December 2010

Aprender ingles gratis con La Mansion del Ingles. Un podcast para mejorar la gramatica, el vocabulario y la pronunciacion del inglés. Una leccion del ingles con ejemplos y ejercicios.
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Podcast Transcription

Hello, and thank you for downloading this Mansión Inglés podcast, recorded for December 2010. Merry Christmas to you and your families from all of us here at La Mansión del Inglés.

Yes, Christmas is coming and the turkeys are getting fat. Actually, so am I with all the lovely Spanish food that I’ve been eating and all the Christmas dinners and lunches I’ve been going to. - Estoy poniendo mucho peso – I’m putting on weight. Maybe I’ll start the diet next year, in 2011. – to start a diet or go on a diet – hacer regimen. I’m on a diet – Estoy de regimen.

Let’s begin with some Christmas vocabulary – vamos a empezar con un poco de vocabulario de navidad

Regalos de Navidad are Christmas presents. Repeat: Christmas presents. Another word for present is gift. G-I-F-T gift. I bought my mum a Play Station as a Christmas gift this year. I hope she likes it. If she doesn’t, I’ll have to play with it.

¿Cómo se dice – how do you say – Arbol de Navidad in English? Christmas tree. And ¿muñeco de nieve? – a snowman – repeat: snowman. Reno is reindeer. How many reindeer does Santa have? Santa has 9 reindeer, I think. When Santa brings presents, or gifts, he goes down the chimney – chimenea – repeat: He goes down the chimney. And he puts presents in calcetines de navidad or in English “Christmas stockings”. Repeat: Christmas stockings. I never had a Christmas stocking when I was a child. But my parents used to leave one present at the bottom of my bed for me to open when I woke up on Christmas morning. Later, when I was older, I discovered this was to keep me quiet and occupied while my parents slept late in bed!

We studied irregular verbs this year (hemos estudiado este año los verbos irregulares) and in the newsletter (el cuaderno) this month there was a small test. Listen and repeat the sentences: Escucha y repite las siguientes frases:

Who drank all the beer? – beer – all the – all the beer – Who drank? - Who drank all the beer?

Have you done your homework? Have you done…..¿Has hecho…? Have you done - your homework – tus deberes – Have you done your homework?

Did you do your homework? – Did you do….? ¿Hiciste….? - Did you do your homework? 

What presents did you get for Christmas? For – for – for Christmas – What presents – did you get – did you get - What presents did you get for Christmas?

My grandmother usually gives me money for Christmas. – gives me money –gives me money for Christmas. - My grandmother usually gives me money for Christmas.

Where were… -  Where were you on Christmas day? ¿Es un poco difícil decir no? Where were – where – Where were – Where were you? – My God, where were you? – Where were you? - Where were you on Christmas day? - Where were you last night? Where were you yesterday? – Where were you all day? – Where were you on Christmas Day?

I don’t usually drive at Christmas. (Remember - ¡OJO! Con los adverbios de frecuencia como usually, always, sometimes, never etc. se van justo antes del verbo principal y van mucho con el tiempo presente simple The present simple tense for habits por los habitos – Repeat: I always drink alcohol at Christmas - I always drink alcohol at Christmas - so I never drive. -  so I never drive. - I often take the bus - I often take the bus - and I sometimes go by train. - and I sometimes go by train. - I don’t usually drive at Christmas. - I don’t usually drive at Christmas.

What has Father Christmas brought you this year? - What has Father Christmas brought you this year? Repeat: – bring – brought – brought – brought you – brought you this year – Father Christmas brought you this year - What has Father Christmas brought you this year? -

Who do you eat Christmas dinner with? Repeat: Who do you…? – Who do you eat…? – Who do you eat dinner with? - Who do you eat Christmas dinner with?

I’m sorry, I forgot your present. – Forget – forgot….and……. forgotten! Have you forgotten - ¿Has olvidado? – Did you forget? – ¿olvidaste? – repeat: I forgot your present. - I’m sorry – I’m so sorry, I forget your present.

