Old McDonald is a song many English speakers learn when they are very young. The equivalent Spanish song for kids is En la granja de mi tío, and it is a fun way for children to learn animals and animal sounds in Spanish.
There are several variations of the song in Spanish with different melodies and lyrics. In Spanish, it can be la granja de Pepito, la granja de Juan or la granja de Miguel. The number of animals also varies; sometimes there are ten of each. If you find a version you like, the differences in lyrics are details, but teaching a version with the same tune as the English does make it easier for children to learn.
Last fall Música Vaca put this version on YouTube. I like it because it is slow and clear. It has one of each animal, like the English, and the video reinforces aquí and allá by moving the animal closer and farther away. You can see the lyrics by clicking CC and choosing Spanish. This video has just three animals – cow (vaca), cat (gato), pato (duck), and cabra (goat). Of course, you can add as many as you like! There is a list of animals and the sounds they make in Spanish at the end of this post.
Unfortunately, the version by Música Vaca is not available for download. Another common version with the same tune has these lyrics:
En la granja de mi tío, i-a-i-a-o
hay diez vacas que hacen mu, i-a-i-a-o
una vaca aquí, una vaca allá, mu, mu, mu, mu
En la granja de mi tío, i-a-i-a-o
hay diez gatos que hacen miau, i-a-i-a-o
con un gato aquí, con un gato allá,
con una vaca aquí, con una vaca allá
miau, miau, mu, mu
etc.
As you can see, the Spanish matches the English that most kids know, except that it is in the present tense and there are ten animals. This is the version that Las Gaticas sing. It is clear and used in several YouTube videos, like this one.
The version by Las Gaticas is available on Amazon and iTunes. There is another clear version with the same lyrics by Hugo Liscano and Javier Galue. It is also available on Amazon and iTunes.
Of course, because this song is so familiar, you can just sing it with kids. These are common farm animals and the sounds they make in Spanish:
caballo (horse) – jiiiiiii, iiiiou
cabra (goat) – bee bee
cerdo (pig): – oinc-oinc
gallina (hen) – coc co co coc
gallo (rooster) – kikirikí
gato (cat) – miau
oveja (sheep): bee, mee
pato (duck): cuac cuac
perro (dog): guau guau,
vaca (cow): mu
You may also be interested in this post: Printable Spanish Activities – Listen and Draw
