Hi from Spain!

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Miguel
New Keeper

Posts: 1
Country (residing now): Spain
Country (originally from): Spain
Children, Ages: 2 boys, 4 and 1
Majority Language: Spanish
Minority Language(s): English

Hi from Spain! Nov 3, 2016 2:43:48 GMT 9

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Post by Miguel on Nov 3, 2016 2:43:48 GMT 9

Hello everyone,

My name is Miguel and I am from Spain. I have two lovely boys, aged 4 and 1. Our ML at home is Spanish as my wife is also from Spain and we live there. I learnt English when I was young but the cost to learn in effort and time was so big that I wish my sons have the opportunity to learn it in an easier and natural way. So I am fully committed now to talk to them exclusively in English as this language is very important in today's world and I think that bilingualism is a gift I can give them.

Since my first son was born I have been thinking about talking to him in English, but as I am not a native speaker I had doubts about it. I have been researching and reading, and I know that my older son would be now considered "late learner" and maybe I will need extra patience and effort with him, but I think that exposure is key for them to learn the language so I will try my best. This will also make me a better speaker as I will need to improve and practice as much as I can in order to talk to them properly.

The strategy we will use will be OPOL (one parent one language) as my wife understands English but cannot talk very well in that language.

I have bought Adam's book and I am currently reading two more on the issue. Bilingualism for my children has become a big goal in my life. And I am delighted to have all the information and help you provide there so thank you!

One concern I have is that if I start talking to them in English it will be a drastic change for them (at least for my 4 years old son). And I wonder if he will understand me at all. Any strategy or idea on this would be highly appreciated. Have you heard of similar cases?

Well, to finish my introduction, I am very happy to be part of this community and hope that after getting some experience I can provide advice here too and tell others about my experience.

Adam Beck
Head Keeper

Author of "Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability" and "Bilingual Success Stories Around the World"

Posts: 2,176
Country (residing now): Japan
Country (originally from): USA
Children, Ages: Girl, 19 and Boy, 16
Majority Language: Japanese
Minority Language(s): English, Spanish

Hi from Spain! Nov 4, 2016 9:31:43 GMT 9

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Post by Adam Beck on Nov 4, 2016 9:31:43 GMT 9

Nov 3, 2016 2:43:48 GMT 9 Miguel said:

One concern I have is that if I start talking to them in English it will be a drastic change for them (at least for my 4 years old son). And I wonder if he will understand me at all. Any strategy or idea on this would be highly appreciated. Have you heard of similar cases?

Miguel, welcome! You're in good company here, I think, as there are many non-native "keepers" of the second language and their persistent efforts are clearly paying off over time. So that's the main thing, really, staying playfully persistent in providing exposure to the target language and a need to use it, day after day after day.

And I hope my work can be a helpful source of ideas and inspiration throughout your journey! Please enjoy my book! (And thank you for your support!)

As for your concern, yes, it's important to be sensitive toward the children's reaction to your use of English, particularly if your emotional bond with them has already been established in Spanish. You may need to move forward more slowly, at first--like introducing a special "English time" each day then gradually expanding the amount of English from there, in line with their feelings. The key is a playful approach to your use of English because if the children feel positively toward their early experience of the language, the door will open wider for more. And I suggest that this positive engagement in English will be much easier to achieve if you focus on building up your home library of English books, music, and other resources.

Miguel, I send my best bilingual wishes from Japan to Spain!

Bilingual SuperKids: Supercharge the success and joy of your family's bilingual or multilingual journey with powerful private coaching from Adam Beck, author of "Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability" and "Bilingual Success Stories Around the World"
bilingualsuperkids.com

Amy
Star Keeper

***"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars" - Oscar Wilde***

Posts: 1,682

Country (residing now): France
Country (originally from): France
Children, Ages: 10 and 6year old girls
Majority Language: French
Minority Language(s): Spanish (ml1) & English (ml2)

Hi from Spain! Nov 18, 2016 7:16:00 GMT 9

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Post by Amy on Nov 18, 2016 7:16:00 GMT 9

Nov 3, 2016 2:43:48 GMT 9 Miguel said:

I have bought Adam's book and I am currently reading two more on the issue. Bilingualism for my children has become a big goal in my life. And I am delighted to have all the information and help you provide there so thank you!

One concern I have is that if I start talking to them in English it will be a drastic change for them (at least for my 4 years old son). And I wonder if he will understand me at all. Any strategy or idea on this would be highly appreciated. Have you heard of similar cases?

Well, to finish my introduction, I am very happy to be part of this community and hope that after getting some experience I can provide advice here too and tell others about my experience.

