Spanish Test

Claire and I met on the first day of Spanish class in Madrid.  Like me, she could not fill out the entry form which asked, in Spanish, such difficult questions as What is your name? When were you born?  What is your native language? How long have you been studying Spanish?  We both turned in blank pieces of paper. When learning a second language as an adult, vocabulary and grammar come gradually (more gradually for  me.)  Thus, Claire loved talking with little kids in Spanish.  If friends brought their children to a party, for example, she’d relish the opportunity to practice her Spanish amongst equals.

For this same reason, I’d avoid them.  Not only do kids say the darndest things anyway, they tend to speak truth to your face.  The question that usually came at me was why do you sound like my little brother?  Plus, they pick up the subjunctive so fast these days.

Fast forward three years and I am happily visiting my friends Carly and Rob in Philadelphia.  On our way to gather their four year daughter from preschool, Carly says Oh! And Lily has a Spanish class every Tuesday!  She can practice with you!

Now, a class every week is just enough to remind me of what I learned the week prior, but it is massive for someone who has not yet learned to read.  Children can acquire a second language faster than adults – and it will make them better adults, with improved working memory, cognitive control, and the ability to form concepts and think abstractly.

What is she learning?  I inquire, hesitantly.

Luckily, Lily is not yet a superhuman with five languages under her belt.  Our conversations focused mainly on jirafas and hipopótamos and gatos and perros.  Not only could I handle it, but I excelled – winning the delightful title of “Lady from Spanish Land.”