Spanish · C1 · Family moment
Little Stories About Your Morning in Spanish
This guide focuses on recount moments from your baby's morning by relaying information provided by other caregivers. At a C1 level, we use reported speech structures to maintain objectivity and narrative flow.
What you'll learn
- Use indirect speech to report past events involving the baby.
- Master the use of verbs like 'decir' and 'contar' for reporting.
- Correctly apply past tenses (Pretérito Perfecto vs. Indefinido) in reported contexts.
- Differentiate between witnessed actions and relayed information.
Spanish phrases for little stories about your morning
La abuela dice que has dormido una siesta estupenda en sus brazos.
Grandma says you had a lovely nap in her arms.
Uses 'has dormido' (present perfect) to report a completed action with current relevance.
Papá dice que has intentado agarrar la cuchara hace un rato.
Daddy says you reached for your spoon earlier.
'Hace un rato' helps specify the timeframe of the reported action.
El abuelo dice que te has quedado dormido durante el paseo.
Grandpa says you fell asleep during your walk.
'Quedarse dormido' is the standard reflexive construction for falling asleep.
Mamá dice que has saludado con la mano cuando ha entrado en la habitación.
Mummy says you waved when she came into the room.
Note the use of 'saludar con la mano' for 'waved'.
Tu cuidadora dice que has disfrutado mucho de las gachas esta mañana.
Your childminder says you enjoyed your porridge this morning.
'Cuidadora' is used for childminder; 'gachas' refers to porridge/oatmeal.
La abuela dice que has gateado hasta el cesto.
Grandma says you crawled over to the basket.
'Gatear' specifically describes a baby's crawling.
Papá dice que has hecho un ruidito después del baño.
Daddy says you made a little sound after your bath.
'Ruidito' uses the diminutive to imply a soft, baby sound.
Tu cuidadora dice que has esperado tranquilo mientras ella iba a buscar el babero.
Your childminder says you waited calmly while she fetched your bib.
Uses 'iba a buscar' for 'fetched' to emphasize the duration of the waiting.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Cuidadora
Childminder / Nanny
General term for someone who looks after children.
Gatear
To crawl
Derived from 'gato' (cat), describing how infants move.
Gachas
Porridge
Often used in plural to refer to cooked cereal or mush.
Saludar con la mano
To wave
Literal translation is 'to greet with the hand'.
Indirect Speech for Past Events
In Spanish, to report what someone else said about a past event while maintaining the focus on the current day, we typically use 'decir que' followed by the Pretérito Perfecto (have + participle). This functions similarly to the Konjunktiv I Perfect in German by distancing the speaker from the original event.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting Verb | Dice que... | Dice que has comido. |
| Completed Action | Haber + Participio | Has gateado (You have crawled). |
| Indirect Object | Me ha contado que... | Me ha contado que has dormido. |
More examples
La abuela me ha contado que has estado muy risueño.
Grandma told me that you have been very cheerful.
'Risueño' is a lovely C1 level word for a smiley/cheerful baby.
Según papá, te has comido toda la fruta.
According to Daddy, you ate all the fruit.
'Según' is a sophisticated way to introduce reported information.