English, like many languages, uses a lot of idioms referring to animals. Let's continue from Part I and take a look today at some more English animal expressions.
We're dying like flies down here!
Caption 16, Stephen King: The Stand
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The more common phrase is "dropping like flies," and probably comes from people having seen many dead flies on window sills, which gave the impression that they die in large numbers. The phrase usually means that many people have gotten sick or are dying.
We'd get together and horse around a little bit and sing.
Caption 5, Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock
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The phrase "to horse around" probably comes from seeing horses play, and means "to fool around." Another common related phrase with a similar meaning is "to indulge in horseplay."
Everything is fast paced in a rat race.
Caption 10, Core Kiteboarding: The Core Diaries
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The term "rat race" probably comes from seeing rats run a long way to try to get a small piece of food. Wikipedia describes "rat race" as "an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit." In American English, "getting out of the rat race" means to quit a stressful job and pursue a less hectic means of employment.
I wouldn't say it was a wild goose chase...
Caption 41, Karate Kids, USA: The Little Dragons
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A "wild goose chase" is a fool's errand, or an attempt to pursue something that is hopeless. It probably comes from wild geese being difficult to catch.
The King James Bible is the book that taught us that "a leopard can't change its spots," that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," that "a wolf in sheep's clothing" is harder to spot than you would imagine, and how annoying it is to have "a fly in your ointment."
Captions 18-21, The History of English: The King James Bible
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This caption addresses four common animal sayings. "A leopard can't change its spots" means that it's impossible or very difficult for a person to change their character. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" means that you shouldn't risk what you have if you might lose it seeking additional gain. It can also mean you should be satisfied with what you have. "A wolf in sheep's clothing" suggests somebody who is pretending to be a friend, but is in fact an enemy. Lastly, "the fly in the ointment" means that something unexpected has caused something to go wrong. It's also a warning that something may seem too good to be true.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and study the captions in the videos above to get a better idea of the contexts in which they have been used. You can also go to this site and see some other English phrases that use animals.
To get funciona como auxiliar cuando va seguido del participio pasado de otro verbo, y sustituye a to be en el lenguaje informal para formar la voz pasiva.
Es empleado con frecuencia cuando refiere algo negativo, y se le llama get-passive, que funciona casi exactamente igual que el be-passive. Este uso es bastante recurrente y se ha convertido en un rasgo distintivo del inglés moderno.
Un par de ejemplos:
Got paid
Before this was a job, before I got paid
Antes de que esto fuera un trabajo, antes de que me pagaran Subtítulo 26, B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams Airplanes
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Get started
And, uh, let's go ahead and get started.
Y, eh, sigamos adelante y empecemos.
Subtítulo 26, Aspyn Ovard What To Pack for Vacation! Tips + Essentials!
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To get funciona también como auxiliar cuando se le combina con un adjetivo, este es un uso que ya mencionamos, se puede usar en el sentido de llegar a ser, estar. El verbo llegar algunas veces se puede sustituir por el verbo to become.
Get angry
But I get angry baby, believe me
Pero me enojo nene, créeme
Subtítulo 4, Julia Michaels Issues
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Get married
Yeah. -But I never thought that we would get married.
Sí. -Pero nunca pensé que nos casaríamos.
Subtítulo 63, Parks and Recreation April and Andy - Part 1
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Para muchos estudiantes de inglés probablemente no haya otro verbo que cause tanta confusión como el polifacético to get. Tiene solo tres letras y una pronunciación muy sencilla, pero esconden mil usos diferentes que confunden incluso a los nativos.
Esperamos haberte ayudado a identificar sus principales posibilidades.
Aprendizaje adicional
Escuchar atentamente una canción o a un hablante nativo en cualquier video de Yabla revela el uso de get de las más diversas maneras. Además, puedes abrir cualquier diccionario y divertirte viendo sus innumerables acepciones
English, like many languages, uses a lot of idioms referring to animals. You may have heard the English expression "as hungry as a horse" (very hungry) or "monkey see, monkey do" (when somebody copies somebody else). What these expressions have in common in all languages is that they refer to some quality that is associated with a specific animal in that culture: Horses eat a lot of food and monkeys can be mimics—always compared to humans, of course. Let's take a look today at some English animal expressions.
All of the sudden, one of the orcas made a beeline in this direction.
Caption 2, National Geographic: WILD Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark
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Similar to the English expression "as the crow flies"—meaning the fastest way between two points is a straight line—the phrase "to make a beeline" means "to go quickly" or "to go directly." Speaking of bees:
Leave me the birds and the bees.
Caption 21, Counting Crows with Vanessa Carlton: Big Yellow Taxi
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The phrase "to know about the birds and the bees" means "to have received education about sex," but it is often used as a general metaphor for sex. And now we're on to birds:
I killed two birds with one stone!
Caption 36, English: Common Phrases
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This expression fortunately has nothing to do with actually killing any poor birds, but means "to get two (or more) things done at once." There's also another somewhat similar idiom, "better a bird in the hand than two in the bush." This means it is better to actually have something real than risk losing it by trying to get something better. Speaking of birds again:
Well if he wants to play chicken, this rooster ain't backing down.
Caption 15, How I Met Your Mother: The Perfect Cocktail
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The phrase "to play chicken" means to play a dangerous game to see who is bravest. A famous movie used this as part of its plot: In the film Rebel without a Cause, the actors James Dean and Corey Allen "play chicken" by racing cars towards the edge of a cliff to see who will dare to stay in the car the longest before jumping out. Spoiler alert: it doesn't end well!
At that moment, the witch realized that there was something fishy, and started yelling at her.
