Vaughan Radio y Televisión

Manolo’s Missives Part 17

2012-03-01T10:00:00.001+01:00

This is the seventeenth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

Estimated Charles:

My woman is returning me crazy. She wants that I speak with my minor son José about sex. How can I speak with him over this theme? His bride is the thing more sexy that has born mother and they carry two months leaving together. My son of 15 years is surely more expert that I. Paquita is preoccupied because the daughter of a neighbor has stayed herself embarrassed and she only has 16 years. She thinks that José is in danger and wants that I exercise a little the paper of father. I know that if I try it, surely I will lose the papers and put myself in ridiculous. The boys how José do not need that their majors orientate them.

Paquita also is preoccupied by her work. She has a temporal contrat of three months that needs to be renovated the month that comes. If they don’t renovate her it, she goes to the street. The problem is in that it enchants her her work. Of done, she falls me better from that she has that work. She screams me less and allows me in peace. The unique that molests me is that she passes more time painting herself and putting herself pretty that before... much more that with me. Still she has a body of fear, and when she paints herself a little, she follows calling the attention.

Are you to the so much of the notices of the Daddy? He is with one foot in the tomb and all the Bruises are in Rome, included my friend the Bishop. Although he is young for a Bruise, he is considered between the candidates that aspire to Daddy. If he outside elected, he would be the first Spanish Daddy in the history. In the century XIII, Spain had a crazy bishop that autoproclaimed himself Daddy and installed himself in a castle in the Mediterranean coast. They called him the Daddy Moon. My friend the bishop is an uncle very valid. It would not surprise me that he left elected. Already we will see.

I am sure that you are expecting to know notices of my reunion with Palmyra. Like I said you in my anterior letter, we spoke of businesses during some 10 minutes only. During the next 50 minutes we spoke of we ourselves. She said me that she found to the men of her age very inmature (she must have some 27 years). I procured to seem very mature, but I recognized for second time ahead of her that I was crazy by her. I said her that the men at my age appreciate more the beauty and feel the pleasure of a manner more profound. She stayed herself looking me during an instant and then changed of theme, speaking of her major sister. I don’t know if I caused her an impression, but she accepted my invitation to eat the week that comes with me. Thus that the saga follows.

Your friend and confident, Manolo

Manolo’s Missives Part 16

2012-02-23T10:00:00.000+01:00

This is the sixteenth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

My estimated friend:

As I said you to the final of my ultimate letter, I have a problem very fat. The works that I am realizing in the church of the Geronimos are going to be my ruin. You will accord yourself that I made myself very friend of the Bishop, a stupendous uncle, and that he said me that my enterprise would be able to assume the works of others subcontratists if surged problems with them. Good well, now my enterprise is incharged of more than half the works and the Bishop has been ascended to Bruise and passes almost all his time in Rome. Now I have to return to treat with the administratives of the Bishopric, a panda of jerks that want to fastidiate me. They pawn themselves in to lose my invoices and already I carry three months without to collect nothing. When I intend to call to the Bishop (or Bruise), he never puts himself. I do not know what to make. I cannot send to him the collector of the tuxedo (or do you say of the collector of the smoking jacket?). I am until the noses of supporting the idioticies of those gillipoles. They are some mental delays. I am thinking to stop the works to see if they reaction. It is the milk! The world of the construction is a world of crazies, even when you have the support of a Bruise.

Paquita finishes to begin her new work. She is receptionist in the center of inmigration here in the capital. She has to treat with russes, polacs, rumans, bulgars, dominicans, argelians and many others nationalities. She explains them the process for that they can legalize themselves. It likes her much her job. She tells that the rumans are very gracious. They don’t like her the bulgars. They are very antipatique. The good of all this situation is the salary that she wins. I stayed myself surprised when Paquita said me that she will perceive 2.500 euros per month more diets. It will be money well received... manna of the sky, specially in sight of the highlows of the treasury of my enterprise.

The incredible of all this affair is that Paquita got the work through an opposition. All the public posts that not be political charges obtain themselves by opposition. More of 3.000 people presented themselves for only eight posts and Paquita was one of the eight. I carry 20 years living with her and never I gave myself count that I had a woman so ready.

I have new notices over the continuous saga of Palmyra. Yesterday we had a reunion of more than one hour. We spoke of businesses during the 10 first minutes only. Already I will count you the that passed during the rest of the reunion.

An embrace,

Manolo

Manolo's Missives Part 15

2012-02-16T10:00:00.001+01:00

This is the fifteenth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

My distinguished friend:

In good hour by your naming! I feel myself honored to have a friend that is president of the more important provider of nuts and washers of the NASA. Thank you for to rinse me the badunderstood that I had with reference to nuts and peanuts and washers and washing machines. Already it seemed me strange that the astronauts needed that your enterprise provide them dry fruits and clean clothes. In all case, good luck in your new responsabilities. I wait that you will have time to follow your correspondence with your faithful friend Manolo. I am not president of nothing, but more well a slave of my clients. But to the least I do not depend of a chief.

You will accord yourself that I said you that my minor son, José, had a new bride. When he presented himself in house with the girl after of one of his ballbasket matches, the situation was some curious. To me she fell me very well, but Paquita did not stay herself convinced. She invited to the girl (she calls herself Lorena) to dine with us in house the night following. Paquita was all the afternoon preparing the dinner more formal that never we have had in house. She took out the silver and placed three knifes, three forks and too spoons to the side of every plate. She wanted to put the poor girl in evidence. Without embargo, Lorena managed the covers with a skill that would surprise to owns and strangers. She was in her sauce. When Paquita asked her of where she was, she told that she had borned in Kansas but had educated herself in Paris. From then, Paquita is her fan number one. Where want that she go, she presumes of how her son has good eye for the girls.

My son José is an uncle with luck. This Lorena is the thing more delicious that I have seen never. What mouth, what eyes, what curves! It costs me work to remove me her of the head. First Palmyra... and now Lorena. Now yes that I am convinced of that I am entering in the crisis of the forty.

For to be sincere, I feel a little of envy of my two sons. One goes road of Harvard and the other is the star of the equipment and carries himself the girl. What luck the theirs! When I had their age, I passed all the time studying. For to league, we had to have perseverance and to continue a species of formal ritual. How has changed the world, friend of mine.

Of new, in good hour! Write to me. I have notices about the Bishop. He is now a Bruise. I am making businesses with a Bruise! Can you yourself believe it? Already I will count you it.

