Ingrid & Tomás

From: 🇸🇪 Sweden + 🇦🇷 Argentina

Ages: 30 & 35

Languages Spoken: Swedish, Spanish

Current Location: Malmö, Sweden

Child: Elva, age 4

Story: Met volunteering abroad. They keep things balanced with structured reading in both languages and alternate weekends in each language.

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¿Puedes describir los antecedentes lingüísticos de tu familia?
Ingrid grew up in Gothenburg speaking Swedish, while Tomás is from Mendoza, Argentina and is a native Spanish speaker. We both speak English, but we don’t use it at home. Each of us is committed to passing on our native language.

¿Qué idiomas utilizáis, cómo y dónde y cómo decidisteis esa mezcla?
We use Swedish and Spanish at home. Ingrid speaks only Swedish with Elva, and Tomás speaks only Spanish. Every other weekend, we switch the home environment—Swedish one weekend, Spanish the next—to give immersive exposure in both.

¿Por qué es importante para usted enseñar esos idiomas?
Our languages are deeply tied to who we are. Swedish connects Elva to her home country and social life. Spanish connects her to her father’s culture and large family in Argentina. It’s about identity, not just communication.

¿Cuándo decidió por primera vez criar a su hijo de forma bilingüe?
We decided even before we got married. We both value our cultures and didn’t want either to be lost. It was always non-negotiable that our child would be bilingual.

¿Seguiste una estrategia específica (por ejemplo, OPOL, ML@H) o evolucionó naturalmente?
We use OPOL for daily conversation and alternate-language weekends for immersion. It’s a blend that evolved over time but has become a stable routine now.

¿Cuáles fueron sus mayores preocupaciones al principio y cómo se desarrollaron con el tiempo?
Our biggest concern was Swedish dominating everything, since we live in Sweden. But the alternating weekends and daily Spanish reading have helped balance things out.

¿Qué te ayudó a mantener la constancia en el uso de ambos idiomas? ¿Cuál es tu rutina?
Routine is everything. We read two books a day—one in each language. We also play songs, cook dishes, and tell bedtime stories aligned with the weekend’s “language.” Structure helped keep us accountable.

¿Ha cambiado su enfoque a medida que su hijo crece?
Yes. As Elva started preschool, Swedish became stronger. So we introduced “Spanish-only Sundays” and video calls with Tomás’s family to maintain balance. We’re adapting constantly.

¿Cómo maneja usted la resistencia o cuando su hijo prefiere un idioma?
We don’t push, but we stay consistent. If she responds in Swedish during a Spanish day, Tomás repeats her response in Spanish and encourages her to copy. We keep it playful, not strict.

¿Ha experimentado algún momento de avance o de orgullo en su desarrollo del lenguaje?
Yes—when Elva corrected her grandmother’s Swedish pronunciation on a video call, then turned around and recited a Spanish rhyme she learned from Tomás. It was a proud bilingual parenting moment.

¿Qué papel ha desempeñado su familia extendida o su comunidad al apoyar (o desafiar) sus metas?
Our families are very supportive. Ingrid’s parents speak only Swedish, and Tomás’s family sends regular voice messages, books, and videos in Spanish. Malmö has a diverse community, so people understand what we’re doing.

¿Tienes una anécdota divertida o inesperada de tu experiencia bilingüe? Nos encantaría escucharla.
Elva once said “Jag vill helado”—combining Swedish grammar with a Spanish noun—very confidently. We all cracked up. Now we call it “Spanglenska.”

¿Alguna vez has sentido presión (interna o externa) por tus objetivos bilingües?
Absolutely. There’s a quiet fear that if we don’t do enough, she’ll lose one of the languages. Especially when teachers praise her Swedish but don’t mention Spanish—it makes us wonder if we’re doing it right.

¿Sientes que tu hijo se conecta emocional o culturalmente con ambos idiomas?
Yes. She celebrates both Swedish and Argentinian holidays with excitement. She knows which food belongs to which “language day” and proudly explains her dual identity to friends.

¿Cuál ha sido el desafío más inesperado?
Managing exposure to both languages equally when daily life is so skewed toward Swedish. It’s easy to slip into convenience and let Swedish take over, especially when we’re tired.

¿Qué es lo que más te ha sorprendido de forma positiva?
How Elva takes pride in knowing two languages. She’ll say things like, “My mummy speaks one language, my papi another, and I speak both!” It’s empowering for her.

¿Qué tecnología u otros recursos utiliza para apoyar el aprendizaje de idiomas?
We use Spotify playlists in both languages, digital library apps for audiobooks, and WhatsApp voice messages from grandparents. We also follow a few bilingual parenting blogs for ideas.

¿Los entornos escolares o de cuidado infantil han ayudado o dificultado el proceso?
Preschool is all in Swedish, but they’ve been supportive of our goals. They even invited Tomás to do a storytime in Spanish for the class once, which was amazing.

Si pudieras hacer una cosa diferente ¿qué sería?
Start video calls with the Argentinian side earlier. Those relationships took time to build, and we wish we’d begun when Elva was a baby.

¿Qué consejo le darías a otros padres que están empezando?
Start early, stay consistent, and be playful. Your child doesn’t need perfect grammar—they need connection. Make language part of the family rhythm, not a chore.

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