Juan Valentín, Pablo Nicolás, Miguel & Irene Urdangarin, Part II

[acdc1]

Didn't Miguel have the same "Don't worry, be Hopi" shirt that the dark-haired little boy is wearing in the first picture?

[crisiñaki]

yes, he had one like that (maybe the little boy borrowed it?)

[CasiraghiTrio]

Originally Posted by crisiñaki

I love the four Urdangarin, but somehow Pablo is my fav one, I think he's so sweet and well-mannered (perfect son-in-law material)

It is hard to say which Urdangarin child is the most gorgeous, but I think Pablo is going to be specially heartthrob material. I can see something very classic handsome and distinct in his features. As he grows, he will be more and more stunningly good-looking. I would not be surprised if he becomes quite the eligible bachelor type, like a JFK Jr. No, what am I saying? Like his father!

I agree with adelaide, it's time for Irene to let go of the pacifier, we don't want to see her like Victoria with her sock or Camille Gottlieb at the age of six with a pacifier, Miguel left the pacifier being slightly older than Irene is now, so I guess the time is coming for her as well

Well, now, slow down. Irene is not two years old yet. If she still has the pacifier at age three, we can start worrying, and she still has it age four we can begin to panic, hehe.

[adelaide]

Palma, the sun, the sea, the sunglasses it's very often a sympthetic subject of pics of the Spain Royal Family.

I have found some old shots too, too kind about that whom the heroe is the very young Juan Valantin:

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http://i18.tinypic.com/6h7krab.jpg


The story is not finish.....

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( by courtesy of Getty )

May be the story is in the other sens, what do you think about that ? Too kind, isen't it ?

[acdc1]

What languages do the kids speak? I'm assuming Spanish, but any others?

[crisiñaki]

They speak English, Spanish and Catalan, I guess their father must have taught them some Euskera and since they go to the Lycee Français, i guess they speak a little French as well

[adelaide]

Originally Posted by crisiñaki

They speak English, Spanish and Catalan, I guess their father must have taught them some Euskera and since they go to the Lycee Français, i guess they speak a little French as well

Are you sure that you dosen't forget any other languages, russian for example, because one of the grandmothers of one of the grandmothers of their grand mother was Grand Duchess of Russia and quid for the german because when their grandmother the Queen Sofia is very angry she is speaking german!!!!

[crisiñaki]

Thanks adelaide, I knew I was forgetting something! They also speak swahili

On a more serious matter, I've heard them being spoken to in both Catalan and Euskera, so I guess they have at least a basic understanding of both languages and since they go to a French school, I guess they have learnt at least something in that language

[adelaide]

Originally Posted by crisiñaki

Thanks adelaide, I knew I was forgetting something! They also speak swahili

On a more serious matter, I've heard them being spoken to in both Catalan and Euskera, so I guess they have at least a basic understanding of both languages and since they go to a French school, I guess they have learnt at least something in that language

Yes, but in this matter of foreign languages, you have to consider their age and I'm not sure that they are speaking english fluently first. For the french too, sure that in the french Lycee they are going to LEARN French.....

And for the Catalan and Euskera, vernacular languages I think it's a vew of spirit because this children have other else to learn for the moment that five languages in the same time: Spanish ( castillan ) because they have to be good, English, French; catalan and Euskera or may be they are genius!!! Who knows! They arn't the Pic de la Mirandole!!!

[acdc1]

how fluent is their english?

[crisiñaki]

Originally Posted by adelaide

Yes, but in this matter of foreign languages, you have to consider their age and I'm not sure that they are speaking english fluently first. For the french too, sure that in the french Lycee they are going to LEARN French.....

And for the Catalan and Euskera, vernacular languages I think it's a vew of spirit because this children have other else to learn for the moment that five languages in the same time: Spanish ( castillan ) because they have to be good, English, French; catalan and Euskera or may be they are genius!!! Who knows! They arn't the Pic de la Mirandole!!!