Salutes,

Manolo

Can’t quite put my finger on it...

2012-02-13T10:00:00.002+01:00

Everything around me was grey: the sky, the pavement, the trees, the concrete overpass (paso elevado), the faces on the people, the thoughts whirring (rondando) round my head, everything. Scrunched up (encogido) from the cold in my anorak, Monday the 6th February looked like it was going to be just another long continuation of the same, the same wintry bleakness (crudeza), the same coldness, the same sterile numbness (estirilidad que adormece) that seemed to have washed across (impregnar) our lives for as long as we could all remember.

Then, all of a sudden, it happened. I recognised it instantly, that acrid (acre) sweetness that fresh shoots (brote) always bring with them, a lightness in the air which yet (no obstante) made me dizzy (me mareaba), an explosion of flowers whose overwhelming (abrumador) power was to be had in its very subtlety (propia sutileza). Every membrane in my body rejoiced (se alegró) as I knew this smell so well, despite not remembering the last time I had smelled it. A smile of absolute contentment (felicidad), that instinctive movement of the face muscles we so rarely experience, shot across (iluminó) my face and my whole being (ser) felt, for just this one moment, at one (en paz) with the earth.

Spring was in the air. Its smell was unmistakeable (inconfundible). My greedy lungs (pulmones), so long deprived of it, inflated and deflated like a blacksmith’s bellows (fuelle de herrero), so desperate was I to fill up on this thick, sweet air that had for so long been hibernating. Where had it come from? Where had it been all this time? Who had decided to release (soltar) it so suddenly and why? As I started to ask myself these questions my initial euphoria began to abate (amainar) as my mind became occupied by a number of concerns (preocupaciones) I was still yet unable to resolve.

How was my mind capable of instantly recognizing the perfume of spring when I was, and still am, incapable of telling myself or anyone else what spring smells like? I can’t really tell you whether it was sweet or bitter, or both at the same time. I don’t recall if it was a voluptuous fragrance or an earthy one. Was it the green buds (capullos) I could detect or embryonic life still pushing its way through the brittle branches (ramas quebradizas) of the trees, hardened by the hoary frost (helada blanca) of so many winter mornings?

Yet (sin embargo), if I cannot put my finguer on a single feature of this heaven-sent smell, how is it that I can speak of its coming (llegada) with such certainty? More to the point, unlike (al contrario de lo que pasa con) other pleasure-inducing (placenteros) smells such as, in my case at any rate (al menos), the smell of grinding coffee (café moliéndose), cigar boxes or melting chocolate, it remains, even now, quite impossible for me to conjure it up from the deepest recesses of my mind and reproduce it in my imagination. How can I be so sure that spring made its return on that day just from one brief olfactory sensation? I am at a loss as to how (no sé cómo) to answer that question, but I am equally sure that I am right.

All this makes me think that we all have certain abilities, be they innate or acquired, whose roots go well beyond the realms of conscious thought. Our command (dominio) of our mother tongue is a case in point (un ejemplo que viene al caso). Nobody really remembers how each one of us came to master the language of our forefathers, but master it we all did. We are, it seems, born with an inner ability to soak up (absorber) lexical combinations and, through a long process of trial and error and incessant repetition, we all end up (acabamos) speaking fluently.

What’s more, not once in this learning process do such concepts as “subject”, “verb”, “object” or “adjective” come into play. Grammatical terminology is simply a means of labelling and not a functional necessity per se. Our understanding of what constitutes say (por ejemplo), an adverb is instinctive and consequently millions of people can go through their lives quite happily (sorry!) using adverbs left, right and centre without necessarily knowing what one is. Conscious awareness of the mechanics of the learning process is neither here nor there (no tiene ninguna importancia); what matters is that all of us are capable of learning.

So you know you can do it. What’s more, if you can do it once, you can do it twice. Don’t ask yourself how or why because you won’t come up with any satisfactory answers. Just do it!

Written by Richard Brown
Edited by Vaughan Radio y Televisión

More "Read Up" articles here.

Manolo's Missives Part 14

2012-02-09T10:00:00.003+01:00

This is the fourteenth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

Wanted friend:

I am rendered! I am made dust! It cost me to rise the escalators until my door when I arrived to house this afternoon. Already it makes three weeks that I make gymnastics and although I note myself with more muscle, I tire myself with more facility. To the better I would owe to appoint myself to class of aerobic also. The problem is in that Palmyra is in the class and I don’t want that she see me until that I have added a little of muscle and taken away the tripe. I don’t know because she makes aerobic. She could be a mannequin of high seam if she wanted it. She is made a gazelle.

I have notices! My major son, Raúl, has been admitted by Harvard. But there is more! The university is going to pay the half of his academic cups. I will have to pay the other half, thus like his room and complete pension. It is going to cost me the joke more of 30.000 dollars, but thank you to the help that Harvard gives to us, I save myself 15,000 dollars. Raúl already has made himself famous in his college between his companions of class. In the bottom he is a boy a little cut and to his companions it likes them to take him the hair. Thus that the next august Paquita and I will accompany him until Boston for to help him to install himself in the studentile residence. He is going to live in a major college like the students in Spain. If after we have time, we would be able to go to Toledo Ohio for to visit you to you and to Betty. Is there aeroport in Toledo? What time does it make in Ohio in august? Does it make much hot?

I have more notices! My minor son José has bride (I looked for this word in my pocket dictionary). She is one of the animators of his ballbasket equipment. José is the better player of the equipment and all the girls want to leave with him. His bride... I suppose she will be his bride... (today in day the young people don’t use the word “bride”). Like I was saying you, his bride seems nordic. She is blonde and with the eyes blue. She has three months minus that José but she carries him two centimeters or more. It is normal at that age that the girls give a stretch before that the boys. If José is how his brother, Raúl, they remain him still five or six centimeters for to grow up. The other night, José arrived to house with his new bride after of a game of ballbasket. It was a situation curious that already I will count you in my next letter.

I have to leave you. Paquita is giving me the can for that I help to her to finish to repair the picture of lights. Yesterday in the evening we were two hours at darks. Melted themselves all the leads and we had to call to an electricist. By the seen, he did not finish to repair all. Now it touches to me. We owe to have a circuit short by some side.

Until soon, friend of mine.

An embrace,

Manolo

On the way / In the way

2012-02-07T10:00:00.001+01:00

En la gramática de hoy vamos a ver varios pares de expresiones en las que cambiando la preposición modificamos su significado:

“¿Dónde estás?”
“Where are you?”
“Voy de camino a casa.”
“I’m on my way home”.