Captions 45-46, Fairy Tales: Rapunzel
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The usual expression is "something fishy is going on," and it means that something about a person or a situation is suspicious or not as it appears. It probably comes from the fact that even though a fish at the market may look fine, it smells bad if it is no longer fresh.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and study the captions in the videos above to get a better idea of the contexts in which they have been used. You can also go to this site and see some other English phrases that use animals.
Los phrasal verbs son unas herramientas estupendas para aumentar la fluidez en inglés. Los hablantes nativos las utilizan todo el tiempo para expresarse de maneras diferentes. Puedes aprenderlas igual que el vocabulario. Un phrasal verb combina un verbo normal con un adverbio o una preposición para crear otro verbo con significado completamente nuevo.
Al estudiar los phrasal verbs, es necesario entender primero que han de ser abordadas en conjunto y no por sus partes constituyentes. La preposición o adverbio presente en el phrasal verbal no tiene traducción literal en solitario.
Veamos solo tres ejemplos de get como phrasal verb.
Get on without my guy
Prosigo sin mi chico
Subtítulo 6, Amy Winehouse Back To Black
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En este ejemplo, el verbo get no tiene el significado de recibir ni de agarrar, pues ahora está enlazado con la preposición on que tiene el significado de "en", "sobre", etc. Por lo tanto, es importante observar el contexto en el que se inserta la frase verbal para realizar la traducción más adecuada pues get on también puede tener varios significados. Del ejemplo se puede entender que la cantante sigue hacia adelante con su chico.
But I need to get it down on paper
Pero yo necesito ponerlo por escrito
Subtítulo 98, Eliza Doolittle EPK
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En este ejemplo, el verbo get está acompañado de la preposición down que significa abajo. Una vez más, el contexto aquí es determinante. Get down on your paper significa escribir o imprimir algo físicamente en papel. Es una frase muy coloquial, lo cual es una característica relevante de los phrasal verbs.
perhaps I wanted to get away from this place more than anyone.
quizás yo quería alejarme de este lugar más que nadie.
Subtítulo 59, Between Two Women The Movie - Part 8
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Se usa get away para decir que te vas de un lugar o evento. Puedes también alertar a la gente de que se aleje de algo o de alguien. También puedes utilizar esta frase verbal para hablar de tomar unas vacaciones o un día de fiesta. Tal vez puedas decirle a la gente que te vas a alejar por un tiempo cuando planeas hacer un viaje.
El verbo to get tiene muchísimas aplicaciones, y de seguro será uno de tus aliados más cercanos cada vez que te toque expresarte en inglés.
Aprendizaje adicional
Get on, get down y get away son solo tres de las decenas de phrasal verbs que contienen al verbo to get. Hemos tomado solo una acepción de las posibles para cada uno de ellos. Entonces, te sugerimos consultar el diccionario gratuito de Yabla para que te enteres de los múltiples significados de estos tres phrasal verbs y además los escuches con diversos acentos en fragmentos de videos auténticos de la biblioteca de Yabla.
Yabla published a Happy Valentine's Day lesson some years ago, but we've added a lot of new videos since back then that discuss the holiday, so here is Part II of the series! You may have heard about Valentine's Day, but you may not know that much about it if it wasn't celebrated where you grew up. In primarily English-speaking countries, Valentine's Day is often celebrated by giving your loved one a valentine's card, flowers, or chocolates. In the United States and the United Kingdom, it takes place on February 14th every year, but is not an official public holiday.
I hope people will be around to watch even though it's Valentine's Day.
Caption 14, Dr. Sheldon Cooper: Fun with Flags
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We too hope that you will read this lesson, even though today is Valentine's Day. (Sorry if you are late in reading this!)
Every woman wants a date on Valentine's Day.
Caption 17, How I Met Your Mother: Desperation Day
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That is simply not true: some people prefer to be alone. And besides, just as many men want dates too. The above video is actually a comedy, and it's against Valentine's Day, preferring to call it "Desperation Day." Anyway, it's okay to feel any way you want to about it!
And today is Valentine's Day here. -Today is Valentine's Day. That is true. Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.
Captions 41-42, Luana and Austin: How They Got Married
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Indeed, happy Valentine's Day to you, too. Celebrate it any way you like or not at all. That's the great thing about this holiday, it's strictly optional. Unless, of course, you're in a relationship, and then it's best if both of you agree!
And what's your plan for Saint Valentine's Day?
Caption 1, NorthEasternTV: What Are Northeastern Students Doing for Valentine's Day?
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Yes, that can be a troubling question if you are single and worrying about it. Best not to worry about things though, just have a good time with some similarly single friends or just ignore the holiday altogether! Note that sometimes, as above, the holiday has the saint's name included in it, which you occasionally see. If you choose to be critical of Valentine's Day, it's reassuring to know that there were three Saint Valentines, and nobody is even really sure which saint the holiday was named for!
Note that "Valentine" is written with the first letter capitalized when it's a proper noun, such as "Valentine's Day," a person's name like "St. Valentine," or a band name like "My Bloody Valentine." But when you write about the type of card known as "a valentine" or ask somebody to "be your valentine," then it's always written lowercase.
Further Learning
If you're a bit skeptical about the holiday, watch the How I Met Your Mother episode on Yabla English. But if you're feeling more supportive, watch the Valentine's Day movie trailer. Either way, we at Yabla wish you all a happy Valentine's Day!
El verbo get funciona como verbo principal. Es un verbo irregular, lo que quiere decir que presenta diferentes formas al conjugarse: presente get, pasado got y participio gotten.
