Spanish for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Need to learn more Spanish vocabulary for your upcoming parent-teacher conferences? These conferences can be nerve-wracking if you're talking with a mom or dad who doesn't speak a lot of English and you do not know a lot of Spanish. Interpreters are a huge help, but it's even better if you can throw in a few words and phrases of your own. So kudos to you for working hard to keep the lines of parent-teacher communication open—even if you need to do it in another language! (The following is an excerpt from the Lesson 12: Making the Parent-Teacher Conference a Success from the online Spanish in the Classroom course. If I missed some phrases below that you need, please put them in the comments below or send me an email.) Now let's get to Spanish words and phrases for positive behaviors, problem behaviors, and of course, offering praise to the students. To see them all together and to study, make sure you check them out as digital flashcards on Quizlet!
Words for Talking About Positive Behaviors
One good way to get off on the right foot is to start by talking about a student's strong points. So let's start with six words that will make any parent's face light up. To use these words, start with "He visto . . . " which means, "I have seen . . . " Here they are:
| He visto . . . | ay BEE-stoe | I have seen . . . |
| confianza | cone-fee-AHN-sah | confidence |
| creatividad | kray-ah-tee-bee-DAHD | creativity |
| entusiasmo | ain-too-see-AHS-moh | enthusiasm |
| iniciativa | ee-nee-see-ah-TEE-bah | initiative |
| paciencia | pah-see-AIN-see-ah | patience |
| responsabilidad | ray-spohn-sah-beel-ee-DAHD | responsibility |
Here are some phrases you can use to praise a student's performance:
| Él/ella . . . | ayl/AY-yah | He/she . . . |
| toma su tiempo | TOH-mah soo tee-AIM-poh | takes the time |
| se porta bien | say PORE-tah bee-ANE | behaves well |
| sigue instrucciones | SEE-gay een-strook-see-OH-nays | follows directions |
| obedece las reglas | oh-bay-DAY-say lahs RAY-glahs | obeys the rules |
| hace la tarea | AH-say la tah-RAY-ah | does the homework |
| presta atención | PRAY-stah ah-tain-see-OWN | pays attention |
| respeta la propiedad de la escuela | ray-SPAY-tah lah pro-pee-ay-DAHD day lah ay-SKWAY-lah | respects school property |
| está muy adelantado/a | ay-STAH mwee ah-day-lahn-TAH-doh/dah | is very advanced |
Words for Talking about Problem Behaviors
As much as we'd like to think that all of our students jump out of bed excited about coming to class to soak up learning, we know that some of them have a hard time getting in the school groove. Sometimes they're unmotivated, other times they need extra help, and occasionally they're getting into serious trouble.As educators, we need to share this information with our students' parents. To help in that effort, here are some phrases you can use para explicar (in order to explain) some common behavior problems.
| Él/ella . . . | ayl/AY-yah | He/she . . . |
| no está interesado/a | no ay-STAH een-tare-ay-SAH-doh/dah | isn’t interested |
| no estudia | no ay-STOO-dee-ah | doesn’t study |
| se queda quieto/a | say KAY-dah key-AY-toh/tah | stays quiet |
| siempre llega tarde | see-AME-pray YAY-gah TAR-day | always arrives late |
| está fallando en sus clases | ay-STAH fah-YAHN-doh ane soos KLAH-says | is failing classes |
| tiene demasiado absentismo | tee-ANE-ay day-mah-see-AH-doh ahb-sane-TEES-moh | has too many absences |
| tiene demasiado absentismo sin justificar | tee-ANE-ay day-mah-see-AH-doh ahb-sane-TEES-moh seen hoo-stee-fee-KAR | has too many unexcused absences |
Here are words you can use in serious situations to let a parent know that a student's behavior has crossed the line.
| Necesita… | nay-say-SEE-tah | He/she needs… |
| detención | day-tane-see-OWN | detention |
| disciplina | dee-see-PLEE-nah | discipline |
| ser suspendido/a | sair soo-spain-DEE-doh/dah | to be suspended |
| ser expulsado/a | sair akes-pool-SAH-doh/dah | to be expelled |
| una llamada a la casa | OO-nah yah-MAH-dah ah lah KAH-sah | home phone call |
| una conferencia con los padres | OO-nah kone-fare-AIN-see-ah kone los PAH-drays | parent conference |
| un castigo | oon kah-STEE-goh | punishment |
| una referencia del maestro | OO-nah ray-fare-AIN-see-ah dale mah-AY-stroh | teacher referral |
| una advertencia | OO-nah ahd-bare-TANE-see-ah | warning |
Words for General Behaviors
Next, let's move on to some words and phrases that could go either way in a parent-teacher conference - positive OR negative. The only difference is the "no" after the él or ella.
| Él/ella...Él/ella no... | ayl/AY-yah nay-say-SEE-tahayl/AY-yah nay-say-SEE-tah no | He/she...He/she doesn't... |
| asiste a la escuela | ah-SEE-stay ah lah ay-SKWAY-lah | attend(s) school |
| llega a tiempo | YAY-gah ah tee-AIM-poh | arrive(s) on time |
| hace sus tareas | AH-say soos tar-AY-yahs | do(es) his/her assignments |
| obedece las reglas | oh-bay-DAY-say las RAY-glahs | obey(s) the rules |
| escucha al maestro | ay-SKOO-cha ahl mah-AY-strow | listen(s) to the teacher |
| participa en la clase | par-tee-SEE-pah ane lah KLAH-say | participate(s) in class |
| respeta la propiedad de la escuela | ray-SPAY-tah lah proh-pee-ay-DAHD day lah ay-SKWAY-lah | respect(s) school property |
Words for Offering Praise
And finally, here are some great ways to praise a student's outstanding behavior or effort:
| Su comportamiento es . . . | soo kohm-port-ah-mee-AIN-toe ays... | His/her behavior is . . . |
| Sus notas son . . . | soos NO-tahs sohn... | His/her grades are . . . |
| Su tarea es . . . | soo tah-RAY-ah ays... | His/her work is . . . |
| mejor | may-HORE | better |
| excelente | ake-say-LANE-tay | excellent |
| fantástico | fahn-TAH-stee-koh | fantastic |
| extraordinario | ake-strah-or-deen-AR-ee-oh | remarkable |
| estupendo | ay-stoo-PANE-doh | stupendous |
| magnífico | mahg-NEE-fee-koh | tremendous |
| bueno | BWAY-noh | good |
| satisfactorio | sah-tees-fahk-TORE-ee-oh | satisfactory |
Hopefully you feel more confident in keeping your students' families informed and motivated. In addition, you discovered how to highlight your students' achievements and how to point out areas in which they need to improve. Above all, you learned handy words for praising your students when they make you proud! And best yet? You will be able to communicate it all in Spanish at your next Parent-Teacher conference!Remember that all of these words can be found and practiced as digital flashcards here on Quizlet. What words and phrases did I miss that you still need? Please put them in the comments below or send me an email!(Note that the above is a tiny excerpt from the 6-week, online Spanish in the Classroom - worth 24 CEUs! See all of the online Spanish courses that Pronto Spanish offers!)