Books and Brownies

May. 10, 2008

Was machst du, bitte?

Today I spent some time cleaning up the twins' room. My progress was hampered by the contributions of three little boys - guess who?

At one point, Christopher came over to me to have me do something, get a toy started or something like that. And he said, "Bitte" quite clearly, before I did it.

In German, "bitte" means both "please" and "you're welcome." So a conversation could go, "Bitte? Danke!" "Bitte!" I say things to them like, "Komm hier, bitte!" but I had never heard either one of them say "bitte" as please. I was thrilled!

Later, I was talking to one of the twins and must have said, "Was machst du?" (what are you doing?). Ryan then said to me, "You say 'was machst du' all the time!" It was so funny, the tone he said it in. I have been talking to him lately about German. I will say things like, "Want me to count in German?" or "yellow is 'gelb' in German." So I replied, " 'Was machst du?' means 'What are you doing?'" He didn't say anything more about it. I thought that his comment was very interesting, because it shows several things. 1) He is listening to the German. 2) He can say it correctly. 3) He is noticing a lot about language.

Also, the latest issue of Multilingual Living Magazine is out. Sarah's regular column is really interesting this month - it's about how speaking French to her newborn son is different from doing it with her nephew once a week. And there is also an article by a lady who is speaking German with her two-year-old twins but not with her older children. Wait, she sounds like me! She is me! LOL!

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Comments

May. 10, 2008 - <em>Untitled Comment</em>

Posted by callmekate

First, let me say "Happy Birthday!" It's still May 9th here on the West Coast so you must be up late! I hope you had a good day. I'll go to that site you mentioned and read about that "German speaking Mom!"

Oh, thanks for the birthday greeting on my blog! I had an enjoyable day.

I read your schedule - it does sound doable but I'm not sure how you can eat before 7:00 pm. That might have to stay the way it is for now. We tend to eat late, too, unless my dh is working, then we have to eat at 6:00 sharp. I hope everything works out well for you, especially after the baby arrives. Are you feeling o.k? How is the baby doing? Take care and have a Happy Mother's Day!

Kate

Edited by callmekate on May. 10, 2008 at 1:13 AM

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May. 10, 2008 - Thanks, Kate!

Posted by cathmom

I had a great birthday!

You won't be able to see the magazine without subscribing, though. Sorry! I am planning to do more writing throughout this year so this was a great start for me!

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May. 11, 2008 - Hello! <waving>

Posted by CelticMom

Just popping in for a quick check as you were so welcoming to me upon my return. Thank you!

I'm getting a chuckle out of your foreign language teachings, as we've decided to learn French as a family (here in the American Southwest, where that makes so much sense, lol), and there are some similarities in conversation between our homes. :)

Enjoy your Mother's Day!

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My two most beloved things are books and brownies! Join me here for book reviews and comments about homeschooling my 6 children still at home (ages 13 to 1). My oldest son is in college. I also muse about my own language studies and my attempts to make my children bilingual. Thanks for stopping by!