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Tuesday 30 October 2012

Michael's 2012 Halloween Party / La fiesta de Halloween de Michael del 2012



First to arrive at Michael's party where the black cats. They came from everywhere and there were about five hundred of them. A bowl of fresh cream awaited each cat. As guests, they were very decorative.

Los primeros en llegar a la fiesta de Michael fueron los gatos negros. Venían de todas partes y eran unos quinientos. Un bol de nata fresca esperaba a cada gato. Como invitados, eran muy decorativos.



Next to arrive were Heather and Thistle. They came as little ghosts tugging a cartful of delicious cookies they had baked for the event.

Las siguientes en llegar fueron Brezo y Cardo. Vinieron disfrazadas de pequeños fantasmas que arrastraban un carrito lleno de deliciosas galletas que habían preparado para este evento.



Their parents arrived almost an hour later because they wanted to make a grand entrance. Oberon came dressed as a black spider. His web was a huge marshmallow-like sweet. You could pull little pieces of it and eat them, but they were appropriately sticky.

Sus padres llegaron eso de una hora más tarde porque querìan hacer un gran entrada. Oberon vino vestido de araña negra.Su red era un enorme dulce tipo nube. Podías arrancar trocitos y comértelos, pero eran adecuadamente pegajosos.  



To provoke him, Titania came dressed as a black widow. She wore a magnificent hourglass-shaped ruby on her breast. The butterflies and bees and ants and leaves trapped in her web as well as the spiders waiting on it were made of marzipan and could be eaten too. 

Para picarle, Titania vino vestida de viuda negra. Llevaba un magnífico rubí con forma de reloj de arena en el pecho. Las mariposas, abejas, hormigas y hojas atrapadas en su red y hasta las arañas sentadas en ésta estaban hechos de mazapán y se podían comer también. 



Fiona had arrived earlier because she was the official caterer. She had prepared lots of wholesome and tasty food. Because she and her sister were retired vampires, they had thought it would be funny if they came as famous members of their species, but of human origin. Fiona was Dracula's relative, the Countess Dolingen of Gratz.

Fiona había llegado antes porque era la restauradora oficial. Había preparado un montón de comida sana y sabrosa. Como ella y su hermana  habían ejercido de vampiras, pensaron que sería gracioso disfrazarse de famosas de su especie, pero de origen humano.Fiona era la sobrina de Drácula, la condesa Dolingen de Gratz.


And Branna looked very beautiful too, dressed as an English post-Elizabethan vampire named Sarah. Her pet came along with her, disguised as a fierce wolf.

Y Branna también estaba guapísima disfrazada de una vampira inglesa postisabelina llamada Sarah. La acompañaba su mascota, disfrazada de lobo feroz.


Their parents also played on the vampire theme. They came as good old Lady Adelina and the doctor who kept her alive. Aislene's make up made her look as if she had aged gracefully, but for some reason her ears kept slipping out of her hood. Perhaps this was because the local gossips had come disguised as garlic bulbs on a string.

Sus padres también se apuntaron al tema de vampiros. Vinieron como la  buena de la Dama Adelina y el médico que la mantenía viva. El maquillaje de Aislene hacía que pareciese que ésta había envejecido con estilo, pero por alguna razón sus orejas no paraban de deslizarse fuera de la capucha que llevaba. Tal vez esto se debía a que las cotillas del lugar habían venido disfrazadas de ristra de ajos.


Garlic String Gossips / Ristra de ajos cotillas

Which of the two girls is the thug?

¿Cuál de las dos chicas es la matona?

Mr. Binky did not dress as a vampire to avoid being the butt of trite jokes because he was a politician. Although he was not a big eater himself, he had quite a few semi-human false friends with unsatiable appetites.

El Sr. Binky no se disfrazó de vampiro para evitar chistes fáciles porque era político. Aunque él no era de mucho comer y beber, tenía unos cuantos falsos amigos semi-humanos que chupaban de lo lindo.

P.M. Binky / P.M. Binky

Fiona, if I ever found a police corps, would you like to be the chief of police?

Fiona, si alguna vez fundo un cuerpo de policía, ¿aceptarías ser la comisaria?


