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Concepto original Alberto Alonso Autor Alberto Alonso Dirección editorial Rubén Palomero Coordinación del proyecto Julia Nowicki Edición Julia Nowicki Edición del castellano Alberto Imedio Voces Richard Vaughan, Mary Stabb, Natasha Pascua, David Boyes, Matthew Hengler, Kyle Millar, Fitz, Layla Chapoy, Elrike Mostert, Cory McCollough, Lucia Fraile, Angela Sortino, Sean Meehan, Teresa Jones, Rosanna Ryan, Mayte Ziga, Itziar Acosta, Michael Slevin, Johnny Martinez, Julia Nowicki Sonido Juanjo Durán Diseño y maquetación Jacobo Lamas (zeromm.es) y Alejandro González Fotos y elementos Shutterstock, Vecteezy.com, Freepick.com: Starline, Kues1, Kjpargeter, Eightonesix, Mrsiraphol, SXC FreeImages.com/David Lau Imprime Naturprint ISBN 978-84-16667-19-2 Depósito Legal M-14850-2017 © Vaughan Systems S.L.U. Calle Orense 69, 28020 Madrid Tel: 91 748 59 50 / Fax: 91 556 42 21 www.grupovaughan.com / www.vaughantienda.com Propiedad de la presente edición: © 2017 Vaughan Systems

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ALBERTO ALONSO

ENGLISH

ON THE GO!

ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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DEDICATORIA Dedicated to my Dinks: Diana & Simón with all my love Special thanks to… My family & friends for believing in me; even when I don’t. Julia Nowicki and Alberto Imedio for putting up with me and doing more than just editing. Juanjo Durán for designing the audio experience. Marta and Carlos for filming and editing the videos. Richard Vaughan, Mary Stabb, Natasha Pascua, David Boyes, Matthew Hengler, Kyle Millar, Fitz, Layla Chapoy, Elrike Mostert, Cory McCollough, Lucia Fraile, Angela Sortino, Sean Meehan, Teresa Jones, Rosanna Ryan, Mayte Ziga, Itziar Acosta, Michael Slevin, Johnny Martinez and Julia Nowicki for lending me their voices and time.

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FOREWORD Alberto Alonso is a singular man. Perhaps it’s in his blood: a blend of Andalusia and Italy, with a heavy dose… maybe lethal… of New York. For me, he is the best radio DJ in Spain, a blessing… a godsend... for Vaughan Radio. The hard thing about Alberto, however, is finding adjectives to cover everything that he is and does. Describing him is like trying to grasp a moonbeam in your hands. But let’s try: brilliant, candid, determined, focused, effusive, outgoing, expansive, extroverted, unconstrained, uninhibited. But this description is only part one. And part two? Let’s see: goofy, wacky, screwball. Oh, and I’m forgetting two more adjectives: quick-witted and very intelligent. And now Alberto wants me to write a foreword to his book! When he approached me with the idea, I was a bit reluctant at first. I still hadn’t seen the book. Was it going to be as witty and entertaining as his last bestseller “This Book is the Milk”? I was doubtful. But when he sent me the chapter on Houston, my hometown, my doubts dissolved like an iceberg on the surface of the sun. I read the entire chapter, from start to finish. He was talking about my Houston, my hometown, and Alberto, this New Yorker, was describing it better than I could, making it look like the most attractive place on earth. Typical Alberto. His energy and enthusiasm are always contagious and now you have me here writing this foreword. But what is truly fascinating is how Alberto approaches the description of each of the 30 different cities he has included in the book. As you say in Spanish: “se te ponen los dientes largos”. After reading a chapter and absorbing English structures, English expressions and English vocabulary, the thing you most remember is the attractiveness of the place he is describing. In essence, you absorb English without realizing it. Why? Because you become absorbed with the city itself. This is the mark of a superb communicator and storyteller. You forget what language you are reading in, despite the greater difficulty of reading in English. Alberto’s style reminds me a bit of the popular 20th century literary fashion called “stream of consciousness”, made famous by many important writers, especially James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. As he writes about Houston, New York or Sydney, you hook into his mindset and follow the flow of his own excitement and the fun he has in his explanations and discoveries. I would recommend you set aside 30 minutes each day to read about one city and one city only. Then the next day, another city… and then another. After 30 days and 30 cities, you will not only possess a much greater command of the English language, but you will have a solid travel itinerary for the next 20 years of your life. ENGLISH ON THE GO! A good title for a really good book. I’ve never seen a book which fuses so well English learning with the joy of travel. Richard Vaughan

ENGLISH ENGLISHON ONTHE THEGO! GO!

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INTRODUCTION Firstly, thanks for joining me on this life-changing trip! I’m sure that by the end of it you’ll have not only improved your English but you will have discovered so many fascinating things along our 59,092 km journey. It might sound very cliché, but life’s a journey not a destination. I believe that and I have applied that to everything, especially the learning process. I wrote this book because I didn’t learn Spanish grammar or have much theory on it. I learned it by spending my summers in Almería, Spain, my father’s birthplace. I learned Spanish by absorbing the fascinating culture, food, history, anecdotes, jokes, music, movies etc. of my paternal family’s homeland. The language was more of a by-product of learning about the aforementioned diverse subjects. My goal was never to pass an exam, get a certificate or land a dream job. It was to be able to communicate with different people and make new friends. It opened many doors for me and thus my horizons. But that’s easy to say looking back now. When I was a kid I just loved the adventure of speaking “other” languages, and having “other” friends, eating “other” candies. It felt good having this whole second world; a different world that was mine and nobody else’s back home. I guess I knew deep down that it was going to give me an advantage, but I insist that, as a naive kid, I was just having fun discovering things and meeting & chatting with new people, “other” people, different from everyone I knew back in the US. Nevertheless, I did realize that if you’re curious and ask questions, you can learn anywhere and at any time, and I did. I learned from ingredients on cereal boxes, taglines on TV, the pages of Super Pop, and you could go as far as saying that Raphael was one of my Spanish “teachers”. Everywhere, I looked there was something to be learned behind every sight and sound, and I loved it. To this day I still look for lessons, everywhere and at any time or place. There’s no wrong and right time to learn something new. These fun mini lessons will take you around the world, chapter by chapter, city by city and prove to you that you don’t only learn English in a classroom; the world is our classroom, amigos! Buckle up and get ready for the ride of your life! Your amigo,

Alberto Alonso

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1

It’s very important that you download the audio and repeat the structures, vocabulary, and accents we’ll see. You’ll find the track number at the start of each chapter with an earphone logo. You can scan this QR code and watch some mini videos on each chapter. Don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube page for free English content. While we’re at it, remember to follow me on Twitter @imalbertoalonso and like me on FB. You can find all that stuff on my webpage www.albertoalonso.com You’ll find symbols that indicate common mistakes, tips, structures and pronunciation tweeks. Make sure you obey these street signs!

SECTIONS Dear amigos,

e is about to kick off. emoción!) Our adventur Wow! How exciting! (¡Que California. Fasten de partida) is San Diego, Our starting point (punto we’re in for a ride (lo aos los cinturones) because weather your seatbelts (abroch (dar un paseo), as the stroll a take Let’s ) San vamos a pasar genial)! can go to the famed (famoso we ) (después rds is amazing! Afterwa going to be wild! ¡Tengo muchas ganas! It’s Diego Zoo. I can’t wait!

FACT OR FICTION?

This is

History CTS FUN FA

DIG IN!

Each chapter starts with a postcard where I introduce the city we’re going to discover. Remember it’s important to not only read English stuff but it’s great to practice writing, too. Then you can raise the bar (subir el listón) and read what you wrote, aloud. In this section I’ll give you a trivia question. Don’t worry; you’ve got a 50% chance of getting it right. You decide if the statement (frase) is true or false. Playing trivia in English is a fun way to learn interesting things in the language. If you have trivia nights in the local pub, I recommend you attend these fun events. If not, start your own trivia night at your local watering hole (bar). It’s tons of fun! This has a double meaning, as it does in Spanish. Here we’ll look at interesting stories that end up going into the history books where they then become history. I like to say that history is a collection of interesting stories. Be careful with the word fun (divertido) and funny (gracioso). All of these facts are fun and some of them are even funny, too. And that’s a fact! Dig means cavar but the title of this section means a comer. This section will leave a good taste in your mouth as we learn English by tasting different dishes and local delicacies.

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LOCAL LINGO

Famous

PEOPLE

English is spoken in all the cities we’ll visit. But if you have a good ear, then you’ll realize that we all have our own cadence, and most cities have their very own vocabulary and expressions. We’ll learn them in this section so you can express yourself everywhere and practice different accents, too. Try and imitate the different sounds you hear in the audio! Here we’ll learn a lot of vocabulary while we gossip (chismorrear) about celebs from each of these star-studded (de primera categoría) cities. We’ll also learn demonyms (gentilicio). If you like reading about people, then it’s a good idea to read biographies and watch biopics in English, of course! This is another expression that Spaniards and Anglos use alike. One of the best ways to learn is music. Every emotion that has ever been felt or expressed is in the music. I always say, it’s all in the music! Turn it up! ¡Dale voz!

WTF? TELL ME IE THE MOV

We don’t use the expression cuéntame la película in English; it’s a literal translation. We say fill me in. Here we’ll look at some titles, lines, and behind-the-scenes stories from some of your favorite movies. Lights, camera... action!

GOOD SPORTS

This has a double meaning in English and means buenos deportes or alguien deportivo. So be a good sport and learn the many sports-based expressions we use in English! Play ball!

IN GOOD COMPANY

A play on words with the word company. It means en buena compañia. Here we’ll look at some of the most famous companies and the stories and people behind them. I mean business. Voy en serio.

ACTIVITY

Pit Stop

10

I find myself using this acronym that stands for What the fuck!, more often than not. In this section I’ll be having you scratching your head saying OMG WTF? as you learn some crazy English stuff!

I’m restless (inquieto) so I love doing different activities. At the end of each chapter we’ll do a typical activity in every city! One of the best ways to learn English is hands-on (la práctica), doing activities and hobbies in the language! I learned snowboarding vocabulary in Spanish by going snowboarding with my Spanish friends. And soccer from going to matches and talking to the fans! Theses are paradas tecnicas in Spanish. We’ll take a break (descanso) after every 5 cities to refresh some very useful vocabulary and expressions in English while we refuel, get snacks, and tinkle (orinar).

