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

Relative Pronouns

• Who / Whom: People (quien).
• Which: Things (que).
• That: Replaces which and who (que).
• Whose: Possession (cuyo).
• When: Time (cuando).
• Where: Place (donde).

Modal Perfects

• Could/Might have + past participle: Suggests an alternative action that is now too late.
• Might (not), May (not), Could have + past participle: Expresses possibility in the past.
• Must have + past participle: Expresses certainty or logical deduction about the past.
• Couldn't/Can't have + past participle: Expresses impossibility in the past.
• Should/Ought to have + past participle: Used to give an opinion about past events.
• Shouldn't have + past participle: Criticism of past events.
• Needn't have + past participle: Something done in the past that was not necessary.
• Didn't need

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

My Daily Routine

I wake up at 6 o'clock. I make a cup of coffee and iron my clothes. I have a shower and get dressed. I usually wear jeans, a blouse, a jumper or cardigan, and boots in the winter. I walk to the bus stop. I get off the bus and walk to work. I have lunch at 13:30. I eat a sandwich at the local cafe or the food I've prepared the night before. I sometimes do some shopping or photocopying before I walk back to work. When I finish my work, I catch the bus back home and spend a couple of hours relaxing before I cook dinner. My husband goes to work shortly after I come home; he normally takes care of ironing the clothes and preparing dinner. I usually read a little before falling asleep.

Comparatives and Superlatives

This computer is... Continue reading "English Grammar Basics: Daily Routine and Comparatives" »

Antecedentes del evolucionismo

Ya en los siglos VI y V a. C., algunos presocráticos como Anaximandro o Empédocles propusieron teorías de la evolución para explicar la aparición de algunos fósiles.

La noción moderna de la evolución biológica no aparece hasta el siglo XVIII con Buffon, quien puso en duda el fijismo y defendió cierto transformismo.

Teoría de Lamarck

A principios del siglo XIX, Lamarck propuso la primera teoría completa de la evolución en su obra Filosofía zoológica (1809). Defiende que los seres vivos surgieron de la materia inorgánica por generación espontánea, siguiendo dos líneas:

• La de los vegetales.
• La de los animales.

Según Lamarck, los organismos evolucionan por un mecanismo llamado herencia de los caracteres... Continue reading "Antecedentes del evolucionismo y el proceso de cerebración humana" »

Reported Speech: Tense Changes and Rules

When using reported speech, verb tenses typically shift backward. Here is a breakdown of the transformations:

• Cooperates becomes cooperated
• Is cooperating becomes was cooperating
• Cooperated becomes had cooperated
• Was cooperating becomes had been cooperating
• Has cooperated becomes had cooperated
• Has been cooperating becomes had been cooperating
• Had cooperated remains had cooperated
• Had been cooperating remains had been cooperating
• Will cooperate becomes would cooperate
• Can becomes could
• May becomes might
• Have to becomes had to

Changes in Time and Place Expressions

• Now becomes then
• Today becomes that day
• Tonight becomes that night
• Yesterday becomes the previous day
• Here becomes there
• This becomes that
• These becomes those

Examples

3.2 Área de Wernicke

El área de Wernicke fue descubierta por Karl Wernicke, neurólogo y psiquiatra alemán. Se encuentra en la parte posterior de la circunvolución superior del lóbulo temporal y se relaciona con la comprensión del lenguaje. En el área de Wernicke, también llamada sensorial, el paciente no presenta problemas en la articulación de palabras ni disfunción motora del habla; sin embargo, no comprende lo que oye. Esta área se complementa con el área de Broca.

Ubicación del lenguaje en el cerebro

Se sabe que el hemisferio izquierdo del cerebro es el predominante, ya que controla la parte derecha del cuerpo. Hay personas ambidiestras que utilizan las dos manos.

Lateralidad forzada: en algunos casos, la persona es forzada a... Continue reading "Área de Wernicke y Lateralidad Cerebral del Lenguaje" »

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" »

Unit 1: Emotions

Amazed: sorprendido
Angry: enfadado
Astonished: estupefacto/asombrado
Cross: enojado
Delighted: encantado
Devastated: devastado
Frightened: asustado
Furious: furioso
Glad: contento
Heartbroken: desconsolado
Pleased: satisfecho/contento
Scared: asustado
Surprised: sorprendido
Terrified: aterrorizado
Thrilled: emocionado/exaltado

Idioms

• Over the moon: estar sobre la luna
• Be scared stiff: estar muerto de miedo
• Burst into tears: se echó a llorar
• Go bright red: se puso rojo
• Not be able to believe (your) eyes: sus ojos no creen lo que han visto

Unit 2: Waste and Recycling

Bottle bank: contenedor de vidrio
Carbon footprint: impacto ambiental
Carbon offsetting: la compensación del carbono
Climate change: cambio climático
Congestion charge: carga de congestión
Dump:... Continue reading "English–Spanish Vocabulary: Emotions, Recycling, Work, Travel and Relationships" »