Should I speak to my child in English if I am not a native speaker?

Similarly, Carol Rodr¨ªguez has been speaking to her son Eric in English since he was an infant. ¡°Even though I struggled with the language, I love it,¡± she says. ¡°So I decided to try it out for a few weeks and see how it felt. And it wasn¡¯t bad.¡±

According to Valeria ?vila, a speech therapist at the Sinews Center in Madrid that runs workshops for parents bringing up bilingual children, talking to your children in another language when you are not bilingual involves a big sacrifice. ¡°It has to be a very clear-cut decision between the parents, so the child knows who is going to speak in which language,¡± she says.

Talking to your children in another language when you are not bilingual involves a big sacrifice

Both Bastarreche, a lecturer in constitutional law at the Autonomous University in Madrid, and Rodr¨ªguez, a flight attendant at Iberia, believe that offering their children the chance to speak English from a very early age will give them a head start in life.

¡°As my wife says, it¡¯s an investment,¡± says Bastarreche. ¡°What I can¡¯t do is avoid using expressions that come naturally in Spanish,¡± he adds, such as venga (come on) or bichito (a term of endearment). ¡°So I¡¯ll says things like, ¡®Venga, let¡¯s go to the park¡¯.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to stop using the affectionate terms that don¡¯t come out naturally if I say them in English,¡± says Rodr¨ªguez. ¡°I¡¯ll say, ¡®Bichito, eat a little more¡¯.¡±

According to trilingual British Council Coordinator Mar¨ªa Piperides, the earlier and more often parents speak to their children in English, the better. ¡°You have to keep positive,¡± she adds. ¡°Children should see that the parents are enjoying using the language ¨C if they do, they¡¯re more likely to try to speak it.¡±

Javier says things like ¡°Yo promo¡± instead of ¡°Te lo prometo.¡± And Matilde comes out with phrases such as ¡°Quiero jumpear¡± ¨C I want to jump

In Seville, Alex P¨¦rez has been speaking to his two-year-old in English since birth and has recently set up the website crecereningl¨¦s as well as an online course for parents.

¡°I saw there was a need for information,¡± he says. ¡°So I do 10 sessions with a monthly subscription of €5. I hope to help other parents who are doing the same as me. I¡¯m not a native speaker, so I have my limitations. But it doesn¡¯t matter because he¡¯ll learn more English like this than if I didn¡¯t do it, and one day I know he¡¯ll be better than me.¡±

One concern he has is what kind of accent his children will have when they grow up. ¡°The parents¡¯ accent doesn¡¯t influence the child¡¯s at all,¡± says ?vila. ¡°Children are programmed to speak another language and we encourage all parents, whatever their accent, to speak to their kids in English.¡±

In any case, as Piperides points out, there are many different English accents given that it is an international language. ¡°What they¡¯re doing is simply laying the foundations that will later be built upon,¡± she says.

Tom¨¢s, meanwhile, admits that he is aware of making mistakes sometimes when he talks to his children. ¡°It¡¯s the risk I take,¡± he laughs. ¡°I hope one day they¡¯ll realize how it¡¯s actually said properly.¡±

All these parents expect their children to address them in English at some stage. ¡°It would be great if, in the future, they wanted it to be the main language at home, but that¡¯s not necessarily my aim,¡± says Tom¨¢s. His twins have just started to speak and they mix Spanish with English. Javier says things like ¡°Yo promo¡± instead of ¡°Te lo prometo¡± ¨C I promise you. And Matilde comes out with phrases such as ¡°Quiero jumpear¡± ¨C I want to jump ¨C instead of ¡°Quiero saltar.¡±

But yesterday Carol¡¯s son Eric greeted her with a ¡°Good morning¡± ¨C and that, she says, has made up for all the odd looks she got in the park when he was a baby.

English version by Heather Galloway.