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INDEX

Anchorage 312

Singapore Seattle 66 San Francisco Las Vegas 54 44 Los Angeles 24 San Diego 14

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Chicago 210

Toronto Boston 200 190

New York Memphis Nashville 180 118 Dallas Philadelphia 128 96 170 Austin Atlanta Washington 158 76 138 Phoenix Miami 34 Houston New Orleans 148 106 86

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Edinburgh 232 Dublin Manchester 222 252 London Liverpool 260 242

Anchorage

Singapore 302

Sydney 292 Melbourne 282

Johannesburg 272

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YOU ARE HERE

1

San Diego,

CA

Dear amigo,

. Our ure is about to kick off nt ve ad r Ou n! ió oc em Wow! How exciting! ¡Que nia. Fasten your or lif Ca , go ie D n Sa is de partida) starting point (punto for a ride (lo vamos in e e’r w e us ca be ) es on s cintur is seatbelts (abrochaos lo seo), as the weather pa un ar (d ll ro st a take n a pasar genial)! Let’s the famed (famoso) Sa to go n ca e w ) és pu es amazing! Afterwards (d s! It’s going to be wild! na ga s ha uc m go en ¡T t! Diego Zoo. I can’t wai

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No escribas la palabra wow como guau, ¡porque nadie se va a enterar de lo que quieres decir! Y otra cosa, jajajaja es hahahaha. Suenan igual, pero son diferentes al escribirlos. Mi mujer una vez contestó un email de mi tía americana escribiendo “jajaja” y, claro, mi tía me preguntó qué significaba este /chachacha/. Cuando me di cuenta, me partí de risa con jajajajas y hahahas. Lo mismo pasa con jejejeje, ¡en inglés sería hehehehe! I’m serious. This is no laughing matter. Va en serio. No te lo tomes a broma. Vamos a practicar la pronunciación de la “z” en inglés. Te digo una cosa: si no te hace cosquillas en la boca, lo estás haciendo mal. Repite para pronunciar estas palabras como un nativo: zoo, zebra y zombie. Fíjate que incluso algunas “s” se pronuncian como “z”; por ejemplo, please /pliisss/ o cheese /chiisss/. ¿Ves? It’s easy! /íisssi/

FACT OR FICTION? The first outdoor (al aire libre) public Christmas tree decorated with electric lights was displayed (expuesto) in San Diego. Rare significa raro en el sentido de poco común. Esta palabra es bastante rara, al menos a la hora de pronunciarla. Se pronuncia /reer/ y rima con hair /hhheer/ (pelo), care /keer/ (cuidado), pear /peer/ (pera), dare /deer/ (atrever) y air /eer/ (aire).

This is

History

San Diego is the birthplace (lugar de nacimiento) of California. It was the first area visited by Europeans on the West Coast of the USA. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo arrived in San Diego Bay in 1542 and he claimed the entire area for Spain. Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá was the first mission (misión religiosa) in the area so they named the city in honor of it. Eventually the name was shortened and the city became more commonly known as San Diego.

It happened in 1904 at the iconic Hotel del Coronado. Although indoor trees were popular by this time, electric Christmas lights were still very rare. Candles were commonplace (corriente, común) at that time.

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A lo mejor te suena la palabra bay de la canción “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” (Sentado en el muelle de la bahía) de Otis Redding. Bay significa bahía y la frase to keep someone at bay significa mantener a alguien a raya. Viene de mantener las naves en la bahía para que no se acerquen... ¿Te lo has creído? Pues no es del todo cierto, ¡pero tiene sentido! Realmente viene de la caza, aunque en este contexto la palabra bay (maullar) es bastante anticuada y apenas se usa. Yo me quedo con la primera explicación, porque tiene más sentido en el inglés de hoy, pero lo importante es que tú lo asocies y te acuerdes de ello.

CTS A F FUN

FUN FACTS: We’re going to have supper (cena) at Dick’s Last Resort (Último Recurso de Dick) bar and restaurant. I think we’re gluttons for punishment (masoquistas) because the staff at this place insults you and they are normally very rude. Regardless (aun así), it’s a must-see (imprescindible) when in San Diego.

La palabra Dick en inglés es el diminutivo de Richard, pero también significa miembro… ¡y no hablo del miembro de un club, if you know what I mean (ya me entiendes)! Además, puedes llamar dick a alguien maleducado, pero aviso, ¡es muy vulgar! Por ejemplo: He slammed the door in his face? What a dick! ¿Le dio un portazo en la cara? ¡Menudo gilipollas! La gente suele confundir las palabras staff /sssteefff/ (plantilla) y stuff /stttafff/ (cosas). Repítelo hasta que lo hagas a la perfección. Por ejemplo, The staff has a lot of stuff to do. La plantilla tiene muchas cosas que hacer. You can do it! ¡Tú puedes! Para decir maleducado de una manera polite (educada) en inglés, no decimos badly educated, sino rude o impolite.

DIG IN! From the early (principios de) ‘30s to the late (finales de) ‘70s, San Diego was the tuna (atún) capital of the world. But now they have looked to the land. San Diego County (condado) has around 7,000 farms; that’s more farms than any other place in the US! It also produces the most avocados (aguacates) of any region in the country. In fact, “I’m Yours” singer Jason Mraz has a huge avocado farm there. Whose avocados are they? They’re his, not yoooours! ¿De quién son los aguacates? Son suyos, ¡no tuyos!

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En inglés, farm es cualquier sitio donde se produce o cultiva comida como, por ejemplo, a turkey farm (granja de pavos) o a dairy farm (granja lechera). El granjero es farmer y el granero es barn. Para aprender cosas de la granja, escucha la clásica canción infantil “Old McDonald had a farm”. Y si tienes hijos, cántala con ellos. ¡Aprenderéis moo(mugir)cho!

LOCAL LINGO In general, San Diegans are very laid back. They speak a lot slower than, say, New Yorkers do. So you should be able to understand them pretty well (bastante bien). A local word or concept they use a lot is grip of something. It reminds me a lot of the Spanish idiom “un puñado de cacahuetes”. So, it seems the San Diegans haven’t forgotten their Spanish roots.

Laid-back significa en posición tumbada, así que no te sorprenderá que también signifique tranquilo. Te puedes quedar con ello pensando que están tan relajados que están tumbados. Un ejemplo: My father-in-law was a laid-back guy. Mi suegro era un tipo tranquilo. Aunque la palabra grip se usa en San Diego en el contexto de puñado, lo usamos en el resto de los Estados Unidos como agarre o agarrar. Piensa en los monopatines o las raquetas de tenis; ambos tienen grip. Veamos unos ejemplos: ¿Me das un puñado de pipas?

Can I have a grip of sunflower seeds?

No aprietes tanto la raqueta.

Don’t grip the racket so tight.

¡Relájate!

Get a grip!

Quizá te suene Get a Grip, ya que es un disco famoso de Aerosmith. Tiene doble sentido, porque significa relájate y agarra bien. Fíjate en la portada del disco; tiene las udders (ubres) de una vaca.

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Famous SAN DIEGANS Tony Hawk Shaun White

There are many famous people from San Diego but two stand out (destacan). I’m talking about skateboard pioneer Tony Hawk and gold-medalist snowboarder and skater Shaun White. A lot of skateboard companies were founded here too. As you can see there’s a big skate culture here! It’s so prominent that May 29 is a local holiday known as Tony Hawk Day! Let’s hit the half-pipe! Later skater!

Hawk significa halcón y, cuando queremos decir vigilar a alguien de cerca, decimos to watch someone like a hawk, literalmente, como un halcón. I don’t trust him, we have to watch him like a hawk. No me fío de él, tenemos que vigilarle de cerca. Half-pipe significa medio tubo, ya que half es medio y pipe es tubo. Ojo con la pronunciación de half, porque no pronunciamos la “l”. No decimos /jalf/, sino /haaf/. Veamos otras palabras con “l” muda:

• talk /took/ (hablar) • walk /uóok/ (caminar, andar) • chalk /chook/ (tiza)

When I think of (pienso en) San Diego, I also think of surfing. In fact, one of the most famous surfing songs ever, “Surfin’ USA” by The Beach Boys mentions some of San Diego’s best surfing beaches like Del Mar, Trestles or La Jolla.

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Surfing es surf en español y la palabra surf en inglés es oleaje. Tiene sentido, ¿no? ¿Dónde haces surf? Pero no solamente se usa en estos contextos. En inglés, navegar por internet se dice to surf the web, y hacer zapping se dice channel-surfing. A lo mejor usarás estas dos palabras más que practicar el deporte, que, por cierto, se pronucia /serf/. La pronunciación de beach es uno de los errores más peligrosos de la pronunciación en inglés, ya que al pronunciarla mal dirías bitch (perra). La diferencia es enorme, y más en esta expresión: Life’s a bitch (la vida es jodida) vs. Life’s a beach (la vida es un placer). Practiquemos la pronunciación:

• beach /biiich/ (playa) vs. bitch /bich/ • peach /piiich/ (melocotón) vs. pitch /pich/ (cancha) • cheap /chiiip/ (barato) vs. chip /chip/ (patata frita)

WTF?

Are you one of those people who leave their Christmas lights up (dejar las luces navideñas puestas) until February? If you ever decide to move to San Diego, don’t procrastinate because you can get a $250 fine if your lights are still up (siguen puestas) after February 2. It seems they don’t take this lightly (no se lo toman a la ligera) in San Diego!

Seguramente ya conoces la palabra fine de responder robóticamente I’m fine, thank you. And you? (Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?) cuando te han preguntado How are you? Pues fine también significa multa. Y si decimos que un chico o chica es fine, es que está buenorro/a. Por ejemplo: It’s fine that the fine guy got a fine. Está bien que hayan multado al tío bueno.

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TELL ME

IE V O M E H T

Som

San Diego is known for its theatre. The 2 most famous ones are The Old Globe and the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse. Theatre is so popular that San Diego has sent more shows to Broadway than any other city in the US. However, today we’ll look at a snippet (fragmento) from a great movie called Something about Mary1 (Algo pasa con Mary) which stars Cameron Diaz, a San Diego native. Here’s a scene between her character Mary and Ben Stiller’s character Ted in which shy (tímido) Ted is asking her out on a date (pidiéndole una cita).

ut Mar y o b a g ethin

Ted: Do you think maybe… you wanna maybe… I don’t know… go out to dinner, you know, catch up on old times? Mary: Didn’t we just do that? Ted: Oh, uh... Mary: I’m fucking with you, Ted! To catch up on old times es ponerse al día. También podríamos decir catch up a secas. Por ejemplo: Let’s catch up soon. Pongámonos al día pronto. En general no recomiendo usar vulgaridades, pero sí hay que reconocerlas. La más usada es la palabra fuck (joder). Pero no te líes, porque to fuck someone es follar con alguien aunque, si añades la preposición with, diciendo to fuck with someone, cambia el significado a meterse con alguien o vacilar a alguien. So don’t fuck with me! ¡Así que no me vaciles! Entonces lo que Mary le dice a Ted es: ¡Te estoy vacilando! Seguro que a Ted le hubiera gustado que Mary omitiera la preposición with.

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GOOD SPORTS

The San Diego Chargers have never won a Super Bowl. In fact, San Diego has the longest championship drought (sequía) in the States. It’s the largest US city to have never won a Super Bowl in football, World Series in baseball, Stanley Cup in hockey, NBA Finals in basketball or any other Major League sports championship. Fans think there’s a curse (maldición) on the major teams in the city. At least they’re not sore losers.

Charge tiene muchos usos. En el ámbito competitivo es atacar o echarse encima. Por ejemplo: The rhino charged the crowd. El rinocerante atacó al público. También es cobrar, pagar con tarjeta y cargar el móvil. ¿Acaso pensabas que son los Chargers porque siempre traen sus cargadores a todos los partidos? A sore loser es literalmente un perdedor dolido, lo que viene siendo un mal perdedor. To be sore es estar dolido o tener agujetas. Por ejemplo: He’s sore but at least he isn’t a sore loser. Él tiene agujetas, pero al menos no es un mal perdedor.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

I wouldn’t call it a company; it’s much more like an institution. I’m talking about the US Naval Base in San Diego. It’s one of the biggest bases in the States and employs around 20,000 military personnel and 6,000 civilians. It’s the home base of the Pacific Fleet (flota) and it’s impressive (impresionante), I can tell you that!

