Today’s Friday Canción is a bit different.  It’s one for the kiddies! We all remember some of our favourite jingles or nursery rhymes in English.  Some we sang just for fun and some we learnt from as well.  I’ve put together a short list of fun Spanish songs for you today.  You can check them out for yourselves (as they are catchy and can help adults to learn new vocabulary) or you can use them with the little ones in your life.  It’s never too early or too late to learn a language!

4 Children’s Songs to Practice Spanish Language Learning

Song number 1 is cute and very useful for numbers practice.  I’d recommend going up to ten, as in the video, but you can continue looping the song for as many numbers as you’d like.

1. Un elefante se balanceaba

Un elefante se balanceaba
sobre la tela de una araña,
como veía que resistía
fue a llamar a un camarada.

Dos elefantes se balanceaban,
sobre la tela de una araña,
como veían que resistía
fueron a llamar a un camarada.

Tres elefantes se balanceaban,
sobre la tela de una araña,
como veían que resistía
fueron a llamar a un camarada.

Cuatro elefantes…

Cinco elefantes…

Etc. etc…

¿Qué pasó?
La tela se rompió

Keywords highlighted above: elephant, were balancing, web, spider, broke and numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udvXVnUii5c&w=560&h=315]

More advanced grammar note:  Note the use of the imperfect tense vs preterite tense.  Can you find an example of each?

Suggested Answer: imperfect: se balanceaba | preterite: fue

Song number 2 can help with identifying body parts.  A Mi Burro is also an excellent recall song as each remedy is repeated in reverse order.  Poor little burro though, he really should be more careful!

2. A Mi Burro

A mi burro (x2)
Le duele la cabeza
El médico le manda
Una gorrita gruesa (x2)
Mi burro enfermo está

A mi burro (x2)
Le duelen las orejas
El médico le manda
Que las ponga muy tiesas (x2)
Una gorrita gruesa
Mi burro enfermo está

A mi burro (x2)
Le duele la garganta
El médico le manda
Una bufanda blanca (x2)
Que las ponga muy tiesas
Una gorrita gruesa
Mi burro enfermo está

A mi burro (x2)
Le duele el corazón
El médico le manda
Jarabe de limón (x2)
Una bufanda blanca
Que las ponga muy tiesas
Una gorrita gruesa
Mi burro enfermo está.

Translation:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5UKqpJzh4&w=560&h=315]

Song number 3 doesn’t teach very much, unless you consider a young man’s requirements for his wife to be a life lesson??!!!  But it is a catchy song along the lines of classic English nursery rhymes.  It’s not as fast as the previous song and each word is quite clear.  It would make for a good listening exercise.

3.  Arroz Con Leche

Arroz con leche
Me quiero casar
Con una señorita de la capital
Que sepa coser
Que sepa bordar
Que sepa abrir la puerta
Para ir a jugar.

Con ésta sí
Con ésta no
Con esta señorita me caso yo

Translation:

Rice Pudding
I want to get married
To a lady
From the capital

Who knows how to sew,
Who knows how to embroider,
Who knows how to open the door
To go out to play.

With this one yes,
With this one no,
With this little lady I will get married!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QLLboEyOs4&w=560&h=315]

More advanced grammar note:  Can you identify the many uses of the infinitive form of verbs?

Examples: Coser, casar, bordar, abrir

Song number 4 is more of a tongue twister than a teaching tool.  It’s a Spanish version of Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo with some made up words and often used by children to take turns in games.  There are various versions of this song.

4. De Tin Marín

De Tin marín, dedo pingüé,

Cúcara, mácara, títere fue,

Yo no fui, fue Teté,

Mira, Mira a quien fue.

Keywords above: dedo: finger; pingüe: big/ abundant; mira: look.

Here’s a very rough translation:

Tin Marin, big finger,

Cockroach, mockroach, it was a puppet,

It wasn’t me, it was Teté,

Look, look at who it was.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OrMIQWZk50&w=560&h=315]

Usage advice:  Listen and repeat over and over and over again.  The vocabulary may not make too much sense but it’s a very good way to loosen an anglicized tongue!

Pronunciation note: Did you notice the diaéresis over the letter ü in pingüé? It is used to emphasize the pronunciation of the vowel ‘u’.  Usually the u blends into the following vowel sound.  When the diaéresis is used emphasis is placed on the ‘u.’

Listen to the pronunciation of the following words…

guerra: war  |  güero: vain/ blonde (Mexican usage)

That’s it for today!  Have a lovely weekend and get in a little Spanish practice too.

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