Puedo recoger la ropa de la tintorería porque me queda de camino.
I can pick up the clothes from the drycleaner’s because it’s on my way.

Me encontré con Peter de camino al trabajo.
I bumped into Peter on my way to work.

Te cuento todo lo de la reunión por el camino.
I’ll tell you all about the meeting on the way there.

Paramos unas cuantas veces por el camino.
We stopped a few times on the way.

Fíjate en que ni decimos “on my way TO home” ni “on my way TO there”.

Ahora veremos la misma expresión, pero con la preposición “in” en vez de “on”:

Estuve en un atasco durante dos horas porque había un camión averiado en el medio.
I was stuck in traffic for two hours because there was a broken-down lorry in the way.

Hay algo en el medio y no podemos seguir.
There’s something in the way and we can’t go on.

Estuvimos tres horas sin movernos porque había un árbol enorme en el medio.
We couldn’t move for three hours because there was a big tree in the way.

No veo nada porque Pam está en el medio.
I can’t see anything because Pam’s standing in the way.

¡Siempre estás en el medio!
You’re always in the way!

More "Tid Bits" articles here.

Repite y aprende

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000+01:00

Low Beginner

Las mujeres españolas son guapas.. ... Spanish women are pretty.
El Japonés es un idioma difícil ..... Japanese is a difficult language.
Es una película corta ........................ It’s a short film.
Tu padre es un hombre gracioso .... Your father is a funny man.
Rusia es un país muy grande ........ Russia is a very big country.

High Beginner

Hay una fiesta mañana en el parque. .There’s a party tomorrow in the park.
El perro de Frank está loco ............Frank’s dog’s crazy.
¿Á qué hora comes? ........................What time do you have lunch?
¿Qué música te gusta? ...................What music do you like?
No tengo dinero ................................I don’t have any money.

Tienes más contenido cada día en Cloverdale´s Corner y en www.vaughanclasroom.com

Stop

2012-02-03T10:00:00.002+01:00

El significado del verbo "stop" cambia según vaya acompañado del infinitivo o del gerundio. "Stop" más el gerundio significa "dejar de hacer algo".

Ella dejó de salir con Tom el mes pasado.
She stopped going out with Tom last month.
La fábrica dejó de producir detergente hacemucho tiempo.
The factory stopped making detergent a longtime ago.
Estoy pensando en dejar de ir al gimnasio.
I'm thinking about stopping going to the gym.
Él dejó de fumar tras su infarto.
He stopped smoking after his heart attack.
¿Podéis dejar de hacer tanto ruido?.
Can you stop making all that noise?

En cambio, "stop" + el infinitivo significa "pararse para hacer algo." La estructura es la misma para el verbo en su forma intransitiva (pararse) como para su forma transitiva (parar algo o a alguien).

Él paró cinco minutos para fumar uncigarro.
He stopped for five minutes to smoke acigarette.
Ella se paró para estornudar.
She stopped to sneeze.
Pararé en Borgoña para comprar vino.
I'll be stopping in Burgundy to buy somewine.
Los Guardias Civiles nos pararon parahacerle a mi marido el test de alcoholemia.
The Police stopped us to breathalyse myhusband.
¿Paraste para ver a tus padres?
Did you stop to see your parents?

Letter from Richard Vaughan.

Últimamente, no sé por qué, varias personas me han preguntado sobre la importancia de la pronunciación a la hora de abordar seriamente el estudio del inglés. Aunque en radio y televisión puedas oírme o verme incidiendo en cada error fonético, cuando doy clases normales apenas presto atención a este aspecto del idioma.

Cuando tengo a centenares de miles de oyentes o televidentes, de todos los niveles lingüísticos imaginables, prefiero aprovechar estas plataformas tan amplias para entrar en absolutamente todos los entresijos del idioma. Mucha gente de un nivel alto de inglés aprecia el estímulo intelectual que puedo proporcionar al desvelarles trucos interesantes para allanar un escollo fonético determinado en mi idioma. Pero repito, en clases normales es mi última prioridad, puesto que la inmensa mayoría de mis alumnos, tú incluido seguramente, pronunciáis el inglés lo suficientemente bien como para ser entendidos.

Tienes que recordar que siempre vas a tener un acento español al hablar en inglés, al igual que yo tengo un acento americano en castellano. Por tanto, si tu pronunciación es suficientemente aceptable para que te entiendan sin dificultad, centra tus esfuerzos en el oído, en la confianza al hablar y en el ágil dominio de la gramática básica del idioma. Hay más personas en el mundo profesional que se desenvuelven con éxito a base de un acento raro en inglés que los que tienen un acento nativo, así que no te preocupes en exceso por este aspecto.

Richard Vaughan.

Manolo's Missives Part 13

2012-02-02T10:00:00.002+01:00

This is the thirteenth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

My estimated friend:

What such they go you the things, friend of mine? I have read your letter three times, intending to understand what it is the that your enterprise is going to sell to the NASA. Nuts and washers? I believed that your enterprise fabricated tools and fastening pieces, how screws and unscrewers. But from when do you sell food, or machines for to wash clothes? Why the NASA needs peanuts and other dry fruits? I do not take out neither feet nor head of your explication.

Here it is making hot, an insupportable hot. Can you yourself believe it? The temperature yesterday for the afternoon registered 27 grades... and we are to the six of February! The passed week it snowed three days followed, thing that I have not seen since child. The time is crazy. I leave of house by the morning with the coat put and for midday already I am sweating the fat drop. I have to go making striptease ahead of my clients and employeds.

For certain, I have encountered a new form for to improve my auditive comprension in English. You will accord yourself that I dedicate the Saturdays and Sundays to read historic biographies, how the life of Alexander Magnus. I will pass surely among 10 and 15 hours reading books during the weekend. Yesterday Sunday, I was reading during four hours with hoofs put in the ears, listening an audio ribbon in English. To say truth, I was not listening, if no “hearing” the ribbon. I found myself with that I was able to read the book without problem some, in spite of that I was hearing English to the same time. I am sure, Charles, of that if I do this each weekend to the long of a year, my auditive comprension will potentiate itself of manner tremendous. It does not make lack that I listen; with only to hear the noise of the idiom is sufficient. Also I encountered that the noise of the ribbons did not affect in mode some my reading comprension.

