Mansion Ingles Podcast June 2013 - Aprende gramatica y vocabulario ingles

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

Learn English free with podcasts from La Mansion del Ingles. Improve your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. This English lesson contains examples and exercises.

Hello once again and welcome to another Mansion Ingles podcast. This is podcast number 62 recorded for June 2013.

Este mes, en el nivel básico practicamos el afirmativo y el negativo del pasado simple y las preposiciones.

En el nivel intermedio enfocamos en la diferencia entre any, some, either and neither y el vocabulario de la personalidad - character and personality.

In the advanced section, we practise vocabulary with some  advanced collocations, and there's business vocabulary as usual, 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 podáis 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, vete a mansioningles.com y sigue los enlaces en la página principal.

 Ok, let's start then with el nivel básico. Voy a decir algunas frases en el afirmativo, y tú tienes que cambiarlas al negativo. Por ejemplo, yo digo "She is a teacher." Tú dices: "She isn't a teacher." OK? Luego repitas la frase negativa para practicar la pronunciación. Ok.

1. I like classical music - I don't like classical music. Repite: I don't like classical music.

2. He plays tennis - He doesn't play tennis. Repite: He doesn't play tennis.

3. She is divorced - She isn't divorced. Repite: She isn't divorced.

4. They are students - they aren't students. Repite: They aren't students. También puedes decir they're not students. Depende como se hace la contración del They are not. Puede ser they're not o they aren't. Repite: they're not students - they aren't students - They're not Spanish. They aren't Spanish.

5. She likes photography - She doesn't like photography. Repite: She doesn't like photography.

Very good! Now, también hemos practicado algunas preposiciónes. Las preposiciones son difíciles en inglés por que muchas veces son diferentes al traducir las al español. Pero no te preocupes demasiado porque si haces una falta con una preposicion la gente van a entender lo que quieres decir. No es una falta grave. Pero, hay que intentar aprender las poco a poco - little by little - poco a poco. Escucha:

They sometimes go snowboarding in December. In december. Cuando hablamos de los meses en inglés, decimos la preposición in. Repite: in December. We go in December. In June - I never go in June. - In March - My birthday's in March.

Escucha: The Tourist Information Office closes at five o’clock. Cuando hablamos de la hora en inglés, empleamos la preposición at. Repite: at five o'clock. It closes at five o'clock. At 8.30 - I finish work at 8.30. - at 7 - I have breakfast at 7.

Escucha: She was born on May 12th. - Ella nació el 12 de mayo. Cuando hablamos de los días, utilizamos la preposición on. Repite: on May 12th - born on May 12th. She was born on May 12th. - On Monday. I work on Monday. - On Saturday. I don't work on Saturday. On Thursday. See you on Thursday!

Escucha: My keys are in my coat pocket. Muchas veces la preposición in se traduce como 'en'. Escucha: In my pocket. - en mi bolsillo. My keys are in my coat pocket. - Mis llaves están en el bolsillo de mi abrigo. Repite: In my pocket. In my car. It's in my car. In the house. It's in the house. In the office. They're in the office.

Escucha: Where can I try on this shirt? - ¿Dónde puedo probar esta camisa? to try on es un phrasal verb (un verbo compuesto) Los phrasal verbs llevan un verbo y una preposición o un adverbio o a veces ambos. To try on significa probar ropa. Repite: try on - try on clothes - try on a shirt - try on shoes - Please try on the jacket. Do you want to try on the dress?

Ok, moving on to the intermediate section, we practised the difference between any, some, either and neither. Let's look at either and neither first. There are two possible pronunciations. Listen: either/either - neither/neither. Repeat: either/either - neither/neither.

either se puede traducir como: cualquiera de los dos y neither como ninguno (de dos)

Either student can take the test. - (Uno de los estudiantes puede tomar el examen.)

Neither student can take the test. - (Ninguno de los estudiantes puede tomar el examen.)

A veces el neither va con el nor y sirve para unir dos oraciones. En este caso significa: “ni” Por ejemplo: “Ni cafe ni té”. “Neither coffee nor tea”.

Neither puede también significar “tampoco”. Por ejemplo: “I don't want to go. Neither do I.” - Yo no quiero ir. Yo tampoco (ni yo).

Escucha y repite algunos ejemplos:

I don't like Lady Gaga. Neither do I.

Neither the Tower of London nor Buckingham Palace were included in the tour.

I neither sing nor dance.

I can't swim. Neither can I.

Either (o either) puede significar: ni, o, cualquiera, ninguno/a, alguno/a, tampoco, ni siquiera.

Listen and repeat: You can have either tea or coffee. Which would you prefer? Either, I don't mind.

We'd like to buy either the blue one or the red one. We don't mind. Either of them.

Who are those two women? I don't know either of them.

I can't speak French. I can't either.

I don't like Alejendro Sanz. I don't either. (También puedeo decir "Neither do I:"

I don't like tennis. - I don't either/neither do I.

OK, let's talk about some and any. Usually, we use some in positive sentences and any in negative and question sentences.

