Telling children to be seated or to stand up.

Question

In the dictionary and I have also heard people say ¡siéntate!, but in the dictionary it said that was to be used with a dog. I don't want to treat my children like pets. lol.

What would a spanish speaking parent say to her children when she wants them to:

1.sit down 2.stand up. (right now I just use arriba, because they understand that.) 3.get down (right now I just use abajo) 4.put it down 5.put it back 6.don't touch ( I use no toque or no tocando)

I have a 1 and 3 year old btw, it's best to speak in short phrases, when correcting behavior or giving instruction. I try to speak as much spanish to them that I know at least every other day but I am a novice Spanish speaker myself. Thanks a lot for your help.

Answer 1

Give orders to your dog, and treat your child with love and respect, and you'll make the difference.

.

1.sit down "Siéntate"

2.stand up. "Párate"

3.get down "Agáchate"

4.put it down "Déjalo"

5.put it back "Devuélvelo"

6.don't touch "No toques"

• Regardless, the information you provided is extremely useful in using Spanish with my children in practical ways. I am very appreciative of you response. Thank you very much. - Niki-K-F Apr 4, 2010
• Benz was saying that in a most kind way. - --Mariana-- Apr 4, 2010
• I never ment to offend you Nikki!! Why did you misunderstand me? Did I say something wrong? :) It's just that the wording for pets and kids is not different. It depends on your intention and attitude :) - Benz Apr 4, 2010
• I did misunderstand. I apologize for my sensitivity as a mom. These have been most helpful, since they are so simply stated my children have started to understand them right away. I keep them posted up on the while til they are second nature. - Niki-K-F Apr 7, 2010

Answer 2

Stand up is " levantate " ( wake up ) , not " parate" . >The ppl says parate in South America , not in Spain .

• "levántate" and "párate" are both correct for "stand up". The fact that in Spain "levántate" is used doesn't mean that "párate" is incorrect :) - Benz Apr 4, 2010
• Well our family members are Dominican. Would they be more likely to use Spanish used in Spain or South America? - Niki-K-F Apr 7, 2010

Answer 3

Children? I love the sound of "vosotros" commands (especially for reflexive constructions), they sound so much more imperious. ¡Sentaos! ¡Levantaos! ¡Callaos! By contrast, the "ustedes" forms always sound a bit "wimpy" to me (I can't help hearing a "por favor" [even when it's not actually said]).

These days, I tend to conjure up images of Heidita speaking to her small charges (and using her "drill-sergeant" voice). I'll bet that they really "snap into line".

• Except in Spain... if you say "¡Sentaos! ¡Levantaos! ¡Callaos!" to children, everybody would start laughing. The rest of the Spanish-speaking countries would not express it that way samdie... :) - Benz Apr 4, 2010

Answer 4

Can I find additional conjugations like these somewhere on the site? I tried myself in the conjugations tab but I can't figure out what each of them mean.

I'm trying to say "go downstairs" and "go upstairs" I just get bajar and subir.

How do I find this on this website?