Una conversación con una guardián hoy!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

El problema no está en que no quiero pasar el tiempo escribiendo ... el problema está en que a veces no tengo el tiempo. Muchas veces escribo en Tomísimo cuando tengo dos o tres minutos entre clases en la escuela ... o mientras estoy haciendo trabajo en la casa, y así....... si quiero preguntar/hacer una pregunta rapida, escribo en inglés. Sí, mi español está mucho mejor de lo que era hace siete meces ... pero yo sé que tengo mucho más que/por aprender!

And?

You're doing fine.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by chileno

And?

You're doing fine.

(Gracias...)

"And?" It took me about 20 minutes this morning to type that little bit, and as a result I was running 10 minutes late. I shouldn't even be typing this right now, as I have a stack of papers to grade, etc. So I can NOT take 20 minutes to respond. A response of this length in English takes about 45 seconds. A response of this length in Spanish would take 20 minutes. It is simply NOT feasible for me to communicate in Spanish as frequently as I would like to do so and still continue to function as a mathematics teacher.......

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

(Gracias...)

"And?" It took me about 20 minutes this morning to type that little bit, and as a result I was running 10 minutes late. I shouldn't even be typing this right now, as I have a stack of papers to grade, etc. So I can NOT take 20 minutes to respond. A response of this length in English takes about 45 seconds. A response of this length in Spanish would take 20 minutes. It is simply NOT feasible for me to communicate in Spanish as frequently as I would like to do so and still continue to function as a mathematics teacher.......

Ah! excuses!

Te entiendo perfectamente.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

¡Felicidades, Lou Ann!

Ese tipo de cosas son grandes logros.


Small note: In Spanish, "guardián" has its feminin, "guardiana".
If your thread title meant you had a conversation with a woman, it should have been "conversación con una guardiana".
But, a "guardian", in the sense of someone who is legally responsible for the care of a child, is in Spanish a "tutor" (pronounced "tootóhr").
So your sentence would sound clearer as "conversación con una tutora".

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

¡Felicidades, Lou Ann!

Ese tipo de cosas son grandes logros.


Small note: In Spanish, "guardián" has its feminin, "guardiana".
If your thread title meant you had a conversation with a woman, it should have been "conversación con una guardiana".
But, a "guardian", in the sense of someone who is legally responsible for the care of a child, is in Spanish a "tutor" (pronounced "tootóhr").
So your sentence would sound clearer as "conversación con una tutora".

Oooh - thanks for that. What does "guardian/a" mean in Spanish, then?

[CrOtALiTo]

Leapelda, it gives me glad for you.


It shows that you already in the Spanish although you need sometimes a littles new words, also it shows me that you are able to speak with a native Spanish, really I've see you that you have worked a bunch of hours in this place to trying get better your knowledge and well you could to see the results yesterday.

Please you don't leave the Spanish, the language gives taste to your life.

[Jessica]

Originally Posted by laepelba

And there probably aren't many native speakers near where you live, are there? I don't know what to tell you about the pronunciation ... because actually, I only get coached on my pronunciation when I speak with friends/students/etc. who are native speakers and they tell me that I'm stressing the wrong syllables. (sigh....)

If you're really enjoying learning Spanish, you should look for a summer-study-abroad opportunity to live for several weeks in a Latin American country or in Spain, etc. They say that LIVING in the culture, even for a few weeks, would improve my usage a LOT!

Also, I don't know if you saw a post a couple of months ago about using a certain website to practice listening skills. Take a look at this: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/index.html - it has helped me more than anything else with my listening skills!

thanks! and yes not many native Spanish speakers here

I still have trouble with English....r and w; l and n :P

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by Jessica

thanks! and yes not many native Spanish speakers here

I still have trouble with English....r and w; l and n :P

Jessica - you already speak more than one language, which is MUCH more than MOST Americans can claim........ I think you're doing GREAT!!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Lou Ann: Except for the legal caretaker of a child, "guardián" means the same as guardian in English --someone that guards, watches over, or protects.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Lou Ann: Except for the legal caretaker of a child, "guardián" means the same as guardian in English --someone that guards, watches over, or protects.

