Interested in Spanish pronunciation rules and a comparison of English and Spanish phonetics? It might help you understand difficuties Spanish-speakers are having with phonics in your literacy program. Download the PDF file below. You must have Adobe Reader installed on your machine to view the file.
Spanish Pronunciation and English/Spanish Phonetics
| Here is a website for learners of Spanish and Hispanic cultures! Visit REACH, or Recursos para la Enseñanza y el Aprendizaje de las Culturas Hispanas. This site is sponsored by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. It has resources on the Spanish language and the cultures of Spanish-speaking peoples. |
Build on the Spanish you learned during the Level One workshop with the phrases in the Spanish Language for Educators section. The phrases presented will assist you with classroom instructions and family/school relationships. There are also words for common school supplies, school personnel, and places within the school building, in addition to colors and basic body parts. The Suggestions for Working with Interpreters section will help you achieve the best results when using an interpreter in a conference setting. Use the links below to navigate to the section you need.
Interested in downloading Conversational Spanish for Educators handouts? If you have Adobe Reader installed on your computer (you should have version 6.0 or higher), you can get the file here.
Workshop Conversational Spanish for Educators
Spanish Language for Educators
Spanish Pronunciation Review
Vowels
- A sounds like "ah," or what you say when the doctor's examining your throat!
- E sounds like a long "a" in English, as in the word "ate"
- I sounds like a long "e" in English, as in the word "me"
- O sounds like a long "o" in English, as in the word "so"
- U sounds like "oo" in English, as in the word "moo"
Consonants
- B and V are identical in sound, similar to a soft "b" in English
- C and G differ in pronunciation depending on the letter that follows
- After A, O, or U or a consonant, they have a hard sound
- After E or I, the C sounds like an English "s" and the G like an English "h"
- H is always silent
- J sounds like an English "h"
- LL and Y both sound like an English "y." The only exception for Y is when it is the word "and" -- then it sounds like the vowel I
- Ñ sounds like "ny" in English, as in "canyon"
- RR is the trilled "r," as is an initial R
- X sounds like a "ks" in English, except in a few words such as "México" and "Texas" when it sounds like J
- Z never has the "buzz" sound that it does in English -- it sounds like an English "s"
Common Social Conventions
The phrases below will help you make Spanish-speaking children and their family members feel welcome in your school. Spanish-speakers greatly appreciate efforts made to speak their language, even the simple phrases shown below.
English
|
Spanish
|
| Good morning |
Buenos días |
| Good afternoon |
Buenas tardes |
| Good evening |
Buenas noches |
| Welcome (to more than one person) |
Bienvenidos |
| Welcome (to one person) |
Bienvenido (to a man)
Bienvenida (to a woman) |
| My name is _____________ . |
Me llamo ___________ . |
| What is your name? (adult) |
¿Cómo se llama? |
| What is your name? (child) |
¿Cómo te llamas? |
| Glad to meet you. |
Mucho gusto |
| Likewise. |
Igualmente |
| How are you? (adult) |
¿Cómo está? |
| How are you? (child) |
¿Cómo estás? |
| I'm fine, thanks. |
Estoy bien, gracias |
| Please |
Por favor |
| Thank you |
Gracias |
| You're welcome |
De nada |
| See you later |
Hasta luego |
| Goodbye |
Adiós (when you won't see the person for a while) |
Phrases to Request Repitition or to Clarify Comprehension
English
|
Spanish
|
| Do you speak English? (adult) |
¿Habla inglés? |
| Do you speak English? (child) |
¿Hablas inglés? |
| I speak a little English. |
Hablo un poco de inglés. |
| I speak a little Spanish. |
Hablo un poco de español. |
| Do you understand? (adult) |
¿Comprende? |
| Do you understand? (child) |
¿Comprendes? |
| I don't understand. |
No comprendo. |
| What was that? |
¿Cómo? |
| Please repeat. |
Repita, por favor. |
| Again, please. |
Otra vez, por favor. |
| More slowly, please. |
Más despacio, por favor. |
Classroom Instructions
The following list of common classroom instructions will help you work with children with little or no proficiency in English. You'll note that the Spanish command forms will differ depending on how many students you're addressing.
Phrase
|
For one student
|
For two or more
|
| Listen |
Escucha |
Escuchen |
| Watch |
Mira |
Miren |
| Read |
Lee |
Lean |
| Write |
Escribe |
Escriban |
| Use |
Usa |
Usen |
| Draw |
Dibuja |
Dibujen |
| Take |
Toma |
Tomen |
| Choose |
Escoge |
Escojan |
| Do/Make |
Haz |
Hagan |
| Repeat |
Repite |
Repitan |
| Pay attention |
Presta atención |
Presten atención |
| Come here |
Ven acá |
Vengan acá |
| Give me |
Dame |
Denme |
| Show me |
Muéstrame |
Muéstrenme |
| Tell me |
Dime |
Díganme |
| Stand up |
Levántate |
Levántense |
| Sit down |
Siéntate |
Siéntense |
Common Classroom Objects
The Spanish nouns listed below appear with their definite article -- "el" for masculine nouns and "la" for feminine nouns. The examples below combine some of the classroom instructions given above with classroom objects.
