Learn Spanish through Play: AT THE PARK // Things (Nouns)

by | Jul 7, 2013 | Learn Spanish with Play

In this post we are learning about Spanish words and phrases you can learn and use at the park!

Okay.  Two things I love about blogging (I love more than that, but two things I cannot help but mention right

now)!

ONE:  I love that blogging motivates me to be a more intentional mother/educator.  It helps me organize my thoughts and ideas, making them more successful and productive.

TWO:  I love how, through my blogging journey, I have begun to develop a little niche in this world–a little corner where I feel really happy, enthusiastic, and creative.  I have found a little groove that runs through my parenting, my personal life, my lifelong pursuit of education, my professional goals, and makes me feel connected, put-together, planted.

Most of this excitement stems from a new installment of my series “Learn Spanish through Play” that I am quite excited about: AT THE PARK.  We have been blessed with an absolutely perfect spring and summer here in my neck-of-Missouri.  (My heart goes out to all those who have experienced loss and/or tragedy due to extreme weather conditions here in the Midwest, all over the country, and most recently Arizona.)  This great weather has led to lots of pleasant outside-play for me and my kiddos (happy mamma smiles).  As we have played, I have collected a copious amount of pictures having in mind to share with you all what great Spanish lessons can be learned at the park.

How about we start with things (nouns), or should we say, cosas (sustantivos).  A great book for learning nouns is First Thousand Words in Spanish: With Internet-Linked Pronunciation Guide.  I use it in so many of my classes and at home with my kids–it offers a thorough foundation of “getting-started” Spanish vocabulary.  Here is a link to the free pronunciation guide the book offers for el parque (the park).  The pictures below show what fun cosas (COH-sahs) we found on one of our trips to el parque.  I have also listed them all in a chart with pronunciation guides and English equivalents.

Things (Cosas) You Find at the Park
Spanish
Pronunciation
English
la acera
lah ah-SEHR-ah
the sidewalk
el árbol
ehl ARE-bowl
the tree
el césped
ehl SEHS-ped
the lawn
los columpios
lohs koh-LOOM-pee-ohs
the swings
las escaleras
lahs ehs-kah-LAIR-ahs
the stairs
las letras
lahs LEH-trahs
the letters
el parque infantil
ehl PAHR-kay een-fahn-TEEL
the playground
la roca
lah ROH-kah
the rock (as in boulder)
el tobogán
ehl toe-boe-GAHN
the slide
**Notice: el, la, los, las are all words for “the” in English

What did you find at the park today?

Try some of these phrases as you are learning the words for items you see and find:

“Mira __________.”  (MEE-rah ________.)  This means “Look at _______.”  Just fill in the blank with one of the words above.  Do not forget to also say el, la, los, or las before it.

You could also say, “Vamos a ____________.”  (VAH-mohs ah _______.)  This means “Let’s go to _________.”  Just fill in the blank with the Spanish word “the” and the item you want to go to.  The only trick with this one is if you are talking about an item that has el before it (like tree), then the a after vamos becomes al.

One more phrase to try is “¿Dónde está el/la _________?”  (DOHN-day ehs-TAH ehl/lah______?)  This means “Where is the ________?”  Use that question for singualar items and this one for plural items: “¿Dónde están los/las __________?”  (DOHN-day ehs-TAHN lohs/lahs _______?)  It means “Where are the __________?”  To both of these questions your kids can answer “¡Aquí!” (ah-KEY) which means “Here!” or “¡Allí!” (ah-YEE) which means “Over there!”

So here are three examples of sentences you could say using the chart and phrases above:

Mira el árbol.  (MEE-rah ehl ARE-bowl.)  Look at the tree.

Vamos a los columpios. (VAH-mohs ah lohs koh-LOOM-pee-ohs.) Let’s go to the swings.

¿Dónde están las letras? (DOHN-day ehs-TAHN lahs LEH-trahs?)  Where are the letters? 

Have fun at the parque today!  Leave your comments about what kind of Spanish adventures your family is having.

Check out our other Learn Spanish through Play series here, and here, and here.

Kali Carollo

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