Naval y navel se pronuncian igual, pero cuidado al escribirlo. Naval con “a” significa naval, mientras que navel con “e” significa ombligo. También puedes decir belly button, que literalmente es botón de la tripa. Por ejemplo: My uncle is a naval officer with a hairy navel. Mi tío es un oficial de la Marina con un ombligo peludo. Ridículo, lo sé, pero si te acuerdas, ¡todo vale!

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At the San Diego Zoo

Es triste que maten elefantes por sus colmillos.

It’s sad that elephants are killed for their tusks.

Nadie quiere hablar de un problema obvio.

Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room.

No quiero ofenderte, pero tu hermana está muy buena.

No offense but your sister is a fox.

Él es astuto como un zorro.

He’s as sly as a fox.

Quiere ser más listo que yo.

He wants to outfox me.

Ya no lo aguanto más.

I can’t bear it anymore.

¡Pues claro que sí!

Does a bear crap in the woods?

¡Basta ya de tonterías!

Enough with the monkey business!

La palabra fox suele confundir porque llamar zorra a alguien en español es muy ofensivo; sin embargo, decir fox en inglés no tiene por qué ser ofensivo siempre que haya confianza, porque significa estar bueno/a. Por ejemplo: Samantha Fox is a fox. Samantha Fox está buenorra.

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Los Angeles, California

200 km

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YOU ARE HERE

2

Los Angeles, CA TOTAL DIST ANCE TRAVEL LED:

200 KM

Hey dude! How’s it hanging? ¿Cómo va la cosa? We’ve arrived in Los Angeles, or as it’s normally called LA. We’re going to sunbathe (tomar el sol) on the quirky (poco convencional) Venice Beach and then head to the Santa Monica Pier (muelle). We can’t take too long though because we’ve been invited to attend a film shoot later this evening! Lights! Camera! Action!

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Siempre escucho el mismo saludo How are you? Fine thanks, and you? Busca otras formas de saludar; yo te dejo algunas: How are you doing? What’s up? How’s it going? How’s life? o How’s it hanging? Lo mismo con la respuesta, ¡hay que variar! Mi favorita es Hanging in there que sería Tirando en español. El típico error que siempre leo en las redes sociales cuando los famosos están en un rodaje es que dicen que están en un shooting. Un shooting es un tiroteo. Oye, también los hay en LA, ¡así que cuidadito! Pero rodaje es a shoot. También oirás la palabra shoot como exclamación en vez de shit (mierda): Shoot! I’m going to be late to the shoot. ¡Jope! Voy a llegar tarde al rodaje.

FACT OR FICTION? Los Angeles is the capital of California.

Trading post es un punto de comercio. Es donde normalmente se formaron las ciudades. La palabra trade es comercio o intercambio y quizá te suene del World Trade Center. A ver si entiendes esta frase: Wall Street traders trade stocks every day. Los brokers de Wall Street comercian con acciones todos los días. Trade también significa oficio: The number one trade in Hollywood is show business. El oficio número uno de Hollywood es la industria del espectáculo.

This is

History

On September 4, 1781, 44 village settlers (colonizadores) from Mexican provinces made their home in what is now downtown LA. They named it “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula”. It’s a mouthful! ¡Es un trabalenguas! But don’t worry it has many easier nicknames like City of Angels, La-la-land, Tinseltown (pueblo de espumillón) or simply LA.

While most people believe that either LA or San Francisco are the state’s capital, it’s actually Sacramento. It’s because it was the major trading post during the California Gold Rush where so many people moved to strike it rich (forrarse). This created a thriving (próspero) economy and the infrastructure needed for a state capital at that time. This is a tricky (difícil) trivia question for many Americans, too.

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Seguramente te suene la-la land de la peli que casi ganó el Óscar. Pero si estás en la-la land, o estás en Los Ángeles o estás en los mundos de Yupi, completamente despistado. Como me decían mis profes en el cole: Earth to Alberto, are you in la-la land again? Planeta Tierra llamando a Alberto. ¿Estás en los mundos de Yupi otra vez?

S

ACT F N FU

There are so many sights in LA but if you like celebrity culture and have a certain morbid curiosity, then you can stop by the LA coroner’s office (forense) where many famous people’s autopsies have been performed. It has a very peculiar gift shop where you can pick up a coffin keychain (llavero de ataúd), a body cutting mat, a 4D exploded skull, a crime scene towel, etc. Do you think I’m kidding? ¿Crees que estoy de coña? Check out their website, I’m sure you’re just dying to visit it!

Señalo culture porque tienes que tener cuidado con la pronunciación de estas palabras con “t” + “u” en medio, porque se pronuncian como una “ch”. Fíjate en los siguientes ejemplos, practica con el audio y añade tus propias palabras que encuentres con este sonido:

• culture /kálcher/ (cultura) • future /fiúcher/ (futuro) • nature /néicher/ (naturaleza)

• creature /krícher/ (criatura) • feature /fícher/ (característica) • statue /stéchu/ (estátua)

Nos encanta usar el verbo compuesto to stop by, que significa pasarse por un sitio. También es bastante común usar los sinónimos to pop by, to stop in y to pop in. Por ejemplo: I’m going to stop by the grocery store to pick up some things. Voy a pasarme por el supermercado para coger unas cosas. Se pronuncia como una sola palabra: /stapbái/.

DIG IN! After an afternoon window shopping spree on the stylish (elegante) Rodeo Drive, I think it’s time for a bite to eat (algo de picar) at celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant Spago in Beverly Hills. Thank God we have a hook-up (contacto) there because it’s hard to get a table. It’s one of the most iconic restaurants in LA. It has 2 Michelin stars and there are known to be celebrity sightings (se ven famosos) all the time.

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Window shopping es irse de escaparates. A ver si me explico… es solo mirar los windows (escaparates) de las tiendas. Yo nunca he sido un shopaholic (adicto a las compras), sino más bien un workaholic (adicto al trabajo).

LOCAL LINGO

Smog is a word Los Angelinos wish they didn’t have to use. It comes from smoke (humo) and fog (niebla). People rely heavily on (dependen mucho de) their cars in LA. There are more cars than people here! As a result, there’s a lot of pollution (contaminación). Sometimes it’s so dense that you can see it just lingering in the air. Here’s a smog joke, see if you catch it:

Tip

Q: What happens when the smog clears in Los Angeles? A: UCLA!

Pronounce the letters individually saying /iú sii el éi/ and you’ll be saying “you see LA”. Y, por supuesto, conoces esas siglas por la Universidad UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, que no se pronuncia /ukla/, sino /iú sii el éi/.

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Linger a lo mejor te suena de una canción de The Cranberries (Los Arándanos). Significa permanecer, detenerse o quedarse merodeando. Veamos unos ejemplos: El humo se quedó en la habitación.

The smoke lingered in the room.

Muchos se quedaron por ahí después de la fiesta.

Many people lingered after the party.

No te detengas delante del bar.

Don’t linger outside the bar.

Famous LOS ANGELENOS Theodore Harold Maiman

Famous musicians, actors, producers, models... Who isn’t famous in LA? For this section, I tried to find someone who was famous but not in show business. Trust me, it wasn’t easy. It was like finding a needle in a haystack! ¡Fue como encontrar una aguja en un pajar! Theodore Harold Maiman was an American engineer and physicist credited with the invention of the first working laser. His laser led to (condujo) the development of many other types of lasers as well. In a press conference (rueda de prensa) in 1960, Maiman announced the laser to the world. Nowadays, aside from being cool at concerts and clubs, the laser has revolutionized many fields (campos o áreas) like medicine, science and engineering.

¡Cuidado! Aunque escribamos la palabra laser igual que en español, se pronuncia /léissser/ en inglés. Y ya que estamos con la pronunciación, las palabras engineer y engineering se pronuncian /enchiníier/ y /enchiníiring/ respectivamente. Ahora pronuncia: Laser engineering. No te líes, el campo de la ciencia es science, pronunciado /sáiens/, pero la persona, o sea, un científico, es scientist, pronunciado /sáientisttt/.

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LA has an amazing music scene. You could spend a few months just checking out its music history. So many bands hail from (proceden de) LA and so many aspiring musicians come here to try their luck (probar suerte) in the very cutthroat music business. We’re going to go to Sunset Boulevard or, as they call it, the Sunset Strip (franja) to grab a drink at the legendary Whiskey a Go Go bar, but we won’t get booted out (echado) like Jim Morrison from The Doors was. Then we’ll have a snack (merienda) at the Rainbow Room. You never know, we could spot Slash from Guns N’ Roses there! Jump in the car, because you can’t say you’ve been to LA until you cruise the strip (desfilar en coche por el bulevar principal). It rocks! ¡Moooola!

La palabra cutthroat es literalmente corta-cuellos y significa despiadado o muy competitivo. Piensa que alguien tiene que ser muy despiadado si ve cortar el cuello como una opción necesaria para ganar. Hay un show de cocina llamado Cutthroat Kitchen donde les ponen el agua al cuello a los concursantes. Te lo recomiendo. Y además el presentador, Alton Brown, es un chef buenísimo y famosísimo de Los Ángeles. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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La palabra strip puede que te suene de striptease. To strip es desnudarse y to tease es vacilar. Cosa que, según me han contado, ocurre en estos sitios. Pero strip también es franja. Fíjate, por ejemplo, en Gaza Strip (Franja de Gaza). The Las Vegas Strip es como llaman a la calle principal de Las Vegas y strip mall es un centro comercial lineal, porque es un strip de tiendas.

WTF?

Since LA is on the infamous San Andreas Fault (falla), it slides (se desliza) 6.35 cm closer to San Francisco every year. Pretty scary! But it’s not your fault. Let’s look on the bright side (mirar el lado positivo), you’ll save money on gasoline when you travel from LA to San Francisco since they’re closer together every year! Anyways, Californians are always talking about the Big One (el terremoto grande o el que viene) that experts say is bound to happen.

No es culpa tuya se dice It’s not your fault. ¿Y sabes decir ¿Quién tiene la culpa?? Correcto! Whose fault is it? El infame whose (de quién) es una estructura un poco difícil. ¡Vamos a practicarlo un poco! La fórmula es: Whose + birthday/car/house + is it? ¿De quién es el coche?

Whose car is it?

¿De quién son los auriculares?

Whose headphones are they?

¿De quién fue la idea?

Whose idea was it?

Something is bound to happen significa que algo está destinado a pasar. Bound (atado) es el participio de to bind (atar). Si lo piensas, tiene sentido. También usamos este verbo con aviones y trenes para decir con destino o rumbo. Mira los ejemplos. You’re bound to get it! ¡Estás destinado a cogerlo!

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Estás blindado al contrato.

You’re bound to the contract.

Es un contrato vinculante.

It’s a binding contract.

Este es un vuelo con rumbo a Madrid.

This is a Madrid-bound flight.

