Essential English Vocabulary: Culture, Safety, and Idioms

Theme 1: Culture, Identity, and Relationships

Vocabulary Related to Culture and Behavior

• Alike: appropriate, appropriateness, awkward, culture gap, fit in, foreign, language barrier, manners, misconception, narrow-minded, outlook, roots, rude, rudeness, sensitive, sense (n/v), sensitivity, straightforward, subtle, tend to, unheard of, value.
• Anxiety: anxious, attempt, come what may, fetch, heritage, inappropriate, insensitive, insensitivity, long for, lose touch with, overwhelming, resentful, stay behind, trembling, untouched.

Phrasal Verbs (TEMA 1)

• Call on, call off, carry out, dress up, dress down, make of, make for, show off, stand up for, stick to, go ahead, go over.
• Resent, resentment.

Fixed Expressions and Idioms

• Catch a cold = coger un resfriado
• Catch by surprise = pillar por sorpresa
• Catch sight of = avistar, divisar
• Catch someone red-handed = pillar a alguien con las manos en la masa
• Catch someone’s eye = llamar la atención de alguien
• Fall asleep = quedarse dormido
• Fall ill = ponerse enfermo
• Fall in love = enamorarse
• Fall into place = encajar, tener sentido
• Fall out of favour = perder la aceptación
• Fall to pieces = desmoronarse
• Fall on deaf ears = caer en oídos sordos
• Lose count = perder la cuenta
• Lose one's nerve = perder el valor, acobardarse
• Lose one’s patience = perder la paciencia
• Lose sight of = perder de vista
• Lose sleep over = perder el sueño, preocuparse por
• Lose control = perder el control
• Lose track of time = perder la noción del tiempo

Additional Phrasal Verbs

• Hand down: pasar, dejar en herencia; transmitir
• Hand over: transferir, dar
• Pick on: meterse con
• Pick out: elegir
• Set off: provocar
• Set up: montar
• Show up: presentarse

Theme 2: Safety, Risk, and Accidents

Vocabulary Related to Accidents and Emergencies

• Burn: burn down, catch fire, choking, collide, concerned, crash, distract, drown, ensure, faulty, knock over, lifeguard, safety feature, shallow, slip, sprain, strength, trip (over).
• Come to a halt: cut costs, debris, grab, iron out, jam, massive, measure, shut down, take control, worldwide.

Expressions of Risk and Safety

• At one’s own risk
• At stake
• Close call
• In safe hands
• Out of danger
• Put in danger
• Run the risk
• To be on the safe side
• Touch-and-go (uncertain, critical)
• Watch one’s step

Risk and Danger Terminology

• A calculated risk
• Beneficial for
• Busy with
• Collision
• Dangerous, dangerously
• Distracted, distracting, distraction
• Endanger, endangered
• Full of
• Immune to
• Late for
• Mass (n: quantity), Mass (v: concentrate)
• Risk (v), risky
• Take one’s life in one’s (Note: Phrase structure preserved as per instructions)
• Take precautions
• Terrible at

Adjective and Preposition Combinations

• Afraid of = asustado/a de
• Aware of = consciente de
• Bad for = malo/a para
• Curious about = curioso/a sobre
• Familiar with = familiarizado/a con
• Famous for = famoso/a por
• Fond of = encantado/a con
• Good at = bueno/a en
• Indifferent to = indiferente a
• Kind to = amable con
• Opposed to = en contra de
• Protected from = protegido/a de
• Safe from = a salvo de
• Shocked by = sorprendido por
• Shy about = tímido/a para
• Similar to
• Successful at = tener éxito en