How I said you in my ultimate letter, already not I am of cape fallen. I know myself. Always I get out of my small depressions with rapidity. Palmyra wants to return to see me and I believe that I am going to make the August with the Bishopric. I have made myself very friend of the Bishop and he said me that if they have a problem with some subcontratist, my enterprise will be able to assume that subcontrat. Each subcontrat worths four millions of euros how promedium. It is a passed, uncle! And after of all the problems with the administratives of the Bishopric... a panda of gillidoors like there are few! To the end, all leaves well. We have a told in Spanish: “There is not bad that for well does not come”. In the case mine, it is a truth like a piano. I am, without place to doubts, an example.

In wait of answer, a fort embrace of your friend

Manolo

ADJECTIVES ENDING IN -ED OR IN -ING

2012-02-01T10:00:00.001+01:00

¿Cómo se dice “estoy aburrido” o “estoy confuso”?
Si tus respuestas han sido “I’m boring” y “I’m confusing”, ¡acabas de decir que eres un aburrido que confunde a la gente!

En inglés hay una serie de adjetivos que toman su raíz de ‘verbos de emoción’ (to bore, to surprise, to interest, to disappoint, etc). Se pueden formar dos adjetivos de cada verbo, o bien utilizando el participio pasado, acabado en -ed, o bien utilizando
el participio presente, acabado en -ing. Con el adjetivo acabado en -ed se expresan emociones o estados de ánimo que suelen ser temporales. Ej: What can I do? I’m bored (lo que correspondería a ESTAR en español).
Utilizamos el adjetivo acabado en -ing para describir una característica más definitiva. Ej: The film was boring.

On doing

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000+01:00

Cuando se dice, por ejemplo, “al darme cuenta” traducimos “al” por “on” y, lo que es menos común, “upon”. A ambos le sigue el gerundio.

Se trata de una forma bastante literaria que se emplea mucho más al escrito que oralmente.

Al ver su reacción, decidimos salir pitando.
On seeing their reaction, we decided to make a quick exit.

Al llegar al hotel, nos dijeron que había un problema con nuestra reserva.
On arriving at the hotel, we were told that there was a problem with our booking.

Entraron en un estado de “shock” al oír la noticia.
They went into a state of shock on hearing the news.

Al alcanzar la cumber, plantaron la bandera británica.
On reaching the summit, they planted the Union Jack.

Nos enamoramos del pueblo al entrar en él.
We fell in love with the village on entering it.

En realidad, esta forma de hablar sólo se emplea con ciertos verbos como
“to arrive”, “to reach”, “to leave”, “to receive”, “to read”, “to see” y “to hear”.

Al oír la noticia, Jackie se desmayó.
On hearing the news, Jackie fainted.

Al recibir la carta, él se derrumbó.
On receiving the letter, he collapsed.

Al leer los titulares, él llamó inmediatamente a su abogado.
On reading the headlines, he immediately phoned his lawyer.

Al salir del edificio, fue atacado por un perro.
On leaving the building, he was attacked by a dog.

Al pararse en el semáforo, el coche fue rodeado de policías.
On stopping at the lights, the car was surrounded by policemen.

More "Tid Bits" articles here.

Letter from Cloverdale

2012-01-30T10:00:00.002+01:00

Estimado amigo y alumno;

Raúl es un caso bastante típico entre directivos, técnicos y empleados españoles. Digamos que representa un 20% de los casos. Su falta de inglés le molesta, y esconde su enfado detrás de una actitud graciosa y poco seria. Lo triste de estos casos es que se trata casi siempre de una persona potencialmente brillante. La gracia que exhibe revela una mente ágil, tan ágil que piensa que puede resolver las cosas con mucho ingenio y poco trabajo.

Esto es posible para algunos retos, pero para el inglés no funciona. Nuestro amigo Raúl tendrá que cambiar si quiere aprender inglés de verdad. Tendrá que dar un giro de 180 grados, puesto que el ingenio y la agudeza sólo ayudan en un 2%. La inteligencia ayuda en otro 10%. El restante 88% se reduce a una sola cuestión: esfuerzo personal.
_____________________________

Are you my new teacher, mi profe nueva?
My name is Raúl y mi inglés es de cueva.
I talk like a caveman destrozando gramática, I try very hard aunque de forma errática.
I hope you are patient, que no soy muy cléver.
Y si contigo aprendo I will love you forever.
You seem irlandesa and your smile me encanta.
Are you a good teacher? Tienes cara de santa.
My English is bad y me tachan de vago.
They call me muy bestia, ¿será un halago? Seré, me supongo, un poco como el buho, a lo mejor no aprendo... pero me fijo mucho.

Richard Vaughan.

Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Review

Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Review para aumentar tu vocabulario. Truco: para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad.

Key Learning:
No olvides la palabra "there", que funciona como sujeto del verbo "use to".
There used to be a farm here.

One expression:
To sleep like a log.
Dormir como un tronco.

One phrasal verb:
To add up - SumarHave you added up all the columns?
¿Has sumado todas las columnas?

One adjective:
Sharp - Cortante
A sharp wind blew across the city.

www.vaughanclassroom.com

Pronunciation Extra - When are you (UÉNAYA)

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000+01:00

Yet another look at the way we slide one word into another creating “new words” which sound unintelligible to a Spaniard. For example, when we say “itsa” we are actually using three words you know perfectly well - it + is + a. It is essential to learn these “new words” as it will help your understanding of the spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions is the key to reaching a better understanding of English as spoken by native speakers.

The “new word” we’re going to look at this month is the way we pronounce the words “when + are + you” when we speak at a normal speed. Learning these verbal “short cuts” (atajos) can greatly improve your fluency when it comes to expressing yourself in English.

UÉNAYA coming?

¿Cuándo vienes?

When are you coming?

UÉNAYA arriving?

¿Cuándo llegas?

When are you arriving?

UÉNAYA meeting them?

¿Cuándo has quedado con ellos?

When are you meeting them?

UÉNAYA flying to London?

¿Cuándo vuelas a Londres?

When are you flying to London?

UÉNAYA working next week?

¿Cuándo trabajas la semana que viene?

When are you working next week?

UÉNAYA going to tell him?

¿Cuándo vas a contárselo?

When are you going to tell him?

UÉNAYA going to get married?

¿Cuándo vais a casaros?

When are you going to get married?

UÉNAYA leaving?

¿Cuándo te marchas?

When are you leaving?