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IE V O M E H TELL ME T

, the Bad The Good gly and the U

Most movies are either filmed in LA or take place in LA. But why LA? How did the film industry end up here? It turns out (resulta) that Thomas Edison was making films in New Jersey and he had most of the patents in that area, so movie pioneers moved westward (hacia el oeste). And when Hollywood got too expensive, they went to Almería and filmed the Spaghetti Westerns. Spaghetti Westerns got their name from the Italian directors who filmed them in the Almería desert. Classics such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars (un puñado de dólares). As always, it all comes down to (todo se reduce a) money!

Cuidadito con to end y to end up. To end a secas significa terminar (por tiempo), como en The class ends at 7 p.m. La clase termina a las 7 de la tarde. To end up, sin embargo, es más como acabar (estando en un sitio o haciendo algo). Por ejemplo: We ended up going to the Griffith Observatory when the movie ended. Acabamos yendo al observatorio Griffith cuando acabó la peli.

GOOD

People don’t just go to sports in LA to watch the game. They go to see and be seen! People watching (cotillear mirando a la gente) is a favorite pastime. You can see Jack Nicholson, among others, courtside (a nivel de cancha) at most Los Angeles Lakers games! Another LA team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, was originally based in Brooklyn. This isn’t the first time a major sports team relocated in the United States. But can you imagine Real Madrid leaving the Bernabéu and moving to Cádiz? The Ramón Carranza Santiago Bernabéu Stadium; it doesn’t exactly roll off your tongue (no es fácil de decir que digamos).

SPORTS

To dodge es esquivar. Uno pensaría que se llaman así porque tienen que esquivar una pelota que puede alcanzar una velocidad de hasta 177 km/h. Sin embargo, viene de su anterior campo en Brooklyn, que se situaba cerca de muchas trolley lines (líneas de tranvía). Era bastante peligroso y el equipo tenía que esquivarlas para llegar al estadio. Ahora, si te resulta más fácil pensar en un jugador esquivando la pelota para acodarte del significado de to dodge, adelante, ¡usa esa imagen! ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

Does the brand Mattel sound familiar? Of course it does! It’s the Los Angeles company that brought us Barbie in 1959. It became the company’s bestselling toy ever. In December 2000, Mattel sued the band Aqua claiming their song “Barbie Girl” violated the Barbie trademark and turned Barbie into a sex object, referring to her as a “blonde bimbo”. The lawsuit (denuncia) was thrown out of court (rechazado por el juez) in 2002. I wonder what Ken thought about this... Sé que Bimbo es una marca de pan de molde (sliced white bread o wonder bread) en España, pero en Estados Unidos no venderían ni una rebanada con un nombre así, ya que significa rubia tonta. Imagínate, ¡el pan más fresco del mercado llamado Rubia Tonta! Por cierto, no te recomiendo en absoluto usar la palabra bimbo, porque, aparte de muy fea, es muy despectiva.

Movie Shoot

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¿Cuánto va a tardar esta toma?

How long is this take going to take?

Tómate tu tiempo con esta toma.

Take your time with this take.

Pidamos comida a domicilio después de esta toma.

Let’s order take out/away after this take.

Preferiría concentrarme en lo positivo.

I’d rather focus on the positive.

Estás desenfocado.

You’re out of focus.

¡No pierdas la concentración!

Don’t lose focus!

Las películas de los 80 eran famosas por sus montajes.

‘80s movies were known for their montages.

Estamos todos listos en el plató.

We’re all set on the set.

Ayúdame a envolver los regalos.

Help me wrap the presents.

¡Hemos terminado por hoy!

That’s a wrap!

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Mucha gente pronuncia mal la palabra focus y acaba diciendo algo como /fákes/ que se parece mucho a fuck us (fóllanos). Gracias por la oferta, pero... ¡no! Focus (concéntrate) y pronúncialo bien. Decimos /fóukes/. Y si sabes decir kiss (beso), añade /fóu/ delante ¡y lo tienes! Montage es otra palabra francesa que utilizamos que puede que reconozcas y que se pronuncia a la francesa. Y montar una película se dice to edit a movie. ¿Y el montador? ¡Es the editor! ¿Te suena el McWrap de McDonald’s? Pues claro que sí. ¿Y cómo viene? Viene wrapped (envuelto) en una tortilla. La expresión keep it under wraps significa mantener algo en secreto o cubierto. Most fast food eateries keep their ingredients under wraps, I wonder why…

Phoenix, Arizona

599 km

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YOU ARE HERE

Phoenix,

3

AZ

TOTAL DIST ANCE TRAVEL LED:

799 KM

Greetings amigo. Well, we finally made it to Phoenix ! I’ve always wanted to visit Arizo na and its deserts. There’s something mystical about them. We’re heading to the famous Desert Botanical Garden to see if we can capture some of that mysticism. In the ‘30s, a small group of passionate local citizens want ed to conserve the desert so they started a campaign called “Save the deser t” . It worked! They all pitched in (colaboraron o aunaron esfuerzos) and created one of the most beautiful deserts in the world. Later, I’ll post some shots (fotos).

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El verbo to make, además de hacer, tiene muchos usos en inglés. Una variante muy común es to make it to + a place, que quiere decir acudir o llegar a un sitio. Unos ejemplos en uso: ¿Puedes venir a mi fiesta?

Can you make it to my party?

No, no puedo ir.

No, I can’t make it.

Nunca vas a nada. Eres un aguafiestas.

You never make it anywhere. You are a party pooper.

Phoenix se pronuncia /fíneks/ en inglés tanto para decir la ciudad como el pájaro mítico que resurge de las cenizas. ¡Cuidado con la palabra desierto! Desert se pronuncia /désert/; no te líes con dessert (postre), que se pronuncia /disért/. Y a la hora de escribirla, acuérdate de que dessert lleva dos “s” porque siempre nos apetece no uno, sino dos postres… ¡al menos si eres tan goloso como yo!

FACT OR FICTION? There is no daylight saving time (atrasar y adelantar la hora) in Phoenix. Spring forward, fall back es un juego de palabras que usaron nuestros profes y padres para que nos acordáramos de que había que adelantar o atrasar la hora. Fíjate en los dobles sentidos de estas dos palabras: spring es primavera, pero también es brincar, mientras que fall significa otoño y también caerse. Entonces la frase puede decir brinca hacia delante, cae hacia atrás o primavera hacia delante, otoño hacia atrás.

This is

History

The Hoover Dam or, as it was initially called, Boulder Dam on the border between Arizona and Nevada was built during the Great Depression. The dam was controversially named in honor of President Herbert Hoover, who had actually nothing to do with it. Nevertheless (no obstante), it’s quite impressive! Damn, this dam is damn big! ¡Maldita sea, esta presa es de lo más grande! They don’t change their clocks in Arizona or in Hawaii. So I guess the time on Arizonan’s car radio clocks is always right! Plus, they don’t have to remember the expression we were taught back in school, Spring forward, fall back!

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On the border es en la frontera cuando hablamos de geografía. Empleamos la palabra frontier para decir frontera en el sentido histórico o del espacio. Por ejemplo: Space is the final frontier. El espacio es la última frontera. I hope this book brings your English to new frontiers. Espero que este libro lleve tu inglés a nuevas fronteras.

FUN FACTS

London Bridge has come to be one of the biggest tourist attractions in Arizona right after the Grand Canyon. Yes, you heard me right, London Bridge in Arizona. Ehm… what?!? I thought you’d never ask! ¡Ya pensaba que nunca me ibas a preguntar! In the ‘60s London Bridge in London was in disrepair (mal estado). It couldn’t handle (aguantar o soportar) the increasing (creciente) traffic, and it needed to be replaced. But instead of tearing it down, they sold it! Enter the buyer Robert P. Mcullough, a man who wanted to attract attention to Lake Havasu; a new lake community in Arizona. He paid 2.5 million dollars for the bridge in 1968 and brought it, piece by piece, to Lake Havasu. It would have been a giveaway (un chollo) if he hadn’t spent 7 million dollars on shipping (transporte) costs. Not to mention, he thought he was getting the iconic Tower Bridge instead! There’s a sucker born every minute! ¡Cada minuto nace un tonto nuevo!

Tear es una palabra con dos significados. El primero es romper o rasgar y en este caso se pronuncia como aire pero con una “t” delante: air /eer/, tear /teer/. El otro es lágrima y su pronunciación es /tíier/. No te estreses, porque por el contexto vas a saber a cuál se refiere. So don’t break into tears! ¡Así que no te pongas a llorar! Hubiera y hubiese es confuso incluso en español. En inglés es would have + participio. Por ejemplo: I would have gone, I would have played o I would have eaten. Al contraer would y have como would’ve, have suena como of: /ái úudof gon/. Vamos a practicar con más ejemplos del pasado condicional o, como lo llamo yo, el tiempo verbal del arrepentimiento. ¡En voz alta! Si no, ¡no vale!

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Habría ido si me hubieras informado.

I would’ve gone if you’d informed me.

Lo habrías visto si hubieras prestado atención.

You would’ve seen it if you’d paid attention.

Habría sido más difícil si no me hubieras ayudado.

It would’ve been harder if you hadn’t helped me.

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DIG IN! The first McDonald’s franchise ever sold by the McDonald brothers was to a Phoenix entrepreneur (emprendedor). In 1952 Neil Fox paid $1,000 for the rights (derechos) to open a McDonald’s-style restaurant. His hamburger stand (puesto) opened in 1953 in Phoenix. It was the first location to have the now internationally known golden arches (arcos dorados). They were initially twice the height of the building. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a cool story! I’m lovin’ it!

Los estadounidenses pronunciamos el nombre de esta cadena de fast food (comida rápida) bastante diferente de los españoles, ya que decimos /mekdánelds/. Veamos más ejemplos de marcas mal pronunciadas:

• Colgate /kólgueit/ • Reebok /ríibak/ • Waze /uéis/

• Hyundai /hhhándei/ • Dove /davvv/ • Marlboro /málberou/

La palabra height significa altura y high es alto. Unos ejemplos: ¿Qué altura tiene ese edificio?

What’s the height of that building? How tall is that building?

La montaña es muy alta.

The mountain is very high.

¿Cuál es el requisito mínimo de altura?

What’s the height requirement?

I’m lovin’ it! es el eslogan de McDonald’s, ¡sí! Pero es gramaticalmente incorrecto, porque se supone que to love no se puede usar en un tiempo verbal continuo. Este tiempo verbal está reservado solamente para verbos que indican que algo está pasando en un momento dado… blah, blah, blah… ¡No te líes con tanta gramática! Al final ningún nativo ha aprendido a hablar inglés con un libro. ¡Ya sabíamos hablar cuando empezamos a estudiar gramática en el colegio! Hablando de lemas, el mío es: Get out of your head and get into the conversation! ¡Sal de tu cabeza y entra en la conversación!

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LOCAL LINGO Have you ever heard the word haboob? If you live in Phoenix, you have. So, what exactly is a haboob? It’s the largest and most dangerous type of wind, dust (polvo) and sand (arena) storm (tormenta). It can last up to (hasta) three hours. Phoenix has an average of three haboobs every year during the months of June through September.