Buenas Miguel!

I am in a similar situation to yours, with a Spanish husband and me talking English to my daughters though I am a non-native (French but was educated in English from young age and lived in the UK).

The only difference is that my husband and I decided to introduce our ml from the very minute my first daughter was born. So she has come to understand what I say though I do realise (now that she talks) that she lacks vocabulary and does not always understand certain things that I say. Since I have recently noticed this, I regularly check with her that she understood key/peculiar words I used in my phrases when I talked to her - and this turns out to be very enriching for both her and me!

If that can be of any help to you, I started learning English the "hard way" at the age of 9: I moved from my home country to Spain where I was put into a British school with no prior experience of either language. It was swim or drown as the French put it! But I ended up "swimming" very quickly! lol At first I hardly understood anything, but the slow and clear diction of the teacher, the expression on the faces of my school mates, learning through playing and books, etc...all that helped me to understand and by the end of the first term I was already starting to talk.

Hope this experience might be of use to you.

Amy

My guest post at Bilingual Monkeys: bilingualmonkeys.com/bilingual-families-and-limiting-the-influence-of-the-majority-language/

My blog in English: www.ourmlhome.wordpress.com My blog in French: bilingue.home.blog

Isa
New Keeper

Posts: 4
Country (residing now): Spain
Country (originally from): Spain
Children, Ages: Baby boy
Majority Language: Spanish
Minority Language(s): English

Hi from Spain! Feb 12, 2017 18:38:27 GMT 9

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Post by Isa on Feb 12, 2017 18:38:27 GMT 9

Hi, I live in Spain as well and we are trying "minority language at home." We are not English native speakers at all but we are putting a lot of efforts into that (there are many vocabulary to learn about everyday routines). So I appreciate when someone is doing the same as us.

My question is...do you know anyplace where parents like us are meeting or having a playgroup? It would be interesting to form a group in Spain related to this. I don't know if it exists. But I feel like I am doing things on my own and I have no support from others and it will help us to encourage ourselves in this new adventure.

Maybe Adam can help us with this issue.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Adam Beck
Head Keeper

Author of "Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability" and "Bilingual Success Stories Around the World"

Posts: 2,176
Country (residing now): Japan
Country (originally from): USA
Children, Ages: Girl, 19 and Boy, 16
Majority Language: Japanese
Minority Language(s): English, Spanish

Hi from Spain! Feb 16, 2017 8:52:36 GMT 9

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Post by Adam Beck on Feb 16, 2017 8:52:36 GMT 9

Feb 12, 2017 18:38:27 GMT 9 Isa said:

Maybe Adam can help us with this issue.

Isa, you're making good efforts to find other families like yours in Spain through your forum posts. If the people you're trying to reach don't respond at these threads, you could also try sending them a "private message." Best of luck in joining or forming a play group!

As for your own situation, it sounds like you and your husband are being proactive about your bilingual goal and I expect your persistence will pay off in steady progress. If you offer more details by creating a new thread for your own introduction at this board, the rest of us will have a better understanding of your circumstances and challenges.

Tracey
Senior Keeper

Posts: 111

Country (residing now): Spain
Country (originally from): UK
Children, Ages: 7, 3
Majority Language: Spanish
Minority Language(s): English

Hi from Spain! Mar 10, 2017 7:18:08 GMT 9

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Post by Tracey on Mar 10, 2017 7:18:08 GMT 9

Hi! Lots of people from Spain! Keep up the good efforts!! Isa, I think it depends where you live! In big cities you can find bilingual playgroups easily but in smaller cities, it's much more difficult! Me and my friends set up our own bilingual playgroup for our children but as our numbers increased and we had our second babies etc, it kind of dropped apart and we've gone from meeting up every week to only meeting up once a month if we're lucky!!

Sara
New Keeper

I haven’t been here in ages. So many aspects of this community have helped. Thank you!

Posts: 6

Country (residing now): Australia
Country (originally from): Italy
Children, Ages: I have a; Girl 5 years old, Girl 3 years old, Girl 2 years old, and a Boy 4 months old
Majority Language: English
Minority Language(s): Italian, Spanish

Hi from Spain! Apr 24, 2017 16:56:12 GMT 9 via mobile

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Post by Sara on Apr 24, 2017 16:56:12 GMT 9

There are lots of people from Spain! This is fantastic! My husband is from Madrid, we now live in Australia though he communicates with our little one and occasionally me in Spanish. I know of a few Spanish/English families in Madrid. If you don't end up finding a play group, let me know!

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