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


Podcast Transcription


 Hi and welcome to another Mansión Inglés podcast from mansióninglés.com, recorded for April 2010.

Thank you for all your positive feedback and comments on last month’s newsletter. Gracias por sus amables palabras sobre el cuaderno del mes pasado. Especialmente en nuestra página de Facebook. Si quieres seguirnos y participar en la página, busca La Mansión del Inglés desde tu cuenta de Facebook.

 

OK, let’s practise some irregular verbs. Vamos a practicar algunos verbos irregulares en inglés.

 

Cuando hablo Español, es muy difícil para mi saber cuando hay que decir el verbo ser o estar. En inglés es más fácil porque solo hay un verbo. Es el verbo to be.

Escucha y repite: be – was/were – been

El verbo golpear is to beat – beat – beat – beaten

El verbo llegar a ser is  to become - become – became – became

Empezar to begin – begin - began – begun

Morder bite – bite - bit – bitten

El verbo soplar blow - blow – blew – blown

El verbo romper is to break - break – broke – broken

Traer/llevar is to bring - bring – brought – brought

Edificar is to build - build – built – built

Quemar is to burn. There are two possible forms for the past and participle of burn. Hay dos formas posibles – burnt – BURNT or burned – BURNED. Repeat: to burn – burn - burnt / burned - burnt / burned

 

Ahora escucha de nuevo y intenta decir el segundo y tercero forma del verbo antes que lo digo yo.

 

be –                                 was / were – been

beat –                              beat – beaten

become –                         became – became

begin –                             began – begun

bite –                               bit – bitten

blow –                              blew – blown

break –                            broke – broken

bring –                             brought – brought

build –                              built – built

burn –                              burnt / burned – burnt / burned

 

 

 

Now let’s practise some idioms. Idioms are spoken or written sentences where the meaning is not always obvious from the individual words used.

 

For example,

My hands are tied means I have no choice. I can’t help you my hands are tied. Repeat: I’m sorry, my hands are tied. Tied – atado - to tie. Repeat: I’m sorry, my hands are tied. I’m afraid my hands are tied.

 

Hold your horses means that you are doing something too fast and they would like you to slow down. Hold your horses, will you! Just wait a minute. Repeat: Wait a minute, just hold your horses.

 

If you swallow your pride, you admit that you have been wrong about something or someone. You accept that you have to do something that is embarrassing. Swallow means tragar in Spanish and pride is orgullo. Repeat: Swallow your pride and apologise to her. I had to swallow my pride.

 

People who burn the candle at both ends work all hours of the day and night. They get little sleep or rest because they are busy until late every night and then get up early every morning. Repeat: She's burning the candle at both ends studying for her exams.

 

If something fishy is going on, then something suspicious is happening. If something is going on, algo esta pasando What’s going on? ¿Qué ocurre? Fishy can mean suspicious. For example: There are strange noises coming from David’s bedroom. Something fishy’s going on in there. Repeat: There’s something very fishy going on.

 

If someone is a dark horse, they are secretive and might surprise you. Like a dark horse in a horse race. Repeat: She’s a dark horse that one!

 

If you kill two birds with one stone you do two things at once. To kill is matar and a stone is una piedra.I saw some friends when I was in Madrid visiting my parents. I killed two birds with one stone. Repeat: I killed two birds with one stone.

 

A can of worms is a situation which causes a lot of trouble for you when you start to deal with it. A can is una lata and worms are gusanos. So, if you open up a can of worms, you cause a lot of trouble for yourself. Repeat: If you do that, you open up a can of worms. You’re opening a can of worms, you know.

 

If you let the cat out of the bag, pones en el aire lo que esta escondido. You reveal a secret or a surprise by accident. I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Sarah went and let the cat out of the bag.

Repeat: Don’t say anything. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t let the cat out of the bag.

 

If someone looks like a million dollars, they look fantastic. Wow! I love that dress, you look like a million dollars. Repeat: You look like a million dollars.

It’s officially spring now - estamos ya en la primavera oficialmente - and maybe you’re starting to think about your holidays. I know I am. So, let’s practise some holiday vocabulary.

 

When you travel by ship and stop at different places you go on a cruise. C-R-U-I-S-E. Be careful of the pronunciation. Listen: cruise, like Tom Cruise. Repeat: cruise. I’m going on a cruise. Notice the expression to go on. We go on holiday, we go on a trip, on a business trip. Repeat: I’m going on a trip to Barcelona. When are you going on your Mediterranean cruise? How often do you go on business trips?

 

Going on a trip is when you go somewhere, stay there and come back (on business or on holiday). It’s probably more common to say “go on a trip” than “travel”. Trip is a countable noun, travel is uncountable. “I went on a trip to Paris” – no se dice XI went on a travelX)

 

When you travel by plane you take a flight. Flight is a noun. The verb is to fly. Repeat: What time’s your flight? Did you find a cheap flight? Who are you flying with?

 

A tour is when you visit several places following an organised plan. Last year we went to Egypt on a package tour. A package tour is when the flights, hotels, transportation etc are included in the price.