Well adelaide, let me tell you something from experience: I learned to speak three languages almost at the same time, one was my father's native, other was my mother's native and other was the one of the country I was born in, the same thing has happened to my children, they learnt their father's language, mine (native, where I was born and raised) and English since they were born here, they also go to a bilingual school and now have (they are 7, more or less Juan and Pablo's age) a basic understanding of that fourth language

There's no need to be a genius to learn several languages at once, it all depends on the environment, the travelling, the living and the schooling

acdc1, i guess they have (obviously) mastered both castilian and catalan, since they are more or less their native languages, in Iñaki's house they are spoken in Euskera, so I guess they must at least understand and maybe speak something on that and for the English and French, they are taught that at school, Juan's been in the French school for more or less 3 years, so I guess he has a good understanding of the language; it's been said (even if i cannot assure it completely) that Queen Sofia usually talks in english with them as well, so I guess that must influence something

[adelaide]

Very intersting CV, dear Iñaki and awith your experience a we can consider that as the Dukes of Palm 's children live in a multilanguage atmosphere they are truely polyglot.
But as you know I think that Juan have to speak a little english ( surely with his Grandmother ) but by himself because he spent a begining of July a part of time in a camp in GB. It's ok. For the french, I think is not proved that he is fluent after three years of study, some french peoples aren't able to speak correctly even if they parctise all day long.
For the vernacular languages, your exemple isen't topic because it's only a supposition, but dosen't matter I don't want to make a discussion about facts that they aren't proved. The single thing that is certain is this children have the opportunity to be multilanguage practisers and they are learning to school at least English and French, it dosen't mean that they are speaking fluently.

To end I have the feeling taht when you have a native language difficult as the denmark one, it will be more easy and mainly more USEFUL for the communication to learn english for example.

[crisiñaki]

well adelaide, for the catalan/castilian thing, it's almost a natural thing to learn both languages in Catalonia, I have a friend who has a 3 year-old kid and he already has a knowledge of both languages, it's all about the atmosphere, she speaks spanish at home with him, but at his nursery school, he "speaks" ('cuz at that age no one speaks perfectly yet any language, native or not) catalan with his mates and teacher

and for the french school, I didn't say Juan has mastered the language, but he must have a certain grasp of it right now after 3 years of studying, kids that age learn really fast, it's said that most of the things you can learn in life, are learnt before the age of 8

and about the danish language, well, it's easier for a danish speaker to learn english or german than learning let's say spanish or italian, it's easier to learn a language of the same group of your native language [Indo European Germanic branch (like german, danish, norwegian, dutch) or Indo European Romance branch (like spanish, french, italian) for example]

Now, to continue with the thread topic, a couple of more recent pics:

Miguel Slater
Don Juan de Urdangarin

and an oldie:
Juan Di Caprio, King of the World

(Reuters, Polfoto, Seeger)

[CasiraghiTrio]

They do go to a French school, but what do they mainly speak among each other, at home and with their parents? Is it Catalan, or sometimes Catalan and sometimes Spanish? I imagine it is very easy to switch between and mix French, Spanish, and Catalan, because these are Romance languages and Catalan is just like a hybrid of the first two, and once you know one, you can learn the others so easily. Maybe they are able to practice some English when they visit the Marichalar kids.

[RhapsodyBrat]

Originally Posted by crisiñaki

and an oldie:
Juan Di Caprio, King of the World

i can see traces of Irene's features in his face (especially the nose). they really are siblings.

[galatea_12]

The Urdangarin kids are the cutest! They always seem to have fun with each other's company. I love it that they are also very close to their cousins Victoria and Froilan. Cute kids!!!

Pablo just melts my heart. He's such a handsome boy... (Deep in my heart I'm wishing that he and Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway will be a couple one day)

And Irene... bless her. She's so lovely

[acdc1]

Everyone knows that Juan is tall, but Miguel's shooting up, too. IMO, he's gaining up on Pablo's height. I think that Juan and Miguel are going to be very, very tall, and Pablo is going to be probably of above average height, as I think both his parents are pretty tall, but I don't think he'll be as tall as his brothers.

Irene is going to be a stunning beauty someday, just like the rest of her cousins. She has beautiful eyes, she and Pablo do, and the prettiest heart-shaped mouth, something most girls would die to have. I can't wait until 15, 16 years from now when she starts dating, what her father and brothers do to all of those boys that date her.

Inaki seems like such a well-rounded, great dad. You can tell that he's a great boys' dad, that can play sports and get rough with his sons, but that