Aunque se escriba igual, wind tiene dos pronunciaciones: /uínd/, que es viento, y wind /uáind/, que significa enrollar, envolver o dar cuerda. A ver si sabes pronunciar esta frase: When there’s a lot of wind, I wind my watch. Cuando hay mucho viento, le doy cuerda a mi reloj. El verbo to last significa durar. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos: ¿Cuánto dura un partido de fútbol?

How long does a soccer game last?

Un partido de fútbol dura 90 minutos.

A soccer game lasts 90 minutes.

¿Cuánto duró el último partido?

How long did the last soccer game last?

Average significa promedio, media o corriente. No se pronuncia /ávereich/, sino /évvvrich/ y rima con bridge (puente). It’s an average bridge. Es un puente cualquiera.

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Famous Phoenicians Lynda Carter

My favorite Phoenician is Lynda Carter. She was crowned Miss World America in 1972 but more importantly, she was the star of the TV series about the super heroine Wonder Woman which aired (se emitió) from 1975 to 1979. Even though I watched reruns (reposiciones) and she was much older than me, I had a crush on her (estaba por ella). But she never loved me back… you can imagine how crushed (destrozado) I was! By the way (por cierto), I hope you watch all your favorite series in English. I’m serious.

Me suelen decir I love to watch serious. Are you serious? ¿Estás hablando en serio? ¿Sigues pronunciando series igual que serious? You can’t be serious! ¡No puedes ir en serio! Series se pronuncia /síriis/, mientras que serious se pronuncia /síiries/. Wonder significa maravilla, como en 7 wonders of the world (las siete maravillas del mundo) o Alice in Wonderland (Alicia en el país de las maravillas) y el verbo to wonder es preguntarse. Pero no lo confundas con to wander, que es deambular. I wonder if you will pronounce this sentence right. Me pregunto si pronunciarás esta frase correctamente: I wonder /uónder/ if he likes to wander /uánder/. Me pregunto si le gusta deambular.

I’m not really big on (no es lo mío) Eurovision but I’m sure you all know Conchita Wurst. Well, she’s from Phoenix… Nooo, I’m just kidding! But seriously, I’m jealous of her beard! And if you still need help with the pronunciation of Phoenix, just listen to her Eurovision winning song “Rise like a Phoenix” on repeat! Come on, you know you want to! Vamos, ¡sabes que quieres!

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A ver, ¿cómo pronuncias la palabra beard (barba) en inglés? Sabes pronunciar cerveza, ¿no? Beer es /biir/. ¡Hasta usáis la palabra birra! Pues ahora solo tienes que añadir una “d” al final y ¡voila! ¡Tenemos /biird/! Piensa que si bebes rápido, tendrás beer /biir/ en tu beard /bírd/. Eso sí, la palabra beard también tiene otro sentido en inglés… ¡A ver cómo te lo explico! Se es un beard cuando una persona homosexual lleva a otra persona del sexo opuesto a un evento para ocultar su preferencia sexual. No creo que haya una palabra para este concepto en español, ¿verdad?

WTF?

The village of Supai, which is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, is the only place in the US where mail is delivered by mule. This village is so remote, it’s only accessible by helicopter, on foot (a pie), or, you guessed it, by mule! Como en español, usamos la palabra mule como mula para la droga. Por ejemplo: He was a mule for the cartel. Él fue una mula para el cártel. Cuidado, la palabra cartel se pronuncia /kartél/ en inglés, no /kártel/ como en español.

VIE O M E H T E M TELL

One of my favorite movies ever is Raising Arizona (Arizona Baby). It’s probably the only Nicholas Cage (jaula) movie I like. The Arizona quintuplets in the movie were played by 15 different babies due to child labor laws. One of the babies was fired during filming when he learned how to walk. The mother was so upset that she put her baby’s shoes on backwards (al revés) to prevent him from walking!

aby Arizona B

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Raising Arizona, el título original, significa literalmente Armándola en Arizona y proviene de la expresión raising hell (armando un follón). Por ejemplo: He was always raising hell as a teenager. Él siempre armaba follones cuando era adolescente. Pero también tiene otro significado: to raise es criar y, como los niños se apellidan Arizona, también es Criando a los Arizona. Aprendemos mucho cuando conocemos los títulos originales de las películas. Due to significa debido a y se pronuncia /dútu/. Practícalo hasta que lo digas en una sola palabra. También podemos decir on account of, pero es un poco más formal. Practica las dos formas en la misma frase: We didn’t go due to the rain. We didn’t go on account of the rain. No fuimos debido a la lluvia.

GOOD SPORTS

Phoenix has many sports teams but in spring 50 percent of the major-league baseball teams, which comes down to 15 teams, have their spring training here. I know you think baseball is a bit boring, but we can learn some great expressions from it:

Asegúrate de que lo has pensado/ calculado bien.

Make sure you cover your bases.

¡Lo hiciste genial!

You really hit it out of the park.

¡Espabila! Estás perdidísimo.

Wake up! You’re out in leftfield.

Soy el próximo.

I’m on deck.

A la tercera estás fuera.

Three strikes and you’re out.

Cuidado, en inglés decimos fifty percent, sin el artículo the, en lugar de como se dice en español, el 50 por ciento. Por cierto, percent no se pronuncia /pércent/, sino /persént/. La mejor forma de practicar los porcentajes es mirando estadísticas interesantes. ¿Y sabes qué? 100% of the people agree! ¡El 100% de la gente está de acuerdo!

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

Back in the day (en el pasado), up until World War II, Phoenix was known for the “five C’s”: cotton (algodón), cattle (ganado), citrus (cítricos), climate (clima) and copper. Now they have many other industries. One of the largest companies from here is PetSmart, a giant pet shop with more than 1,350 stores. Here’s a joke for you. Let’s see if you get it: Q: What animal wears a coat all winter and pants in summer? A: A dog! Tip: Hay que entender los dobles sentidos de coat (abrigo o pelaje) y pants (pantalones o jadear). Let’s take a look at some pet expressions: Es un pelota en clase.

He’s the teacher’s pet.

¡No acaricies a mi mascota!

Don’t pet my pet!

La mala educación es lo que menos soporto.

Rudeness is my pet peeve.

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Me pinché el dedo con un cactus.

I pricked my finger on a cactus.

¿Cuantos tipos de cactus hay?

How many kinds of cacti are there?

Hay dos mil tipos de cactus.

There are 2,000 different kinds of cacti.

¿Con qué frecuencia hay que regarlos?

How often do you have to water them?

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Casi nunca tienes que regarlos.

You hardly ever have to water them.

¿Has visto alguna vez arenas movedizas?

Have you ever seen quicksand?

¡Tenemos sed! ¿Dónde está el pozo más cercano?

We’re thirsty! Where’s the closest/nearest well?

Tengo sed no es I have thirsty, sino I’m thirsty. Parece fácil, pero este error suele salir en el top ten de errores comunes. Lo mismo te digo con hambriento: ¡no es I have hungry, sino I’m hungry!

Las Vegas, Nevada

478 km

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YOU ARE HERE

4

Las Vegas, NV

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 1,277 KM

Hello from Sin City! ! We were driving through desolate desert roads for hours and then… BOOM d There before us (delante de nosotros) a sea of lights and colors. It looke dor). like a mirage (espejismo). I must admit, I’m not a big gambler (juga e’s so Gambling is not my cup of tea (no es lo mío). Not to worry! Ther s much more to do in Las Vegas: spectacular entertainment, world-clas rna dining (gastronomía de primera) and outrageous nightlife (vida noctu poker extravagante). We’re going to go to the casino to play a few hands of and then paint the town red (salir de fiesta). 44

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El famoso for vs. during. A ver… ambas palabras significan durante, pero for es para referirnos a un determinado periodo de tiempo. Por ejemplo: I worked there for three years. Trabajé allí durante tres años. During es para referirnos a hacer algo durante una actividad: I told you, no capturing Pokemon during dinner! Te lo dije, ¡no captures pokémones durante la cena! Nunca empleamos la preposición to después del verbo must. ¡Nunca! Repite conmigo: I must not use to with must. You must practice this. You must remember this! You must repeat it! You must never forget it! It’s a must! ¡Es imprescindible!

FACT OR FICTION? There’s a black book (lista negra) in Vegas which has a list of the people who are not allowed (permitido) in any casino. El detalle está en las preposiciones: cheat at (hacer trampas) vs. cheat on (poner los cuernos). Fíjate: He always cheats at poker, but he never cheats on his girlfriend. Siempre hace trampas en el póquer, pero nunca le pone los cuernos a su novia. Tenemos dos formas de expresar que ya no hacemos algo: con anymore o con no longer. Fíjate en la formación de cada frase y practica el mismo verbo con ambas estructuras. Te dejo algunas para que cojas ritmo: Ya no fumo.

I don’t smoke anymore. I no longer smoke.

Ya no juego.

I don’t gamble anymore. I no longer gamble.

Ya no bebo.

I don’t drink anymore. I no longer drink.

While there isn’t an actual physical black book, the Gaming Control Board keeps a database of people who are deemed (considerado) a threat (amenaza) to a casino. The list is full of cheaters (tramposos), crooks (ladrones), mobsters (mafiosos) and the like. Actor Ben Affleck is down on his luck (tiene mala suerte) as he’s persona non grata at the Hard Rock Casino for cheating at blackjack. He was accused of counting cards. But the icing on the cake (la guinda del pastel) is when Paris Hilton lost a $175,000 Bentley playing poker at the Las Vegas Hilton, at her dad’s hotel! How ironic is that? Her daddy informed his staff (personal o plantilla) that she’s not allowed to gamble (apostar) there anymore. I don’t know what’s worse: being on the Gaming Control Board’s list or being blacklisted by your own dad!

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This is

History

Las Vegas was founded as a city in 1905 along the railroad tracks (vías de tren). But it wasn’t all lights and glitter (brillo); at first things were slow for this small desert town. Let’s fast forward (adelantémonos) to 1931, a pivotal (crucial o fundamental) year for Las Vegas. It was the year Nevada legalized casino gambling and it was also the beginning of a mammoth (enorme o gigantesco) construction project: the Hoover Dam (la presa Hoover). This, too, contributed to the influx (influjo) of construction workers and their families, who helped Las Vegas’s economy through the tough times of the Great Depression.

Tough times significa momentos difíciles o en apuros. La palabra tough sí que es tough de pronunciar; decimos /tafff/. Veamos más palabras similares:

• rough /rafff/ (duro)

CTS A F FUN

• laugh /laafff/ (reírse)

• cough /kofff/ (toser)

Vegas is a city of larger than life (exagerados) hotels! It would take 288 years for one person to spend one night in every hotel room in Las Vegas. On the Las Vegas Strip alone, there are 62,000 rooms! So it won’t surprise you that 15 of the world’s 25 largest hotels by number of rooms are on this famous strip. I imagine the hotel rooms are roomy (espaciosos).

It would take... es como se dice Tardaría... en inglés. Se tarda... suele ser una estructura difícil, pero como todas, si la practicas hasta la perfección, te saldrá. Practice makes perfect! ¡La práctica hace al maestro! Te suelto unas frases y después... ¡todo tuyo!

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El crupier tarda 30 segundos en repartir las cartas.

It takes the dealer 30 seconds to deal the cards.

¿Cuánto se tarda en perder todos tus ahorros?