Pertenece a la lista de los diez verbos más usados en el inglés: be (ser o estar), have (tener) , do (hacer), say (decir), make (hacer), go (ir), know (saber), take (tomar), see (ver).
En particular, en el inglés estadounidense, se utiliza más a menudo have para decir “tener”, mientras que en el inglés británico se utiliza más a menudo la forma have got.
Have you got time for a cup of tea, Grandpa Pig?
¿Tienes tiempo para una taza de té, Abuelo cerdo ?
Subtítulo 11, Peppa Pig Easter Week
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El significado de get es muy variado:
-Entender (un mensaje, un texto): I get what you mean (Entiendo lo que quieres decir),
And to get a better understanding about Covid-19
Y para entender mejor el Covid-19
Subtítulo 33, ABC News President Trump and First Lady Test Positive for COVID-19
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-Recibir (un objeto, un email): You will get a box from us. (Recibirás una caja de nosotros)
-Agarrar, recoger (una persona, un objeto, un taxi): They will get you at the airport. (Te recogerán en el aeropuerto)
You're a lifesaver, Mick! I'll go and get her.
¡Eres un salvavidas, Mick! Iré a traerla.
Subtítulo 7, A Mickey Mouse Cartoon Goofy's Grandma
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Otras posibles traducciones al español son las siguientes:
-Golpear, alcanzar: The ball got me in the face (La pelota me golpeó/alcanzó en la cara)
-Llegar a un sitio: We got to Madrid in the afternoon. (Llegamos a Madrid en la tarde)
-Comprar: She gets a new dress (Ella compra un nuevo vestido)
-Contraer (enfermedad): They got the flu (contrajeron la gripe)
-Cambio de un estado: (contextura, temperatura): It's getting cold (se está poniendo frío)
-Ganar (un regalo en un sorteo, o en el sentido de “ganar más dinero” o también “ganar peso)): Workers should get more (Los trabajadores deberían ganar más)
-Molestar: Doing the homeworks on weekends gets to him (Hacer las tareas en el fin de semana lo molesta)
This can make all the difference for communities who get a significant proportion of their total calories from wild honey
Esto puede marcar la diferencia para las comunidades que obtienen una proporción significativa de sus calorías totales de la miel silvestre
Subtítulos 37-38, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council How honeyguide birds talk to people
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Aprendizaje adicional.
Es muy importante recordar la conjugación del verbo get, según la persona que habla, cuántas personas hablan y el tiempo en el que se habla (hoy, ayer, mañana). Presta atención sobre estos cambios del verbo get en los próximos videos que disfrutes en Yabla.
Happy New Year! A New Year's resolution is a tradition that, according to Wikipedia, is common in the Western World. People make promises to themselves to "continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their life at the start of a new year."
It's the first day of 2019. -We should do New Year's resolutions.
Caption 2, New Year's Resolutions: Lele Pons & Hannah Stocking
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Often friends and family will discuss their resolutions for the upcoming year.
My New Year's resolution is to just keep going at the gym.Caption 7, Ashley Tisdale: Happy New Year!
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This resolution will probably be easier to keep, since she has been going to the gym already and it´s just a matter of continuing to go.
Every day, I am gonna do one thing I have never done before. That, my friends, is my New Year's resolution.
Captions 9-11, New Year's Resolutions: Friends
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This, on the other hand, might prove difficult. It may be hard to even think up practical things that you've never done before. Even more likely, you'll just forget your resolution because of regular routines!
All right, my New Year's resolution is to learn how to play guitar.
Caption 29, New Year's Resolutions: Friends
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This too may prove to be difficult, since learning to play a musical instrument requires a lot of time and patience.
I don't really make any New Year's resolutions anymore because I learned early on that when I did, I never really followed through with the resolution.
Captions 2-4, Ashley Tisdale: Happy New Year!
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According to statistics, most people fail in their resolutions. Apparently, you are more likely to achieve your goal if you take smaller steps towards achieving it, rather than trying to make a large change in one go.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the "New Year's Resolutions" episode of Friends, it's pretty funny! And if you have made a New Year's resolution (or plan to), be sure you try to accomplish it in small steps rather than all at once— you'll be more likely to attain your goal. Best wishes in the new year from all of us at Yabla!
Como se lee en el título, el verbo get es una palabra con la que puedes decir lo que quieres en inglés; es un vehículo útil para expresar lo que gustes, muchas veces incluso, de manera más sintética que con otros verbos. Get es uno de los diez verbos más usados en la lengua inglesa con sus decenas de formas y significados, ya sea como verbo simple, como verbo compuesto o como auxiliar. Cada una de estas facetas del verbo get, será detallada por separado en lecciones posteriores.
A modo de introducción, demos un vistazo general.
-En principio, get funciona como un verbo usual. En el habla cotidiana del Reino Unido se le presenta junto al verbo to have pero en forma pasada got
I have got two sisters (Tengo dos hermanas)
-Generalmente, se usa en el sentido de obtener, recibir, experimentar algo físico, un fenómeno corporal (hambre, frío, fiebre, etc)
Get a spoon to add the mashed bananas to the mixture,
Coge una cuchara para añadir el puré de plátanos a la mezcla,
Subtítulo 5, Michele from Down Under Banana Bread - Part 2
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I get the fever when I hear that song
Me da fiebre cuando escucho esa canción
Subtíulo 10, Alexandra Stan & INNA feat. Daddy Yankee We Wanna
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-Otro uso muy común de get es el relacionado con el significado de comprender:
It's my body. Get it? Not me.
Es mi cuerpo. ¿Lo entiendes? No yo.
