Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Spanish

Common English Idioms & Expressions

• Hair-raising: escalofriante, aterrador (terrifying, frightening)
• Spine-chilling: escalofriante (terrifying, frightening)
• To face up to something: hacer frente a algo (to confront something)
• Hard to stomach: difícil de digerir, difícil de aceptar (difficult to accept/tolerate)
• Turn your back on something: dar la espalda a algo (to abandon or ignore something)
• Thin-skinned: sensible, susceptible (easily offended)
• Pain in the neck: un incordio, un fastidio (an annoying person or thing)
• Makes my blood boil: me hierve la sangre (makes me very angry)
• Get butterflies in my stomach: tener mariposas en el estómago (to feel nervous or excited)

Emotional & Situational Idioms

• Down in the dumps: estar deprimido (feeling

E-commerce Gaining Traction

For a country such as Spain, where e-commerce is not as widespread as it is in the United Kingdom or France, it comes as proof that this alternative is beginning to take hold. In London or Paris, for example, an increase of 30% in online shopping is expected with respect to last year.

Online Toy Sales Surge

In the case of toys, the online channel is safe and curiosity-proof. Toy sales through this channel increased by 60% last year and it is expected that this year they will continue to rise. Deloitte's Christmas thermometer confirms this tendency: 25% of the sales budget during these dates will be spent through online channels, which is 10% more than last year.

Advantages of Online Shopping

There is a series of factors... Continue reading "The Rise of E-commerce in Spain" »

Essential Spanish Vocabulary and English Collocations

Music and Concert Terminology

Escenario

stage

Batería

drum set

Guitarra

guitar

Bajo

bass

Traste

fret

Baqueta

drumstick

Púa

pick

Lista de canciones

setlist

Teclado

keyboard

Altavoz

speaker

Público

crowd

Pista

floor

Entrada de pista

floor seats

Reventa

scalped

Agotar

sold out

Consecutivas

in a row

Arriba del todo

nosebleed

Telonero

opening act

Calmarse

calm down

Hoy en día

nowadays

Cartel

lineup

Cantante

lead singer

Tirarse desde el escenario

stage dives

Aplastar

crushed

Parte delantera

pit

Fans

groupies

Cabeza de cartel

headlining

Sound, Acoustics, and Listening Phrases

Hazme caso

listen to me

Auriculares

headphones

No me molestes

don't bother me

Suena bien

it sounds good

Áspero

raspy

Amortiguado

muffled

Chillido

screech

Murmullo

murmur

Ensordecedor

deafening

Chirriante

squeaky

Bajos

bass

Agudos

treble

Silbido

hissing

Rugir

growling

Sonido

Defining the Entrepreneur and the Mercantile Society

Case 2: Mercantile Society (Sociedad Mercantil)

A mercantile society involves habitual commercial activity. Note that while standard commercial entities operate with a profit motive, the original text suggests a specific context that may operate without a profit motive (sin ánimo de lucro).

The Entrepreneur (Empresario)

• Individual Entrepreneur (Persona Física): A natural person.
• Collective Entrepreneur (Persona Jurídica): A legal entity established upon registration in the Mercantile Registry (Registro Mercantil) via a public deed (escritura pública) certified by a notary.

The Company (Empresa)

The company is the economic organization that allows the entrepreneur to operate in the commercial... Continue reading "Spanish Business Entities: Liability, Capital, and Company Types" »

Essential English Vocabulary

Topic 1: Clothing & Accessories

Bracelet, cardigan, earrings, flip-flops, hair band, high heels, leggings, make-up, necklace, ring, sandals, sunglasses, tracksuit bottoms, tracksuit top, trainers, watch.

Topic 2: Places & Adjectives

Block of flats, bridge, building, car park, cottage, factory, farm, field, hill, housing estate, lake, motorway, pavement, river, village, wood.

Funny - hilarious / sad - miserable / hungry - starving / bad - awful / interesting - fascinating / frightening - terrifying / small - tiny / surprised - astonished / ugly - hideous.

