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cursos de ingles

'Very' is very boring

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'Very' is very boring

In order to enrich your conversations in English try using more colorful, vibrant, intriguing adjectives, such as delicious instead of very tasty, terrified instead of very afraid, and awful instead of very bad.

Today we’re going to give you a fascinating list of 30 common adjectives and alternative words to use in order to jazz up your English speaking game!

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Get over it! (Phrasal Verbs with 'OVER')

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Get over it! (Phrasal Verbs with 'OVER')

Today we’re going to discuss some of the most common phrasal verbs that contain the word “over.” So, let’s go over them now! When you come over this afternoon make sure to bring over some snacks so we can run over some of the changes in the report. We really need to get our work over with so we can enjoy the weekend. Are you going to sleep over at your friend’s house tonight?

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Enfermedades (Diseases)

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Enfermedades (Diseases)

El invierno es sin duda alguna una de las estaciones en donde el índice de enfermedades aumenta y, por ende, tenemos que visitar al doctor. Si te has preguntado cómo expresar lo que sientes en inglés, entonces ha llegado tu día pues a continuación te enseñaremos con detalles todo el vocabulario que necesitas sobre enfermedades en inglés.

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It's February and love is in the air! (Friendship & Dating Phrasal Verbs)

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It's February and love is in the air! (Friendship & Dating Phrasal Verbs)

Humans are social beings, which means that relationships play a key role in our lives. Whether it be a romantic relationship or a friendship, we all have had and continue to have connections to those around us. Since Valentine’s Day happens to fall during the month of February, we’ll be talking about how to use different phrasal verbs to talk about our relationships. In the past, this holiday has been exclusively for couples, but recently it has become more of a day to show how much we care about and love those important people in our lives.

Let’s talk about our friends

Have (someone) over: have somebody visit your house or apartment

o   We’re having about 10 people over for dinner on Sunday.

o   I’m having Sara over tonight to watch the soccer game.

·Meet up or get together: spend time with a friend in person

o   I’m meeting up with Jorge at 9 o’clock tonight at his house.

o   We got together last week to plan his birthday party.

·Catch up: talk about new events going on in a friend’s life

o   Sara and I finally had a chance to catch up last week.

o   Let’s get together soon so we can catch up!

·Get in touch: contact somebody

o   If I ever go to Brazil, I’ll make sure to get in touch with you.

o   I need to get in touch with my sister. It’s been a long time since we last spoke.

Keep or stay in touch with someone: make an effort to stay in contact with somebody over a period of time

o   We should keep in touch after you move.

o   Whatsapp makes it easier to keep in touch now.

Lose touch: not have contact with someone

o   We lost touch when she moved back to Japan.

o   I haven’t been in touch with Alba since things started to get so busy at work.

Fall out with or have a falling out: have an argument or disagreement with someone

o   We had a falling out and haven’t talked since.

o   I fell out with Anthony about three years ago when he lied to me.

Be close with (someone): have a strong relationship or friendship with another person

o   I’m very close with my family.

o   Maria Jose and Anna are very close friends.

Let’s talk about couples and romantic relationships

Be interested in someone: like or have feelings for another person

o   I’m really interested in her.

o   She told me she was interested in him.

Hit on or come on to: try to attract someone romantically. This usually involves a combination of comments and gestures that show you’re interested in that person.

*Note: Flirting with someone is also another way to say “hitting on” someone.

o   I thought he was cute, so I started hitting on him.

o   She kept on getting hit on the whole night at the bar.

Check out: look at someone with a romantic or sexual interest

o   Whenever we hang out it’s hard not to check out his brother because he’s so hot (in this context “hot” means really “good looking” or physically attractive).

o   He was checking her out the whole time we were at the restaurant.

Hit it off: have a good relationship or connection from the very first time you meet a person

*Note: can be a connection on a friendship or romantic level

o   We hit it off at the barbeque and have been spending time together ever since.

o   They hit it off at the party last night.

Ask out: invite someone to go out on a date

o   You should ask her out when you see her tomorrow at work.

o   She asked him out on a date last week.

Fall for: have strong feelings for someone or to be in love with someone

o   They fell for each other instantly.

o   He fell for a beautiful, older woman.

Blow off: ignore or choose not to talk to or spend time with someone

o   She totally blew me off last week when she said she had “stuff to do.”

o   We had plans, but he blew me off at the last minute.

Break up or split up: end a relationship

o   She broke up with her boyfriend yesterday.

o   They split up after a huge argument.

Make up: to resolve a conflict, apologize or forgive someone.

o   They made up after they had a heated argument.

o   When are they finally going to make up?

Get over: no longer have romantic feelings for someone or to let go of a past relationship

o   She got over him a few months after they broke up.

o   It took him awhile to get over her and start dating other people.

Cheat on: be disloyal or have sexual relations with another person while still in an exclusive relationship with someone else.

o   She’s been cheating on him for the last few months.

o   He cheated on her with a mutual friend.

Lead on: make someone believe or act like they’re interested in someone romantically, when they’re really not.

o   He was leading her on so bad at the party last week.

o   She led him on when they were flirting at Ramon’s house.

Go Dutch: Each person pays for their own portion of the bill (usually at a restaurant or bar)

o   How do you want to pay for the bill? Let’s go Dutch.

o   I assumed we were going Dutch when we went out to dinner.

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Written by: Monica Jones


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New Year's Resolutions

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New Year's Resolutions

As you read today’s blog, vocabulary will be used throughout the text! Key vocabulary words are bold, and you can find their definitions at the bottom of the page. Happy reading! And Happy New Year! May it be safe, happy, and filled with English practice.

A resolution is a goal or objective that we set at the beginning of the New Year. Maybe you want to spend more time with your kids, secure a big promotion, eat more vegetables, save more money, or learn to play the ukulele. New Year’s Resolutions look different for everybody! Whether your resolution is to kick a bad habit or learn a new skill, it’s important that your goals are achievable.

I’ve always admired the people that set ambitious New Year’s resolutions and stay committed to them. Unfortunately, I often set unrealistic goals and fail quickly! One of my biggest pitfalls is that I choose to change a behavior too quickly. For example, I once chose the resolution to exercise five days a week, even though I generally only exercised twice a week. Instead, decide to try a new exercise class one more time per week. If you want to learn a musical instrument, your goal shouldn’t be to perform in a concert at the end of the year (unless you’re a musical prodigy). Perhaps a better resolution is to learn ten songs. Goals like this are measurable and doable. There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars, but starting with small changes is a good way to insure you don’t fail immediately and disappoint yourself.

Research shows that the most common New Year’s resolutions are health-related: losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking. People also set the goal to get out of debt, save money, change jobs, or travel more. It’s not easy to keep our New Year’s goals, but no matter what, it’s a worthwhile challenge.

According to History.com, people have been making New Year’s resolutions for thousands of years. About, 4,000 years ago, ancient Babylonians would celebrate the turn of the year by throwing a big party and making promises to their gods. Those promises were probably the original New Year’s resolutions! The custom of celebrating the New Year in January was established by Julius Ceasar and the Romans, in honor of their god, Janus. As history continued, Christians saw the New Year as a moment to reflect on their sins and mistakes and make commitments to improve in the future. Now, both religious and secular people around the world see the New Year as a time for reflection and goal-setting.

So, what will you do this year? Will you continue the 4,000 year tradition of looking to the future and setting goals? I wish you luck! As for me, I’ll be making realistic goals this year and doing my best to stick with them.

VOCABULARY

Resolution (noun) - an objective or goal

Goal (noun) - an objective

To set resolutions (phrase) - to decide on and try to achieve your goals

Spend time (phrase) - to dedicate time to an activity, pasar tiempo

Promotion (noun) - to move to a higher position in your job, to advance

Save money (phrase) - to put money to the side, ahorrar

Kick a bad habit (idiom) - to stop a regular, negative part of your routine (i.e. smoking or drinking too much)

Skill (noun) - an ability

Achievable (adjective) - able to be reached/obtained successfully

Admire (verb) - to respect

Committed (adjective) - dedicated  

Unrealistic (adjective) - not possible, not realistic

Fail (verb) - to not succeed, to not complete your objective

Pitfall(s) (noun) - danger or difficulty

Choose (verb) - to select

Behavior (noun) - a person’s way of acting

Even though (phrase) - despite, aunque

Instead (adverb) - as an alternative, en lugar de

Prodigy (noun) - a person with extreme ability

Measurable (adjective) - able to be measured, mensurable

Doable (adjective) - something you definitely can do or complete

Shoot for the stars (idiom) - to have very big dreams and goals

Insure (verb) - to guarantee

Quit (verb) - to stop completely

Smoking (noun) - the habit of using tobacco or a drug

Get out of debt (phrase) - to successfully overcome a financial deficit

No matter what (phrase) - regardless of, a pesar de

Worthwhile (adjective) - worth the time, money, or effort spent, vale la pena

Challenge (noun) - a difficult task or situation

Turn of the year (idiom) - the change from one year to the next

Throw a party (idiom) - to have a celebration

Make promises (phrase) - the action of making commitments to yourself or to other people

Custom (noun) - a tradition

Sin(s) (noun) - a religious word for immoral actions

Mistake(s) (noun) - an error

Commitment(s) (noun) - a promise or dedication

Improve (verb) - to get better

Secular (noun) - not religious

Reflection (noun) - serious thought and consideration

Stick with (phrasal verb) - to continue, to stay committed


Written by: Mariah Wika

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Money Talk: ATMs, Restaurants, and More!

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Money Talk: ATMs, Restaurants, and More!

In my first week in Chile, my debit card was confiscated by an ATM. I desperately asked for help, but I didn’t know how how to say credit card or ATM in Spanish!

Today we’re going to practice key financial vocabulary so that if this ever happens to you in English, you won’t be panicked like me!

Obviously, financial vocabulary is important in stressful situations like mine, but we use financial vocabulary all the time. It’s useful for travel, day-to-day situations, and our professional lives.

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Spring is Here!

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Spring is Here!

Spring has arrived in Santiago! The trees are green, the sun is shining, and we can finally put away our winter coats. Today’s blog post will focus on the vocabulary you need to talk about spring, but we’ll also cover some basic informal and informal weather vocabulary

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Advanced Business English: Delivering Constructive Criticism

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Advanced Business English: Delivering Constructive Criticism

It’s challenging to give (and receive) criticism in any language. However, in the workplace, this skill is integral to your success as an employee, colleague, or manager. While this post discusses negative feedback, keep in mind that negative feedback is also called constructive criticism or suggestions for growth in professional contexts. While we may want to tell somebody that they’re lazy or inexperienced, that would be unprofessional and offensive in the workplace. As you read, notice how using questions and careful, strategic language will help you to communicate feedback in a clear, but polite way.

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