| Show me the notebook. |
Muéstrame el libro. |
| Give me the scissors. |
Dame las tijeras. |
| Use the marker. |
Usa el marcador. |
| |
|
English
|
Spanish
|
| school supplies list |
la lista de materiales escolares |
| pencil |
el lápiz |
| pen |
la pluma/el bolígrafo |
| marker |
el marcador |
| crayon |
el crayón |
| glue |
el pegamento |
| ruler |
la regla |
| paper |
el papel |
| notebook |
el cuaderno/el bloc |
| folder |
la carpeta |
| box |
la caja |
| dictionary |
el diccionario |
| book |
el libro |
| backpack |
la mochila |
| planner |
el libro de asignaciones/el horario diario |
| pencil sharpener |
el sacapuntos |
| eraser |
el borrador |
| scissors |
las tijeras |
| calendar |
el calendario |
| calculator |
la calculadora |
| printer |
la impresora |
| projector |
el proyector |
| computer |
la computadora |
| desk |
el escritorio/el pupitre |
| table |
la mesa |
| chair |
la silla |
| whiteboard |
el pizarrón blanco |
| window |
la ventana |
| wall |
la pared |
| door |
la puerta |
Schools and Classrooms
Below you will find some terms for different types of schools and for classrooms and other places within a school.
English
|
Spanish
|
| school |
escuela |
| elementary school |
escuela primaria |
| middle school |
escuela secundaria |
| high school |
escuela secundaria superior/
escuela preparatoria
|
| classroom |
sala de clase/salón de clase |
| library |
biblioteca |
| office |
oficina |
| cafeteria |
cafetería |
| gymnasium |
gimnasio |
School Personnel
Be sure to notice the gender distinctions in these terms for school personnel. The first one listed is for males, the second for females. The terms are used below in sentences.
English
|
Spanish
|
| teacher |
maestro/maestra |
| principal |
director/directora |
| assistant principal |
subdirector/subdirectora |
| counselor |
consejero/consejera |
| paraeducator |
asistente de clase (no distinction) |
| librarian |
bibliotecario/bibliotecaria |
| nurse |
enfermero/enfermera |
| speech/language pathologist |
terapeuta de lenguaje (no distinction) |
| psychologist |
psicólogo/psicóloga |
| secretary |
secretario/secretaria |
La maestra se llama señora Ruiz. The teacher's name is Mrs. Ruiz.
El director es el señor Alvarez. The principal is Mr. Alvarez.
Colors
This table lists color adjectives in Spanish. Note that sometimes more than one adjective can be used. The slash is followed by the feminine ending for those adjectives that "show" gender -- some examples follow the table.
English
|
Spanish
|
| white |
blanco/a |
| black |
negro/a |
| gray |
gris (but not for hair!) |
| brown |
café, pardo/a, marrón |
| yellow |
amarillo/a |
| orange |
anaranjado/a (not the fruit name!) |
| green |
verde |
| blue |
azul |
| red |
rojo/a |
| purple |
morado/a, púrpura, violeta |
| pink |
rosado/a |
Most Spanish adjectives have endings that correspond to the gender and number of the nouns they modify. See the examples below, which use nouns from the school supplies list.
el lápiz rojo/la pluma roja
el libro blanco/la caja blanca
los papeles amarillos/las mochilas amarillas
Adjectives of quality, such as color, usually follow the noun in Spanish. Here are some examples of the few adjectives that do not show gender. They will reflect the number of the noun, however.
el diccionario azul/la carpeta azul/los libros azules
el marcador verde/la pared verde/las puertas verdes
Body Parts
English
|
Spanish
|
| body |
cuerpo |
| head |
cabeza |
| eye |
ojo |
| nose |
nariz |
| mouth |
boca |
| (outer) ear |
oreja |
| hair |
pelo |
| arm |
brazo |
| hand |
mano |
| finger |
dedo |
| leg |
pierna |
| foot |
pie |
| toe |
dedo del pie |
| back |
espalda |
| chest |
pecho |
Suggestions for Working with Interpreters
For best results when working with interpreters in family conferences or other situations, consider the following:
- Spanish-speakers employed by school districts as aides or interpreters may not have formal education in Spanish, which means that their proficiency in the language may not extend to educational terminology or other more complex vocabulary. This may also be true of speakers of other languages who are serving as interpreters. Take time to go over terms and procedures with the interpreter in advance so that he or she can relay the information to the family accurately.
- Spanish-speakers without education in Spanish may not be able to translate formal documents. Translators need a high degree of skill in both languages, great attention to detail, and writing ability. A person can be a good interpreter and still not be capable of translating.
- When working with an interpreter, consider how much language and information you are asking the interpreter to remember. Be sure to pause after a few sentences to give the interpreter a chance to speak. Asking the interpreter to produce more language is likely to result in omissions and inaccurate information. You and the interpreter can decide on a signal that the interpreter can use to indicate that a pause is needed.
- When working with an interpreter, look at the family member when speaking rather than at the interpreter, and again when the person replies. This is difficult to do at first, as your natural inclination is to look at whoever is speaking.