Caption 14, Prince Ea I Am NOT Black, You are NOT White
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-Puede significar también llegar a un sitio, alcanzar un sitio:
Now, get home, dog. Get on home. Go on!
Ahora, ve a casa, perro. Ve a casa. ¡Anda!
Subtítulo 5, Karate Kids, USA The Little Dragons - Part 10
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-Cuando se emplea junto a un adjetivo adquiere como significado volverse, llegar a ser, ponerse.
Ooh, this could get messy
Oh, esto puede ponerse complicado
Subtítulo 17, Alanis Morissette Hands Clean
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Del mismo modo, get es un multi-words verb (verbo de varias palabras), eso quiere decir que se mezcla con preposiciones, adjetivos y adverbios dando origen a verbos compuestos, por ejemplo: get off, get ready, get started. Los verbos compuestos suelen confundirse con las llamadas colocaciones, las cuales equivalen más a expresiones cotidianas que juntan a un verbo y a otra palabra, es decir, son frases funcionales como por ejemplo, make an effort (hacer un esfuerzo), be right (tener razón), set the table (poner la mesa) y tantas otras. Pero la combinación del verbo get con otra palabra genera un verbo de dos componentes con otro significado. Un ejemplo más común: si a get le agregamos el adverbio up (arriba) obtenemos el verbo levantarse.
it would be far easier just to get up, walk outside of your house,
Sería mucho más fácil levantarse y salir de la casa,
Subtítulo 16, BBC Comedy Greats Michael McIntyre on Google Earth
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Por último, una característica idiomática de get es que también puede funcionar de manera semejante a un verbo auxiliar. Con get se forman oraciones en voz pasiva, formuladas frecuentemente con el modo imperativo. Para traducirlo al español se pueden emplear los verbos ser, estar, tener y volverse.
So don't get discouraged, OK?
Así que no te desanimes, ¿de acuerdo?
Subtítulo 52, Austin Reed Guitar tutorial
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Aprendizaje adicional
Get es un verbo de uso frecuente, así que abundan sus ejemplos en la biblioteca de videos de Yabla inglés. De ahora en adelante, presta atención a los diferentes contextos y situaciones en los que se utiliza el verbo todoterreno get.
A few lessons ago, we discussed the names of classical music instruments in English. Let's take a look today at the English names of some of the most common musical instruments used in pop music.
We already discussed the piano in the classical instruments lesson, but there are also a number of other kinds of keyboard instruments that are used in pop music. As a general term, they are simply called keyboards. A person who plays keyboards is a keyboardist.
I spoke with Andrew, who plays keyboards in INXS.
Caption 26, INXS: Pat Monahan about recording Beautiful Girl
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The Hammond organ is a popular vintage organ that is still much-loved in pop and jazz music. Other popular electronic organs from the 1960s, which were produced cheaply by companies such as Farfisa in Italy and Vox in the UK, are often referred to as electronic organs.
Scott Ellaway, who is now a successful conductor, loves to come here and play the organ.
Captions 19-20, Euromaxx city: A Visit to Oxford, England
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Another popular keyboard instrument that began to be widely used in the 1970s is the synthesizer. It's often referred to casually as a synth.
Because the synth especially really grounds it into a modern sound.
Captions 54-55, Making Tracks: Stu Cullen and Samuel Blair's Musical Journey
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Probably the most important instrument in rock music, especially in heavy metal and punk rock music, is the electric guitar. Generally, a person who plays guitar is called a guitar player or a guitarist. In some bands, there is a rhythm guitarist, who mainly just plays chords, and a lead guitarist, who usually plays the guitar solos.
In the film, we see Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May.
Caption 29, Bohemian Rhapsody: Six Facts about the True Story
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On the bottom end of the harmonic spectrum, we find the bass guitar or electric bass, and the acoustic upright bass, also called a contrabass. A person who plays bass is called a bass player or a bassist.
My main instrument is bass guitar.
Caption 11, Bee and Flower; Interview
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Let's look now at the beat, an important element in most forms of pop music, with the drums at the forefront. A person who plays the drums is a drummer or a percussionist.
My dad's an incredible percussionist.
Caption 10, Bruno Mars: Electronic Press Kit
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I bet Garth Brooks would take you as a drummer next time he tours.
Caption 68, Ask Jimmy Carter; Interview with Phil Collins
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Of course, brass instruments have always played a role in pop music, but the most common horn in pop music is probably the saxophone. A person who plays the saxophone is a saxophone player or saxophonist. The trumpet is also a popular horn instrument, and it's played by a trumpet player.
Trumpets were all screaming, saxophones were blaring.
Captions 17-18, The Rolling Stones: Living In A Ghost Town
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Let's not neglect a major aspect of pop music that makes it possible to play so loudly: the amplifier. There are amplifiers made especially for specific instruments, such as a guitar amplifier, a bass amplifier, and a keyboard amplifier. Vocals, horns, and other acoustic instruments are usually amplified through a microphone, or just "mic" (pronounce like the name "Mike") for short. All of these instruments are usually amplified on larger stages through a PA system. This term is an abbreviation of "public address system," as they were originally developed for speaking to large crowds.
Try turning a quarter of an inch closer to the microphone, please.
Caption 5, Ask Jimmy Carter: Interview with Angelina Jolie
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above relating to musical instruments. You can also search for the names of the instruments and find other videos. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in English using these musical instrument words, then compare what you both came up with.
La navidad de los Estados Unidos, sus símbolos y sus productos ya forman parte de la cultura global. En muchos países la navidad made in America convive con las tradiciones locales. La Navidad al estilo estadounidense suele ser el mayor producto económico para muchos países del mundo, ya que las ventas aumentan drásticamente en casi todos los sectores durante ese período.
