U3A Basic Spanish

It is interesting hearing a child learn to speak and particularly interesting for me as I am learning a language (Spanish) myself. My granddaughter Julia has two languages to learn - Spanish from her mother and English from the rest of her current world. She also makes up words of her own to fill in the gaps, so the result is a blend of Spanglish toddler talk. It’s quite creative and often quite funny. Here are some of her words: Buo - is milk (hot or cold). I don’t know where this one came from. The Spanish for milk is ‘leche’ so there’s no obvious link there. Wei-wei - that’s her word for me, grandad. I think it came from ‘abuelo’ the Spanish word for grandad and I think she picked up on the ‘welo’ sound within the word. I rather like being Wei-wei Ma-ma, not to be confused with Mammy  - is what she calls Margaret. The ‘ma’ sound, probably comes from the ‘ma’ in grandma. Often Julia shouts it very loudly indeed. Wei-wei - Nina - is her word for grandma Nidia and (...

Classes will start again on September 19 th , 10am to noon at the Copeland Centre, Bretton. Subs will be £6 per term (to pay for the hall rental) and £1 for printing and pens. Tea and coffee will be available at break, with the usual contribution to keep funds topped up. This has been 10p per tea and 15p per coffee. I believe that Anita will co-ordinate our drinks fund. Biscuits are by kind donation, with birthdays and holidays a good excuse to donate! Anyone in the current class who wishes to continue will have a place reserved if they have put their name down. New people will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis. The book we will be using is Sueños World Spanish (Book 1). You might also find Collins Easy Learning Spanish Grammar and Collins Easy Learning Spanish Verbs useful companions. These are all available secondhand on Amazon or at high street bookshops. We have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1676535839023535/ which contains dates,...

One of the challenges when learning a new language is finding someone to practise with. Words only really sink in if you use them lots and lots. I am lucky that I have Lucia (my daughter-in-law) and Julia (my granddaughter) to practise with, but it’s still not really enough. I needed someone to speak Spanish to every day, so who better than my dog. She is not the brightest spark - they say Labradors are born half-trained and Springer Spaniels die half-trained (and I have a Springer Spaniel). However, provided I have a biscuit in my hand, she’s pretty good with the old Spanish and a lot of dog commands come in handy with grandchildren. Here are a few phrases and commands: Ven aquí ... come here Vamos a una caminata ... we´re going for a walk Vamos a dar una vuelta ... an alternative to the above. It translates as “we are going to take a turn” and, colloquially, can be used for a walk, a drive, cycle ride or just going out in general. Ve a tu cesta ... go to your basket...

Reading and translating children's books is a good way to learn a new language.  When our Spanish helper, Lucia came to England, aged 10, she spoke no English. Her mother was studying for an MSc at the School for Tropical Medicine in Liverpool and she was sent to the local school.  It must have been a terrifying and confusing experience, but she had an excellent teacher. She learned English mainly through reading children's books. This book is one of Lucia's childhood books in Spanish and is an interesting take on the challenges of childcare in the Amazon! Reading it is good practice because it contains some simple past and future tense.  Read the Spanish text a few times before trying to translate and remember that a word ending in "ito" or "ita" means "little". Hermanito is "little brother". To read the book, click here

Buenos días a todos. Me llamo Eric y voy a ser el líder del español básico el próximo año. Les presento a mi nuera Señora Lucia Rojas Rodriguez.  Ella estará ayudando con la clase el próximo año Lucia es de Ecuador, es ecuatoriana, así que habla español en la forma sudamericana. E: eric.rayner@btinternet.com  T: 01733 270137  M: 07889 553916. I will be at Activities Day at the Fleet on August 18, so pop by and say ‘hola’. Lucia Rojas Rodriguez Eric Rayner