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, ABR 4, 2010

Benz was saying that in a most kind way. - --Mariana--, ABR 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, ABR 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, ABR 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, ABR 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, ABR 7, 2010

Answer 3

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?

Answer 4

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, ABR 4, 2010