I find that to be really interesting. Quite humanizing, in fact - that the word is different for custodians of children. I like it!

[irmamar]

I think there is a word for tutor, in English; the same: tutor. A tutor is a teacher in charge of the problems the pupils have or somebody who helps with pupils with special difficulties; but he is not a guardian, he doesn't guard the students. I can't imagine a guardian in a school here

[laepelba]

Yes, there is definitely a word "tutor" in English. But I've only ever heard it used for academic tutoring. The word "guardian" when used in terms of legal custody of a child really implies that this legal guardian is, according to the courts, LEGALLY responsible for the child in place of a parent. Because SO many kids are not necessarily in the custody of their actual parents, in the schools, the language on most forms/letters, etc. is "parent or guardian". So I would send a letter home with my students that starts with "To the parent or guardian of So-and-So-kid".....

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Yes, there is definitely a word "tutor" in English. But I've only ever heard it used for academic tutoring. The word "guardian" when used in terms of legal custody of a child really implies that this legal guardian is, according to the courts, LEGALLY responsible for the child in place of a parent. Because SO many kids are not necessarily in the custody of their actual parents, in the schools, the language on most forms/letters, etc. is "parent or guardian". So I would send a letter home with my students that starts with "To the parent or guardian of So-and-So-kid".....

OK, you mean that the child lives with his/her tutor, as if he/she was his/her parent. Yes, it's the same word here: tutor (tutor legal)

[laepelba]

Well, no - not in English. Tutor is ONLY for academic help. In English you would only use "guardian" for legal custodian. So your sentence would be "...the child lives with his/her guardian, as if he/she were his/her parent." Sorry I'm being confusing.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Well, no - not in English. Tutor is ONLY for academic help. In English you would only use "guardian" for legal custodian. So your sentence would be "...the child lives with his/her guardian, as if he/she were his/her parent." Sorry I'm being confusing.

Yes, sorry, I wrote it in English and I was thinking in Spanish. I wanted to say that "el niño vive con su tutor" (the child lives with his guardian). It was my fault.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Yes, sorry, I wrote it in English and I was thinking in Spanish. I wanted to say that "el niño vive con su tutor" (the child lives with his guardian). It was my fault.

Ahhh! Exactly - that is correct in English. Thanks for explaining!

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Ahhh! Exactly - that is correct in English. Thanks for explaining!

No, you explained it to me. Gracias a ti

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

By the way... The school-jargon around here, since most children live with their parents (at least with one of them), is simply "mamá" or "papá".

Hoy hablé con una mamá sobre las calificaciones de su hijo.
Today I talked to a mother about her son's grades.

Más tarde tengo que recibir a un papá que tiene una queja sobre un maestro.
Later I have to see a father who has a complain about one of the teachers.

Juan, quiero que les des este recado a tus papás.
Juan, I want you to give this message to your parents.

I used "mother" and "father" instead of "mom" and "dad", because for this purposes, "mamá" and "papá" are used in a formal context.
"Papás" in plural is the equivalent of "mom" and "dad" for "parents".

[Cloudgazer]

Me alegré al leer de tu conversación exitosa completamente en español, Lou Ann; ¡felicidades! ¡Tengo celos de ti!

Y gracias por el enlace al sitio de ejercicios para competencia en español en la universidad de Texas. Es muy bueno.

[irmamar]

En España "mamá" y "papá" son palabras muy familiares y no se usan en contextos formales (ni habituales, por lo general):

Hoy tengo una reunión con los padres de mis alumnos.
Dile a tu padre/madre/ que venga a verme.

A mi amiga del alma:

¿Cómo están tus padres?

A mis hermanos:

¿Cómo están papá y mamá?

A un niño o niña muy pequeños:

¿Dónde está tu mamá/papá?

A un niño o niña a partir de, más o menos, 6 ó 7 años:

¿Dónde está tu madre/padre?

La verdad es que he visto este uso que tenéis de las palabras "papá" y "mamá", tan familiares para mí, en otros hilos y no deja de sorprenderme.