Unschooling Spanish

As non-Spanish speakers, we learned Spanish with our neighbor’s cat.

“Ven aquí, gato!” – “Come here, cat!”

“¡No rasguñes!” – “Don’t scratch!”

“¿Quieres te que cargue?” – “Do you want me to hold you?”

“Te amo.” – “I love you.”

We learned Spanish as we got in and out of cars.

“Súbanse al carro.” – “Get in the car.”

“Bájense del carro.” – “Get out of the car.”

We learned Spanish while we ate.

“¡Más, por favor!” – “More, please!”

“¿Ya terminaste?” – “Are you all done?”

All we had to do was replace what we normally say in English with what a native Spanish speaker would say in that situation.

Isn’t that how we learned English anyway? By talking and being talked to?

We could talk and understand each other immediately. It was natural and fun.

It was unschooling Spanish.

There were no flash cards, grammar rules, and conjugation charts.

We learned Spanish as life happened. I don’t see why your family wouldn’t be able to do the same thing.

You can talk in Spanish as you get in the car.

At bedtime.

When your kids are driving you nuts.

Go from knowing nada to using Spanish in your home.

And when people ask how you learned Spanish, just tell them you didn’t have to. You played with an adorable kitten instead.

Start with over 1,700 phrases and listen to the native speaker audio on repeat.

256 pages

“We’re outside riding bikes and speaking Spanish. Like a boss.”

— Jessica Christensen