More "Pronunciation" articles here.

Whilst doing

2012-01-24T10:00:00.001+01:00

En realidad existen dos palabras para “mientras” en inglés. Los británicos suelen emplear “while” cuando hay dos sujetos y “whilst” cuando solamente hay uno.

Mientras trabajaba en el jardín, vi a un zorro.
Whilst doing the gardening, I saw a fox.

Vi ocurrir el accidente mientras conducía cerca de Valencia.
I saw the accident happen whilst driving close to Valencia.

Lo podemos hablar mientras vamos al aeropuerto.
We can discuss it whilst going to the airport.

Le expliqué la situación a mi mujer mientras me afeitaba.
I explained the situation to my wife whilst shaving.

Me corté la mano mientras intentaba abrir una lata de tomates.
I cut my hand whilst trying to open a tin of tomatoes.

En cambio, los norteamericanos siempre emplean la palabra “while”.
Veamos más ejemplos con un solo sujeto para dos verbos.

Jim se cayó mientras intentaba rescatar al gatito.
Jim fell off the ladder while trying to rescue the kitten.

Se hizo un esguince en el tobillo mientras jugaba al fútbol.
He sprained his ankle while playing football.

No te quedes dormido mientras lees este artículo.
Don’t go to sleep while reading this article.

Siempre se me ocurren mis mejores ideas mientras me ducho.
I always come up with my best ideas while having a shower.

El futbolista rompió a llorar mientras anunciaba su retirada.
The footballer broke down in tears while announcing his retirement.

More "Tid Bits" articles here.

Racking my brains…

2012-01-23T10:00:00.007+01:00

Torture rack: Photo by David Bjorgen

Mention the word "rack" nowadays and most people immediately think of a luggage rack (portaequipaje) where you put your bags on a train, or, alternatively, of a toast rack (rejilla para las tostadas) where you leave toast to steam in an upright position (we almost always say "upright position" and hardly ever "vertical position") so it doesn't go soft. All very mundane (banal). Mention the same word "rack" to a mediaeval audience and you might well (muy probablemente) get a very different reaction. The rack (potro) was that particularly cruel form of torture (what form of torture is not particularly cruel?) where the victim was stretched out (estirada) on and tied to (atada a) a contraption which, as the torturer turned a wheel, would gradually stretch the limbs (extremidades) of his victim until the latter (esta última) either said what the torturer wanted them to say or the aforementioned (susodichas) limbs were torn (arrancadas) from their body. Knowing this, you can probably guess what the metaphorical expression "to rack your brains" means (estrujarse el cerebro).

Anyway (Bueno), today I'm racking my brains, desperately thinking of something to write about for this blog. "Racking" seems quite appropriate as the pain and anguish (angustia) I'm going through is similar to torture. Anyway, it's no good. My mind is completely empty so as I have to go on a trip tomorrow (fíjate en que decimos “to go on a trip” y no “to go in a trip”), I decide to pack my suitcases. In English we don't “do” our suitcases like you do in Spanish, we “pack” them. So, it’s time to stop "racking" and start "packing".

First, I look for my suitcase, or ‘case’, as we also say. I open it by unzipping (abriendo la cremallera) it and it's time to make an important decision. Shall I pack it by folding all my clothes and place them neatly inside, or shall I just stuff (meter a presión) everything in? Stuffing is ok when you're coming back home with dirty clothes, but when I'm about to go away, I like to fold my clothes (don't even think about “doubling” your clothes as that has nothing to do with packing a suitcase - "to double" means ‘duplicar’ and not ‘doblar’). I start by folding my trousers and putting them at the bottom of the case. Then I fold a jumper and put it on top of the trousers. After folding and packing three shirts and a couple of T-shirts, I realise that I'm going to need a bigger suitcase, so I unpack the T-shirts, unpack the shirts, unpack the jumper and unpack my trousers, zip up the case, get out another one, unzip it and start packing again.

I pack some socks and pants (don't forget I'm English rather than (y no) American, so here I'm referring to my underwear and not my trousers) and then look for my toiletry bag. It's funny how we say "toiletry bag" when everything that goes into a toiletry bag has nothing to do with the toilet (inodoro) itself. Equally inexplicable is the fact that when Americans say "bathroom" they are often not referring to the room where you have a bath or shower, but rather (sino) the toilet. Language is never entirely logical! Anyway, back to my toiletry bag. First, I unzip it and then put my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush and razor in. I don't imagine I'll need soap or shampoo as the hotel is bound to have some. It's also bound to provide (proporcionar) towels and a hairdryer. When we take something for granted (dar algo por hecho) we say "it's bound to happen", which literally means that it's predestined to happen. So, my hotel, if you like, is "predestined" to provide soap and shampoo. It's bound to provide a shower cap too, so I don't ruin my hair!

I pack my toiletry bag and zip my suitcase up only to realise that I need to unzip it again because I have forgotten about my hand luggage allowance (límite de equipaje de mano). I'm not planning to (no pienso) check in (facturar) any luggage, so my suitcase will be my hand luggage and I need to put all my papers - passport, plane tickets, hotel reservation etc. - inside together with my book. After putting all this inside, I zip up the case again, stop for a second, change my mind (cambio de opinión), unzip it, take my passport and plane tickets out, unzip the outer (exterior) pocket, put them in the outer pocket and zip the outer pocket up again.

As soon as I finish packing, I start racking my brains again desperately looking for something to write about. Unfortunately, my brain rack is not as effective as a mediaeval torture rack. In fact, the more I rack my brains, the emptier my mind becomes. Then, suddenly I hit on (doy con) an idea. As I'm going on a trip tomorrow, perhaps I could write about suitcases…

Written by Richard Brown
Edited by Vaughan Radio y TV
More "Read Up" articles here.

Pronunciation Extra - The thing is (DEZÍNGUIS)

2012-01-18T10:00:00.001+01:00

Yet another look at the way we slide one word into another creating “new words” which sound unintelligible to a Spaniard. For example, when we say “itsa” we are actually using three words you know perfectly well - it + is + a. It is essential to learn these “new words” as it will help your understanding of the spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions is the key to reaching a better understanding of English as spoken by native speakers.

This example of real spoken English is the way many natives tend to slide the words “the thing is…” (“lo que pasa es que…” / “es que…”) together in everyday speech.

DEZÍNGUIS we’ve run out of milk.

Lo que pasa es que nos hemos quedado sin leche.

