Comprehensive English Vocabulary and Grammar Study Notes

Personality Traits

• Argumentative: Opinionated (ten opinión para todo)
• Assertive: Confident (seguro)
• Beautiful: Gorgeous
• Bad-tempered: Grumpy
• Big-headed: Conceited (engreído) / Pig-headed (tozudo)
• Cagey: Secretive (reservado)
• Considerate: Kind, sympathetic, well-meaning
• Dependable: Loyal
• Down-to-earth: Sensible, realistic
• Easy-going: Relaxed, laid-back
• Eccentric: Weird, odd
• Extroverted: Outgoing
• Generous: Open-handed
• Immature: Childish
• Intolerant: Narrow-minded
• Insensitive: Thick-skinned
• Negative: Pessimistic
• Sensitive: Thin-skinned
• Tolerant: Open-minded
• Shy: Tongue-tied
• Selfish: Tight (egoísta)
• Positive: Optimistic

Behavior and Communication

• Be up for anything: Estar dispuesto
• Speak your mind: Dicio o que pensas
• Not give much away: Non contar segredos
• Expect the worst: Esperar o peor
• Play it safe: Ir sobre seguro
• Keep your opinions to yourself: Gardala-las cousas
• Never be lost for words: Nunca quedarse sen palabras
• Wear your heart on your sleeve: Mostrar os teus sentimentos
• Look on the bright side: Mirar con optimismo
• Take things in your stride: Deixar que as cousas non che afecten
• Get tongue-tied: Quedarse sen palabras

Phrasal Verbs

• Look forward to: To expect something with pleasure
• Get on with: To have a good relationship
• Call off: To cancel / To connect someone on the phone
• Look after: To take care
• Turn up: To arrive
• Run out of: To have no more
• Bring up: To raise children
• Put off: To postpone
• Put up with: To tolerate
• Make up: To invent a lie / Stop fighting and become friends
• Take after: To look like
• Break down: To stop functioning
• Tell off: To think of something / To criticize someone angrily for doing something wrong
• Find out: To discover
• Look down on: To consider inferior
• Pass away: To die
• Look up to: To have a lot of respect
• Give up: To stop trying

Money and Finance

• Current account: Conta corrente (your salary is paid in)
• Savings account: Where you deposit extra money
• In the red / black: Financial status
• Bank loan: Préstamo
• Mortgage: Hipoteca
• Salary, wages, income: Ingresos
• Allowance: Paga
• Budget: Presuposto
• Purchase: Compra
• Haggle: Regatear
• Refund: Reembolso
• Fare: Tarifa
• Costly, pricey: Caro
• Rip-off: Timo
• Good value: Boa calidade
• Priceless: Valuable
• Bargain: Ganga
• Taxes: Impostos
• Unemployment benefit: Paro paga
• The Dole: O paro
• Disability: Discapacidade
• Student loans: Bolsas
• Currency: Moeda en curso
• Affluent, wealthy: Rico
• Hard up: Pasando dificultades
• Stingy or tight: Avaro

Money Idioms

• To get ripped off: To be charged too much money for something (timado)
• To cost an arm and a leg: Expensive
• To come into some money: To get money unexpectedly
• To dip into your savings: Take out your savings
• Live from hand to mouth: Just enough money to buy food
• Make ends meet: To earn just enough money to live
• Tighten your belt: Be more economical
• Make a killing: Great financial success

Irregular Verbs

• No change: Bet, cost, cut, hit, hurt (danar), let, outspread (extender), put, set, shut (pechar), split (derramar), spread (espandir), sweat (suar), upset (molestar)
• Regular endings / Simple past: Lay-laid (tumbarse), Melt-melted, Mow-mowed (segar), Pay-paid, Say-said, Shave-shaved, Show-showed
• Vowel change (-ed / -t): Bleed-bled (sangrar), Feed-fed (alimentar), Hear-heard, Lead-led (dirixir), Mislead-misled (enganar), Read-read, Speed-sped (acelerar)
• Variant past forms: Blend-blent (misturar), Bend-bent (dobrar), Bless-blest (bendecir), Deal-dealt, Dream-dreamt, Feel-felt, Keep-kept, Lean-leant (inclinar), Leap-leapt (saltar), Leave-left (deixar), Shoot-shot, Smell-smelt (ulir), Spill-spilt (estropear), Sweep-swept (barrer), Weep-wept (chorar)
• Complex patterns: Arise-arose-arisen (plantexarse), Ride-rode-ridden (montar), Rise-rose-risen (aumentar), Throw-threw-thrown (lanzar), Fly-flew-flown
• More irregular forms: Mistake-mistook-mistaken, Overtake-overtook-overtaken (adiantar), Shake-shook-shaken (axitar), Forbid-forbade-forbidden (prohibir), Beat-beat-beaten (gañar), Bite-bit-bitten (morder)
• Additional verbs: Awake-awoke-awoken (levantarse), Wake-woke-woken, Freeze-froze-frozen, Steal-stole-stolen (roubar), Bear-bore-born (nacer), Swear-swore-sworn (xurar), Tear-tore-torn (arrancar), Hide-hid-hidden, Lie-lay-lain (mentir)
• More patterns: Dig-dug-dug (escavar), Swing-swung-swung (balancearse), Bring-brought-brought, Catch-caught-caught, Fight-fought, Shine-shone (brillar), Sit-sat-sat (estar sentado), Spit-spat-spat (ecupir)
• Vowel shifts (i-a-u): Misunderstand-misunderstood (malentender), Stand-stood (estar de pé), Hold-held (soster), Light-lit (alumear), Become-became-become (volver), Come-came-come, Overcome-overcame-overcome (superar), Run-ran-run, Begin-began-begun (comezar), Ring-rang-rung, Sing-sang-sung, Sink-sank-sunk (afundirse), Swim-swam-swum

