I'm including as many of the Spanish phrases and idioms I can think of that have been a Godsend to me this year with my students. Also some of the words I hear a lot. I'm going to include some of the curse words I've learned just because you're likely to hear these words and you won't find them in a dictionary; doubtful if a kid will tell you what they mean. I won't define them in English.
As an ESL teacher, I'm sure Jamie knows lots of the Spanish Basics. For anyone else who might not know, here's a short list.
1.All English words that end in --tion have a cognate in Spanish that ends in --cion. ('shun' becomes 'see-on'). Hence:
Interogacion, interpretacion, liberacion, perpetuacion, conotacion, civilizacion, et cetera.
They all have an accent over the "o" -- just think of all the Spanish words you already know with just that!
2. All English words that end in --ty have a cognate in Spanish that ends in --dad. Hence:
libertad, seguridad (security), posibilidad, informalidad/formalidad, inabilidad/abilidad, inactividad/actividad, et cetera.
Wow, look at the list of words you know that have increased!
3. "How do you say this in Spanish?" = "Como se dice___________ en espanol?" This is a life saver. Often my kids sit and ponder without a clue how to respond -- I'm talking about my almost fluent ones. They have a hard time with ideas translating. For instance, there seems to be no concept of "savage" verses civilization, making a lot of British literature difficult!
4. Idioms. These are the bane of every language learner's existence. Our idioms often do not translate word for word but I promise they have one of their own for the same situation. Don't try to tell the kids "the early bird gets the worm" even in Spanish. It's funny how those kinds of things just DON'T cross over. Also, don't joke with a kid about consequences. If you say, "If you don't get this work done I guess I'm just gonna have to throw you out the window!" They'll be worried about how far it is to the ground if you do.
por su puesto! = of course!
claro que si! = clearly! (of course!)
Many others -- mind is blank.
5. Good to know phrases:
Entiendes? = Do you understand?
Que parte? = What part?
Todos = All
por completo =completely
Basta ya! = enough already! (Basta = enough. ya= already)
no me importa = this is not important to me (great when I need them to focus on something more important than the busy work I sometimes have to give a generally unruly class.)
No problemo = no problem! (I say this a lot.)
Esta bien = Its okay. (said with a question sound it becomes a question.)
Cuando = when
Cuanto = how many
Una mas vez = one more time
Que Bueno! = How good! (like "good job!")
Tarea = home work
Hoy = today
palabra a palabra = word for word
Mas o menos = more or less (we use this ALL the time.)
Por que? = why?
Porque.=because.
lapiz = pencil
pluma = pen
papel = paper
una hoja de papel = a sheet of paper
cuaderno = notebook
pisaron = chalk board
tiza = chalk
borador = eraser
pronto! = hurry!
ahora = now
mas rapido! = faster! (thinking playing games and stuff)
chis! = shhhh!
the list of useful words could go on forever.... I recommend the Random House Latin-American dictionary if the kids are from Latin America. It is good. ISBN #0345405463. I also use the University of Chicago's in my classroom.
6. Words with connotations: Yes, the words "coyote" translates "letra a letra" into spanish, but as with English, there are connotations to consider. Before you use that short story with a coyote in it, remember that "coyote" is the name for a person who smuggles people across the border. Many women and young girls are raped trying to get across the border; some prostitute themselves to offer payment to get across; men are often mistreated and killed. Coyotes are not exactly a moral bunch. Watch stories and their affect on the kids. Check with them emotionally. A story about swimming may be pure joy to all your kids in class but one. Her only memory of swimming may be of when she was three or four and had to hang on to an adult's back swimming across a border at night. (For those of you who read this and think I'm being stereotypical, I assure you I am only puting REALITY for a many immigrants on this page. I love these kids with all my heart and seeing them stereotyped or overlooked makes my heart break. Crossing the border is a reality and is often harsher than most Americans realize.) Just watch material for cultural connotations.
Curse Words: (Disclaimer -- this is for educational purposes only and any who want to lambast me for posting this need to re-read the mission statement at the top.) Many of these can be found in Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima.
Chingada, chinga tu madre (maybe that defines it).
A la veca
puto
Cabron, Cabroncito (with an accent over the o. This can mean "goat" in some contexts.)
jodido
When my Mexican kid learned some English cursewords, he was fascinated by the reaction he got from using them. To him, they meant nothing, carried no cultural value. I called him to my desk after class and asked if he had a problem with his vocabulary. He said no. I said yes, I think so. He nodded and said he was sorry. I told him I expected more out of him. No more problems. Your English speakers will probably learn the curse words I've listed. Know them when you hear them!
Buenos Suerte all you teachers out there!
I recommend saturation with the language and culture just to get a grasp of the kids. Novels like Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima" do a beautiful job of introducing you to Hispanic culutre, folklore, and language. The novel is also available in Spanish as "Bendicime, Ultima" and is wonderful. I LOVE my Juanez CDs and my Julieta Venegas CD. My daughter loves them and has some of the songs memorized! They're fun and easy to sing with and jam in your car. If you like softer slower music, let me recommend Alejandro Sanz. The movie "Like Water For Chocolate" is one of my favorites so I'm reading the original Spanish novel to it right now, "Como Agua Para Chocolate." Get into it!