How long does it take to lose all your savings?

Voy a hacer una apuesta. ¡Solo se tarda un minuto!

I’m going to place a bet. It takes just a minute!

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DIG IN! There’s an infamous eatery (comedor o local) called Heart Attack Grill. If you’d like your meal to be on the house (invitación de la casa), you must weigh over 160 kilos. However, if your weight is over 160 kilos, I don’t think you need more food, even if it’s free! Especially when one of their star burgers is called the Quadruple Bypass (baipás) Burger. It’s made with 4 patties (hamburguesas), with bacon and all the fixins (guarniciones). The restaurant really lives up to its name (hace honor a su nombre). In 2012, a diner (comensal) suffered an apparent heart attack while eating the Triple Bypass Burger at the grill. You can’t say they didn’t warn him! ¡No digas que no le avisaron!

Heart attack es una palabra fácil de reconocer como ataque cardíaco o infarto. Lo que sí me preocupa es la pronunciación de la palabra heart. Es /hhhart/ y rima con art (arte). Si te gusta el arte con todo tu corazón ya sabes decirlo: I love art with all my heart. ¿Entendido, corazoncito? Got it, sweetheart? Hay que cuidar el peso, pero no nos liemos con weigh y weight. To weigh es pesar y weight es peso. Veamos unos ejemplos: ¿Cuánto pesas?

How much do you weigh?

Peso demasiado.

I weigh too much.

Tengo que perder peso.

I’ve got to lose weight.

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LOCAL LINGO Las Vegas is all about the hustle (chanchullo o trapicheo). You’ve got to be on your toes (espabilado) out here. Cabbies (taxistas) have been known to take people for a ride or, as the Las Vegans say, to be long-hauled (te lleva de paseo sin que se lo pidas). I imagine this has never happened to a whale because they ride around in limos (limusinas) or, if they’re really rolling in it (forrados), they get dropped off (dejado) at a helipad (helipuerto) in their private chopper (helicóptero).

¿To take someone for a ride te suena a llevar de paseo a alguien? Pues ¡tienes razón! Pero también significa timar a alguien y no solo en el sentido de un taxi: The salesperson took us for a ride. El comercial nos timó. Pensarás que a whale es una ballena, y pocas de esas vamos a encontrar en medio del desierto de Las Vegas, ¡y menos montadas en una limusina! Y tienes toda la razón, porque aquí whale se refiere a un pez gordo.

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Famous LAS VEGANS Brandon Flores

Perhaps you recognize the name of this Las Vegan: Brandon Flores. No, it isn’t Lola Flores’ love child (hijo natural). I’m talking about (me refiero a) Brandon Flowers, the frontman (cantante) of The Killers. He was born and raised in Las Vegas and says that growing up here helped him prepare for the world of showbiz (el negocio de espectáculo o la farándula). He says it taught him how to stop and smell the flowers (pararse y apreciar las cosas esenciales de la vida). I think The Killers have got some killer songs!

Al ver el gentilicio de Las Vegas, lo pronuncié mal porque se escribe igual que vegan (vegano). La diferencia es que vegan se pronuncia /vvvíiguen/, mientras que una persona de Las Vegas se pronuncia /las vvvéiguen/. Di: Many Las Vegans /vvvéiguens/ are vegans /vvvíiguens/. Muchos Veguenses son veganos. Aquí te hice un juego de palabras. Killer significa asesino, pero también brutal en el buen sentido de la palabra. Por ejemplo: Do you think this is a killer book? ¿Crees que este es un libro brutal? Las Vegas has always been a musical city. Whatever your musical tastes (gustos musicales) may be, there’s something for everyone from the musical/comedy revues (revista musical) of The Rat Pack to big budget Broadway-style shows to more risqué burlesque shows. The best of the best have played here and even called it home. You can’t think of Las Vegas without thinking of the King: Elvis Presley. He loved Vegas so much that he performed 837 sold out (agotados) shows in a row (consecutivos) in Las Vegas.

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Big budget significa presupuesto alto. Por ejemplo: Marketing has a big budget. Marketing tiene un presupuesto alto. Hay otra palabra, estimate, que también significa presupuesto, pero en el sentido de estimación que te daría tu mecánico, por ejemplo: Can you give me an estimate? ¿Me puedes dar un presupuesto? Risqué es otra palabra francesa que hemos tomado prestada y significa picante. Se pronuncia /riskéi/. No os preocupéis, amigos franceses, os lo devolveremos cuando se pase de moda. ¡Ojo! No confundas risqué y risky (arriesgado). ¡A practicar! Fue una apuesta arriesgada.

That was a risky bet.

Ese espectáculo de burlesque fue picante.

That burlesque show was risqué.

Hay que arriesgarse.

You have to take risks.

WTF?

There’s a death ray in Las Vegas, however it’s not a ride (atracción) or a twisted (retorcido) magic show. It’s actually a ray that forms when the sun reflects off of the curved Vdara Hotel and causes extremely high temperatures poolside (al lado de la piscina). The temperature can reach as high as 55 degrees. Now, nobody actually died because of it but guests did complain about their hair burning, skin burns, cups melting (derritiéndose), etc. It seems this is not architect Rafael Viñoly’s first death ray building though. He has another one in London called the Walkie-Talkie at 20 Fenchurch Street. Because of the convex, temperatures from the ray can reach up to 70 degrees. The media responded by dubbing the building the “Walkie-Scorchie” and “Fryscraper” ¡porque te fries! Is Rafael a bad architect or an evil genius (genio malvado)? You make the call! ¡Tú decides!

Ojo con la palabra grados: no se dice grades, sino degrees. Grades son las notas del cole: I hope you get a good grade in English class! ¡Espero que saques una buena nota en inglés! To scorch es abrasar o achicharrar, pero también lo usamos para referirnos a un día muy caluroso. Por ejemplo: It’s a scorcher! ¡Hace una calor que te mueres! En español he oído a gente decir que se achicharran con el calor. Pues igualito.

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TELL ME

THE

MOVIE

Just like with music, there are many movies set in Las Vegas. My favorite perhaps is Casino. Not only because I love Martin Scorsese but also because my deceased (difunto) grandfather Alberto auditioned and they liked him so much, he made it to the second round, where he sat at a table with Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro! He didn’t get the part (papel) in the end, but how many people get to share 10 minutes with these two Hollywood heavyweights (pesos pesados)? Watch the movie in English and you will learn lots of gambling and casino vocabulary. I bet you can! ¡Seguro que puedes!

Casino To audition es hacer un casting y un casting a secas es an audition. Sí que usamos la palabra casting, pero para referirnos al director o directora del casting. Por ejemplo: The casting director said that many actors auditioned at the last audition. La directora del casting dijo que muchos actores se presentaron como candidatos en el último casting.

GOOD SPORTS

Tennis great Andre Agassi is from Las Vegas and still lives here. Some say he’s one of the biggest worldwide stars in the sport’s history. Not only was he a good player but he had charisma and attitude, not to mention his unorthodox apparel (vestimenta o ropa)! Many say that he was instrumental in making tennis so popular in the ‘90s. He was a spokesperson (portavoz) for tennis around the world. It’s a good thing he didn’t drop the ball.

¡Otro juego de palabras! To drop the ball es tirar o dejar caer la pelota, pero también es no cumplir con tu responsabilidad. Are you going to learn English once and for all? Or are you going to drop the ball? ¿Vas a aprender inglés de una vez por todas o no vas a cumplir?

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

The founder and CEO of FedEx, Frederick W. Smith, saved his company by gambling in Las Vegas. He took the company’s last $5,000 to Sin City and won $27,000 playing blackjack. He used $24,000 of it to pay FedEx’s outstanding fuel bill (factura) thus saving the company from financial ruin.

CEO es el acrónimo de Chief Executive Officer, director general en español, y es una palabra que se usa mucho en España. Pero ¡ojo! En inglés no la pronunciamos tal y como está escrita, sino letra a letra. Otras siglas que suelo oír pronunciadas mal son:

• REM /ar iii ém/ • VIP /vvvi aii píi/

• CIA /si ai éi/ • LOL /el óu él/

Aunque lo escribas igual, nosotros pronunciamos la palabra fuel (gasolina o combustible) como /fiúul/. Puedes escuchar la canción “Fuel” de Metallica para oír cómo se pronuncia correctamente.

At the Casino

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Mi tío siempre gana dinero con las tragaperras.

My uncle always wins money on the slot machines.

El crupier tiene que barajar las cartas antes de repartirlas.

The dealer must shuffle the cards before dealing them.

¡Estoy de suerte! ¡Dame una carta!

I feel lucky! Hit me!

Voy a apostar más.

I’m going to up the ante.

¿Cuándo vas a subir el listón con tu inglés?

When are you going to up the ante with your English?

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¡Te aseguro que puedes hacerlo ya!

I bet you can do it right now!

¿Quieres apostar?

Do you wanna bet?

¡Claro que sí!

You bet!

Up the ante es poner más en juego, y no solo en un casino, sino también en el sentido de subir el listón. Ante se pronuncia /éntii/ e indica apostar dinero antes de desvelar las cartas.

San Francisco, California

916 km

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YOU ARE HERE

5

San Francisco,

CA

TOTAL DIST ANCE TRAVEL LED: 2,193 KM

Hello from the B

ay Area!

This morning we spent some time at Golden Gate B huge! Then we dro ridge. It’s ve around the cit y’ s h illy (con cuestas) streets. I have to admit it was fun until we had to p park (aparcar en arallel paralelo) but it’s a good thing the cars weren’t dou other ble-parked. This afternoon we’re go the Haight-Ashb ing to ury neighborhood to se e counterculture (c where ‘60s hippie ontracultura) beg an in the USA. T head to (dirigirse hen we’ll hacia) the Fisher man’s Wharf an ferry to Alcatraz d take the aka (también co n oc id o como) the Rock place rocks! ¡Est . This e sitio mola!

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The Bay Area es la zona de San Francisco y sus alrededores. Incluye Napa y Sonoma, que son famosas por su vino. Si sabes pronunciar bridge (puente) /brich/, entonces también sabes pronunciar las siguientes palabras:

• language /lénguich/ (idioma) • village /vvvílich/ (pueblo)

• baggage /béguich/ (equipaje) • luggage /láguich/(equipaje)

Double-parked significa aparcado en doble fila. Cuidado con la palabra parking, ya que en inglés no es un sustantivo, sino un adjetivo. O sea, no decimos I’m going to put my car in a parking, sino parking garage (garaje), parking lot (parking al aire libre) o parking spot (sitio en la calle).

FACT OR FICTION?

This small city by the bay was called Yerba Buena in 1776 before it was renamed San Francisco in 1846.

Hierbabuena no se dice yerba buena en inglés, sino mint, peppermint o spearmint. San Francisco se llamaba así porque la hierbabuena crecía en abundancia por la zona. Aunque juzgando por cómo está escrito, parece que nunca habían visto la palabra escrita. Y la palabra herb (hierba) tiene dos pronunciaciones aceptadas; en Estados Unidos decimos /erb/ y en Inglaterra dicen /hhherb/.

