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

Useful English Phrases for Writing

On the one hand, On the other hand, Although, However, In addition, Also, As well as.

Example Phrases for Movie Reviews

• The movie shows...
• It seems to me a fascinating film.
• You will enjoy it. I recommend it to everyone.

About Me, My Hobbies, and Future Plans

My name is G. I'm 16 years old. I live in Soria. I don't have any brothers. I am an only child.

I'm a very friendly person, and people say I'm quite shy. I enjoy sports and often play badminton after school and at weekends. However, my greatest love is technology, especially computers. When I grow up, I want to be a programmer and invent fun games. Now, in my free time, I hang out with my friends, go to the cinema, or watch TV.

My plans for the future are to study... Continue reading "Useful English Phrases, Personal Introduction, Memorable Event, and Thoughts on TV" »

Vocabulary of Minerals and Metals

Precious metals: silver, gold

Handmade jewelry: Pearl necklace, expensive watch; luxury clothing: fur coat, silk shirt; precious stone: diamonds, emeralds

Body Organs

Large intestine (intestino largo), small intestine (intestino corto), liver (hígado), pancreas (páncreas), lungs (pulmones), kidneys (riñones), bladder (vejiga), heart (corazón), brain (cerebro)

Vocabulary of Animals

A kind of animal or plant species (especies)

The place where an animal usually lives: habitat (hábitat)

Animals that kill other animals: predators (depredador)

An animal that other animals kill to eat: prey (presa)

To look for animals and kill them: hunt (cazar)

In nature, not controlled by people: wild (salvaje)

To keep safe from danger:... Continue reading "Vocabulary of Minerals, Animals, and Verbs" »

Common English Idioms and Expressions

Work and Pressure

• Employees/Staff: (empleados,staff)
• To be very busy/Under pressure: to be rushed off their feet, to be up to their ears, to be breaking their backs

Opinions and Descriptions

• Food critic: (critica de comida,food critic)
• Write up/Describe: (describir,write up)

Time and Sequence

• Beforehand: (antes de algo,beforehand)
• Afterwards: (despues de algo,afterwards)

Emotions and Feelings

• Relaxed/Thanked God: relieved
• Being nervous/Concerned: have butterflies in your tummy

Livelihood and Relationships

• Make a living/Earn a living: so means of support (ganarse la vida-make a living,earn a living,so means of support)
• Be dating/Going out: (be dating-going out)
• Homosexual/Gay: (homosexual-gay)
• Heterosexual/Straight: (heterosexual-

Types of Talk Shows

There are five primary types of talk shows:

• Dissenting Group (grupo en desacuerdo)
• Press Conference (conferencia de prensa)
• Team Group (equipo)
• Audience Discussion
• Running Analysis (análisis del tema actual)

Key Responsibilities of a Talk Show Presenter

A talk show presenter plays a crucial role in managing the flow and content of the program. Their responsibilities include:

• Controlling discipline and maintaining order.
• Preventing undue dominance by any single participant.
• Steering discussion back to the main subject and keeping it aligned with prescribed lines.
• Being prepared to rescue segments, improvise when necessary, and stall for time.
• Anticipating potential problems and using controlled initiative to resolve them.

Evolution of

Attractions: atracción

München: Germany

DISABLED TOILETS: minusválidos de baños

tourist Information Centre: centro de información turística

DEN HAAG: The Hague the Netherlands.

SEAFRONT: paseo marítimo.

website: pagina web

GENEVA: Switzerland(ZUISA)

SAND: acantilado.

Display rack: expositor, exhibidor.

Lisboa. Portugal.

RIGHT HAND: el de la mano derecha.

Call centre: servicio telefónico de atención

WARSZAWA: Warsaw (VARSOVIA) (Poland)

BEHAVING: comportarse

Dental Appointment: pedir cita con el dentista.

København: Copenhagen (Denmark)

SWEDE: sueco

DISPLAYS: monitor

FIRENZE: Florence (Italy)

FINN: Finlandés
DANE: Danes

TIMETABLES: horario, planificar.

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS: Vidrieras

PRAGA: Prague (Czech Republic)

TOWER: Torre

BARBECUE: BARBACOA

FIREWORKS:

Satellite-framed vs Verb-framed Languages

In English or German, most motion verbs can express both movement and manner. They conflate manner in the verb meaning, but when they have to express direction of movement they use satellites or prepositions — satellite-framed languages. In Spanish and other Romance languages, motion verbs tend to conflate path (subir, bajar, salir) while manner must be expressed as an independent element, as an adverbial or gerundive (cojeando, de puntillas) — verb-framed languages.

Translation Approaches: Bottom-Up and Top-Down

Bottom-up approach analysis: literal translation. Top-down: from text level to word.

Lexical Fixedness and Pragmatic Units

Clear-cut problem: different degrees of fixedness and idiomaticity... Continue reading "Motion Verbs, Compound Translation, Dialogue Punctuation" »

Relative Clauses

Types of Relative Clauses

Specifying Relative Clauses

These clauses provide essential information and are not separated by commas. They identify the specific noun or pronoun being referred to. Without the relative clause, the sentence would be incomplete and lack clarity.

Example:

Incorrect: I don't like stories. They have unhappy endings.

Correct: I don't like stories which have unhappy endings.

Explanatory Relative Clauses

These clauses provide additional information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. They are set off by commas or a comma and a full stop. They never use the relative pronoun "that."

Example:

Incorrect: Mrs. Morgan is an English teacher. His son is in our class.

Correct: Mrs. Morgan, whose son is in

Core Definitions in Language and Culture

English Terminology

Translate

To express the meaning of speech or writing in a different language.

Translation

The process of changing something that is written or spoken into another language.

Language

The system of communication in speech and writing that is used by people of a particular country or area.

Culture

The customs and beliefs, art, way of life, and social organization of a particular country or group.

Code

A system of words, letters, numbers, or symbols that represent a message or record information secretly or in shorter form.

Assertion

A statement saying that you strongly believe something to be true.

Sentence

A set of words expressing a statement, a question, or an order, usually containing a subject