Fiona

I? But I faltered when I could have saved Salty Boogerbeard.

¿Yo? Pero si titubeé cuando pude haber salvado a Saladito Barbamocos.




P. M. Binky /P.M. Binky

Precisely.

Precisamente.

Mrs. Parry had come as the ghost of a walled up woman and since walls have ears she was more than ready to defend Fiona from the gossips who were not so veiledly calling her an equalkiller. In case you don't know what that is, it is a magical being who has neutralized another magical being. They are not well considered.

La Señora Parry había venido disfrazada de mujer emparedada y como las paredes oyen, estaba más que dispuesta a defender a Fiona de las malas lenguas que la llamaban no tan veladamente una mataiguales. Por si no lo sabes, eso es un ser mágico que ha neutralizado a otro. Están bastante mal vistos.   


Mrs. Parry / Señora Parry

Don't you worry, child. I am the doyenne in society here and I will tell you what you must do.

No te preocupes, hija. Yo soy la que manda en sociedad aquí. Te diré lo que vas a hacer.

Fiona

But there's more...

Pero es que hay algo más...


And suddenly Arley appeared, apparently without a costume and flanked by his friends...

Y de pronto apareció Arley, aparentemente sin disfraz y flanqueado por sus amigos...

Monday 29 October 2012

Halloween is the day after tomorrow / Pasado mañana es Halloween

The black cats are already on their stealthy way to Michael Toora's 2012 Halloween Party.

Los gatos negros ya están en marcha y se dirigen sigilosamente a la fiesta de Halloween 2012 de Michael Toora.

Don't miss it!

¡No te la pierdas!

Nauta's Mini Mythology: Muda / Mini mitología de Nauta: Muda



Nauta

I suppose I should tell you about someone a little spooky, since in a few days it will be Halloween. Here goes something that gave me the creeps when I was little. It's Roman mythology, not Greek, but I suppose it will do.

Supongo que debo contaros algo miedosillo ya que dentro de unos días se celebra Halloween. Ahí va algo que me puso la carne de gallina cuando era pequeño. Tiene que ver con la mitología romana, no la griega, pero supongo que servirá.




My cousins were having trouble with the neighborhood gossips. A lady came to our house to carry out a ritual that would make the mean neighbors hold their tongues. She invoked a goddess called Muda, also known as Tacita, who binds wicked people's tongues. The ritual involved using black beans, putting three grains of incense in the hole of a mouse by the doorway and boiling in wine an anchovy with its mouth sewn shut by a bronze needle.

Mis primas estaban sufriendo por culpa de las cotillas del barrio. Una señora vino a nuestra casa para realizar un ritual que haría callar a las vecinas malintencionadas. Invocó a una diosa llamada Muda, también conocida como Tácita, que ata las lenguas de la gente mala. Este ritual incluía utilizar habas negras, colocar tres granos de incienso en un agujero junto a la puerta de entrada por el que pudiese entrar un ratón y hervir en vino una anchoa tras haber cosido su boca con una aguja de bronce.

I don't know about you, but this sort of things make my hair stand on end. Frankly, I prefer to rely on the old saying that advises it is better to have people talk about you no matter what they say than to not have them talk about you at all.

No sé que os parece esto, pero esta clase de cosas a mi me ponen los pelos de punta. Francamente, prefiero atenerme al dicho ese que aconseja lo siguiente: "Que hablen mal, pero que hablen." 

Thursday 25 October 2012

Manole, the Romanian architect / Manole, el arquitecto rumano



Today, and for Halloween, the first of two frightful stories about animated buildings. What is an animated building? It is a building that is alive. Thought to be inhabited by the soul of a person who was walled up within it or buried near it, the ghost of this person has become the soul of the building, and the building stands and does not crumble down thanks to it.

Hoy, y para Halloween,  el primero de dos terribles cuentos sobre edificios animados. ¿Qué es un edificio animado? Es un edificio que está vivo. Se piensa que está habitado por el alma de una persona que fue emparedada en él o que está enterrada cerca de él y por eso el fantasma de esa persona se ha convertido en el alma del edificio, y el edificio sigue en pie y no se derrumba gracias a que el ánima lo sostiene.

The first of our stories is about another eerie Romanian. Yes, we’ve all heard of Prince Vlad, better known as Dracula. But are you acquainted with Magister Manole?

El primero de nuestros cuentos es sobre otro rumano tenebroso. Sí, todos hemos oído de Vlad Tepes, más conocido como Drácula. ¿Pero conocéis al Maestro Manole?


Magister Manole was a master architect. Legend tells that one 13th century day he was asked by his prince, the ruler of Wallachia, Negru-Voda, to build the most beautiful of monasteries. So Manole and his crew of nine men began work on what was to be the Manastirea Argesului, the monastery of the Arges river.

El maestro Manole era un maestro arquitecto. Cuenta la leyenda que un día del siglo XIII el principe que gobernaba Valaquia, Negru-Voda, pidió a su súbdito Manole que construyese el más hermoso de los monasterios. Así que Manole y los nueve obreros de la construcción que formaban su equipo empezaron a construir el Manastirea Argesului, el monasterio del río Arges.

For some reason, the building would not hold up. Walls kept crumbling down as soon as they were built. The prince was furious and threatened to kill Manole and his men.

Por alguna razón, el edificio no se sostenía. En cuanto construían una pared, se derrumbaba. El príncipe estaba furioso y amenazó con matar a Manole y a sus hombres.

Then Manole had a dream - in our opinion a nightmare – in which he learned that the building would only stand if it had a soul that could make it come alive. It had to be the soul of someone loved by one of its builders.

Entonces Manole tuvo un sueño – en nuestra opinión, una pesadilla – en él que se le ocurrió que el edificio sólo se sostendría si tuviese un alma que le diese vida. Tenía que ser el alma de alguien amado por uno de sus constructores.

Manole awoke obsessed with the mad idea of walling someone up in the building to this end. He consulted with his team of construction workers and they agreed to wall up one of their wives, more precisely the first one to show up that day with her husband’s lunch.

Manole se despertó obsesionado con la loca idea de emparedar a alguien en el edificio con este fin. Consultó con su equipo de obreros y todos acordaron emparedar a una de sus esposas, más concretamente a la primera que apareciese por ahí con el almuerzo de su marido.

You would think they were not too fond of their wives or that maybe the lunches these ladies cooked for their husbands were pure poison, but it seems Manole was distraught when it was his own wife that arrived first.

Pensarías que no valoraban mucho a sus mujeres o que tal vez los almuerzos que éstas preparaban para sus esposos eran veneno puro, pero parece ser que Manole estaba destrozado cuando fue su propia mujer la que llegó la primera.

Nevertheless, despite his possibly crocodile tears, he and his men began to pretend to play a game with the lady, laying bricks all around her until she went wise and saw they were serious.

A pesar de esto y fuesen o no las suyas lagrimas de cocodrilo, él y sus hombres comenzaron a fingir que tonteaban con la señora, plantando ladrillos a su alrededor hasta que ésta se dió cuenta de que no era una broma y de que iban en serio.

It was too late for her to save herself, however. This time the monastery deigned to hold itself together, and as you can see from the video below, it is indeed beautiful.

Era demasiado tarde para que pudiese escapar. Esta vez el monasterio se digno a mantenerse en pie y como podéis ver en el video más abajo, es desde luego muy hermoso.





As for Manole, he made the mistake of telling the prince that he could build an even finer building than this monastery. The prince – perhaps because he didn’t want any better buildings around than the one he already had or because he suspected why this one was so successful – refused to allow Manole to build anything else. Instead, he stranded Manole and his crew high up on the roof of the Arges Monastery, from which it was clear he expected these men never to come down again.

En cuanto a Manole, cometió el error de decirle al principe que podía construir un edificio todavía más hermoso que este monasterio. El príncipe, tal vez porque no quería que hubiese otro edificio más hermoso que éste o quizás porque se había enterado de por qué éste se tenía en pie, no permitió a Manole volver a construir. En vez, le aisló en el tejado del monasterio del Arges junto con los otros nueve hombres del equipo, y estaba claro que esperaba que no volviese a bajar ninguno jamás.

They tried to escape by making wooden wings for themselves but the wings were defective and they all fell to the ground with a crash and died. A spring that bears his name is said to have sprung up on the very spot where Manole died when he landed.

Intentaron escapar fabricando alas de madera pero estas resultaron ser defectuosas y todos cayeron del tejado y murieron al estrellarse contra la tierra. Se dice que un manantial que lleva el nombre de Manole surgió justo en el lugar en el que el arquitecto murió al caer.



This frightful story is the subject of a haunting ballad that is very important in Romanian folklore. But you must not think only the Romanians have weird stories like this one. There are weird people and stories everywhere. One of these days we will have a closer look at the nursery rhyme “London Bridge.”

Esta terrible historia es el tema de una inquietante balada que es muy importante en el folklore rumano. Pero no debéis pensar que sólo los rumanos tienen cuentos tan tenebrosos como éste. Hay gente extraña y cuentos terribles en todas partes. Uno de estos días examinaremos más de cerca la canción infantil London Bridge is Falling Down (El Puente de Londres se está cayendo).

We found the video and the images that illustrate this post in the Internet.

Encontramos las imágenes y el video que ilustran esta entrada en Internet.

TRUE OR FALSE / VERDADERO O FALSO
1. Magister Manole lived in Transylvania, like Dracula. / El Maestro Manole vivía en Transilvania, como Drácula.
2. Manole was the head of a team of nine construction workers. / Manole era el jefe de un equipo de nueve obreros de la construcción.
3. Negru-Voda ordered Manole to build a monastery near a lake. / Negru-Voda le ordenó a Manole que construyese un monasterio junto a un lago.
4. Manole and his men were having a sinister problem that kept them from finishing their job. / Manole y sus hombres tenían un problema siniestro que impedía que terminasen su trabajo.
5. Negru-Voda threatened to kill the families of the workers if they didn't finish the monastery in time. /  Negru-Voda amenazó con matar a las familias de los obreros si no termnaban el monasterio a tiempo.
6. An old monk told Manole the building would not stand unless one of the loved ones of one of its builders was walled up inside it. / Un monje anciano le dijo a Manole que el edificio no se sostendría a no ser que uno de los seres queridos de uno de los constructores fuese emparedado en él.
7. Manole and his crew agreed to wall up the first of their wives to arrive at the construction site with her husband's lunch. / Manole y sus hombres decidieron emparedar a aquella de sus esposas que llegase la primera a la obra con el almuerzo de su marido.
8. The woman who arrived first was Manole's own wife. / La esposa que llegó primero fue la del mismo Manole.
9. Manole didn't give a tinker's cuss about walling up his wife. / A Manole no le importó un bledo emparedar a su esposa.
10. Negru-Voda left the builders to die on the roof of the monastery because he thought it was an awfully ugly building. / Negru-Voda subió a los constructores al tejado del monasterio y les dejó para que se muriesen allí porque el edificio le pareció feísimo.
11. The men tried to fly off the roof with wooden wings they made for themselves. / Los hombres intentaron salir volando del tejado con alas que ellos mismos fabricaron.
12. By the end of this story everyone in it is dead, including Negru-Voda. / Al final de esta historia, todos los personajes han muerto, incluso Negru-Voda.
13. Somebody wrote a ballad about Manole that is important in Romanian literature. / Alguien escribió una balada sobre la historia de Manole que es importante en la literatura rumana.

 And now, questions with a prize for the first to answer them correctly. / Y ahora preguntas con premio para el primero que las conteste bien:
14. Did you look closely at the video? Then what was the name of Manole's wife? / ¿Miraste el video atentamente? Entonces, ¿cómo se llamaba la mujer de Manole?
15. Voda probably means voivoda. But what is a voivoda? / Voda probablemente significa voivoda. ¿Pero qué es un voivoda?
16. And the last question is...

Who am I? / ¿Quién soy?

Sunday 14 October 2012

A Time to Shock / Un tiempo para asustar


Alpin

If you keep acting depressed, Arley, I’m going to stop seeing you. Since we returned from London, you are no longer fun. You no longer serve to entertain me.

Si sigues estando así de deprimido, Arley, voy a dejar de verte. Desde que hemos vuelto de Londres, ya no eres divertido. No sirves para entretenerme.


Vinny

Alpin’s said it rather crudely, but it’s true. You can’t go on like this. Speak out once and for all. What’s the matter with you? Is it because of the money for the school they wanted to deprive you of?

Alpin te lo ha dicho con cierta crudeza, pero es verdad. No puedes seguir así. Habla de una vez. ¿Qué te pasa? ¿Es por lo del dinero de la escuela esa que querían quitarte?

Arley

I have spoken out. About the school money, I’ve spoken to the fortunetellers and they said not to worry. Everything will turn out just right. Not that I’m very convinced about that, because I can’t see how it possibly could, but that's not the worse of my problems. The worse is that I have to tell my parents something they won’t want to hear and I don’t know how to do it. I don’t even know if I want to do it. Well, I know I don’t want to, because this could change my life, but I also know that I have to. And my mother is going to suffer a shock or throw a fit or…

Sí he hablado. De lo de la escuela he hablado con los adivinos y me dijeron que no me preocupase. Todo va a salir como debe ser. No estoy muy convencido, porque no veo como va a poder ser eso, pero ese no es el peor de mis problemas. Lo peor es que tengo que decirles a mis padres algo que no van a querer oír y no sé cómo hacerlo. Ni siquiera sé si quiero hacerlo. Bueno, sé que no quiero hacerlo, porque podría cambiar mi vida, pero también sé que debo hacerlo. Y mi madre se va a llevar un susto o un disgusto o…

Vinny

If you’re going to give your mum a shock, why not do it this Halloween? Halloween is right around the corner. And on that day people are mentally prepared to be frightened, aren’t they?

Si vas a asustar a tu madre, ¿por qué no lo haces este Halloween?  Los sustos se dan en Halloween, ¿no? Está a la vuelta de la esquina y la gente suele estar psicológicamente preparada para recibir sustos ese día y los acepta mejor.

Arley

I think this is another kind of shock.

Creo que éste es otra clase de susto.



Alpin

Who cares? A fright is a fright. Give it to her during Michael’s party. She always goes to that party. And she’s always in a good mood there. Besides, if you tell her what you have to say in front of a lot of people, surely she won’t throw a fit. She’ll have to keep a stiff upper lip and pretend nothing much has happened.

¡Qué más da! Un susto es un susto. Dáselo durante la fiesta de Michael. Ella siempre asiste a esa fiesta. Y suele estar de muy buen humor. Además, si se lo dices delante de un montón de gente, seguro que no montará un escándalo. No la quedará otra que poner buena cara y fingir que no ha pasado nada.

Arley

This might not be a bad idea. Ok, it’s decided. That’s how I’ll do it.

Tal vez no resulte ser mala idea. Venga, ya está decidido. Así lo haré.


Alpin

Now I know I’m going to enjoy poor cousin Michael’s 2012 Halloween party.

Ya tenemos movida para la fiesta de Halloween 2012 del pobre primo Michael.


Tuesday 9 October 2012

55 Relative Clauses to Practice With / Practicar con 55 cláusulas de relativo


Here are 55 rather relative clauses to practice with. Keep an eye on the ones with why. The ones with what, too. I hope they will do.  If you can't remember a thing about relatives, click on Review Relatives first.

Ahí van 55 cláusulas más o menos de relativo para practicar. Ojo con las de "why." Con las de "what" también. Espero que sirvan. Sí no te acuerdas de nada sobre las cláusulas de relativo, picha en Repasar Relativos primero.

1. A mean waiter served us. He was very rude.

The mean waiter

2. Leonardo Da Vinci was born near Florence. He painted the Mona Lisa.

Leonardo Da Vinci,

3. Jo came to see me. She works in the same building I do.

Jo,

4. The wind blew out the candle. Jane had lit it.

The wind

5. Where is the birthday cake? Fiona baked it.

Where is

6. I saw a girl stealing. She was wearing a red dress.

I saw a girl

7. August is the month. In August, I am on holiday.

August is

8. We enjoyed the film. It was on TV on Sunday afternoon.

We enjoyed

9. An orphan is a person. His or her parents are dead.

An orphan

10. Did you buy the antique table? It was worth ten thousand dollars.

Did you

11. The girl is my niece. She is crossing the street.

The girl

12. Some people are afraid of spiders. They have arachnophobia.

People who

13. Spring is the time of year. Flowers appear then.

Spring is

14. Ether made surgery painless. It was first used in the 19th century.

Ether,

15. Nell is a very gifted child. She plays the piano like the young Mozart.

Nell,

16. This is the scene in the film. The actor jumps out of the window.

This is the scene in the film

This is the scene in the film in

17. You are hearing a noise. It is caused by an enormous air conditioner.

The noise

18. This is the man. We fixed his car yesterday.

This is

19. Edgar's house is haunted. He can’t sleep at night.

Edgar,

20. Who is the doctor? He saved Peter´s life.

Who is

21. You saw a mime yesterday. Is that the mime?

Is that

22. Elsa bought a horse from a jockey. That is the jockey.

That is the jockey who

That is the jockey from

23. I keep my money in a little green metal box. It is in the closet.

I keep

24. Arnold is Herman’s twin brother. He looks exactly like Herman.

Arnold,

25.We live near the park. You go to play there every day.

We live

26. Who ate the chocolates? I bought them this morning.

Who ate

27. Some people are selfish. I don’t like those people.

I don’t like people

28. The Earth has a moon. Is it the only planet with a moon?

Is the Earth

29. Vanessa is the girl. John wrote a lovely poem for her.

Vanessa is the girl for

30. Katie is jealous of Elizabeth. Elizabeth's boyfriend is gorgeous.

Katie is jealous of Elizabeth,

31. Madrid is a city. It never sleeps.

Madrid is

32. We can only lend you fifty dollars. That is all we have.

We can only

33. That girl is in my class. I can’t remember her name.

That girl,

34. The boys can vote. They are 18 years old.

The boys,

35. That’s the theatre. I saw the musical “Wicked” there.

That’s

36. Pass me the mobile phone. It is on my desk.

Pass me

37. The new stadium was inaugurated today. It holds 50 thousand people.

The new stadium,

38. I gave Bill the things. He asked for them.

I gave

39. Is that the girl? Paul was dancing with her?

Is that the girl

Is that the girl with

40. May I ask you something? Who is that man?

May I ask

41. Once, a lot of people died from tuberculosis.

There was a time

42. I had never spoken to my neighbor before. He invited me to a party.

My neighbor, to

My neighbor,

43. Fred sent flowers to the hospital. It was kind of him.

Fred sent

44. The hurricane destroyed New Orleans. It was called Katrina.

The hurricane

45. They will come. But when?

I don’t know

46. Pendragon won the race. We bet on that horse.

We bet on Pendragon, the horse

47. You bought those tiny shoes. For whom?

For whom

48. She's here. But why?

I don't know

49. They're digging a hole out there. But I don't know what for.

I don't know what

50. They are building a sports center in the spot. Our old school was there.

They are

51. Alfred snores. His wife finds this annoying.

Alfred snores,  

52. Bus number 5 goes to the airport. It stops here every fifteen minutes.  

Bus number 5,

53. Jane's apartment is bigger than mine. She's going to move to an even bigger apartment.

Jane, whose

54. The Smiths have a dog. It's former owner was Mike's brother.

The Smiths have

55. My Italian grandmother came to visit us. I was five years old then.

My Italian grandmother

Monday 8 October 2012

About time! / ¡Ya era hora!

The Church has new doctors. / Nuevos doctores tiene la Iglesia.


Yes, about time, Hildegard... / Sí, ya era hora, Hildegarda...


...and John. / ...y Juan. 

There happens to be an article about Hildegard in one of your English textbooks. John is a hometown boy.

Hay un artículo sobre Hildegarda en uno de vuestros libros de texto de inglés. Juan es un chico de la tierra.


Sunday 7 October 2012

3 Exceedingly Simple Dialogues / 3 diálogos pero que muy sencillos

Here are three dialogues with which you can practice speaking with a classmate. You can substitute the underlined words with others to keep practicing.

Aquí van tres diálogos con los que puedes practicar hablar con un compañero. Puedes sustituir los datos subrayados por otros para seguir practicando.


I - Just Met Dialogue:

Fran: Hello! My name is Fran. Who are you?

Pat: Hi, Fran. I'm Pat. Where are you from?

Fran: I'm from Ciudad Real, in Spain. Where are you from?

Pat: Ah, you're Spanish. I'm Irish. I'm from Dublin.

Sam: I'm a student. I'm here to learn English. Are you a student?

Pat: No. I think I'm your teacher.


II - School Subjects Dialogue:

Ronnie: Are you a student?

Jamie: Yes, I am.

Ronnie: Are you in secondary school?

Jamie: Yes, I am. I’m in first year.

Ronnie: What subjects do you do at school?

Jamie: I do Maths, Language, History, Science, English, P.E. and Music.

Ronnie: What are your favorite subjects?

Jamie: My favorite subject is Music. I also like English.

Ronnie: Which subjects are difficult for you?

Jamie: Maths and History are difficult for me.


III - School Timetable Dialogue:

Ali: Hi. I want to know when my classes are.

Cameron: Of course. What class are you in?

Ali: I'm in class 1E.

Cameron: Here is your timetable.

Ali: When do I have English?

Cameron: Look. You have English Monday thru Thursday at half past ten.

Ali: Ah. So I have English four times a week.

Cameron: Yes. You also have Maths four times a week.

Ali: But I don't have Maths on Thursday. I have Maths on Friday.

Cameron: Yes. And Maths is after Break on Friday.

Ali: Yes, Maths is at a quarter to twelve on Friday.

Classroom May I's / Pregunta con ¿Puedo...? en el aula



Which of these “May I” questions are the ones you use the most at school? Choose the seven that are most often used by you. And add to the list other new ones that you think are also important.

¿Cuáles de estas preguntas con "May I" son las que más usas en el cole? Escoge las siete que utilizas con más frecuencia. Y añade a la lista otras nuevas que piensas que son importantes.  

May I come in? ¿Puedo entrar?

May I leave? ¿Puedo irme?

May I go to the principal's office? ¿Puedo ir a la oficina de la directora?

May I see the principal's assistants? ¿Puedo ver a las jefas de estudios?

May I see the secretary? ¿Puedo ver al secretario?

May I go to the toilet please? ¿Puedo ir al baño, por favor?

May I drink water, please? ¿Puedo beber agua, por favor?

May I give out those papers? ¿Puedo repartir esos papeles?

May I collect those papers? ¿Puedo recoger esos papeles?

May I photocopy this? ¿Puedo fotocopiar esto?

May I sit closer to the blackboard? ¿Puedo sentarme más cerca de la pizarra?

May I sit next to the heater? ¿Puedo sentarme junto a la calefacción?

May I write on the blackboard? ¿Puedo escribir en la pizarra?

May I keep my things? ¿Puedo guardar mis cosas?

May I ask a question? ¿Puedo hacer una pregunta?

May I answer that question? ¿Puedo contestar esa pregunta?

May I say something to the class?  ¿Puedo decir algo a la clase?

May I help you? ¿Puedo ayudarte?

May I sharpen a pencil? ¿Puedo sacar punta a mi lápiz?

May I close the door? ¿Puedo cerrar la puerta?

May I open the door? ¿Puedo abrir la puerta?

May I shut the window? ¿Puedo cerrar la ventana?

May I open the window? ¿Puedo abrir la ventana?

May I lower the blind? ¿Puedo bajar la persiana? (se dice blaind)

May I lift the blind? ¿Puedo subir la persiana?

May I switch on the lights? ¿Puedo encender las luces?

May I switch off the lights? ¿Puedo apagar las luces?

 


Sancho Panza

I think you can also ask these questions with "Can" instead of with "May." Isn't that so?

Yo creo que estas preguntas también se pueden hacer con "Can" en lugar de "May." ¿No es así?


Don Quijote

Yes. But "May" is more polite and is used to ask for permission. One thing is to ask for permission and another to be able to do something with or without permission.

Sí. Pero "May" es más educado y se usa para pedir permiso. Una cosa es que te den permiso para hacer algo y otra que tú puedas o no puedas hacer algo con o sin permiso.


Michael

That's why when someone asks me one of these questions with "Can" instead of with "May," I answer, "You can, but you may not."

Por eso cuando me hacen estas preguntas con "Can" en vez de con "May" suelo contestar, "You can, but you may not." Eso quiere decir "Puedes, pero no te doy permiso para hacerlo."

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Code in my doze / Catao en la naiz


 Sancho Panza

Vaccines arrive late. I've got a cold in my nose. I feel worse than Miss Streisand.

Las vacunas llegan tarde. Tengo un catarro en la nariz. Me siento peor que la Streisand.





Feeling awfully bad, / Sintiéndome fatal,
What a time I had / ¡Lo mal que lo he pasado!
'Cause I didn't button up my overcoat! / ¡Y todo porque no me abroché el abrigo!
Hachoo! / ¡Achis!
All I do is sniff, / Todo lo que hago es esnifar,
Pass that handkerchief, / Pásame el pañuelo.
What a funny feeling in my eyes and ears and throat! /Vaya sensación en los ojos, oídos y garganta.
Oy, I can't sleep, I can't eat, / Uy, no puedo dormir, no puedo comer,
Get a pail and soak my feet, / Coge un cubo y mójame lo pies,
I got a code in my doze! / Que tengo un catao en la naiz.
Oh, I got a code in my doze! / ¡Oh, tengo un catao en la naiz!
Please repeat what you said, / Por favor, repite lo que has dicho,
Funny noises in my head, / Que hay ruidos raros en mi cabeza,
I got a code in my doze! / Porque tengo un catao en la naiz.
Oh, I got a code in my doze! / ¡Oh, tengo un catao en la naiz!
Went to see the doctor, / Fuí a ver al médico,
Asked him what to do. / Le pregunté lo que hacer.
Lordy help that doctor ! / ¡El Señor asista a ese médico!
He said, “I think I got one too!” / “Creo que tengo uno yo también,” dijo él.
So we laid down, side by side / Así que nos acostamos, codo con codo.
I’m still here but the doctor died. / Yo sigo aquí, pero el doctor la ha pringado.
I got a code in my doze / ¡Tengo un catao en la naiz!
Oh, I got a code in my doze / ¡Oh, tengo un catao en la naiz!
Ha-ha-hatchoo! / ¡Achis!

Don Quijote
 
Try natural remedies. Consult Parry the Apothecary.
 
Prueben con remedios caseros. Consulten al apotecario Parry.
 

Very Simple To Be Test / Test muy sencillo de ser o estar en inglés

If you've reviewed the verb To Be, you should be able to answer this test correctly.

Si has repasado el verbo To Be (ser o estar), deberías poder contestar este test correctamente.

I - Affirmative and Negative:

0. The pencil is (be) green.

1. Larry _______ (be) Irish.

2. They _______ (not be) doctors.

3. Jane and Phil _________ (be) at the cinema.

4. Music _________(be) my favorite subject.

5. History_________ (not be) on Mondays.

6. I _________ (not be) sixteen years old.

7. It ________ (be) beautiful.

8. My school _________ (be) big.

II - Yes/No Questions:

0. Is Helen the new teacher?
Yes, Helen is the new teacher.                            

1.
Yes, you are pretty.                                                 

2.
No, Rose isn’t German.

3.
Yes, Peter is tall. 

4.
No, Martin and Max aren’t brothers.

5.
No, we aren’t in the classroom.

6.
Yes, they are in the bus.

7.
No, the flowers aren't pink.

8.
Yes, Christmas is in December.

III - Wh- questions:

0. Where is Alfred?
Alfred is at school.

1.
The football match is on Monday.

2.
Fred and Michael are my friends.  

3.
That is my mobile phone.

4.
I am Anna.
  
5.
The party is in the afternoon.

6.
John is fine.  

7.
Jane is happy because it is her birthday  

8.
The old school is near my house.

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