John Lennon died on 8^th December 1980. 30 years later and, unfortunately, war is not over and the world is not at peace. If John were alive today, I’m sure he would be working and singing and trying for peace. His music lives on. I put the link (el enlace) to Maroon 5 and not to John because the sound quality is a bit better and I think it’s a little easier for you to understand the lyrics (las letras).

Don’t try to cook the Christmas fruitcake in the cuaderno, at least not with the whisky - por lo menos no con el whisky. It was a joke. – fue un chiste - Do you remember the vocabulary?

What was ‘level’ – a level teaspoon = a ras – a level teaspoon, or a level tablespoon or a level cup (in American English).

What was ‘to beat’ B – E – A- T = batir – beat the eggs

Fluffy was suave y esponjoso – For example, a fluffy pillow or a fluffy teddy bear – fluffy.

Stuck is atascado – I got stuck in the lift yesterday. The mixture is stuck to the sides of the bowl.

To sift was tamizar – sift the flour (la harina) or sift the sugar.

To strain S-T-R-A-I-N was filtrar / escurrir – to strain the liquid.

Bueno, aquí viene el anuncio, y sin vergüenza porque si no sabes que comprar para las personas importantes en tu vida este navidad, ¿porque no compras un cd de la mansion del ingles? o 2? o 3cds? , o el pack de regalo por solo 99 euros y ahorras 112 euros. Recebes todos nuestros cds en el pack completo y pagamos nosotros los gastos de envio, y también recibes un cd de regalo. Además, solo por navidad, y solo para le gente que apuntan al cuaderno mensual, ofrecemos un descuento de 5 euros. ¿Qué?, ¿No es bastante regalo para las personas importantes en tu vida? Pues compre un pack de ahorro para la gente que no son importantes, pero cómpralo. Puedes encontrar los detalles de todos nuestros cds y comprar los en nuestra página mansioningles.com. Haz click, cliquear, al lado derecha de la página en la imagen de los cds.

OK, listen and repeat the following Christmas words and expressions. Escucha y repite:

una tarjeta de Navidad - a Christmas card - a Christmas card

adornos de Navidad - Christmas decorations - Christmas decorations

un villancico - Christmas carol - Christmas carol

el acebo - holly - holly

la comida de Navidad - Christmas dinner - Christmas dinner

un calendario de Adviento - Advent calendar – an advent calendar

un pesebre - a crib – C-R-I-B,  crib or a manger – M-A-N-G-E-R, manger

la misa del gallo - Midnight Mass - Midnight Mass,

los Reyes Magos - the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men - wise W-I-S-E means sabio the noun is wisdom – W-I-S-D-O-M, wisdom. “I admire him for his great wisdom”.

un belén in English is a nativity scene - a nativity scene (Belén in English, the town, is Bethlehem)

un pastor – a shepherd - a shepherd. A person who looks after sheep. ¡OJO! – Sheep is the same in singular as plural. 1 sheep, 2 sheep, 3 sheep, A lot of sheep. A shepherd looks after sheep.

And finally un burro - a donkey, D-O-N-K-E-Y – donkey. 

OK, now repeat the dias festivos – the holidays

What’s Nochebuena? Do you remember? - Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve 

Día de navidad - Christmas Day - Christmas Day

diciembre 26, December 26^th is called – Boxing Day - Boxing Day. Why Boxing Day? I think because years ago rich people gave their servants presents the day after Christmas. They gave them a box. In the box was probably a small gift or some money. So Boxing Day, the day that rich people gave their servants a box for Christmas.

¿Nochevieja? What’s Nochevieja?  - New Year's Eve - New Year's Eve

El día de año nuevo - New Year's Day

And finally, la Noche de Reyes - Twelfth Night

That’s it for this month and for this year! Have a very Merry Christmas, a wonderful holiday with your family and friends, and a Happy New Year. We’ll be back again in January with another Mansion Ingles podcast from Mansioningles.com