 

When you travel a long way by sea, or in space, it’s called a voyage. “They embarked on a voyage across the sea.” – se fueron de viaje por mar.

 

When you travel from place to place by road, train etc. you go on a journey. Un viaje en train is a train journey. How long is the journey from Barcelona to Valencia? Repeat: How long is the journey from Barcelona to Valencia? Is it a long journey?

 

Now listen to, and repeat, the following holiday collocations:

 

Sea - deep blue sea, calm sea, cold sea, rough sea (a rough sea is agitado, picado the opposite of a rough sea is a calm sea)

 

tour - coach tour, sightseeing tour, package tour , guided tour (if you go sightseeing, haces turismo. – I went sightseeing in Paris. The sights are the famous and interesting things in a city. What are the sights in Paris? The Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees. To see them is to go sightseeing. Repeat: go sightseeing. I went sightseeing in London. I saw all the sights. What are the sights in London? What’s the name of that big clock? Big Ben. What’s the name of that famous department store where the Queen goes shopping? Harrods. What’s the name of that big house where the Queen lives? Buckingham Palace. Where do David and Victoria Beckham live? Beckingham Palace!

 

holiday - summer holiday, package holiday, beach holiday, adventure holiday

 

trip coach trip (what’s the difference between coach and bus? A coach is usually for longer journeys, maybe from one city to another city. A bus is for travelling inside a city, for shorter journeys. A coach is usually more comfortable than a bus.) Repeat: We’re going on a coach trip. It’s cheaper to take a coach than a train, boat trip – a boat trip on the River Thames, day trip, business trip

 

resort (a resort is un centro turístico) - holiday resort, tourist resort, seaside resort, popular resort (seaside means playa, costa. I love going to seaside resorts – but not in England, the weather’s terrible!)

 

beach – a crowded beach (a crowded beach es una playa llena de gente Repeat: It’s crowded. The beach is crowded. It’s a crowded beach.) golden beach, sandy beach (sand is arena, so the adjective sandy means arenoso) repeat: a sandy beach, deserted beach (deserted means desierto o abandanado)

 

 

In the advanced section this month, we practised writing cleft sentences. Listen to the examples and repeat the sentences.

 

It was Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula in 1897.

It was in 1897 that Bram Stoker wrote Dracula.

It was Dracula that Bram Stoker wrote in 1897.

 

What people really love is Baloo the bear.

Baloo the bear is what people really love.

It is Baloo the bear that people really love.

 

What this bear is called is Baloo.

Baloo is what this bear is called.

This bear is called Baloo.

 

Most sightings have been reported in the Indian Jungle.

It is (in) the Indian Jungle where most sightings have been reported.

The Indian Jungle is where most sightings have been reported.

 

Suddenly the bear appeared out of nowhere.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, the bear appeared.

 

Right there in front of me danced the cuddly bear.

It was the cuddly bear that danced right there in front of me.

 

What I didn’t expect to see in the jungle was a dancing bear.

A dancing bear was the last thing I expected to see in the jungle.

 

In the business English section this month, there was an exercise to practise abbreviations in business English. Listen to the abbreviations and try to say what they stand for before I say them.

 

AGM - Annual General Meeting

CEO - Chief Executive Officer

COB - Chairman Of the Board

a/c account

ASAP - as soon as possible

ATM - automated teller machine (Am. English - cash dispenser, Br. English – cashpoint)

Attn - for the attention of

cc - copy to

Co - company

COD - cash on delivery

dept - department

ETA - estimated time of arrival

GDP - gross domestic product

GNP - gross national product

Inc - incorporated

Jr - junior

Ltd - limited company

N/A - not applicable

NB - Nota Bene (Latin - it is important to note)

PA - personal assistant

p.a. - per annum (Latin - per year)

p.w. - per week

Plc - public limited company

p.p. - per pro (Latin - used before signing in a person's absence)

PR - public relations

p.s. - post scriptum (Latin – in Spanish posdata P.D.)

pto - please turn over

qty - quantity

R & D - research and development

re - with reference to

RSVP - repondez s'il vous plait (French - please reply)

VAT - value added tax

VIP - very important person

 

Well, that’s it for this month. Thanks for listening. Remember to visit our online shop where you can find our business English cd, our First Certificate cd for the Cambridge FCE exam, our audio cds and many more. Just go to mansioningles.com and click on the cds on the right side of the home page. You can also follow us on Twitter, just search for MansionTwit, and visit us on our Facebook fan page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct download: Podcast_April_2010.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:42pm CET

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

 

Podcast Transcription

 

Hi and welcome to another Mansión Inglés podcast from mansióninglés.com, recorded for March 2010.

And a big thank you to everyone who sent us suggestions and ideas to improve our monthly newsletter, our cuaderno mensual.

One of the things you asked for was more grammar, especially verbs.

Listen to these 8 verbs in Spanish and try to say the English translation before I do. Then repeat the verb and the sentences to practise pronunciation. Escucha y repite:

 

ser/estar – to be – I am, you are, we are, he, she and it is, they are.

En el pasado - I was, you were, we were, he, she and it was, they were

 

hablar ¿Qué es hablar en ingles? = to speak – it’s an irregular verb - es un verbo irregular - speak, spoke, spoken – I spoke to him, he spoke to me. Have you spoken to her? No? Haven’t you spoken to her yet? My God! Are you speaking to me? I’m speaking to you.

 

tenertener means to have – it’s an irregular verb, listen - have, had, had – I have, he, she, it has, we have, they have - I had a dream, he had a great idea. Have you had lunch yet? I haven’t had a hamburger for ages. Repeat: a hamburger – had a hamburger – haven’t had a hamburger - I haven’t had a hamburger for ages. - I haven’t had a hamburger for ages.

 

escuchar - to listen – a regular verb – es un verbo regular – I listen, you listen, we listen  he, she, it listens, they listen. I listened to the mansión Inglés podcast last month. It was fantastic! Have you listened to this podcast yet? My sister always listens to the podcast.

 

levanter(se) - to get up – get up is a phrasal verb – to get up – el pasado es - got up. I always get up early, My mum gets up late. What time did you get up this morning? Yesterday I got up at 7.

 

leer - to read - an irregular verb – read, read, read. – I love reading - I’m reading a great book at the moment, How often do you read? Have you read any good books lately? I read your email this morning.

 

ir(se) - to go – go is an irregular verb – go – went – gone, I go to work by train. She goes on holiday once a year. I went to the cinema last night. My neighbour’s gone to Italy for a week. Have you gone mad?

 

Conducir - to drive – another irregular verb – another means uno más. - another irregular verb - drive, drove, driven. Repeat: drive, drove, driven.  I don’t like driving in traffic. She drove to France last summer. Have you ever driven on the left?

 

 

Ok, let’s practise some phrasal verbs. Listen to the Spanish and try to say the English translation before I do. Then repeat the verb and the sentences to practise pronunciation. Escucha y repite:

 

dejar - give up – you should give up smoking.

darse prisa - hurry up! – Hurry up or we’ll be late.

fregar - wash up – I’ll wash up

crecer - grow up – I grew up in London

continuar, aguantar - carry on – Don’t stop, carry on.

esperar - hold on – please hold on a minute.

tener ganas de algo/de hacer algo - look forward to – I’m really looking forward to the weekend.

tirar algo a la basura - throw away – Did you throw away my red T-shirt?

encender/apagar - turn on/off, switch on/off – Can you turn off the light?

hablar - talk about – What are you talking about?

buscar - look for – I’m looking for my other sock. 

estropearse - break down – My car’s never broken down.

 

Recuerdas que cuando el phrasal verb tiene un objeto, se va entre el verbo y la partícula, o después.

 

For example: I threw away the chicken.  or  I threw the chicken away.

El objeto tambien puedo ser un pronombre.

For example: I threw it away. (‘it’ is the chicken)

 

Por lo cual, existe phrasal verbs que no se puede insertar el objecto entre el verbo y su partículo.

For example I’m looking for a flat.  No se dice: XI’m looking a flat for.X

Give up smoking. Can we say “give smoking up”? yes.

Wash up the dishes. Can we say “wash the dishes up? Yes

Talk about the weather. Can we say “Talk the weather about?” No

I’m looking forward to the weekend. Can we say “I’m looking the weekend forward”? No.   

 

Collocations – las colocaciones – some words like to go together. We say do business not Xmake businessX, for example and we say make money not Xdo moneyX. Let’s practise some.

To have a feeling - I had a feeling that she was trying to trick me into lending her money.

To pay attention - prestar atención – Please pay attention and listen to what I’m saying.

To pay someone a compliment – I can’t remember the last time someone paid me a compliment.

To take action – We must do something now. Take action immediately.

To have a drink – Do you fancy having a coffee after class? Do you fancy? means ¿Tienes ganas? o ¿Te apetece? -  Do you fancy having a beer? We can say “Do you fancy drinking a beer? But it’s more common to use have for food and drink than the verbs to eat and to drink. For example: I had a pizza. I’m having chicken for dinner. Shall we have a cocktail? What will you have? I’ll have a vodka and coke.

To pay your respects to someone – After the funeral we paid our respects to her family.

To take a liking to someone - I took a liking to our new boss as soon as he introduced himself.

To take a chance – I won’t marry her. I can’t take that chance.

 

Business Vocabulary

If you’ve read the newsletter, the cuaderno, you should know these business expressions. Try to say them after the description.

 

When two companies decide to join together, this is called a merger.

If a company employs more workers, we can say that it has taken on more staff.

The organisation that negotiates with the management for the workers is the union            

If a company "cuts jobs" it has fewer workers                  

Extra money for doing extra work is called overtime

Until a company needs something, it stores it in a depot 

A company that has a specialised product or service has a market niche

When one company takes control of another it’s called a takeover      

A company which has a lot of money in the bank has a cash pile           

One way for a company to raise a lot of money is to issue shares

Well, that’s it for this month. Thanks for listening and take care.

 

That was a mansion Ingles podcast from mansioningles.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Direct download: 2010_March_Podcast.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:36pm CET