El terrible WE ARE FIVE

Aunque suene algo raro, una frase como somos cinco se traduce literalmente del ingls
como hay cinco de nosotros. Si dices we are five, ten en cuenta que ests diciendo
tenemos cinco aos.

Eran diez. They were ten. There were ten of them.

ramos cuatro. We were four. There were four of us.

Son dos. They are two. There are two of them.

Somos seis. We are six. There are six of us.

Sern tres. Theyll be three. There will be three of them.

Seremos cinco. Well be five. There will be three of them.

Cuntos son? How many are they? There will be five of us.

Cuntos sois? How many are you? How many of you are there?

Cuntos sern? How many will they be? How many of them will there be?

Cuntos seris? How many will you be? How many of you will there be?

#PhrasalVerbs

Lets dream of beauty and fun

To dream of (doing something): Soar con

Sueo con mis vacaciones de verano todos

I dream of my summer holidays every day.
los das.

La mayora de nosotros solo podemos soar Most of us can only dream of earning that
con ganar esa cantidad de dinero. much money.

Sueo con poder comprar un Ferrari algn

I dream of being able to buy a Ferrari one day.
da.

What did you dream of becoming when you

Con qu soabas ser de nio?
were a child?

Sueo con una blanca navidad! Im dreaming of a White Christmas!

Mi mujer suea con escribir su carta de My wife dreams of writing her letter of
dimisin. resignation.
Call Back

Un verbo que se utiliza mucho en telecomunicaciones. Significa volver a llamar o llamar ms tarde.

Es interesante adquirir agilidad con este verbo, ya que se puede utilizar muchas veces a lo largo del
da.

Puedes volver a llamar ms tarde? Can you call back later?

Llamar de nuevo en cinco minutos. I'll call back in five minutes.

Nunca volvi a llamar. He never called back.

Le importara volver a llamar maana? Would you mind calling back tomorrow?

No vuelva a llamar nunca! Don't ever call back again!

Cuando empleamos un pronombre personal objeto lo colocamos entre el verbo y la preposicin.

Volver a llamarla ms adelante. I'll call her back later on.

They'll call you back as soon as they know

Te volvern a llamar en cuanto sepan algo.
something.

Le digo que le vuelva a llamar? Can I get her to call you back?

Me gustara que volvieses a llamarla y que se lo I would like you to call her back and ask her
preguntaras de nuevo. again.

Llmame de nuevo sobre las seis. Call me back around six.

Para decir "Enfocar en" siempre utilizamos la preposicin "on" y nunca "in."
Key learning:
Focus on your job.

La situacin se nos va de las manos.

One expression:
Things are really getting out of hand.

To Get Around - Moverse/Viajar

One phrasal
verb: You certainly get around!
Viajas mucho, pero mucho!

Second-hand - De segunda mano

One adjective:
My brother has just bought a second-hand car.

Mastering the Interrogative

I'm cooking paella. What are you cooking?

Martha will be there. Who'll be there?

I couldn't come because I was ill. Why couldn't you come?

A violin has 4 strings. How many strings does a violin have?

They're looking for his sister. Who are they looking for?
 Once, twice, thrice.
Es ms normal en ingles decir "once" que "one time" y "twice" en lugar de "two times". Aunque la
palabra "thrice" existe, se suele reservar para contextos poticos.
Al hablar usamos "three times". "Once" se pronuncia "uans" y "twice" "tuais".

Slo he saltado en paracadas una vez. I've only parachuted out of a plane once.

l hizo y perdi una fortuna dos veces. He's made and lost a fortune twice.

They swam in the sea two or three times last

Se baaron en el mar dos o tres veces el ao
year.
pasado.
(Twice or three times no se puede decir).

He comido fuera siete u ocho veces este mes. I've eaten out seven or eight times this month.

Creo que he comido eso una o dos veces

I think I've eaten that once or twice before.
antes.

Para decir que hemos hecho algo una vez es muy comn colocar "once" entre el sujeto y el verbo
(con verbos no auxiliares) y despus del verbo (con verbos auxiliares).

Una vez conoc al Presidente Jimmy Carter. I once met President Jimmy Carter.

Una vez ella actu ante 10.000 personas. She once performed in front of 10,000 people.

Una vez pasaron la noche al borde de un They once spent the night on the edge of a
acantilado. cliff.

