If you do OPOL, do you correct your child's mistakes in the other language?

[pear-shaped]

Just a curiosity. I've been wondering what other people do for a while but I kept forgetting to post the question.

Background: We do OPOL; I speak English to dd (3) and my husband speaks Italian to her. We live in Italy. I'm fluent in Italian, and it's the language dh and I use to speak to one another. I correct the mistakes dd makes in English, not always, but if she makes the same one repeatedly, I will. Sometimes she makes mistakes in Italian when dh isn't around and I usually let them go, but sometimes I do correct her. When I do, she giggles and tells me, no, it's supposed to be however she said it, but later she won't make the mistake again. My dh always corrects her mistakes.

If you do correct errors, do you do it in both languages or just the one you usually speak to your lo? (I realize that some people don't correct at all.)

[sapphire_chan]

If it's occasional, it shouldn't matter. If you're really wanting to keep strict OPOL, then your best bet will be modeling the English of whatever she says in Italian whether it's right or wrong and telling your dh about the error privately so he can watch for it and maybe make a point of modeling the correct version.

[Bellabaz]

I am in the same situation as you. Italian is the language my kids hear the least often, since dh is at work all day etc., so yeah sometimes I correct their Italian too. But not too often.

[pear-shaped]

Yeah, I don't do it that often, but sometimes I can't stop myself. She doesn't ever speak Italian to me, except for a word here or there if she has forgotten the English word for something. Then she'll just substitute the Italian word, respecting English grammar, and she'll pronounce it with an exaggerated American accent. It's really very funny. The times I do correct her happen when overhear her talking to herself or another child.

Bellabaz, you'll appreciate this because you speak Italian. The last error I corrected (the one that prompted me to post) was dipingiato for dipinto. I get where it was coming from, but I couldn't let it go! (Especially because I'm an art historian, lol.)

[Ragana]

I do correct my DDs, but mostly on stuff where they are using a word or ending that would be misunderstood as something else. For instance, in Latvian saying "viņa kleita" (his dress) instead of "viņas kleita" (her dress).

Edited: Oh, sorry - you meant in the OTHER language. I correct my kids in MY language, but mine's the minority one that we struggle with keeping up. I am also a native English speaker & could correct their English as well if need be.

[~pi]

I usually let it go, but occasionally will say something like: "You know, in Maman's language, we say _____. In Daddy's language, you say _____. Isn't that funny?"

We've had a bit of this lately whenever DS uses French construction in English and vice versa. (E.g., Recently, he said, "he gave it at me," in English rather than, "He gave it to me.")