English Phrasal Verbs, Gerunds & Vocabulary with Spanish

Phrasal Verbs, Gerunds & Vocabulary (EN — ES)

Relationship Vocabulary (EN — ES)

• ask out: pedir salir
• be on the rebound: estar despechado
• be seeing: estar saliendo
• be through: romper
• break off: romper
• cheat on: engañar
• dump: romper (dejar a alguien)
• fancy: gustar
• have a crush on: tener un flechazo
• have a date with: tener una cita con
• have a row with: tener una discusión
• hurt: hacer daño
• on the rocks: en peligro
• split up with: separarse
• there are plenty more fish in the sea: hay más peces en el mar
• change your mind: cambiar de idea
• go stale: echarse a perder
• go through a rough patch: pasar un momento difícil
• long-term relationship: relación a largo plazo
• make a commitment: hacer una promesa / comprometerse
• run down: desprestigiar a alguien
• settle down: asentarse / asentar la cabeza
• take for granted: dar por hecho
• ups and downs: altibajos
• work through (a problem): resolver (un problema)
• be your own man/woman: sé tu propio hombre/mujer
• have your own house: tener tu propia casa
• on my own: por mi cuenta
• own: propio
• owner: propietario
• ownership: propiedad
• a couple of questions: un par de preguntas
• a happy couple: una pareja feliz
• love your partner: ama a tu pareja
• work in pairs: trabajar en pareja

Music & Performance Vocabulary (EN — ES)

• band: banda
• beat: ritmo
• catchy: pegadizo
• chill out: relajarse
• I can't get it out of my head: no puedo sacarlo de mi cabeza
• it makes me want to dance: me hace querer bailar
• laid-back: relajado
• live: en directo
• lyrics: letras
• performer: artista
• relaxing: relajante / relajarse
• singer-songwriter: cantautor / compositor
• tune: melodía
• brilliant: brillante
• get hold of: apoderarse de / conseguir
• get rave reviews: obtener buenas críticas
• get to the front: llegar al frente
• go wild: volverse loco
• jam-packed: lleno
• sold out: agotado

Useful 'Make' & 'Aim' Expressions

• make do: conformarse
• make out: entender
• make up (be reconciled): reconciliarse / compensar
• make up (invent): inventar
• make up (constitute): formar
• aim: puntería
• aim to: dirigirse a / proponerse
• aim at: apuntar a
• aimed at: dirigido a
• aimless: sin objetivo

Gerunds (-ing) and To + Infinitive

Verbs commonly followed by -ing

Verb patterns with -ing: avoid, dislike, miss, can't stand, don't mind, recommend, consider, enjoy, risk, deny, finish, stop, detest, give up, suggest, discuss, imagine.

Example: I can't avoid seeing him.

Verbs commonly followed by to + infinitive

Verbs followed by to + infinitive: agree, fail, pretend, appear, hope, promise, arrange, learn, refuse, choose, manage, tend, decide, mean, want, demand, plan, would like, expect, prepare.

Example: He promised to give me a flute.

When to use -ing after prepositions

-ing after prepositions: Use the -ing form after prepositions or when we do not want to repeat the subject in two clauses.

• He drinks water before playing the piano.
• He's good at playing the oboe.
• Playing for ACBC must be fantastic.

Common expressions with -ing

be worth, fancy, can't help, feel like, can't stand, look forward to, don't/wouldn't mind, there's no point. Example: It's worth going to this concert.

To + infinitive after nouns and adjectives

Use to + infinitive after nouns and adjectives for general statements. Example: It's not easy to play the saxophone.

Verbs that can take either -ing or to + infinitive

Some verbs can be followed by either -ing or to + infinitive with little or no change of meaning:

• Verbs of starting or continuing: begin, continue, intend, propose, start
• Verbs of liking or disliking: love, like, hate, prefer