Con todo, la Navidad en Estados Unidos es al mismo tiempo una celebración que reúne a las familias y a los amigos en torno a los buenos deseos, la esperanza y la prosperidad.
Christmas is a major holiday in the US and in other places, too.
Navidad es una festividad importante en los Estados Unidos y en otros lugares también.
Subtítulo 3, Holidays and Seasons with Sigrid Sights and Scents at Christmastime
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Al otro lado del mar, Inglaterra también tiene un espíritu navideño que comienza en noviembre, cuando se encienden los primeros adornos en las ciudades y los niños escriben sus cartas a Papá Noel, también llamado Father Christmas en Inglaterra. Los adultos, en cambio, tienen la tradición de escribir tarjetas de Navidad para enviarlas a la familia y los amigos. A los estadounidenses les gusta pasar la Nochebuena con sus familias, mientras que los británicos van a los pubs (bares) a beber y a compartir con los amigos.
Hello, and what are you going to do on Christmas Day? We're gonna have a big log fire going
Hola, ¿y qué vas a hacer en Navidad? Vamos a tener una gran fogata
Subtítulos 23-24, Christmas in London People
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On the twelfth day after Christmas, we have to take down all the decorations and the tree, or else it's bad luck for the New Year.
En el doceavo día después de la Navidad, tenemos que quitar todas las decoraciones del árbol, si no es mala suerte para el Año Nuevo.
Subtítulos 47-48, Christmas Traditions in the UK
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Mientras que en Europa es habitual celebrar la Nochebuena, en Australia está más aceptado reunirse el día de Navidad (25 de diciembre). Todas las tradiciones navideñas, todos los mitos y leyendas de la Navidad y todos los recuerdos navideños se construyen en torno al frío, pero Diciembre en Australia es verano así que hablamos de una Navidad calurosa.
La Navidad se ha convertido en una fiesta internacional asociada con la renovación de propósitos de vida; días para compartir con la familia y los amigos.
Merry Christmas!
¡Feliz Navidad!
Subtítulo 5, Dare Jessie J Christmas Special
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Aprendizaje adicional
Inventa algunas frases sobre cosas que deseas a partir frases como "I wish you...." o “we wish you”.... Busca más ejemplos de uso en Yabla Inglés para conocer mejor los diferentes contextos en los que se utiliza la frase.
In last month's October edition of the Yabla English Lesson, we discussed the Performing Arts, one of which is music. Let's take a look today at the English names of some of the most common musical instruments used in classical music.
The piano is one of the main instruments in western musical traditions, and many musicians who specialize in other instruments and singing are often required to learn some basic piano skills. This is because of the piano's large range, from deep bass to high treble, which allows it to cover all of the ranges used by orchestral instruments. The piano is also important for musical composition, and many works for orchestra have been composed using the piano. A person who plays the piano is called a pianist or a piano player.
Well, when I write songs, I sometimes will write it on a piano.
Caption 27, Bee and Flower: Interview
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Warren Beatty's a good pianist.
Caption 71, Chevy Chase: talks about his acting life
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The violin also has another common name in English: the fiddle. This term is usually more casual and used especially in country, folk, and bluegrass music. A person who plays the violin is called a violinist or a fiddler.
Good. Did you mind if I play the violin? -No, go right ahead.
Caption 10, Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Cunningham Heritage
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So, I picked up an instrument that was called the fiddle.
Caption 17, Sigrid: An American in Italy
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Of the remaining bowed string instruments, the viola is played by a viola player. The cello, actually short for "violoncello," is played by a cellist. The double bass—also called the upright bass or acoustic bass—is the deepest of the string instruments. It's played by a bassist, or double bass player, upright bass player, etc.
I'm Jasmine Beams. I'm from Milwaukee and I play viola.
Caption 9, Making Tracks: Dewayne Everettsmith & Jasmine Beams musical journey
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I grew up playing the cello.
Caption 10, Justin James: Booking Submission Video
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And did you take bass lessons when you were young?
Caption 12, Bee and Flower: Interview
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The highest of the woodwind reed instruments are the clarinet and the oboe. The clarinet is played by a clarinetist and the oboe by an oboist, although "clarinet player" and "oboe player" are fine too. The deepest is the bassoon, played by a bassoonist, or bassoon player.
I play the clarinet. -I play the bassoon.
Caption 8, Making Tracks: A musical journey inspired by Australia
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I played the oboe in middle school band.
Caption 85, Jennifer Lawrence & Chris Pratt: Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions
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There are also several non-reed woodwind instruments such as the flute and the recorder. A flute player is called a flutist (or flautist), and a recorder player is called just that.
When I was a girl, I studied flute like many girls,
Caption 36, Sigrid: An American in Italy
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And so I started playing recorder.
Caption 44, Sigrid: An American in Italy
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Of the brass instruments, the most commonly used are the trumpet and the French horn. The players of these instruments are a trumpeter (or trumpet player) and a French horn player. In the lower registers there's also the tuba, played by a tuba player.
Oh, yes, yes, practice trumpet every day.
Caption 23, They Might Be Giants: The Seven Days Of The Week
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Lastly, the main percussion instruments used are the marimba, the snare drum, and the timpani. The person in the orchestra playing these instruments is called a percussionist.
We know where the certain snare-hits are.
Caption 27, OK Go - Needing/Getting: Behind The Scenes
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above relating to musical instruments. You can also search for the names of the instruments and find other videos. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in English using these musical instrument words, then compare what you both came up with. In next month's lesson, we'll talk about the different kinds of musical instruments used in pop music!
En una famosa charla TED del 2013 el lingüista John McWhorter explica que, a pesar de las críticas, los mensajes de texto y sus derivados no son plagas modernas contra el lenguaje.
Según McWhorter, escribir mensajes de texto ha llegado a convertirse en lo que él llama fingered speech (habla con los dedos). Por tanto, al igual que no nos preocupamos por las mayúsculas y la puntuación cuando hablamos en persona, los mensajes de texto también son una forma de lenguaje hablado con una composición muy informal, con sus propias reglas, estructura y vocabulario.
Entonces, además del inmenso número de acrónimos, de las abreviaturas y de los emojis, los verbos en inglés ocupan un lugar importante en la jerga de las redes sociales. Basta pensar que se utilizan a diario al menos 10 palabras inglesas adaptadas a cada idioma: googlear es el equivalente del verbo to google y lo mismo sucede con tag, link, post, chat, tweet, whatsapp, screenshot, instagram, entre otras.
So I start googling it, and I'm like, "Honey, this looks like a bungee jump."
Entonces comienzo a buscarlo en Google, y digo como: "Cariño, esto se parece a un salto de benji".
Subtítulos 20-21, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Kaley Cuoco Felt Like a Bachelor Contestant
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What's the one habit you wish he'd give up? Let's see. -McDonald's. -The tweeting.
¿Cuál es el hábito que deseas que él dejara? Veamos. -McDonald's. -El tuiteo.
Subtítulos 40-41, Michelle Obama and Melania Trump Talk Raising Children In White House
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Al mismo tiempo, conviene un término clave en las redes sociales: el hashtag. Un hashtag es una palabra clave o una frase utilizada para describir un tema o un tópico, que va inmediatamente precedida por el signo numeral (#). Los hashtags pueden ayudarte a encontrar temas de interés. Por ejemplo, "Yabla" podría ser el hashtag #Yabla, y también #Yablaingles. Uno es un nombre, un concepto, y el otro es una búsqueda más específica a partir de aquel.
the three Ps, right? Easy. [only flush Pee, Paper, and Poo. hashtag three Ps]
Las tres Ps, ¿correcto? Fácil. [Solo descarga pipí, papel y popó. Numeral tres Ps]
Subtítulo 19, TEDxBristol Why Plastic Pollution is Personal | Natalie Fee - Part 4
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Las redes sociales desempeñan un papel indispensable en el fomento del aprendizaje de una segunda lengua al proporcionar una amplia gama de materiales auténticos, tal como lo son los videos de la biblioteca de Yabla. Los idiomas son fenómenos humanos, y como tales, dinámicos, cambiantes y contextuales. Como el mismo McWhorter ha escrito: “...todas las lenguas están y han estado siempre en un estado de transformación continua, todo lo que vemos en una lengua hoy es el resultado del cambio".
Facebook and Twitter are social media.
Facebook y Twitter son redes sociales.
Subtítulo 52, The Alphabet the Letter C
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Aprendizaje adicional.
Ve a Yabla inglés y mira los vídeos anteriores relacionados con las redes sociales que actualmente están de moda. Of course! Para mantenerte al día sobre nuestras novedades y ventajas, Yabla también está en las redes sociales. Búscanos en Twitter y en Instagram: haz click aquí Instagram Yabla inglés
Last month we started learning about different kinds of Visual Art: architecture, ceramics, conceptual art, drawing, painting, and sculpture. Let's continue today with the Literary Arts and the Performing Arts.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines literature as "writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest." This does not usually include news journalism or technical writing, but usually includes poetry, drama, and fiction and non-fiction prose. A person who creates literature is usually called an author, a dramatist or playwright, a poet, or simply a writer.
By the year 2050, the whole literature of the past will have gone.
Captions 1-2, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four: BBC TV Movie
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The author Dave Eggers wanted to have a location that was accessible from the streets.
Captions 14-15, Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.: Learn about this fun shop in Brooklyn, NY!
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The next category of types of art is the Performing Arts. Merriam-Webster defines this as "types of art (such as music, dance, or drama) that are performed for an audience."
Dance as an art form, simply defined as "the art of dancing," is usually referring to contemporary dance and ballet, but may include figure skating, synchronized swimming, and some forms of gymnastics. A person who designs a dance performance is called a choreographer.
The inspiring story of a boy's struggle against the odds to become a ballet star.
Captions 20-21, Visit London: Top 10 London Musicals
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I came to America to become a professional dancer.
Caption 3, Another 7.4 Earthquake: Hits Japan
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Music is described by Merriam-Webster as "the art or skill of creating or performing music," although Wikipedia describes it more interestingly as "an art form whose medium is sound and silence, occurring in time." A person who performs music is a musician (or named after the instrument they play, such as a pianist, violinist, or guitarist). A person who writes music is called a composer or songwriter.
So you write music as well, as in literally "write music?"
Captions 36-37, Bee and Flower: Interview
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This is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was an Austrian musician and composer.
Captions 9-10, English Grammar in Use: Past Simple
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The last form of the performing arts is theater, defined by Merriam-Webster as "dramatic representation as an art or profession." Clearly, this extends beyond works performed in theaters to all forms of acting, which may also include any of the other performing arts of dance and music. Although theater and filmmaking encompass many kinds of work, the main performing artist is called an actor or actress, though it is usually best to refer to all genders of such performing artists simply as actors.
You're a repertory theater actor, you're expected to do everything.
Caption 14, Ask Jimmy Carter: Interview with Richard Gere
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above relating to art forms and professions. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in English using these art words, then compare what you both came up with.