The thing is we’ve run out of milk.

DEZÍNGUIS that I’ve lost my mobile.

Lo que pasa es que he perdido mi móvil.

The thing is that I’ve lost my mobile.

DEZÍNGUIS that everyone’s gone home.

Lo que pasa es que todo el mundo se ha marchado a casa.

The thing is that everyone’s gone home.

DEZÍNGUIS that I forgot to tell him.

Lo que pasa es que se me olvidó decírselo.

The thing is that I forgot to tell him.

DEZÍNGUIS he doesn’t have any money.

Lo que pasa es que él no tiene dinero.

The thing is he doesn’t have any money.

DEZÍNGUIS we have to leave soon.

Lo que pasa es que tenemos que irnos pronto.

The thing is we have to leave soon.

DEZÍNGUIS that we can’t afford it.

Lo que pasa es que no nos lo podemos permitir.

The thing is that we can’t afford it.

DEZÍNGUIS that we don’t have their number.

Lo que pasa es que no tenemos su número.

The thing is that we don’t have their number.

More "Pronunciation" articles here.

After doing

2012-01-17T10:00:00.000+01:00

Igual que ocurre con la preposición “before”, cuando una persona hace algo después de hacer otra cosa empleamos el gerundio (verbo + "ing") después de la preposición “after”.

Después de desayunar, hice la compra.
After having breakfast, I did the shopping.

Después de hacer la compra, me fui al oculista.
After doing the shopping, I went to the optician’s.

Después de ver al oculista, compré un helado.
After seeing the optician, I bought an ice cream.

Después de comer mi helado, llamé a mi mujer.
After eating my ice cream, I phoned my wife.

Después de hablar con mi mujer, cogí un taxi.
After speaking to my wife, I caught a taxi.

Recuerda que sólo empleamos el gerundio después de “after” cuando no hay un cambio de sujeto.
¡Ojo con la pronunciación de la palabra “after”! Decimos /afta/.

Decidí buscar otro empleo después de hablar con mi jefe.
I decided to look for another job after speaking to my boss.

Mi jefe escribió una carta de reclamación después de leer el editorial.
My boss wrote a letter of complaint after reading the editorial.

Me sentí mal después de comer unas gambas.
I felt ill after eating some prawns.

Jeremy se derrumbó después de terminar el maratón.
Jeremy collapsed after finishing the marathon.

Phillip puso la mesa después de abrir la botella de vino.
Phillip laid the table after opening the bottle of wine.

More "Tid Bits" articles here.

Ps, Qs and Yous

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000+01:00

There are many reasons why I’m looking forward to growing old in Spain: being able to sit in a park on a bright spring day, sipping wine and playing dominoes or “petanca” with the other oldies ranks high among them (ocupan una posición privilegiada entre ellas), as does the fact that anyone younger than I am will have to use the “usted” form when they talk to me. And if they dare not to, you can be sure that I’ll relish telling them (les diré con deleite) “¡Trátame de usted, jovenzuelo!”. Contrary to most Spaniards, who seem to consider being spoken to in the “usted” form as the first sign that they’re about to be shipped off (como si estuvieran a punto de ser enviados) to a geriatrics’ home, I can’t wait to reach that age where people suddenly start addressing me (se empiezan a dirigir a mi) in such a directly respectful way: it appeals to the pompous, excessively polite Englishman in me.

I think it’s fantastic that any language should have a subject pronoun such as “usted” and “ustedes” which is a marker of immediate respect towards the person that you are talking to. English is sadly lacking (carece) in such a pronoun. Spanish is much more precise in the fact that it has the “tú”, “usted”, “vosotros” and “ustedes” forms, whereas in English all we have is the simple, old ‘you’. ‘You’ if you’re speaking to a friend; ‘you’ if you’re speaking to Nelson Mandela; ‘you’ if you’re speaking to your mates (colegas); ‘you’ if you’re speaking to a group of bishops (obispos)… Oh come on, what do you mean you don’t usually speak to a group of bishops?!

All of which begs the following questions (nos lleva a preguntarnos): how do you know which ‘you’ English speakers are referring to when they’re speaking? And why, especially considering that we’re renowned for being such a supposedly polite nation, is there no equivalent of the “usted” form in English? It’s actually pretty easy to know when English speakers are using ‘you’ in the sense of “vosotros” because these days ‘you guys’ and ‘you lot’ have almost become the standard forms of address when speaking in the plural, or at least in informal contexts. It’s also very common if you wish to refer to two or three people to say ‘you two’ or ‘you three’. Beyond three (mas allá de tres) it’s recommendable to use ‘you lot’ or ‘you guys’; it would sound a little ridiculous to say ‘Hey, what are you seven doing tonight?’ You could also use ‘you all’ which is shortened to ‘y’all’ in the southern states of the US.

What should you do then to compensate for the lack of an “usted” form in English when you want to show respect to someone who is older than you or who is in a position of higher seniority (que tiene más antigüedad) than you are? The simple answer is that you should ‘mind your Ps and Qs’. This expression means that you should remember to be polite at all times by saying ‘your Ps’ which means ‘please’ and ‘your Qs’ which means ‘thank you’ (la pronunciación in inglés es como si estuvieras diciendo “than Q”). As we don’t have the “usted” form, it’s essential that you choose your words wisely when speaking to someone worthy (digno) of an “usted” in English. Apart from ‘minding your Ps and Qs’ it’s also a very good idea to use conditional tenses as much as possible when making requests or if you have to give an order. In fact, if you have to give an order, it’s always best if you want to appear truly English, to disguise (disfrazar) it as a request anyway.

Here’s a quick guide. When requesting things, always say:

‘I would like…’ instead of ‘I want…’.

It’s much better to say:

‘Could you…?’ or ‘Would you…?’

instead of ‘Can you…?’ and ‘Will you…?’.

Once you have mastered these fundamental basics you can start jazzing things up (embellecer) by throwing in some adverbs and other pearls of politeness:

‘Could you possibly…?’

‘Would you mind awfully…?’

‘I’m terribly sorry but could you…?’

‘I don’t suppose you could…‘

‘Would you be so kind as to…?’

‘Is there any chance you could…?’

And don’t forget to say ‘Excuse me…’ and ‘Sorry…’ as much as you possibly can either:

‘Excuse me, I’m sorry but do you have the time?’

‘Sorry, do you have a light please?’

‘Sorry, I think you’re standing on my wife’s foot’.