Listen:

afirmativo - I've got some biscuits. Do you want one?

negativo - Sorry, I haven't got any money.

pregunta - Have you got any brothers or sisters?

Repeat: I've got some biscuits. Do you want one?

Sorry, I haven't got any money.

Have you got any brothers or sisters?

Listen and repeat some more examples with some and any:

I don't need any help. Repeat: I don't need any help.

You've got some coffee on your shirt. Repeat: - You've got some coffee on your shirt.

Did you buy any wine? Repeat: Did you buy any wine?

There somebody at the door. Repeat: There somebody at the door.

Are you doing anything this weekend? Repeat: Are you doing anything this weekend?

This project will take some time. Repeat: This project will take some time.

I don't want anything to drink. Repeat: I don't want anything to drink.

Has anyone seen the dog? Repeat: Has anyone seen the dog?

Would you like some beer? Repeat: Would you like some beer?

Are you going anywhere this summer? Repeat: Are you going anywhere this summer?

We also use any in positive sentences when we mean "It doesn't matter which" - no importa que

You can visit us any time.

Which direction should I take? - Any one. It's up to you.

I like any jazz music.

Repeat:

You can visit us any time.

Which direction should I take? - Any one. It's up to you.

I like any jazz music.

 

Also in the intermediate section this month we studied some adjectives of character and personality. Vamos a ver si recuerdas.

What do you call a person who doesn’t like sharing or giving things. The opposite of generous. - mean

Someone who likes giving orders and telling other people what to do. - bossy

What's the adjective for a lively person who likes to be doing something all the time. - active

Do you know the opposite of active? - inactive.

People, usually children, who get everything they want even when they shouldn’t. - spoiled

A person who isn’t interested in anybody but herself/himself. He/she thinks he/she is the only person who exists. - selfish

A person who is aware of the feelings of others and is considerate. - thoughtful

Somebody who thinks money and possessions are more important than anything else. - materialistic

Someone whose feelings are very easily hurt. - sensitive. Be careful of the false friend sensible. Remember sensato - sensible and sensible - sensitive.

What's the name for children behaving badly and not doing what they are told. - naughty

And finally, a person who is in good physical condition, who does a lot of exercise and doesn’t tire easily after hard physical work.                 - fit - We also say to get fit. to get fit or to be fit. I'm fit = estoy en forma. I'm trying to get fit - I go to the gym to get fit. Are you fit?

OK, listen to the adjectives again and repeat them after me to practise pronunciation.

mean

bossy

active - inactive

spoiled

selfish

thoughtful

materialistic

sensitive

sensible

naughty

fit

If you like these podcasts, remember that you can buy complete lessons for only 1 euro and 40 centimos (the price of a cup of coffee) from our online shop - nuestra tienda online. Tenemos un curso entero de nivel principiante y básico. Puedes encontrarlas en mansioninglesdescargas.wazala.com that's: mansioninglesdescargas - todo junto - punto . wazala.com. Cada leccion vale solo 1.40 euros y dura approx. 1 hora y cada leccion está en el formato mp3 y lleva su trascripcion en formato PDF. Así puedes aprender inglés haciendo ejercicio, limpiando la casa, en el coche, caminando con el perro y en todo el tiempo muerto que tienes. Mejorar tú ingles con las descargas de la mansión del inglés. Bueno, también puedes encontrar la dirección de la tienda en la trascripción de este podcast.

In the advanced section, we looked at some collocations. For example to play truant. That's when you don't go to school and you go shopping or you play football in the park. Have you ever played truant from school? I don't remember ever playing truant. I liked going to school most of the time. In American English you can say to play hooky or to skip a class.

The next expression was to put your foot in it. If you put your foot in it or put your foot in your mouth, you do something by accident which embarrasses or upsets someone. For example, I really put my foot in it when I asked her if she was pregnant.

to hold a meeting is to have a meeting about something but the verb to hold is a strong collocation with meeting. You can also hold a reunion of old school friends, hold a business meeting and hold an online meeting on the Internet.

If you put two and two together, you understand something by using the information you have. For example, I didn't know his wife had left him, but when I saw that all her clothes and her things and her car were gone, I put two and two together.

To put your foot down means to assert something strongly. For example, Pepito's boss put her foot down and refused to accept any more bad behaviour. She put her foot down.

To play a trick on someone or play a prank on someone es hacer una broma - to do a trick that affects someone. For example, Somebody played a trick on me by hiding my shoes. Did you ever play any tricks on your teacher at school. We used to play tricks regularly, but not with all the teachers, only some of them.

To hold down a job means to keep it possibly in the face of difficult circumstances, as in "He held down the job for a year before handing in his notice".

To hold a record for something means to have the record for an event or an achievement. For example, She holds the world indoor 800 metres record.

To play havoc with something means to cause someone to have trouble doing something. Listen: Strong winds played havoc with her golf game.

It can also mean to damage something. For example,  Stormy conditions played havoc with the fishing.