This is

History

It took (se tardó) four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge. It was built from 1933 to 1937. Its color is called international orange. It wasn’t actually a color from the original list of options. It was the primer (tapaporos) used to protect the steel during transit. It turns out (resulta) that the architect liked it more than the other options, so he chose it as the official color. I hope he didn’t burn any bridges (cerrar puertas) when he made that decision!

It was originally called Yerba Buena and it was renamed San Francisco a year after the territory was ceded to the US after the Mexican-American War.

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En la palabra build (construir) no pronunciamos la “u”; no es /buíld/, sino /bild/. Build también significa constitución de cuerpo. Por ejemplo: Boxers usually have a big build. Los boxeadores suelen tener una constitución grande. Y tiene sentido, ¡es como si el cuerpo fuera una construcción grande! Actually es uno de los false friends más engañosos que conozco porque no significa actualmente, sino de verdad o en realidad. Actualmente sería currently. A ver si nos actualizamos con unos ejemplos: Actualmente vivo en Madrid.

I currently live in Madrid.

¿Vives en Madrid de verdad?

Do you actually live in Madrid?

Mi trabajo actual es realmente gratificante.

My current job is actually gratifying.

CTS A F N U F

Lombard Street in San Fran is one of the most winding roads in the world. It’s said that this one block (manzana) section is the most crooked street in the world. It’s no wonder because San Francisco sits on over 50 hills of all sizes.

Winding te puede sonar de la canción “The long and winding road” de The Beatles. Significa serpenteante. Su superlativo no es windiest sino most winding. Windiest sería con más viento, y ahí estaríamos hablando de otra ciudad, como Chicago, pero para eso faltan todavía algunas paradas. No sé cuántas veces tengo que say esto: said no se pronuncia /séid/, sino /sed/, ¡igual que las ganas de beber algo! Y cuando hablamos de he, she o it, pronuncia says no como el número 6, sino /ses/. Es como decir Cesc Fabregas pero quitándole la “c” final. De hecho, he oído a algunos comentaristas que lo pronuncian así. Incluso he escuchado cómo le han llamado Sex Fabregas. La palabra crooked significa torcido o tortuoso cuando nos referimos a caminos. Fíjate que aquí sí pronunciamos la “e” y decimos /krúked/. No solo lo usamos para carreteras, sino también para describir a gente poco honesta. Por ejemplo: He’s a crooked banker. Él es un banquero poco fiable. 56

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DIG IN! One of my favorite things to indulge on (darme el gusto o placer) in San Fran is clam chowder (sopa de almejas) served in a bread bowl (bol de pan) at the Fisherman’s Wharf (zona de pescadores). They have both, New England clam chowder, which is cream based, and Manhattan-style, which is tomato based. I prefer New England style. The soup itself is amazing but the secret is the sourdough bread that San Fran is so famous for. And, of course, I’m going to slug down (beber rápido) a frothy (espumoso), local beer called Anchor Steam.

¿Te gusta más comer jabón o sopa? Ya me imaginaba que dirías sopa… ¿Entonces por qué pides /sóup/? Claaaro, ¡por la pronunciación! Si pronuncias /sóup/, estás diciendo soap (jabón). Soup (sopa) se pronuncia /suup/. Dough es masa o pasta, ¡y no solo en una panadería! También empleamos dough en el sentido de dinero. Se pronuncia /dóu/. Sourdough literalmente es masa agria y significa masa madre. ¡Está buenísimo este pan! Así que pídete a loaf (una hogaza).

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LOCAL LINGO

ve many The locals ha o such r San Francisc nicknames fo Fran and S , Fog City, an ay B e th by y y as the Cit hear locals sa er thing you’ll of on si fu Frisco. Anoth is the is hella. Hella t lo a a e ll it he qu m here ple: I’ nte). For exam ta as (b E of . d busy stoy hell an ado. I’m hella ns ca te an st s (ahí me tired. Estoy ba ere’s good look th , en Th o. ad es from bastante ocup ly like. It com al re I on si es es expr n someone do has visto), an refers to whe d an t . ou it g in ed good look u actually ne r you before yo cisco: something fo ge in San Fran an ch ex l ca pi Here’s a ty an icy beer! A: Hey, here’s looks! thirsty! Good B: I was hella

Fog city es ciudad de niebla. Una expresión con foggy que me gusta mucho es I haven’t got the foggiest idea, que significa No tengo ni la más mínima idea. Por cierto, cuando pronuncies fog, marca bien la “g”; no es /foj/, sino /foggg/. Cuidado con la pronunciación de la palabra busy (ocupado). No se dice /basy/, sino /bísi/. So get busy and learn to say it right! Así que ¡ponte las pilas y aprende a decirlo bien!

Famous San Franciscans Bruce Lee

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Martial artist and actor Bruce Lee was born in Chinatown, San Francisco. San Fran has the second biggest Chinatown outside of Asia. It’s also the oldest one in North America. Let’s take a look at one of Bruce Lee’s best quotes.

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oy me m es

“ ” er. If ike wat l , s s e l e . Shape te en) th s r s e e i l v m n r o (se c be fo ttle. r mind, up, it becomes ecomes the bo er u o y y t wat d it b “Emp oac ater int ottle an e teapot. Now, b w t a u o p t th you er in put wat ot, it becomes y friend.” u o Y . p u p c ea r, m it in a t Be wate You put r it can crash. o can flow

ee Bruce L

Si Iberia me diera un Avio por cada vez que he oído a la gente pronunciar Asia mal, podría pillarme un vuelo de ida y vuelta a Asia. No se pronuncia /ásia/, sino /éisha/. Otras palabras que empiezan por esa “a” pronunciada como /éi/ son agency /éichensi/ (agencia) y agent /éichent/ (agente). En inglés cita se dice quote, y la buena noticia es que el verbo es igual. Citar es to quote. Uno ejemplos: Ella citó a Shakespeare en su discurso.

She quoted Shakespeare in her speech.

Las citas van entre paréntesis.

Quotes go in quotes.

Ella siempre cita su cita favorita.

She always quotes her favorite quote.

 

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“...San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair2”. “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie is the quintessential San Francisco song. It’s credited with bringing thousands of young people to San Francisco during the late ‘60s. It’s called “the unofficial anthem (himno) of the flower power movement”. Let’s take a look at the lyrics (letra): Si vas a San Francisco…

If you’re going to San Francisco…

…asegúrate de llevar flores en tu pelo.

...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

Vas a conocer a gente amable ahí.

You’re gonna meet some gentle people there.

Si me dices I use glasses, te preguntaré para qué las usas. ¿Para comer fideos? En inglés no empleamos el verbo to use, sino to wear en cuanto a llevar ropa y accesorios se refiere. Decimos I wear glasses. I wear shoes. I wear flowers in my hair. Uso/llevo gafas. Llevo zapatos. Llevo flores en mi pelo. La palabra conocer no es tan fácil de conocer. Meet es conocer a alguien por primera vez y know es conocer a alguien a partir de ahí. A ver si lo has pillado: Encantado de conocerte.

Nice to meet you.

¿Les conoces?

Do you know them?

Acabo de conocerla. No le conocía de antes.

I just met her. I didn’t know her before.

WTF?

San Franciscans aren’t permitted to bury (enterrar) their dead relatives (parientes) or loved ones (seres queridos) within the city limits. Because of this restriction there are only two cemeteries left in the city. In 1902, people voted to stop all burials (entierros) within the city limits due to space issues. Perhaps it’s easier to be cremated and then have your ashes scattered (esparcidas) over the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean or if you’re real tight, I guess you could just have your ashes dumped in the San Francisco Bay.

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Left significa izquierdo, pero acompañado de un número adquiere el significado de quedar. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos: Quedan tres asientos.

There are three seats left.

¿Cuanta pasta nos queda?

How much dough do we have left?

Quedan dos a la izquierda.

There are two left on the left.

Tight significa apretado, pero en este contexto es más bien agarrado. También podemos decir tight-fisted, literalmente agarrado fuerte con el puño, lo que viene siendo un agarrado de toda la vida. His partner is tight-fisted. Su pareja es una agarrada.

TELL ME

THE

E I V O M

Clint Eastwood, a San Francisco native, always plays a tough guy (tío duro). Let’s look at some of his best movie lines (frases de película):

“You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.”

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1967

3

“Ever notice how you come across (encontrarse con) somebody once in a while you shouldn’t have messed with (meterse con)? That’s me.” 4 Gran Torino, 2008

To load no se pronuncia tal como está escrito. Se pronuncia el sonido vocálico como si fuera “ou”. Mira:

• load /lóud/ (cargar) • download /dáunloud/ (descargar) • upload /áploud/ (subir) Esto es un pun (juego de palabras). Dig significa cavar, pero también es una forma anticuada de los años ‘60s y ‘70s de decir molar o gustar. O sea, ¿Te gusta cavar? sería Do you dig digging? ¿Te mola el inglés? Do you dig English? Of course you do! ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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GOOD SPORTS

The 49ers were the first major league (de primera) professional sports franchise in San Francisco. The name 49ers comes from the prospectors who arrived in California in the gold rush of 1849. They were the original 49ers. The football team wasn’t founded until a hundred years later. I guess they saw it as a golden opportunity (oportunidad de oro) to honor them and name the team after them.

The major leagues o the majors es nuestra forma de llamar a las ligas de élite en los deportes estadounidenses. Por ejemplo: MLB significa Major League Baseball. No solo lo usamos con deportes, sino también lo decimos como en España, de primera. Vaughan Systems is in the major leagues. Vaughan Systems es de primera.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Levi Strauss & Co. began in 1853 in San Francisco. It started as a dry goods (productos textiles) company. The modern jeans with the copper rivet (remache de cobre) began to appear in the ‘20s, but they were worn mostly by working people in the west, such as cowboys (vaqueros, hence the name in Spanish!), lumberjacks (leñadores) and railroad workers (ferroviarios). Now, everyone and their mother owns at least one pair of these jeans.

Cuidado, no pronunciamos Levi’s como se pronuncia en España. Decimos /lívvvais/. Y ya que estamos, vamos a repasar algunas otras marcas:

• Nike /náiki/ • Calvin Klein /kélvvvin kláin/

• Ray Ban /réiben/ • Heineken /háineken/

Worn by significa llevados por, pero también worn es gastado o desgastado. Lo gracioso es que el estilo más popular de jeans es worn, o sea desgastado de haberlos llevado puestos tantas veces. Worn jeans are the most worn kind. Los vaqueros desgastados son el tipo que más se lleva.

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Ferry to Alcatraz Espero que nunca tengas que usar estas frases que significan en la cárcel. I’m...

• • • •

in jail (calabozo) in prison behind bars in the slammer

• in the can • locked up • in the pen

Slam es una palabra onomatopéyica que significa dar un golpe o portazo. En las pelis, es el sonido que hacen las puertas de prisión al cerrarse. The door of the slammer was slammed. La puerta de la cárcel dio un portazo. Dirás que pen es bolígrafo. Y tienes toda la razón, pero la palabra pen, en este contexto, viene de penitentiary. Te suena esa palabra, ¿no? Pues cuidado, porque no es lo mismo estar en the state pen (la penitenciaría estatal) que en Penn State, la Universidad Estatal de Pensilvania.

