead of where my children were and I would also try and have access to a Spanish tutor that I could ask questions.

If your goals are exposure rather than proficiency, I would simply check out your local library for Spanish materials. I am asuming you are in the US? If so, your library will likely have learn Spanish for children videos as well as Spanish language books, audio books and videos. Good luck!

[CleoQc]

Recalentar is used for warming things up, like food, for example "A comer todos en cuanto recaliente la sopa...".

Gracias Mabelen.
Y comó se utiliza "calentarse"? El dictionario es Espanol-Frances, porque nuestra idioma es Frances. Calentarse quiere decir "se réchauffer", ¡que no puede hacer la sopa!


(back to English)
As for "ya estoy entrando en calor", I don't think I could ever use that phrase without bursting out in laughter! To me, it means I'm getting in heat, like a female cat... Oops.. ;-) The joys of multiple languages...

[Renai]

As for "ya estoy entrando en calor", I don't think I could ever use that phrase without bursting out in laughter! To me, it means I'm getting in heat, like a female cat... Oops.. ;-) The joys of multiple languages...

:lol:. We wouldn't say it either (or have ever heard it that way), but here it's a different...dialect(?). We'd say, "me esta calentando" or "ya estoy calentandome." (I just asked my daughter since she's the one being raised bilingual and I'm merely fluent.)

[Nan in Mass]

Since I had French in high school, but I had forgotten a lot of it. I consider myself to have succeeded. My son isn't fluent, and can't write in French (or can but so badly Cleo was politely horrified LOL), but he can go to a country where they speak the language, understand almost everything, and make himself understood. People told me two things that I found very helpful (and seemed to be accurate): It takes about 10 hours a week exposure for the automatic language-learning part of a child's brain to do its work and learn the language immersion-style, and the child will adopt the "best" accent. I suggest that you read Ester-Marie's post on how she was taught foreign languages at school and apply it to yourself. Read TONS of books aloud to your children, and read them yourself. The easiest and fastest way for you to become better at the language is probably to read books, too. Look up in the dictionary any words you don't know. Translate anything you think your children don't know for them as you read aloud. Get books on tape and videos and play them alot. When I began doing this, I realized why there is such an emphasis on reading aloud to children whose first language isn't English to help them gain lanugage skills, and why libraries work so hard to get parents to read to their children. It really does work!!!! Children (and grownups LOL) really can learn a language if you read them picture books and ask simple questions like, "Where is the sun?" and "He isn't happy, is he?" You should be able to manage simple things like that, and it will make your children use the language and connect the pictures with the text. Start with toddler books and work your way up. We did this by joining the French library in Boston. I don't know how many Spanish books your public library has. It might be worth a drive to the nearest city every few weeks to get another supply of picture books.

Good luck!
-Nan

[Mabelen]

Gracias Mabelen.
Y comó se utiliza "calentarse"? El dictionario es Espanol-Frances, porque nuestra idioma es Frances. Calentarse quiere decir "se réchauffer", ¡que no puede hacer la sopa!

(back to English)
As for "ya estoy entrando en calor", I don't think I could ever use that phrase without bursting out in laughter! To me, it means I'm getting in heat, like a female cat... Oops.. ;-) The joys of multiple languages...

I would use Calentarse for things like calentarse las manos o los pies, but calentarse can also mean to get cross, for example, "Deja de chillar que me estás calentando"!

For us this phrase does not have the same connotations but of course there are other phrases like that, such as "poner caliente", so If somebody from Spain tells you "Me estás poniendo caliente" you know what it means :lol:

[CleoQc]

If somebody from Spain tells you "Me estás poniendo caliente" you know what it means :lol:

And on a related note, that's how I ended up telling Raul Castro that he had performed well in bed...

Some specific to Cuba idiom that I didn't know about, right in the middle of a business presentation where I was the only woman in the room...

[Renai]

And on a related note, that's how I ended up telling Raul Castro that he had performed well in bed...

Some specific to Cuba idiom that I didn't know about, right in the middle of a business presentation where I was the only woman in the room...


Oh, dear :001_huh:. I've had some doozies...not quite like that though.

[Renai]

For us this phrase does not have the same connotations but of course there are other phrases like that, such as "poner caliente", so If somebody from Spain tells you "Me estás poniendo caliente" you know what it means :lol:


You think maybe that could be universally (Spanish-wise) understood? :lol: