Aprender ingles with Reza and Craig

Las notas del episodio Did Reza make and keep his New Year's resolution to learn something new? Feedback, news and questions: We are still waiting for a recipe for dulce de leche. Thanks to Emilse (Argentina) and Daniel (Mexico) for their messages. Gramática: some and any Craig brought Reza some salt from Chile (positive sentence) He didn't bring him anything from Argentina (negative) Have you got any souvenirs from Laos (question) Can I have some food? (Use 'some' for requests) Reza would like some fish Would you like something to eat? (a more closed, specific offer) Would you like anything to eat? (an open offer) Craig likes some classical music (not all classical music) Craig likes any jazz music (all jazz music) Pick any card Craig likes anything with chocolate He likes some fruit desserts Pronunciación: Nice to meet you - Pleased to meet you What are you doing? = Watcha doin'? "Whatcha!" (In London) "'Boutcha!" (in Belfast) Phrasal verb: get (a)round Craig really gets around - he goes to many places Craig's mum finds it hard to get around these days (moverse, desplazarse) It has got around that the French president is said to be having an affair. At Christmas dinner, families get around the table. There's no getting around the fact. = you can't avoid it. Sportsmen and women try to get around the rules. I'll get that parcel round to you = to deliver Reza never gets around to decorating his flat. Vocabulary Corner: money ganar = to earn/to win win a competition, win a game, win at the casino, win the lottery earn a salary, earn respect, earn money borrow (from) = tener prestado / lend (to) = prestar A bank lends money to you. You borrow money from the bank. a loan = un prestamo Good luck getting a bank loan in Spain these days! pay for - I'll pay for the drinks - It's my treat (te invito) It's on me I'll get it It's my shout (British colloquial English) It's my round Reza's Top Tip: Presentations Have good notes Check your English (spelling and grammar) on slides and visuals Practise in front of the mirror Speak to a family member, pet dog or cat Check body language as you present practice, practice, practice! Use (small) note cards, but don't read a full text. Make eye contact Smile a lot! Contact Reza at belfastreza@gmail.com for help with translations and presentations. Send us an email, or a sound file (mensaje de voz en mp3) with a comment or question to mansionteachers@yahoo.es or belfastreza@gmail.com. Puedes darnos estrellas y una crítica en iTunes. The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org.

Las notas del episodio What did you get for Christmas? Did Reza get a scarf, some socks and a wallet from his mum? Has Craig got his bathroom finished yet? Gramática: 1st and 2nd conditional. If you study hard, you will learn a lot of English (1st conditional - If + present simple + will) Use the 1st conditional to talk about possible/probable things. If you stick to your diet, you will lose weight. If you don't do exercise, you'll put on weight. Unless you do exercise, you'll put on weight. You will learn a lot if you listen to this podcast. If you bought a lottery ticket, you would/might possible win. (2nd conditional) - If + past simple + would If I win the lottery, I will (I'll) travel around the world. (1st conditional) if I won the lottery, I would (I'd) travel around the world (2nd conditional) If I were/was Prime Minister, I'd lower taxes. If Craig were Mickey Mouse he would go to the pub with Scooby Doo. Reza, on the other hand, would prefer to have a beer with Bugs Bunny. Estudiar los condicionales en nuestro curso intermedio: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer11_5.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer15_5.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer16_6.htm Pronunciación: Word stress in numbers: 14 - 40 - fourteen / forty 70 - 17 - seventy / seventeen 30 - 13 - thirty / thirteen 16 - 60 - sixteen / sixty ¡OJO! - Except when we're counting! 13, 14, 15, 16 etc. Phrasal verb: Put up Many people put up Christmas decorations (montar) I'm going to put up a couple of photos on the wall. (colgar) Would you mind putting me up for the weekend? (hospedar, dar alojamiento) The boxer lost the match but he put up a fight. You can put up money for something - How much money did they put up to build the airport in Castellon? Put up or shut up! Act or be quiet. Put up something for sale on eBay. We try to put up a new podcast episode every week. Craig puts up with Reza's Mickey Mouse comments (suportar, aguantar) Craig has to put up with Reza every week! Vocabulary Corner: New Year's Resolution - Resolución de Año Nuevo 8% of people who MAKE New Year's Resolutions actually KEEP them. TOP TEN NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS The most popular resolutions are: lose weight - (put on weight) and do more exercise eat more healthily save money get a better job spend more time with family and friends travel more stop smoking and drinking (alcohol) get organised learn something new Read more books Are you going to make any New Year's Resolutions this year? Send us an email, or a sound file (mensaje de voz en mp3) to mansionteachers@yahoo.es and tell us. Reza's Top Tip: Self check spelling accommodation regrettable unstoppable which / witch (bruja) Craig and Reza recommend Oxford and Collins dictionaries, and www.wordreference.com The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre el inglés, puedes ponerse en contacto con Reza a belfastreza@gmail.com y a con Craig a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.