Cuando se observan las conversaciones en las redes sociales, es posible que se encuentren con un montón de jerga o acrónimos que les cuesta entender. Son palabras con significado original, por así decirlo, pero que se emplean con otras finalidades. Cabe destacar que el uso de estas palabras y siglas está estandarizado en inglés, cuya personalidad de “idioma universal” se ha fortalecido a raíz de la masificación de internet.
Entonces, veamos las tres primeras:
Es un acrónimo de chief executive officer, la persona con el cargo más importante en una empresa. Cuando alguien en las redes sociales dice o escribe que es el CEO, quiere decir que la persona en cuestión es considerada la mejor en lo que hace. A veces se utiliza de forma irónica, pero otras veces se dice en serio.
Extra
Si alguien te llama extra, quiere decir que estás siendo exagerado. Las personas con un comportamiento dramático suelen llamarse extra. A menudo se utiliza con el verbo ser, para referirse a un estado de ánimo actual: Laura is so extra!
Fire o Lit
Si algo se considera fire (fuego) significa que algo es muy bueno. También se puede utilizar la palabra lit (encendido) para decir que algo es genial. A veces el uso del sticker (adhesivo) de llamas ardiendo puede sustituir a estas palabras.
Aprendizaje adicional
Para finalizar esta parte, te sugerimos ver tres videos de nuestra biblioteca de Yabla en los que se hace mención de las redes sociales y su presencia en nuestra cotidianidad.
A... a guy that you were interacting... -There was a guy that I instagrammed
Un... un chico con el cual interactuabas... -Hubo un chico al que puse en Instagram
Caption 34, The Ellen Show Meghan Trainor's Exclusive Post-Surgery Interview
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Instagram, as I'm sure you guys know, is, like, where it's at these days.
Instagram, estoy segura que ustedes saben, cómo está la cosa estos días.
Caption 71, On Deck with Lucy Fashion Blogger Ava Improta
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Show or tell us your story on facebook, instagram,
Muéstranos o cuéntanos tu historia en facebook, Instagram.
Caption 21, Rozalia Project Livin' on the Ledge
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¡Yabla es sencillamente fire!
The arts are basically divided into three different categories: the Visual Arts, the Literary Arts, and the Performing Arts. Of course, there are art forms that combine the different categories—as well as art that is very difficult to categorize at all—but let's stick to the basics!
Today we'll focus on just the Visual Arts. The first type of art in this category is architecture, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as "the art or practice of designing and building structures, and especially habitable ones." The professional title of a person who creates architecture is an architect.
California's central coast is a gorgeous stretch dotted with Spanish architecture.
Captions 2-3, Travel + Leisure: Weekend Getaway, Santa Barbara
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The next type of art in the visual arts is ceramics, defined by Merriam-Webster as "the art or process of making ceramic articles." Works of art made of ceramic are also called pottery. You call a person who makes ceramics a ceramicist or a studio potter.
The most popular pieces, I would say, are the ceramic pieces.
Caption 17, New York City: Little Shop of Crafts
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The next type of art in the visual arts category is drawing, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as "the art or technique of representing an object or outlining a figure, plan, or sketch by means of lines".
So it's kind of a messy drawing, but it really helps to start to think of ideas.
Caption 27, Creative Space: What does an Interior Designer Do?
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A person who draws might be called a "drawer," but this is usually a person (such as a draftsman) who makes plans and sketches of machinery or structures, or a person who "draws up" or writes legal documents. Most visual artists use drawing as part of their skill set, if not as a finished product, then as a way to sketch out ideas.
Now we come to painting, a field practiced by painters, which is probably the traditional art form that most people think of when they think about art. It's simply defined in the dictionary as "the art or occupation of painting."
When I do an oil painting, it takes me a week or a month.
Captions 15-16, Creative Space: An Artist's Studio
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Next comes photography, practiced by photographers, which has many aspects that are not generally considered "high art," such as photojournalism for the news and commercial photography for advertising. Merriam-Webster defines it as "the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor)."
This rule applies to film-making, photography...
Caption 2, Filmmaking & Photography: The Rule of Thirds | What Is It?
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The next type of visual art is sculpture, a field practiced by sculptors, and defined by Merriam-Webster as "the action or art of processing (as by carving, modeling, or welding) plastic or hard materials into works of art."
She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor.
Caption 4, Alessia Cara: Scars To Your Beautiful
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The last form of visual arts is conceptual art, which Merriam Webster defines as "an art form in which the artist's intent is to convey a concept rather than to create an art object." A person who practices this art form is a conceptual artist. In the United Kingdom, conceptual art has come to mean any contemporary art that does not use the traditional skills of painting or sculpture. Since conceptual art may take the form of an installation, or a form that is not easily sold (in the way an object like a painting or sculpture can be sold), most conceptual artists live from art grants and other forms of financial support.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the videos above relating to art forms and professions. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in English using these art words, then compare what you both came up with.
Este tema es lo que llaman algunos un prescriptivist bugbear, o sea, una pesadilla prescriptivista. Un prescriptivista según el diccionario de Cambridge es aquel que “cree que hay formas correctas e incorrectas de usar el lenguaje y que los libros sobre el lenguaje deben dar reglas a seguir, en lugar de describir cómo se usa realmente el lenguaje”
Entonces, aun cuando hoy en día palabras como well y good se usan muchas veces como sinónimos, vale la pena dar un repaso a la regla que exige diferenciarlos, ya que la misma se cumple con varios verbos importantes.
Para los linking verbs (en español, verbos copulativos) tales como to be (ser o estar), to feel (sentir/sentirse), to grow (crecer), to look (parecer, lucir) y algunos otros, dice la regla que no debemos utilizar adverbios (como well) para modificarlos. En cambio, debemos utilizar adjetivos (como good) que siempre describen lo que sucede a las personas, y vale repetir, las personas son sustantivos los cuales funcionan con adjetivos.