Put your feet up means to relax, especially by sitting with your feet supported above the ground. For example:

You go home and put your feet up, love. I can't wait to finish work and put my feet up.

to hold your breath means to stop breathing for a short period, on purpose. Do you hold your breath when you dive into the water? I can't hold my breath for very long.

But it can also mean to wait or delay until something special happens and it's often used in the negative. For example, I expect to get paid for last month's work this week, but I'm not holding my breath. It's often late. Or another example, do you think there'll have free drinks and sandwiches at the meeting? Don't hold your breath! o sea, "no te hagas ilusión". Don't hold your breath!

Finally, to play a part in something or play a role in something means to participate in something in a specific way. For example, I hope to play a part in the development of the new product. He played a big part in the success of the company.

Listen to the collocations and expressions again and repeat them:

play truant

put your foot in it

hold a meeting

put two and two together

put your foot down

play a trick (on someone)

hold down a job

hold a record

play havoc with (something)

put your feet up.

hold your breath

play a part in (something)

 

In the Business English section we looked at some more business English vocabulary, and the first word was merger. A merger is the combination of two or more companies, either by the creation of a new organization or by absorption by one of the others. I think in Spanish it's fusión. Repeat: merger - mergers and acquisitions. In order to save the business, they merged with another company.

The phrasal verb to set aside means dejar a un lado. We set aside some money for a holiday. It's good to set aside money for emergencies. Have you set aside any money for anything recently? I haven't got any money to set aside!

Another phrasal verb was to bring in which means to include. The example was "I would like to bring my partner in on this discussion." To bring someone in on something. Shall we bring her in on the secret? I don't think it's necessary to bring them in on this deal. Notice that this phrasal verb must be separated. You put the object between the verb and the particle. You say bring her in on it but not Xbring in her on it.X

If you make sound decisions you make good decisions. He makes sound business decisions. Repeat: He makes sound business decisions. We can trust him. He makes sound decisions.

Feasible means possible, doable. In Spanish viable, o realizable. It's not a feasible project. We can't do it. Repeat: It's not feasible. I'm sorry, but it's not feasible. It's not economically feasible.

The word demographic is similar in Spanish, demografía. Listen and repeat the pronunciation: demographic. The demographics show that income went down. We have to examine the demographics.

To rule out means to eliminate. Listen: We can't rule out the possibility that we'll need another round of investment capital before the end of the year. Repeat: rule out - We should rule out the possibility of a merger. Don't rule out the competition.

You may hear or read companies speaking about their mission statement. Especially of it's a North American company. According to the dictionary, a mission statement is "A summary of the aims and values of a company, organization, or individual." For example a mission statement for La Mansión del Inglés could be "To help Spanish speakers learn and improve their use of the English language." or something similar. Does your company have a mission statement? If not, what do you think it should be? You could write it in Spanish and then try to translate it into English. If you need help to check your mission statement, ask us on Facebook.

We also gave you some more sentences to translate in this month's cuaderno. First, you had to translate from English to Spanish. So,  I'll say the English sentences and you can say the Spanish translation. Then, repeat the English sentence after me to practise pronunciation. Ready?

1.I only believe what you tell me. - Sólo creo lo que tú me dices. - I only believe what you tell me.

2.Could/Can you call a doctor? A German Shepherd has bitten my left leg. - ¿Puedes llamar a un doctor? Un pastor alemán me mordío en la pierna izquierda. - Could/Can you call a doctor? A German Shepherd has bitten my left leg.

3.I was hoping that you remembered how I got this tattoo. - Estaba esperando que tú recordaras como conseguí este tatuaje. - I was hoping that you remembered how I got this tattoo.

4.If the shoe fits, you can call me Cinderella. - Si me queda la zapatilla, me puedes llamar Cenicienta. If the shoe fits, you can call me Cinderella.

5.I don't own that penguin, it's a rental. - No soy el dueño de este pinguino, lo alquilo. - I don't own that penguin, it's a rental.

Good, now I'll read some Spanish sentences and you translate to English. Then repeat the sentences after me to practise your pronunciation. OK?

1.¿Sabes cuanto él gana? - Do you know how much he earns? - Do you know how much he earns?

2.Él llevaba unas gafas oscuras. - He was wearing dark glasses. - He was wearing dark glasses.

3.Mi nivel está por encima del de ellos. - My level is above theirs. - My level is above theirs.

4.Tienen que llegar antes de la fecha tope. - They have to arrive before the deadline. - They have to arrive before the deadline.

5.Siempre le encantaba bailar. - He always loved to dance. - He always loved to dance.

Well, that's all we have time for on this podcast, but 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 on iTunes.

Si te gusta este podcast, puedes hacernos un gran favor y escribe por favor una corta reseña en iTunes. Si escibes una reseña en iTunes más personas pueden escucharnos porque subimos en el 'ranking' de iTunes. y también puedes darnos algunas estrellas, si te gusta nuestros podcasts.

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 and join our growing community of fans. Or send me an email to: [e-mail]. You can also follow us on Twitter. 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.