Las notas del episodio Feedback/News: Merry Christmas! What are you doing for Christmas this year? Reza's going to Belfast to spend Christmas with his family. Question from Mara from Valencia: "What's the difference between other and another?" (singular/plural) Gramática: other, another, others This is another episode. There are 9 others. There are 9 other episodes. another + single countable noun (Can I have another beer?) other + plural countable nouns (There are other episodes) There are 9 others (no noun) Craig also does other work (other + uncountable noun) He has other jobs Vocabulary Corner: December 24th - Christmas Eve December 25th - Christmas Day Boxing Day = el 26 de diciembre, día festivo en Gran Bretaña January 1st - New Year's Day December 31st - New Year's Eve January 6th - The day of the (three) Kings, or "Epiphany" wrapping paper = papel de envolver/papel de regalo ¡Feliz Navidad! - Happy Christmas! / Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo! - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ¡Felices fiestas! - Season's greetings! Happy holidays! Salud! - Cheers! ("Slancha" in Ireland) Phrasal verb: wrap up (not RAP!) to wrap up presents (envolver, empaquetar). People wrap up presents at Christmas time. To wrap up a deal (to complete, conclude a deal etc). This podcast wraps up the year. Don't get too wrapped up in work (absorbed, involved) Wrap up warm, it's cold outside (abrigarse). Wrap up well in the winter when it's cold. Para estudiar los phrasal verbs, recomendamos el cd de Mike Hardinge: http://www.mansioningles.com/otrosproductos/phrasal/phrasal_verbs.htm Pronunciación: In English, we do not say each syllable with the same force or strength. In one word, we accentuate ONE syllable. We say one syllable very loudly (car, hotel, important) and all the other syllables very quietly. For example: photograph, photographer and photographic. Do they sound the same? How many syllables do they have? Where's the stress in each word? photograph (DA de de) photographer (de DA de de) photographic (de de DA de) Hay más practica con el estres de las palabras aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer14_7.htm Reza's Top Tip: Watch DVDs in English. 1) Watch in English with English subtitles (original version). Pause and take notes. 2) Watch again with English sound and with Spanish subtitles. 3) Watch again with English sound and English subtitles but don't stop it. Let's wrap up this episode Reza! Give us a Christmas gift - go to iTunes and give us some stars (estrellas) y un corto resumen en iTunes. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre el inglés, puedes ponerse en contacto con Reza a belfastreza@gmail.com y a con Craig a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.

Las notas del episodio Feedback/News: A question from Jóse in Madrid, Spain "¿Cómo puedo preguntar sobre el tiempo en inglés?" - The weather/La clima - What's the weather like? What's the ______ like? (hotel, food, party, new phone like?) What was the flight like? What was your weekend like? What was it like? Gramática: Verb collocations (verb + adj./noun) Craig liked Argentina (el verbo 'to like' en el pasado) What's Argentina like? (¿Cómo es?) Does Buenos Aires looks like Paris? (se parece) What does it feel like? - It feels like Paris. Does it smell like Paris? - It smells like Buenos Aires. Pronunciación: /i/ and /i:/ /i/ - hit, sit /i:/ - me, three hit / heat ship / sheep sit / seat whip / weep sh*t / sheet Phrasal verb: take up I'll take you up on that! (say yes, agree) - tomar/aceptar el reto Craig will take Reza up on his chess challenge, and on his offer to have a meal at his flat. Nelso Mandela took up the fight against racism. To take up a hobby/sport - Are you taking up anything in the new year? Reza's friend has recently taken up jogging (not footing!!) Reza is thinking of taking up aerobics. Bob took up his new role as director (to accept a role or task) To take up time (ocupar tiempo) Take up trousers, to take up clothes (to make shorter) Aquí hay una lista de los verbos compuestos (phrasal verbs): http://www.mansioningles.com/gram54.htm