Una vez perd mi cartera en una playa. I once lost my wallet on a beach.

Una vez me lesion en un accidente de coche. I was once injured in a car accident.

Nunca decimos "a lazy" sin ms. Siempre aadimos su correspondiente

pareja, el sustantivo.
Key learning:
He's a lazy person.

Let's cut the small talk.

One expression:
Vamos a cortar con la conversacin trivial.

To Sort Out - Arreglar/Solucionar/Resolver

One phrasal verb:
Everything has been sorted out.
Todo se ha arreglado.

Well-known - Famoso/conocido
One adjective:
Did you know that his father is a well-known writer?

Quiere sentarse? Won't you have a seat?

He marcado tu nmero por error. I dialed your number by mistake.

Voy a pedir el viernes libre. I'm going to ask for Friday off.

Les adjunto el orden del da de la reunin. I'm attaching the agenda for the meeting.

No puedo dejar que nada se me escape. I can't overlook anything.

To Hope

"Esperar": un verbo en espaol y tres en ingls (hope, wait & expect). Lo importante es saber
cundo utilizar cada uno de ellos. "To hope" significa "esperar" en el sentido de esperanza.
Expresa lo que nos gustara hacer o lo que querramos que pasase. Cuando empleamos este verbo
no sabemos con certeza lo que realmente ocurrir (o ha ocurrido).

Espero que me toque la lotera. I hope (that) I win the lottery.

Espero poder ir a la fiesta. I hope (that) I can go to the party.

I hope (that) I have enough time to do

Espero tener bastante tiempo para hacer todo.
everything.

Espero acordarme de su nombre (ella). I hope (that) I remember her name.

Espero no tener que hablar espaol en la I hope (that) I don't have to speak Spanish at
reunin. the meeting.

La palabra "that" se suele omitir. Por eso la he puesto entre parntesis. Tambin podemos esperar
que otra persona haga algo. La estructura es la misma. Vemos unos ejemplos.

Espero que haga buen tiempo maana. I hope (that) the weather's nice tomorrow.

Espero que no hayas cometido un error. I hope (that) you didn't make a mistake.

Espero que ella no se ofenda. I hope (that) she won't be offended.

Espero que no haya problema. I hope (that) there isn't a problem.

Espero que no hayas tenido problemas. I hope (that) you didn't have any problems.

En ingls, ponemos el verbo en gerundio despues de la palabra "without".

Key learning:
He crossed the road without looking.

It's the same old tune.

One expression:
Es la misma historia de siempre.

To Tune in - Sintonizar
One phrasal verb:
I tune in every night.
La sintonizo todas las noches.

Unbearable - Insoportable
One adjective:
The tube is quite unbearable in the height of summer.

Si empiezas, terminars. If you start, you will finish.

Si viajas, vers. If you travel, you will see.

Si conduces, llegars. If you drive, you will arrive.

Si l juega, ganar. If he plays, he will win.

Si ellos beben, se reirn. If they drink, they will laugh.

Something/Anything

La palabra para decir "algo" se pronuncia "samzing". Su uso se limita a frases en afirmativo.
Cuando acta como sujeto de una frase hay que emplear el singular del verbo.

Comer algo en la estacin. I'll eat something at the station.

Quiero hacer algo al respecto. I want to do something about it.

Something has to be done about

Hay que hacer algo respecto a este problema.
this problem.

Hay algo en l que no me gusta. There's something I don't like about him.

Tienes algo entre los dientes! You've got something in your teeth!

Cuando queremos expresar "algo" en el contexto de una pregunta, en vez de "something" decimos
"anything". No se pronuncia "ani-" sino "enizing".

Viste algo? Did you see anything?

Pas algo interesante? Did anything interesting happen?

Aprendiste algo? Did you learn anything?

Hay algo que te da miedo? Does anything scare you?

Hay algo que pueda hacer? Is there anything I can do?

Cuando se dice "a lo mejor yo", es muy comn decir "I think I might".
Key learning:
A lo mejor doy un paseo. - I think I might go for a walk.

I think the world of you.

One expression:
Te admiro mucho.

To Catch on - Imponerse/Ponerse de moda

One phrasal verb:
The fashion caught on in the sixties.
La moda se impuso en los sesenta.

Pointless - Sin sentido

One adjective:
Studying Hungarian is a bit pointless.
Can & Be able to

"Can" no existe en el presente perfecto as que hay que recurrir a "be able to"."Have you could"
suena horrible.

Ya has podido hablar con ella? Have you been able to speak to her yet?

No he podido estudiar mucho ltimamente. I haven't been able to study much lately.

l no ha podido terminar su discurso todava. He hasn't been able to finish his speech yet.

I've been able to do a lot of work this

He podido hacer mucho trabajo esta maana.
morning.

Have they been able to solve the problem

Han podido solucionar el problema ya?
yet?

Para expresar el futuro de "can" tambin necesitamos usar "be able to". Apesar de esto, miles de
espaoles dicen a diario "Will you can.?" provocando naseas de estmago a sus interlocutores
angloparlantes. No existe y punto, as que olvdalo.

Podr ayudar a los preparativos de la fiesta si I'll be able to help get things ready for the
quieres. party if you like.

I'm afraid I won't be able to go to the

Me temo que no podr ir a la reunin.
meeting.

Podrs venir? Will you be able to come?

Do you know if she'll be able to explain it to

Sabes si ella podr explicrmelo?
me?

l no durar mucho. No podr aguantar la He won't last long. He won't be able to stand
presin. the pressure.

Recuerda que solemos pronunciar las palabras "and a" como el nombre
"Ana".
Key learning:
My son is two and a half.

I was left out in the cold.

One expression:
Me han dejado al margen.
To Give in - Darse por vencido/rendirse/ceder
One phrasal verb:
We'll never give in to our enemies.
Nunca cederemos frente a nuestros enemigos.

High-profile - Prominente, de mucha presencia

One adjective:
The lawyer is working on a very high-profile case.

The Humanities Challenge

1. What did the Greeks NOT invent? a) Democracy b) Philosophy
c) Geometry d) Astronomy

2. How did Julius Caesar die? a) Of natural disease

b) He was assassinated

3.Which of the following composers wrote the a) Ludwig Van Beethoven

official anthem of the European Union? b) Johann Sebastian Bach
To be used to

Nuestra forma de decir "estar acostumbrado a""Used" se pronuncia "iust". No olvides que el
verbo principal aqu es "to be". Veamos primero unos ejemplos con sustantivos.

Estoy acostumbrado a los atascos. I'm used to traffic jams.

l est acostumbrado al estrs. He's used to stress.

Ests acostumbrado al ruido? Are you used to the noise?.

No estn acostumbrados a la vida de ciudad. They're not used to city life.

Ella est acostumbrada al calor? Is she used to the heat?

Ahora proponemos ms ejemplos, esta vez con verbos. Fjate que son pocas las veces que
empleamos un verbo en la forma del gerundio (-ing) despus de la preposicin "to".

Estoy acostumbrado a levantarme temprano. I'm used to getting up early.

l est acostumbrado a trabajar hasta tarde. He's used to working late.

Ests acostumbrado a conducir en la ciudad? Are you used to driving in the city?

l est acostumbrado a hablar en ingls? Is he used to speaking English?

No estamos acostumbrados a utilizar

We're not used to using the Internet.
Internet.

"Nacer" en ingls se expresa en voz pasiva siempre. Nunca jams se dice

"I born".
Key learning:
I was born on March 8, 1978.

Don't let the cat out of the bag.

One expression:
No te vayas de la lengua.
To write down - apuntar/anotar
One phrasal verb:
Please write down any messages you receive.
Por favor, apunta cualquier mensaje que recibas.

Exquisite - exquisito
One adjective:
Her taste in wine is exquisite.
The Past Continuous

Empleamos el pasado continuo para describir algo que estaba sucediendo cuando otra cosa
ocurri. Se forma con el pasado simple del verbo "to be" ms el gerundio (was / were + verbo
+ ing).

Estaba viendo la televisin cuando

I was watching television when you called.
llamaste.

Ella estaba mirando su reloj cuando la She was looking at her watch when the
bomba estall. bomb went off.

Estaban contndole un cuento de hadas They were telling him a fairy tale when
cuando su madre lleg. his mother arrived.

Estbamos escuchando el sermn cuando We were listening to the sermon when the
el cura se desmay. priest collapsed.

John estaba intentando matar una mosca John was trying to swat a fly when he fell
cuando se cay del taburete. off the stool.

Ahora practicaremos el interrogativo. No olvides que hay que invertir el sujeto y el verbo "to
be".

Qu estabas haciendo cuando atacaron la What were you doing when the embassy was
embajada?. attacked?

Where were you going when you had the

Adnde ibas cuando sufriste el accidente?
accident?

Qu estabas diciendo antes de que te What were you saying before I interrupted
interrumpiera? you?

A qu velocidad iba ella cuando perdi el What speed was she doing when she lost
control del vehculo? control of the vehicle?

Estabas esquiando cuando te rompiste la

Were you skiing when you broke your leg?
pierna?

Despus de la preposicin "of", empleamos siempre el verbo en gerundio.

Key learning:
You run the risk of receiving a fine.

It's up to you.
One expression:
T vers.

To Pick up - Recoger
One phrasal verb:
I'll pick you up at 9.
Te recojo a las 9.

Cloudy - Nublado
One adjective:
On a cloudy day, you can't see the stars.
Over & Under
El prefijo "over" a veces aporta la idea de "exceso" como en el caso del verbo "to overwork"
que significa "trabajar en exceso" o "trabajar ms de la cuenta". Por cierto, no se dice "o vr"
sino " va".

Tengo que tener cuidado por ahora, ya que I have to be careful at the moment as I
gast ms de la cuenta el mes pasado. overspent last month.

Sobreestim el inters popular en el evento. Fue He completely overestimated public interest in

un fracaso total. the event. It was a complete flop.

No pegu ojo porque me hart de comer I didn't sleep a wink as I seriously overate last
anoche. night.

Debes moderarte un poco. Ests trabajando

You must cut down a bit. You're overworking
ms de la cuenta y eso puede llevar a serios
and that can lead to serious health problems.
problemas de salud.

La reunin dur dos horas ms de lo previsto. The meeting overran by more than two hours.

Como es lgico, el prefijo contrario "under-" equivale al prefijo "infra-" en castellano.

Lo siento, creo que no cocin lo suficiente la

I'm sorry but I think I undercooked the meat.
carne.

Haba subestimado a mi contrincante. Por eso I had underestimated my opponent which is

perd la concentracin y acab perdiendo el why I lost my concentration and ended up losing
partido. the match.

No estamos vendiendo nuestro producto lo

We're underpricing our product.
suficientemente caro.

Tengo la impresin de que estamos I get the impression we're underusing our
infrautilizando nuestros recursos. resources.

Cuando llegu a la reunin me di cuenta de que When I got to the meeting I realised I had
no iba vestido adecuadamente para la ocasin. underdressed for the occasion.

"What for?" es sinnimo de "why?". La palabra "for" siempre

va al final de la pregunta.
Key Learning:

What did you do that for?

I don't feel like it.

One expression:
No me apetece.

To let out - dejar salir

Let me out of here!
One phrasal verb:

Djame salir de aqu!.

Wealthy - adinerado.
One adjective:
One day I'll marry a wealthy man.
 How long?
Entre espaoles es muy comn or la expresin "How much time?" para "Cunto tiempo? Sin
embargo entre angloparlantes la forma ms natural es "How long?"

Cunto tiempo llevas viviendo en Espaa? How long have you lived in Spain?

Desde cuando trabajas en tu empresa? How long have you worked for your company?

How long have they been selling icecream

Desde cuando se vende helado aqu?
here?

Cunto tiempo llevas esperndome? How long have you been waiting for me?

Desde cuando estudias ingls? How long have you been studying English?

Habrs visto que siempre utilizamos el presente perfecto al hablar de una accin empezada en el
pasado pero todava relevante en el presente.

Desde hace cunto que la conoces? How long have you known her?

Cunto tiempo llevas con ese resfriado? How long have you had that cold?

Desde cundo te gusta a ti el ftbol? How long have you liked football?

Cunto tiempo lleva lloviendo? How long has it been raining?

Desde cundo ests aqu? How long have you been here?

"Plenty" nunca significa "mucho" sino "ms que suficiente".

Key Learning:
Don't worry. We have plenty of time.

He eats like a horse.

One expression:
Come como una lima.

To get through - hacer entender

I'm trying to get it through to him how important this is!
One phrasal verb:

Estoy intentando hacerle entender lo importante que es esto.

Sneaky - cuco
One adjective:
Be careful, he's sneaky.