En el caso del verbo to be, éste indica un estado del ser, en pocas palabras, no es un verbo de acción. Entonces, se debería decir I am good (estoy bien) y no I am well, o I feel happy (me siento feliz) y no I feel well.
How are you doing? -I'm good, how are you?
¿Cómo está? -Estoy bien, ¿y usted?
Subtítulo 83, The Late Late Show with James Corden Audience Attempts To Answer Simple Trivia For Cash - Part 1
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Responder al saludo general: How are you doing? con I'm well es gramaticalmente incorrecto (se quiso decir I'm doing well) o se está respondiendo a una pregunta diferente: how are you doing? I'm concerned about your health (¿Cómo te va? Me preocupa tu salud).
Love you all and um... hope you're doing well.
Los amo a todos y eh... espero que estén bien
Subtítulo 79, An apartment in Japan
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También existe una situación especial, concretamente al hablar de la salud, en la que well y good tienen matices diferentes, pero ambos pueden utilizarse como adjetivos. I am well (estoy sano) o I am good (puede significar sano, y también "no malo", hábil en algo, etc.)
Al final, es un ejemplo de cómo un uso gramatical impropio ha encontrado amplia difusión entre los hablantes nativos. Los idiomas son dinámicos y van cambiando con el tiempo, pero siempre vale la pena conocer la regla.
Aprendizaje adicional
Entender la diferencia entre los adverbios y los adjetivos cuando se utilizan con verbos copulativos es útil para las personas que aprenden inglés porque ayuda a expresarse con mayor precisión. Haz una lista de adverbios y adjetivos en inglés y combinalos con verbos copulativos.
The weather where you live may be different, but with cooler temperatures and rains, summer is already showing signs of being over. Summer officially ends on August 31st, so let's talk today about the season that comes after summer.
The most common American English name for the season after summer is fall. The word possibly came from Old English or Old Norse into British English. By the 20th century, it had fallen into disuse in Britain.
The fall is my favorite season in New York.
Caption 10, Caralie and Annie: Get to Know Each Other
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Spring is long gone, and summer's over, and we're ready for fall.
Captions 36-37, Food Talk with Sigrid: Simple Summer Vegetables
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Third, we have fall, or you could say autumn, when the leaves turn golden.
Captions 21-22, Lydia Explains: Weekdays, Seasons and Months
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The other English word for this season, as you can see in the last caption above, is autumn. This is the standard British English word for the season. It's also common in American English, though a bit more formal than "fall."
The Changing of the Guard happens throughout autumn and winter,
Caption 27, In London with Lauren: Buckingham Palace
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It's the end of October, so we are in the middle of autumn.
Captions 4-5, Sigrid: Pumpkin Season
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Meanwhile, autumn has painted its colors on the Alps.
Caption 21, The Last Paradises: Realm of the Golden Eagle
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The last caption does not mean that the season is literally taking up a brush to paint. It's metaphorically describing how in autumn, the green leaves of the trees change color to orange and gold!
Some years we get lucky and have a few weeks in fall (or autumn) when it's warm and sunny. This is commonly called Indian summer in English. Nobody knows where this phrase really came from, but other languages also have a name for this phenomenon. In many European languages, it is called "old woman's summer," and in some South American countries, it is called "little summer."
You're like an Indian summer in the middle of winter
Caption 27, Katy Perry - Thinking Of You: Behind The Scenes
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and watch the Lydia Explains video to learn more about seasons. You can also find more videos by searching for "autumn" and "fall."
Para un hablante nativo del inglés, la elección entre estas dos palabras debería ser automática y guiada por el instinto, aunque no es raro escuchar que tanto ingleses como americanos se pueden confundir.
Por su parte, para un estudiante de inglés de habla hispana, podría resultar útil pensar brevemente la función que desempeñan las palabras good y well en la frase. Ambas tienen el significado español de “bien” o “bueno” según el caso.
Aclaremos esto con unos ejemplos.
Cuando necesitamos un adverbio, es decir, una palabra que modifique al verbo, usamos well
Make sure you mix all the ingredients well.
Asegúrate de mezclar bien todos los ingredientes.
Subtítulo 18, Michele from Down - Under Banana Bread - Part 2
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En este caso no se trata solo de mix (mezclar), sino de mix well (mezclar bien), lo cual es una indicación del tipo de acción que se necesita; de cómo se debe ejecutar dicha acción.
Cuando se trata de un adjetivo, se utiliza good. Básicamente, es adecuado para describir a alguien o algo; para definir un nombre, sustantivo o pronombre con una característica positiva,
This is a good thing and keeps the Earth warm enough for life to exist.
Esto es algo bueno y mantiene a la Tierra lo suficientemente tibia para que exista la vida.
Subtítulo 88, Chemistry for All | FuseSchool - What Is The Natural Greenhouse Effect?
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Esta diferencia se hace evidente en otras frases. En inglés se dice que una hamburguesa está good y no well. Y solo se puede cantar well, no good
That's a good burger!
¡Esa es una buena hamburguesa!
Subtítulo 20, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives - Burger Bar - Part 1
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Aprendizaje adicional
Aunque hoy en día, good y well son igualmente aceptables e intercambiables en el habla cotidiana, en los ambientes académicos y laborales tienden a ser más exigentes con la preservación de esas reglas. Busca en Yabla videos en los que aparezcan estas palabras y trata de identificar qué función están cumpliendo en cada or