Vocabulary Corner: Work - trabajo: What's the difference between work and job? Job is a noun. Work is a verb and a noun. When work is a noun, it's usually uncountable: I have two jobs. I have a lot of work. Reza has a lot of work. He has three jobs. Career is a false friend. - You study a degree or a subject at university. You begin your career when you start working. Reza has changed his careers. He used to be a musician. You boss sacks you (if you're a bad employee. - to get the sack / to be fired, to get fired. Reza got the sack in East Berlin. He got the sack from selling newspapers. to resign from your job (you decide to leave) / to hand in your notice or resignation (tell your employer in advance that you are going to leave. to be made redundant - redundancy money. Many people in Spain are being made redundant at the moment. to retire at the retirement age - to get a pension from the state (a state pension). You can also get a private pension. Puedes estudiar más sobre el tema de work en nuestro curso intermedio: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer21_1.htm Reza's Top Tip: Brainstorm collocations. DRIVE - to drive a car, bus, taxi etc. to drive someone mad / crazy Reza's mum drives him up the walls (in Belfast) or up the wall (in London). She drives him mad, she drives him crazy. She drives him round the bend to drive a point home to drive a hard bargain - He drove a hard bargain to drive under the influence (of alcohol or drugs) STONE - a stepping stone - I see this job as a stepping stone to reach my goal a stepping stone in a river The Rolling Stones A rolling stone - "a rolling stone gathers no moss" (musgo) A stones throw away. It's a stones throw away from here. To leave no stone unturned - The police left no stone unturned. To sink like a stone a headstone (lápida mortuoria, piedra sepulcral) The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre la gramática, la pronunciación or el vocabulario de inglés, Mandenos un email a mansionteachers@yahoo.es (Craig) o belfastreza@gmail.com (Reza).

LAS NOTAS DEL EPISODIO Gramática: Could and Couldn't I could swim when I was young.(habilidad en el pasado) - podia Tomorrow we could swim in the sea.(condicional) - podría Craig can't play a musical instrument (now) Craig couldn't play a musical instrument when he was younger (past) Craig, could/can I ask you a question? (permission) Estudia más sobre los verbos modales aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer20_6.htm Pronunciación: consonantes + vocales "Have a" cuando un vocal va después de un consonante en inglés, los sonidos se juntan. "Have a cup of tea" - "have a cuppa", "have a coffee", "have a can of beer" "Got to get a lot of it". Phrasal verb: to set up to set up a tent, to set up equipment (montar) to set up a meeting (arrange, organize) to set up a business, an organization, a foundation, a charity (fundar, montar) to set up a person (to trick them - hacer trampas, engañar) "The murderer set me up", "It was a set up". Vocabulay Corner: collocations with HAVE "to have fun", "to have a ball, (fun v funny) - a funny joke, a funny film, a funny person (gracioso) - a fun person (divertido) to have a good time To have st in common with so What do we have in common? Craig and Reza have jazz music and houseproud mothers in common. To have time (to do things) What would you like to have more time to do? Reza doesn't have time to surf the Internet. Reza has a new phone. He's got (he has got) a new phone. Reza's Top Tip: Use polite language with strangers "Where's the bus staion?" (direct) - "Could you tell me where the bus station is?" (indirect and more polite) "Do you like paella?" - "Can you tell me if you like paella?" "Can I smoke? - Do you mind if I smoke?" "Would you mind telling me where the bus station is?" "I'd like to know where the bus station is?" "I wonder if you wouldn't mind telling me where the bus station is?" The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre la gramática, la pronunciación or el vocabulario de inglés, Mandenos un email a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.

Las notas del episodio Let's get cracking! = ¡Vamos a empezar! Gramática: Can / can't Can I ask you a question? You can speak Spanish. Reza can speak a bit of Valencian. Can you play any musical instruments? - Yes, I can. Can, like could, should, would, may etc son modal verbs (verbos modales). El can se puede emplear para hablar de la habilidad y también para pedir las cosas "Can I have....?) Can I have a biscuit? Can I have a cup ñof tea? Can I help you? John can be quite cold sometimes. (possibility) It can be wet in Valncia sometimes. (possibility) This postcard can't be from Bob. (impossibility) Practicar el 'can' para pedir las cosas aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/nc_lec04_3.htm Vocabulay Corner: Clothes Reza is wearing jeans and a very nice striped short. Craig is wearing nice linen shorts. trousers (UK) / pants (US). pants (UK) / shorts (US), waistcoat (UK) / vest (US), panties (US) / knickers (UK), tights (UK) / pantyhose (US), to wear (llevar puesto) "He's wearing a blue coat" / to put on clothes / to get dressed / To take off clothes (quitar la ropa) training shoes (UK) / sneakers (US) - zapatillas deportivas Practicar el vocabulario de la ropa en inglés aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/nc_lec15_2.htm Hay una lista de ropa en nuestra seccion de vocabulario: http://www.mansioningles.com/vocabulario10.htm Phrasal verb: to set off SET has many uses in English. Set off means: to begin a journey - "We set off at 6 o'clock." to set off also means to activate something: "I set off the alarm." "Young children sometimes set off car alarms in the street." Set off can also mean to start an emotion. "The picture sets her off crying." Set off also means (destacarse) "The white background really sets off the person in the picture." Pronunciación: clothes /cloves/, a suit /soot/ - traje = suit (noun) "it suits you" (Te va bien) "It fits you" (it's the correct size) - Does this fit me? tracksuit (chandal), slippers - "Where are my slippers?", (a pair of) shoes - high-heeled shoes, striped (con rayas), blouse - "Your a big girl's blouse!" (You're too soft). Reza's Top Tip: use the negative (adj/adverb) to be indirect/polite "Well, it isn't the best thing I've seen", "It doesn't look that great." "I've seen you looking better." "It wouldn't be my first choice.", "It's not bad." The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre la gramática, la pronunciación or el vocabulario de inglés, Mandenos un email a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.

The full audio interview with Craig and Marie. Watch the video and answer comprension questions here: http://www.mansioningles.com/practica/practicar_ingles04.htm Ver el video y contesta las preguntas de comprensión aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/practica/practicar_ingles04.htm

Las notas del episodio Gramática: Used to / be used to / get used to Craig used to live in London. he used to go out with friends, he used to drink a lot of beer. He used to go to record shops and book shops. He used to buy clothes. He used to watch a lot of TV in the UK. Now in Valencia, he usually goes to the gym. He usually does some work on Sundays. Use 'used to' for things in the past that are not true today. Use the adverb of frequency 'usually' for present habits. It was difficult for Craig to get used to going out late at weekends. But now he's used to eating late. Reza is getting used to his first smart phone. Pronunciación: /j/ Jazz, June, January / to jump (saltar) Jumping Jack Flash / judge / Not only with the letter 'j', but sometimes with the letter 'g' as in general / giant / gym and Jim (the name) etc. compare to /je/ vision - television, pleasure, leisure. Sigue los siguientes enlaces y mejorar tu pronunciación: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer01_3.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer04_6.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer06_6.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer08_6.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer10_7.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer08_9.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer12_7.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer14_7.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer17_3.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer19_4.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer24_7.htm Phrasal verb: COME OUT After a long meeting they CAME OUT of the room. My friend CAME OUT in a rash (rash = sarpullido, erupción). To COME OUT on strike. To COME OUT in support of the nurses. The sun, the moon and the stars COME OUT. What time does the moon come out? To COME OUT (of the closet). To admit in public that you are gay. Revisa más phrasal verbs aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/gram54.htm Vocabulary Corner - Sport: Learn words in groups - Es mejor aprender el vocabulario en los grupos/familias Football : pitch, stadium, to kick the ball into the net, referee - 1-0 (nil) Tennis : court, umpire. net 15-0 (love) Tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton, squash COURT to draw a game of football - It's a draw - Valencia drew with Barcelona yesterday. Let's kick off (let's start) . Let's kick off this meeting by talking about.... It's a whole new ball game (It's a totally new thing) Right off the bat (to begin with, immediately) - When we started this podcast we had over 1.000 listeners right off the bat. Golf club - baseball bat - cricket bat - table tennis bat - tennis racket - squash racket. A ball-park figure (an approximate number). Give me a ball park figure on your expected salary. To hit it out of the park - to have a lot of success. Estudia más vocabulario del deporte aquÍ: http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer07_5.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer07_1.htm http://www.mansioningles.com/cursointer/cursointer08_10.htm Reza's Top Tip: Spelling - double letters Si la palabra termina con consonante, vocal, consonante hay que poner doble consonante al final(ej. running; shop-shopping; putting) sleeping (termina con -eep); hope-g (termina con -ope) Regret - regretting (el estrés está el la segunda silaba) limit - limiting (el estrés esta en la primera silaba) travelling (British English spelling) traveling (American English spelling) The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre la gramática, la pronunciación or el vocabulario de inglés, Mandenos un email a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.

Hello once again and welcome to another Mansion Ingles podcast. This is podcast number 67 recorded for November 2013. En el nivel básico practicamos los pronombres y los antónimos En el nivel intermedio estudiamos los tiempos verbales y el vocabulario del cuerpo (parts of the body). We practise some general vocabulary at advanced level, and also we help you with what to say in English in certain social situations There's also business vocabulary and a translation exercise, all to help you improve your English and take it to the next level. En los podcasts mensuales hablamos de los temas, vocabulario y ejercicios que salen en nuestro cuaderno mensual. Así podéis practicar la pronunciación y repasar el material del cuaderno. Si quieres recibir gratis el cuaderno cada mes, ver la trascripción de este podcast o leer los anteriores, ve a mansioningles.com y sigue los enlaces en la página principal. Hemos recibido un comentario en iTunes de Carlos G - "Mil gracias por vuestro fantástico podcast, pero no hemos transcrito el contenido de los últimos podcasts. Os animo a que lo hagais para poder seguir aprendiendo. Gracias a vosotros. Un abrazo." Bueno Carlos, gracias por tu comentario. Si que publicamos la transcripción en los cuadernos mensuales, siempre los publicamos el mes siguiente. Es decir, puedes leer la transcripción de este podcast de noviembre en diciembre. Y no olvides que todos los cuadernos pasados están disponibles en www.cuadernodeingles.com/. También puedes ver las trascripciónes en mansioningles.libsyn.com/ Ok, vamos a empezar con el nivel básico y los pronombres de objeto. Do you remember the object pronouns in English? Vamos a repasarlos. me - me repite: me te - you - repite: you lo - him - repite: him la - her - repite: her lo - it - repite: it nos - us - repite: us os - you - repite: you los/las - them - repite: them Escucha y repite las siguientes frases de ejemplo Escucha: You're lovely! I really like you. repite: You're lovely! I really like you. Escucha: He's not very friendly. I don't like him. repite: He's not very friendly. I don't like him. Escucha: Are they talking to us? repite: Are they talking to us? Escucha: Football's great! I love it. repite: Football's great! I love it. Escucha: She's horrible. I don’t like her. repite: She's horrible. I don’t like her. Escucha: I don't like vegetables. I hate them! repite: I don't like vegetables. I hate them! Escucha: Homework? I hate it. repite: Homework? I hate it. Escucha: Please give it to me. repite: Please give it to me Escucha: Did they invite us? repite: Did they invite us? Escucha: My neighbours are nice. I really like them. repite: My neighbours are nice. I really like them. ¡Muy bien! - Very good! Ahora practicamos los antónimos. Escucha y intenta decir los antónimos antes que los digo yo. Luego, repítalos para practicar la pronunciación. Ready? - ¿Listo? expensive - cheap repite: cheap tall - short - repite: short young - old - repite: old empty - full - repite: full fat - thin - repite: thin happy - sad - repite: sad Ok good, now moving on to the intermediate section, and in this month's cuaderno we looked at verb tenses. I'm going to read the examples we had and I want you to think which verb tense I'm using. For example, "I live in Valencia", which tense is live? Yes, present simple. What about, "I've been living in Valencia since 1997?" Well, that's present perfect continuous. Listen : Take your umbrella with you in case it rains. - Present simple. The weather forecast said it'll get colder today. Listen : I'm really sorry we haven't been in touch for so long. Since we moved to Barcelona, we've been very busy doing up our flat here. We tried to send you an email last month, but it came back to us so you must have changed your address. Listen : We were going out to a pub quiz tonight, but we have just heard that it's been cancelled, so I think we'll just stay at home and watch a film instead. Listen : Hey Maria! How are you? I haven't seen you for ages. You look great! What have you been doing since we last met? Listen : We intended to go around Europe this summer, but my mother-in-law is sick, so I suppose we'll be staying at home. Listen : I wish you had told me that you don't eat seafood. Let me make something else for you. Moving on to the vocabulary part of the intermediate section, and we talked about parts of the body and what you did with them. For example, what do you do with your eyes? You see with your eyes. You can also look and watch. Look at something (look at that beautiful girl over there). And you can watch a game, watch TV, watch a film etc. What do you do with your ears? You hear with your ears. You can also listen. Listen and look and watch are more active verbs. You actively listen to music or to another person. You actively watch a game of football. But hear and see are senses, sentidos. So, what do you do with your nose. It's a verb and a noun, and another sense. You smell with your nose. You have a sense of smell. And what a wonderful sense it is! What's your favourite smell? flowers perhaps? or freshly baked bread? I like the smell of petrol, which is a bit strange, I know. And the smell of freshly cut grass. That's a smell I miss from the UK. There were public parks near where I used to live in London. But in Valencia there isn't a lot of grass around and it's usually full of dogs mess. My favourite smell though, has to be....chocolate! Which part of the body do you kiss with? - You kiss with your lips. And what do you do with your teeth? Well you can bite (morder, in Spanish) and you can chew (masticar). If you need to chew a lot, for a long time, you can say the food is chewy. That's the adjective. Chewy. "The steak's nice, but it's a bit chewy". What do you do with your hands and your fingers? - touch, which is another of the five senses, the sense of touch. Can you name the five senses? the sense of smell, sight, hearing, taste and touch. And of course, there is The Sixth Sense, which is a film starring Bruce Willis. What do you think with? You think with your brain. And if you are a footballer, what do you do with your feet? Kick - to kick the ball, or kick another player if you play dirty. Finally, which part of your body do you use to smile? Well, you can smile with your mouth, your lips and I believe you can also smile with your eyes. In fact, you can give a false smile with your mouth but it's very difficult to lie and smile with your eyes. Your eyes tell the truth. they are the window to the soul. Siempre me ha gustado la idea de aprender inglés con videos. Por eso te recomendamos ABA English. Los videos de ABA English son muy profesionales y están muy bien hechos. Además de las 144 clases gratuitas de gramática en vídeo, también tienes la posibilidad de probar la primera unidad de tu nivel (hay 6 niveles distintos) y realizar todas las secciones de esta unidad para probar su metodología única de aprendizaje. Tú aprendes inglés viendo películas cortas con subtítulos, que ya es un método muy eficaz para aprender inglés, pero también actúas en estas películas! Es muy divertido! En la misma unidad realizas ejercicios de speaking y role play actuando en el diálogo del cortometraje que has visto! Los cortometrajes, con situaciones de la vida real, son la base de cada unidad del curso de inglés. Llevan incorporada la tecnología de reconocimiento de voz propia. Echa un vistazo a los videos de ABA English.com. Puedes empezar los cursos gratis sin coste y además con apoyo en español. Al empezar, tienes que facilitar una dirección de email y contestar algunas preguntas básicas, pero no es necesario que realices ningún pago. Pienso que si una empresa ofrece un producto gratis para probarlo es porque es bueno y la empresa cree en sus productos. ¡Regístrate hoy y aprende inglés gratis con video, en casa y a tu ritmo. ABA English.com! Pruébalo no tienes nada de perder. In the advanced section this month, we looked at some vocabulary the first expression was bound to. To be bound to means ser seguro que. Listen: Why don’t you email Pepito, he’s bound to have the meeting agenda. Repeat; he's bound to have it - she's bound to know the answer - We're bound to get lost! - I'm bound to make a mistake. Listen: I have no idea where we arranged to meet them. I suppose they could conceivably be waiting at the hotel. conceivably means posiblemente - they could conceivably be waiting at the hotel - it's possible that they are waiting at the hotel. Repeat: conceivably - You could conceivably be wrong, you know. I may conceivably get the promotion. Listen: We’re highly likely to be the leaders in our field this time next year. Highly likely means there's a very good chance. Repeat: It's highly likely. It's highly likely we'll go away for Christmas. It's highly likely he'll be late again. Listen: You’re looking really tired! You can’t have had a very relaxing holiday. Can't is the opposite of must for possibility. It's Sunday. My parents always go out for lunch on Sunday. My wife phones my parents and there's no answer. I say, "They must be having lunch now." They must be having lunch now means I'm about 95% sure they are having lunch. I'm almost positive. The opposite is they can't be. My parents can't be at home. It's Sunday. They always go out. They can't be at home. To put the modal verbs in the past you need to use have. Today is Monday. phone my mum and say, "you must have been having lunch when my wife phoned you." You can't have been at home. Listen: There’s a slight possibility that you’ll get their answer before the weekend. A slight possibility is a very small possibility. Repeat: a slight possibility. There's a slight possibility. There's a slight possibility you'll hear from them. There's a slight possibility they'll get in touch before the weekend. Listen: Pepito broke his leg last week so he couldn’t have played football at the weekend. - Another example of have putting a modal verb (couldn't) in the past. He couldn't have played. It wasn't possible that he played because he had broken his leg. Repeat: He couldn't have played - She couldn't have gone - We couldn't have known - You couldn't have seen me, I wasn't there. In the advanced section this month, we also looked at what you should say in certain situations. Some of these little language chunks (trozos de lenguaje) can be difficult. For example, someone says to you: "I'm terribly sorry, I've just spilt red wine over this white cushion." cushion is cojín. A possible answer, if it's your cushion, is "Can't be helped." or "It can't be helped", It's no one's fault, don't worry about it, it's ok. Nothing can be done to help the situation. Repeat: Can't be helped. - Someone says. "We're going to be late because of the heavy traffic", and you say....can't be helped. "Someone's says, "The shop's going to be closed by the time we get there." you say, "Can't be helped." Another example is when someone says "How about lending me your new video camera for our holiday?" If it's a brand new, expensive camera. And if, like me, you are very protective and illogically possessive of your technology gadgets, you could answer, "No way!" (¡Ni hablar!) Can I borrow your new car for the weekend? You say, "No way!". Someone says, "Can you lend me a couple of thousand euros to go to the casino?" you say, "No way!" Someone says, "Sorry. I hope you didn't mind us putting on the stereo. We didn't know you were trying to work in here." You say: Don't mind me! (No haces caso de mi) Repeat: Don't mind me! Someone says, "Do you mind if I use that computer?" you say. "Don't mind me. Help yourself. Don't mind me." Someone makes a suggestion, like let's go out for dinner, let's rent a DVD, Why don't we go shopping this afternoon? We could go for a walk. You say, Might as well. (¿porque no?, no hay otra cosa que hacer) Repeat: might as well. - Shall we go out for a walk? - might as well. Do you want to go to the pub? might as well. Let's go to the cinema - might as well. If you don't apologise, I'll never talk to you again. I couldn't care less. (¡Me da igual!, ¡Me da lo mismo!) Repeat: I couldn't care less. You can also forget the I and just say "Couldn't care less" Are you watching this? Can I change the channel? - Couldn't care less. You're going to be late for school - couldn't care less. You can't go outside in that shirt, it's dirty. - I couldn't care less. Listen: I think you should have a word with your boss and tell her how unhappy you are with the decisions she's been making. I've got a good mind to. (No es mala idea, Creo que haría eso) Repeat. I've got a good mind to. You should report your neighbours to the police. - I've got a good mind to. Why don't you complain to you boss about your long hours? Do you know what? I've a good mind to! - Repeat: I've a good mind to. In the Business English section this month we looked at some more business English vocabulary, and the first expression was to review a proposal - revisar una propuesta - Repeat: to review a proposal. I think we should review their proposal. Have you had time to review our proposal? I think you should have a word with Pepito, he's not pulling his weight. No está haciendo lo que debe hacer. No está haciendo su parte. Repeat: pulling his weight. Are you pulling your weight? He's not pulling his weight, you know. To pull your weight means to work as hard as other people in a group - The rest of the team complained that Sarah wasn't pulling her weight. A fixed amount of money charged for professional services is called a fee. F-E-E. Repeat: What is your fee? How much is your lawyer's fee? I think lawyer's fees are too high. Is there a fee for getting a driver's license? Listen : We've reviewed your proposal, and there are one or two things we'd like to go over with you. To go over means to talk about (analizar, revisar). Repeat; to go over - We should go over these sales figures. Have you gone over the proposal? When do you want to go over the presentation? After receiving a pay cut and having to work more hours, the employees took the union's advice and went on strike. to go on strike hacer una huelga. Repeat: They've gone on strike. Why are they on strike' They're on strike for more pay. Are they on strike again? How long have they been on strike for? Well, we're not on strike at La Mansión del Inglés. We're busy creating more material to help you improve your English. But we have reached the end of this podcast, but never fear/don't worry (never fear=no temas/no tengas miedo) we'll be back with you next month as usual with another podcast based on our monthly newsletter, our cuaderno de inglés mensual. Remember, you can listen to all our previous podcasts at mansioningles.com and of course on iTunes. And we have a new podcast called Aprender inglés con Reza y Craig en lo que hablo con mi amigo Reza, que también es profesor de inglés, sobre el vocabulario, la gramática y la pronunciación de inglés. Puedes encontrarlo también en iTunes. Si te gustan nuestros podcasts, puedes ayudarnos con una corta reseña en iTunes contribuyendo así a que más personas puedan conocernos y escucharnos. Gracias a todos los que ya han escrito algún comentario. Thank you to all of you who are writing reviews. Thank you very much for listening to this podcast, and for being part of the community of La Mansión del Inglés. Remember, If you want to contact us you can find us on Facebook. Just search Facebook for La Mansión del Inglés where you can ask questions, make comments and do exercises and practise your listening. Or you can send me an email to: mansionteachers@yahoo.es. You can also follow us on Twitter where we tweet useful links to improve your English, English slang vocabulary, quotations and much more. Our Twitter name is MansionTwit. Puedes ver el cuaderno mensual de este mes, y todos los cuadernos anteriores en www.cuadernodeingles.com/ Until next month then, keep practising and taking your English to the next level! Take care and bye for now! The music in this month’s podcast is by Revolution Void, the album is The Politics of Desire and the track is called Outer Orbit.

Las Notas del Episodio Gramática: El 'past simple' y el 'present perfect' juntos I've been to Bilbao (present perfect) - Cuando hablas de tu vida hasta ahora. When did you go? (past simple) - Para hablar de las cosas en el pasado. Have you been to Cuba? (present perfect) When did you go? - I went 6 or 7 years ago (past simple) La expresión del tiempo 'AGO' se emplea con el past simple. Have you eaten anything today? (today hasn't finished yet) When did you eat it (a specific time in the past) Job interviews: Have you ever worked for a multi-national company? (present perfect) When did you work there? (past simple) How long have you been living in Valencia? (present perfect continuous) I came here 17 years ago (past simple) I came in 1997. Estudiar sobre el Pasado (pretérito) en inglés aquí: http://www.mansioningles.com/gram40.htm Pronunciación: los consonantes juntos (consonant clusters) - crisps (papas, chips) / structure (edificio) / stretch (estirar, estirarse) - stretcher (camilla) / hitch hiker / crunch, crunchy (crujiente) scrimp and save (When I'm 64....) Every summer we can rent a cottage In the Isle of Wight, if it's not too dear (expensive) We shall scrimp and save Grandchildren on your knee Vera, Chuck, and Dave Leer las letras the lyrics) a este canción de los Beatles en YouTube aquí: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldIfhc1pJpk Phrasal verb: PUT OFF - to postpone (posponer) Reza has put off re-wiring his flat. Craig has been putting off going to the optician. Flu = gripe / Las Fallas festival in Valencia puts Reza off (distraer) Music PUTS Craig OFF when he's trying to work. / Reza's experience with the girl in the cafe has PUT him OFF meeting women. The cockroach in the bar PUT Craig OFF eating in the restaurant. Vocab Corner: COME - to come as a surprise. It came as a surprise to Craig to see we had nearly 2,000 downloads (descargas) of the podcast this month. It came as no surprise that the podcast is a success. / to come as a relief (didn't have to pay for dinner in that expensive restaurant) - to come as a relief - Come as a GREAT/TERRIBLE/DREADFUL shock (susto) - It came as a BIG/GREAT/COMPLETE surprise Come to power A Prime Minister comes to power / come to a decision - Craig has come to the decision to go to Disneyland. "Come off it!" ¡Venga ya!- Estas tomando el pelo - You're pulling my leg. Reza's Top Tips: Label (poner etiquetas) Pictures and photos. Also use Post-it notes to label things around the house and the office. The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called See You Later - licensed by creative commons under a by-nc license at ccmixter.org. Si quieres mandarnos un comentario sobre este podcast o una pregunta sobre la gramática, la pronunciación or el vocabulario de inglés, Mandenos un email a mansionteachers@yahoo.es.