Topic 3: Everyday Items

Bedroom, waiting room, credit card, Christmas card, desktop, laptop, headache, headphones, sun cream, sunglasses, wedding dress, wedding... Continue reading "Essential English Vocabulary: Expand Your Word Power" »

First of all. From my point of view. To begin with. That's why. Anyhow(de todas formas) Anyway (de cualquier manera) Meanwhile. Until then (hasta entonces) In short (en resumen) To sum up. After all (al fin y al cabo) All of sudden(de repente) As I pointed in (segun quedo indicado en) As far as i know (que yo sepa) It is strange that (es raro que) It just so happened that (da la casualidad que) it turns our that (resulta que) the way i see it( a mi modo de ver)

English Language Study Materials

Essential Vocabulary for City Life and Social Interaction

City Life Vocabulary

A collection of terms related to urban environments and municipal issues:

• Commute: viajar diariamente al trabajo
• Crime rate: tasa de criminalidad
• Gang: pandilla
• Graffiti: grafiti
• Green space: zona verde
• Homeless: sin hogar
• Litter: basura
• Low-income: bajos ingresos
• Mayor: alcalde
• Poverty: pobreza
• Residential area: zona residencial
• Slum: barrio bajo
• Suburb: suburbio (m), zona residencial (f)
• Traffic jam: atasco
• Unemployment: desempleo

Social Interaction Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs and adjectives used when discussing relationships and behavior:

• Considerate: considerado
• Feel left out: sentirse excluido
• Get along with: llevarse bien con
• In charge of: a cargo de
• Lend:

Environmental Vocabulary

• BAN: prohibir
• BRING BACK TO LIFE: devolver a la vida
• CAUSE: causar
• DESTRUCTION: destrucción
• DRILLING: extracción/explotación
• EXPOSE: exponer
• FOSSIL FUEL: combustible fósil
• GLOBAL WARMING: calentamiento global
• LANDSCAPE: paisaje
• OIL SPILL: fuga de petróleo
• RAISE MONEY: recaudar dinero
• RENEWABLE ENERGY: energía renovable
• RESTORE: restaurar
• SOURCE: origen/fuente
• TAKE ACTION: tomar medidas
• THREAT: amenaza
• WILDLIFE: flora/fauna

Grammar Vocabulary

• ACCOMPLISHMENT: logro
• DECLINE: disminución
• DEVELOPMENT: avance
• FREEDOM: libertad
• GOVERNMENT: gobernar
• KNOWLEDGE: conocimientos
• LAST: durar
• LEAD TO: llevar a
• LONG BEFORE: mucho antes de
• MAJOR: muy importante
• PLAY A ROLE: desempeñar un papel
• TAKE CONTROL: hacerse con el control
• TAKE PLACE: tener lugar
• TRADE:

English Vocabulary Builder

Addiction and Recovery

Addicted to, dependent on, fed up with: harto de, open to, sick of, hooked on, proud of, keen on: lamentar en, obsessed with, helpful to: útil para.

Dopamine, To quit a substance or a behavior: para dejar una sustancia o un comportamiento, withdrawal symptoms: síntomas de abstinencia, a life-threatening condition: una infección potencialmente mortal, nicotine patches, to have counseling: asesoramiento, to have a relapse: recaída.

Time

Arrived with, behind (junto a/ atrasado en), stay here for the time: quedarse aquí por el momento, by the time: por el momento, on time, at the time: en ese momento. It’s about time: ya es hora.

Travel

Beaten: alejado, we set at: partimos a: hit: ir: de tiendas,... Continue reading "English Vocabulary Builder: From Addiction to Travel" »

Formal Hotel Complaint Letter

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the room I stayed in last weekend at the London Hotel, located on Oxford Street.

Positive History with the Hotel

I have been to London for work on many occasions, and this is the hotel I usually choose because it is comfortable, quiet, the staff are very friendly, and the location is wonderful.

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to spend a couple of days in the city. I suggested this hotel, but unfortunately, my experience was not as pleasant as previous ones.

Issues Encountered During the Stay

We encountered two main issues during our stay:

• Incorrect Bed Type: We ordered a double bed but received a twin room. I informed reception immediately and requested a change,