Love and Relationships

• Break up: End
• Be like chalk and cheese: Completely different
• Bride: Woman about to be married
• Fall out: Stop being friends
• Get on like a house on fire: Like someone's company very much
• Get on well with: Similar interests
• Have ups and downs: Fluctuating relationships
• Hit it off: Quickly become good friends
• Love at first sight: Instant attraction
• Pop the question: Ask someone to marry you
• Settle down: Asentar a cabeza
• Tie the knot: Get married
• Groom: A man about to be married
• Make up: Stop fighting and become friends
• Ask out: Invite on a date
• Blind date: Meeting a stranger for a date
• Get engaged: Agree to get married
• Fiancé: A man that a woman is engaged to be married to
• Fiancée: A woman that a man is engaged to be married to
• Dump someone: Deixalo

Social Interactions and People

• On the same wavelength: Mesma onda
• Be wary of: Cauteloso
• Look down: Despreciar
• Look up: Admirar
• See eye to eye: Mesmos gustos
• Boast about something: Alardear
• Flatter somebody: Adular
• Nag somebody: Adverter
• Praise somebody: Alabar
• Warn somebody: Adverter
• Tease somebody: Putear
• Bicker with: Discutir
• Flirt with somebody: Ligar

Politics and Society

• Hung parliament: En minoría
• Rioter: Protest participant
• Leaflet: Folleto
• Freedom of speech: Freedom of expression
• Tackle problems: Abordar
• Armed struggle: Loita armada
• Riot: Disturbio
• To gauge public opinion: Sondear

Computing Terminology

• Update: To bring up to date
• Scroll up: Move the cursor up
• To browse: Navigate
• Back up: Copy data
• Download: Transfer data to a peripheral device
• Upload: Transfer data to another device memory

Crime and Legal Terms

• Murder, murderer, murder: Kill someone
• Burglary, burglar, burgle: Steal something from a home
• Smuggling, smuggler, to smuggle: Contrabando
• Kidnapping, kidnapper, kidnap: Extorsionar cun secuestro
• Blackmail, blackmailer, blackmail: Extortion
• Forgery, forger, forge: Falsification
• Hijacking, hijacker, hijack: Robbery of a vehicle
• Fare dodging: Not to pay public transport
• Touting, ticket tout, to tout: Selling tickets illegally
• Assassination, assassin, to assassinate: Murder of a public figure
• Arson, arsonist, set fire: Intentional burning

Food Descriptors

• Bitter: Amargo
• Sour: Ácedo
• Salty: Salgado
• Savoury: Salgado
• Bland: Soso
• Chewy: Correoso
• Creamy: Cremoso
• Crispy: Crujiente
• Crunchy: Crocante
• Crumbly: Grumoso
• Dry: Seco
• Fresh: Fresco
• Fruity: Afrutado
• Greasy: Graso
• Juicy: Xugoso
• Mild: Suave
• Smoky: Afumado
• Peppery: Picante
• Raw: Cru
• Runny: Desparramase
• Sticky: Viscoso
• Smooth: Mild
• Spicy: Picante
• Stale: Añejo
• Tasty / Tasteless: Sabroso / Insípido
• Tender: Tenro
• Sugary: Sweet
• Strong: Intense
• Ripe: Maduro
• Tough: Duro
• Unpleasant: Desagradable
• Mouthwatering: Appetizing

General Idioms

• A couch potato: Adicto á TV
• Out to lunch: Mal da cabeza
• Butter somebody up: Facerlle a pelota
• Full of beans: Que non paran
• Go pear-shaped: Que se estropea
• Pay peanuts: Pagar pouco
• Spill the beans: Soltar a lingua
• Pie in the sky: Fantasías
• In a nutshell: En resumo
• Have a lot on one's plate: Non da feito