Being English means always having to say you’re sorry for everything!

And, indeed, I’m terribly sorry too as I would like to be able to explain why we English are so damned polite in the first place, but I’m rather afraid I seem to be running out of (me temo que se me está acabando) space. Would you mind awfully reading my next blog and I’ll tell you all about it then? I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could do that, is there? Please? It would be really marvellous if you could, thanks….
….and again, I’m really, awfully, dreadfully sorry.

Written by Conor McAlinden

Edited by Vaughan Radio y TV

More "Read Up" articles here.

Idioms With Parts of the Body

2012-01-13T10:00:00.009+01:00

Idioms with Parts of the Body

We often hear idioms, no not the kind you think, not in the sense of a language but more of an expression that has a figurative rather than a literal meaning. For example, when we say ''keep an eye on it'', we can't do that literally, in that case it means to watch something for a determined period of time. Other examples are:
-To keep one's head above water: To stay out of debt (deuda)

''I'm not earning much at my current job right now, I'm trying to keep my head over water''

-To keep someone at arm's length: Not to get too close to someone, keep them at a distance

''I don't know her well, so I try to keep her at arm's length''

-To play by ear: To improvise (improvisar), act in the moment.

''Tomorrow's meeting is not planned very well, we're going to have to play it by ear''

-To know something like the back of one's hand: To be very familiar with something, or to know something very well.
''I know this city like the back of my hand''

-To see eye to eye (with someone) (on something): To agree (estar de acuerdo) with a person or a situation.
''By the end of the meeting we all saw eye to eye on the project''

-To lose heart: To become discouraged (desanimado)
''This project is getting harder and harder, I'm beginning to lose heart''

-To hold one's tongue: To stay quiet, to say nothing
''I was going to tell her the truth but I held my tongue''

Idioms are very helpful. These sentences have been made up (inventadas) by culture and we hear them everyday. They are like ''sayings'' (dichos). We can find idioms with parts of the body, colors, flavors, and even animals.

What's the point of...?

2012-01-12T10:00:00.002+01:00

¿De qué sirve...? No olvides que después de la preposición "of" hace falta un verbo en gerundio "ing".

¿De qué sirve levantarte temprano si luego te entra sueño?
What's the point of getting up early if it makes you feel sleepy later in the day?

¿De qué sirve trabajar si no te gusta?
What's the point of working if you don't enjoy it?

¿De qué sirve estudiar inglés si no estás dispuesto a utilizarlo en la vida real?
What's the point of studying English if you're not prepared to use it in real life situations?

¿De qué sirve ser puntual si los demás llegan tarde?
What's the point of being punctual if everyone else is late?

¿De qué sirve enfadarse por eso?
What's the point of getting angry about it?

www.vaughanclassroom.com

Pronunciation Extra - Who is the (JUSA)

2012-01-11T10:00:00.001+01:00

Yet another look at the way we slide one word into another creating “new words” which sound unintelligible to a Spaniard. For example, when we say “itsa” we are actually using three words you know perfectly well - it + is + a. It is essential to learn these “new words” as it will help your understanding of the spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions is the key to reaching a better understanding of English as spoken by native speakers.

This example of real spoken English is the way we tend to ask the question “who is the…?” when not thinking about trying to make ourselves understood to non-native speakers or people with hearing difficulties.

JUSA boss around here?

¿Quién es el jefe aquí?

Who is the boss around here?

JUSA person in charge?

¿Quién es el responsable?

Who is the person in charge?

JUSA man talking to the police officer?

¿Quién es el hombre que está hablando con el policía?

Who is the man talking to the police officer?

JUSA woman in the blue dress?

¿Quién es la mujer con el vestido azul?

Who is the woman in the blue dress?

JUSA present for?

¿Para quién es el regalo?

Who is the present for?

JUSA boss’s secretary with?

¿Con quién está la secretaria del jefe?

Who is the boss’s secretary with?

JUSA song dedicated to?

¿A quién está dedicada la canción?

Who is the song dedicated to?

JUSA course aimed at?

¿A quién está dirigido el curso?

Who is the course aimed at?

More "Pronunciation" articles here.

Before doing

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000+01:00

Cuando alguien hace algo antes de hacer otra cosa empleamos un verbo en gerundio (acabado en “-ing”) directamente después de la preposición “before”. No es necesario repetir el sujeto.

Fui al supermercado antes de ir a Correos.
I went to the supermarket before going to the Post Office.

Él se tomó un sorbo de agua antes de empezar su discurso.
He had a sip of water before beginning his speech.

Vendimos nuestro piso antes de buscar otro.
We sold our flat before looking for another one.

Registraron nuestras maletas antes de dejarnos pasar.
They searched our suitcases before letting us go past.

Ella habló con sus padres antes de tomar una decisión.
She spoke to her parents before making a decision.

Recuerda que sólo empleamos un gerundio después de la palabra “before” cuando no hay un cambio de sujeto.
Por ejemplo, compara estas dos frases: “I sent her some flowers before asking her to marry me” con “I sent her some flowers before she asked me to marry her”.

Fumé un cigarro antes de pedir la cuenta.
I smoked a cigarette before asking for the bill.

El profesor se rió antes de contestar a la pregunta.
The teacher laughed before answering the question.

Harry se lo pensó un rato antes de decidir qué hacer.
Harry thought about it for a while before deciding what to do.

Ella se secó el pelo antes de irse al trabajo.
She dried her hair before leaving for work.

Llamé a mi madre antes de irme de la oficina.
I phoned my mother before leaving the office.

More "Tid Bits" articles here.

Janus

2012-01-09T10:00:00.002+01:00

In Roman mythology Janus was the god of doorways. Always depicted with two faces, one looking forward and the other looking backward, he traditionally represented change, from the past to the future. His most enduring legacy (legado duradero) to modern culture is to be found in the month of January, a word etymologically derived from his name.

Just as (igual que) the image of Janus would stand over the doorways of well-to-do (acomodados) Roman households, so January stands at the gateway to the new year providing us with an opportunity to look back as well as forward.

Perhaps we should all keep the figure of the twin faced Janus in mind at this time of year in order not only to make our usual list of futile New Year’s resolutions but also to reflect upon the previous year, analyse our performance and learn from our mistakes.

Mistakes have always had a very bad press (mala prensa). This is perhaps why, associating them with something very negative, we tend to do our very best to forget about them as soon as possible. As far as I’m concerned, this in itself is a big mistake. As a general rule we learn very little from our successes. The very nature of success means that the euphoria it brings normally blinds us (nos ciega), thereby (así) preventing us from analysing exactly what went right and why. Mistakes on the other hand are a different matter as they leave us in a perfect state of mind to question and examine the behaviour or sequence of events that led up to them in order to ensure we don’t follow the same behavioural pattern in the future.

Looking forward again, January is a classic moment to make mistakes. We all make them when making our New Year’s resolutions, setting ourselves unrealistic objectives whilst not developing any clear action plan as to how to go about achieving them. A classic example is the resolution thousands of Spaniards make at this time of the year: “This year is going to be the year of English, the year I’m really going to set my mind to (tomármelo en serio) mastering the language of Shakespeare.”

This resolution in itself can be highly damaging (dañino) to your progress in learning English, particularly when, as time goes by, you find yourself unable to make it happen (hacerlo realidad). Not living up to (logrando) your goals and turning them (convirtiéndolos) into a series of failures is one of the biggest causes of personal frustration and demotivation. Learning English is an obvious case. As soon as you drop your guard and stop devoting enough time to it, you will cease to notice any improvement. When you no longer notice any improvement, you will make even less effort and will start to get into a pathetic vicious circle which usually ends with the conclusion that you just aren’t cut out for learning languages (que los idiomas no son lo tuyo).
Everybody is cut out for learning languages. But successfully learning a foreign language when you’re not surrounded by it 24 hours a day requires an enormous amount of self-discipline and effort. If you’re not prepared to devote a minimum of 20 minutes to English every day, you will never make any progress and, psychologically, you will always associate English with failure.

If this was your case last year, make sure that this year you associate learning English with success by exposing yourself to the language every single day of 2012, whether by watching the news on TV, listening to the radio (Vaughan Radio is a good place to start), reading the newspaper, surfing the Internet, watching Vaughan TV videos online, studying the pages of the Vaughan Review (but not just once), trying to read a novel in English, using English at every available opportunity.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to a question of mathematics. The more English you expose yourself to, the more English you will learn. It’s not exactly rocket science but it’s surprising just how many people fail to understand this most basic of formulae. It just leaves me to wish you a very happy new year: make 2012 the year you crack the English nut (solucionar el problema del inglés).

Written By Richard Brown
Edited by Vaughan Radio y Televisión
More "Read Up" articles here.

Manolo's Missives Part 12

2012-01-05T10:00:00.004+01:00

This is the twelfth letter that our friend and student asked us to clean up for him before sending it to the U.S. It took us some time to fix it up. Below is the raw version as originally handed over for correction. I hope you can make sense out of it. It took us a few minutes to figure it out, but when we did, we learned a few new and curious things about our friend Manolo.

Estimated Charles:

I am of better humor ultimately. Less bad. Until my woman noted me rare. Have been two the things, in my opinion, that have joined themselves for to lift me the cheers. First, the Bishopric fertilized in only three days my first invoice, with the which I ingressed more of a million of euros in my bank account. Finished themselves of blow all my treasury anguishes. It has been a ball of oxygen for the enterprise.

Second, I tripped with Palmyra in the cafeteria to the side of my office. She was with another uncle, a man low, fat and ugly. He would have some 50 years like minimum. I put myself in the other side of the bar and asked for a coffee long of water, how the coffees that you take the Americans. I was not able to avoid to lift the view for to look her to Palmyra. What woman! What face! What body! While she spoke with the uncle, she threw away looks in my direction and she smiled. I had a knot in the gorge. I caught the newspaper to the side of the register box and put myself to read, for not to look her. Passed a minute more or less, I heard a voice to my backs to say: “Hello colleague, what do you count yourself?” I put a sad face and said: “Hello Palmyra, what such are you?” She asked me for pardon for the form in that she comported herself with me the night in that I carried her to my dispatch. She said me: “I was so surprised that I reactioned of manner a little brusque. I feel it. Do you pardon me? I promise that I will comport myself. And to purpose, I am not married. I am free and without compromise.” I smiled and said a Spanish refrain: “Women who cause lust, are women of no trust”. In reality, I finish of to invent this refrain in this same moment. I did not tell her it. I told a refrain in Spansh that it is a little similar. It treats itself of a refrain of mariners. It goes thus: “De las mujeres y de la mar, no te has de fiar”. Are you of accord with me, friend of mine? Do you understand it? Don’t show her it to Betty... she will catch me mania.

In another order of things, my major son Raúl made his SAT and is hoping the results. If he takes out a good note, he has grand possibilities of to be admitted to Harvard. The uncle is a phenomenon. I do not know where he got his intelligence. He remembers me a lot an old friend of the family, until in the face of pecks that they have the two.

Well, Charles, I wait that all goes well for you and the yours. Much luck with your project with the NASA.

Like always, a cordial salute of your friend

Manolo

Pronunciation Extra - Been to (BINTA)

2012-01-04T10:00:00.001+01:00

Yet another look at the way we slide one word into another creating “new words” which sound unintelligible to a Spaniard. For example, when we say “itsa” we are actually using three words you know perfectly well - it + is + a. It is essential to learn these “new words” as it will help your understanding of the spoken language enormously. Recognizing these contractions is the key to reaching a better understanding of English as spoken by native speakers.

We’re going to look at the way we tend to pronounce “been + to” (estado / ido a) when we speak at a normal speed. Remember that the more you can assimilate these verbal short cuts (atajos) into your spoken English, the more natural sounding you’ll become. To get a better idea of how we say this new word, listen carefully to the video.

Have you ever BINTA New York?

¿Has estado alguna vez en Nueva York?

Have you ever been to New York?

No, I’ve never BINTA New York.

No, nunca he estado en Nueva York.

No, I’ve never been to New York.

I haven’t BINTA the dentist this year.

No he ido al dentista este año.

I haven’t been to the dentist this year.

We’ve BINTA lots of parties this year.

Hemos ido a muchas fiestas este año.

We’ve been to lots of parties this year.

Have you BINTA the new exhibition?

¿Has ido a la exposición nueva?

Have you been to the new exhibition?

They haven’t BINTA the supermarket yet.

No han ido al supermercado todavía.

They haven’t been to the supermarket yet.

He’s already BINTA my house.

Él ya ha estado en mi casa.

He’s already been to my house.

She’s BINTA quite a few football matches.

Ella ha asistido a bastantes partidos de fútbol.

She’s been to quite a few football matches.

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