Seattle, Washington

1,300 km

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Pit Stop

1

At the Gas Station We have to stop and refuel (repostar) or we’re going to run out of gas (quedarnos sin gasolina). I’m glad we found this gas station otherwise we would have been stranded (quedarnos tirados). We were running on fumes (vapor). And we’re probably lucky that the last part of the road was downhill (cuesta abajo). We really coasted down that last hill. En Inglaterra no dicen gas, sino petrol, y su versión de gas station es petrol station. Siempre puedes decir Where’s the Shell or Exxon station? La mayoría de la gente conoce estas marcas. To coast significa mover sin esfuerzo. Por eso, las roller coasters (montañas rusas) se llaman así. Roller indica rodar y a partir de la primera bajada lo que hacen es rolling y coasting.

You’ll hear this at the pump

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¿Va a pagar en efectivo o con tarjeta?

Are you going to pay in cash or by card?

¿Quieres sin plomo?

Do you want unleaded?

¿Podría dar marcha atrás un poco?

Could you back up a bit?

Por favor, apaga el coche.

Please, turn off the car.

El total es de 35,48 $.

That comes to $35.48.

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You’ll say this at the pump Llena el depósito.

Fill it up. / Fill up the gas tank.

20 dólares de sin plomo.

20 dollars worth of unleaded.

¿Tienen servicios?

Do you have a restroom?

No me gusta el autoservicio porque tengo que echarme la gasolina.

I don’t like self-service because I have to pump my own gas.

Siempre derramo gasolina cuando cojo la manguera.

I always spill gas when I grab the gas pump.

Lead es plomo y se pronuncia /led/, pero esta palabra puede ser confusa porque también se pronuncia /liid/, aunque en este caso lead significaría liderar. Por eso, Led Zeppelin (zepelín de plomo) optó por escribir la palabra lead como suena, para que la gente no lo confundiera y dijera /liid/ Zeppelin.

Gas Idioms ¡Pisa fuerte!

Step on the gas!

¡Eres la leche!

You’re a gas!

¡Nos lo pasamos genial anoche!

We had a gas last night!

Estuvimos chismorreando toda la mañana.

We’ve been gassing all morning.

¿Te has tirado un pedo?

Did you pass gas?

Este coche chupa gasolina.

This car is a gas guzzler.

Voy a echarle sopa al coche.

I’m going to gas up.

Se quedó sin energía/fuerzas antes del final de la carrera.

He ran out of gas before the end of the race.

¡Ahora sí que lo estás haciendo genial!

Now you’re cooking with gas!

No le eches leña al fuego.

Don’t pour gas on the fire.

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YOU ARE HERE

Seattle,

6

WA

TOTAL DISTAN CE TRAVELLE D: 3,493 KM

Hey buddy, We just got to S eattle and it’s pou ring here. It’s so I almost got lost misty (nublado) . And you’ll never that believe it! When the GPS, it wan I put Washington ted to take me to into Washington DC! hop, skip and a ju T h at’s not exactly mp (a la vuelta d a e la esquina) from It’s a good thing S ea tt le, Washington! (menos mal) tha t I realized in tim coffee at the firs e. I’m going to gr t Starbucks ever ab a . It’s located at Street. I know, (ubicado en) 191 it’s overpriced bu 2 Pike t I’m soaked (em warm up (calenta p a p a d o) and I want to rme) a bit!

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No sé por qué te enseñaron a decir It’s raining cats and dogs si los nativos apenas lo usamos, ¡a no ser que tengamos 2 añitos! Decimos It’s pouring y viene del verbo to pour, que significa verter o echar. It’s pouring out! Can you pour me a hot cup of joe? Está lloviendo a cantaros. ¿Me puedes poner una taza de café calentito? Overpriced significa caro en el sentido de que vale más de lo que debería. Seguro que conoces la palabra expensive, pero hay otras formas de decirlo, como pricey, costly, dear o exorbitant. Siempre recomiendo que busques sinónimos para que tu vocabulario sea más colorido y para poder expresarte en detalle, ¡hasta en nuestro propio idioma!

FACT OR FICTION? Kurt Cobain was from Seattle.

To sign es firmar, así que tiene sentido que también signifique fichar y to get signed, ser fichado. Vamos a verlo: Sergio Ramos signed for Real Madrid in 2005. Sergio Ramos firmó por el Real Madrid en 2005. Sergio Ramos got signed by Real Madrid in 2005. Sergio Ramos fue fichado por el Real Madrid en 2005.

This is

History

On June 6, 1889 the entire central business district of Seattle burned (se quemó) to the ground in what would come to be known as the Great Seattle Fire. The fire burned for many hours and it destroyed  25 blocks (manzanas) and caused millions of dollars in damage. They decided to rebuild the area of Pioneer Square on top of the old one. So the central business district is actually elevated 6.7 meters above the old street level. There’s an underground tour of the old area and it’s quite interesting. I recommend you check it out (echarle un vistazo).

Contrary to popular belief (al contrario de lo que se piensa), Kurt Cobain was not born in Seattle. He was born in Aberdeen, a small town not too far away. However, as many others from the small towns in that area, he went to Seattle to get signed by a record label (discográfica). On the 11th anniversary of his death, the town of Aberdeen added “Come as you are” (ven tal y como seas) to their town’s welcome sign in honor of Nirvana’s song “Come as you are”. In the end, Cobain got signed and got a sign in his honor.

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Cuidado con la pronunciación de burn (quemar). No es /barn/, ¡eso sería barn (granero)! Se pronuncia /beern/ y rima con learn /leern/ (aprender), earn /eern/ (ganar dinero trabajando) y turn /teern/ (girar). A ver si se te ocurren otras palabras que rimen con burn. It’s your turn /teern/! ¡Te toca! Damage es daño, pero ten cuidado para no pronunciarlo /damage/, ¡porque hace que me duelan los oídos! Se pronuncia /démech/. Otras palabras que acaban en “-age” y se pronuncian /-ech/ son:

• bandage /béndech/ (vendaje) • shortage /shórtech/ (escasez) • garbage /gárbech/ (basura) Quite significa bastante, pero no lo confundas con quiet (silencioso). He’s quite quiet. Él es bastante callado.

FUN FACTS

One of the most iconic landmarks in Seattle is the Space Needle. It was built for the Seattle World’s Fair (exposición mundial) in 1962. For a time it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. It’s funny how some of the most iconic structures, like the Space Needle, were supposed to be temporary. Another example is the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1889 World’s Fair in France. Try to imagine Paris or Seattle without these monuments that have come to be symbols of their cities.

Usamos la expresión west of the Mississippi River para referirnos al oeste de Estados Unidos. Cuando EE. UU. se empezó a expandir y abrió la frontera por el oeste, el río Misisipi estaba literalmente en medio. Se dice que el río Misisipi separa el este del oeste. Y, por supuesto, también se dice east of the Mississippi. Un ejemplo: One World Trade Center is the tallest building east of the Mississippi. One World Trade Center es el edificio más alto del este de Estados Unidos.

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DIG IN! Celebrity chef Mario Batali, aka Molto Mario, co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. He has a special connection with Spain. Although (aunque) he was born and raised (nació y se crió) in Seattle, Washington, his father worked for the Boeing Company which meant that he spent his high school years studying in Madrid. But that’s not his only link (vínculo) to Madrid. In 2008 he did a TV series called Spain… on the Road, where he toured Spain’s different regions and gastronomy. Gwyneth Paltrow was on the show with him as she also studied in Spain. Some say she’s an honorary resident of Talavera de la Reina. As you can see, us guiris love to study in Spain! Can you blame us? ¿Puedes culparnos?

Chef no se pronuncia con “ch”. ¡Se pronuncia con “sh”! I love Master Chef /shefff/, así que no me interrumpas diciendo /chefff/, ¡porque te voy a decir shhhhhhhefff! ¿Oído cocina? Yes /shefff/!

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LOCAL LINGO Seattleites are so use (acostumb d to rados a) th e fog that w Mount Rain hen ier, which is actually stratovolca a no, is visib le, they ca saying: Th n b e heard e mountain is out. Ha montaña. salido la Is it a coin cidence th Mount Rain at it’s calle ier (monte d más lluvio so)? I think not!

La palabra casualidad es coincidence. No la confundas con casualty, que sería baja, pérdida o víctima. Por ejemplo: There were many casualties in World War II. Hubo muchas bajas en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. I think not es va a ser que no o creo que no. También se puede decir I don’t think so, pero bajo ninguna circunstancia puedes decir I think no. ¿Lo vas a decir bien a partir de ahora? I think so! ¡Va a ser que sí! ¡Creo que sí!

Famous Seattleites Bill Gates

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How could we forget about Bill Gates? Our dear friend Guillermo Puertas, if we translated his name. Just like his arch rival (eterno rival) Steve Jobs and many other successful tech entrepreneurs, Gates was a college dropout (alumno que abandona los estudios). He dropped out of (abandonó) Harvard University in 1975 to dedicate himself to Microsoft full time. It looks like it really paid off (resultó fructífero).

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Entrepreneur, pronunciado /antreprenúar/, es emprendedor. Si hablas francés, ya conoces muchas palabras en inglés. Te dejo unas cuantas que usamos a menudo. Y como siempre te digo, ¡búscate unas cuantas más! Acuérdate de que, igual que en este viaje, aprender un idioma es explorar y ser explorador ¡como Jacques Cousteau!

• • • •

Déjà vu /déisha vvvu/ C’est la vie! /selaví/ ballet /baléi/ bourgeois /bershuá/

• • • •

brunette /brunéttt/ critique /kretík/ chauffeur /shoufér/ chic /shik/

It’s no wonder (no es de extrañar) that Seattle has always been a musical city, from its jazz age to the grunge period. It was the first city in the US to play a Beatles song on the radio. I guess all this would come together to inspire other Seattleites such as Jimi Hendrix o Chris Cornell from Soundgarden/Audioslave. I hope they didn’t let the Beatles down.

Grunge seguramente te suena del estilo musical, pero ¿sabías que grungy significa roñoso o mugriento? Si te fijas, los líderes del grunge tenían un look mugriento. Ah, y nada de /grunch/, decimos /granch/. Aquí te hice un chistecillo con dos canciones muy populares de los Beatles: “Come together” y “Don’t let me down”. To come together significa juntarse y to let somebody down o to disappoint somebody es decepcionar a alguien.

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WTF?

The Market Theater Gum Wall is a brick (ladrillo) wall covered in ABC, already been chewed (ya masticado) gum in an alley in downtown Seattle. Be careful if you visit it though. You could get caught in a sticky (pegajoso o difícil) situation. Ha ha ha ha! LMAO!

Alley es callejón en inglés. Si te resulta más fácil, usa la palabra francesa cul de sac. Y dead-end street es callejón sin salida y una situación sin salida en el sentido figurado. Por ejemplo: He’s sick of his dead-end job. Está harto de su trabajo sin salida. LMAO significa laugh my ass off (me parto el culo de la risa) y LMFAO es dándole un poco más de énfasis, porque significa laugh my fucking ass off. A ver si te sabes estas siglas que llevamos siglos usando: OMG /ou em chi/ BRB /bi ar bí/

BFF /bi ef éf/ TBD /ti bi dí/

ETA /i ti éi/ FYI /ef uái ái/

TELL ME

IE THE MOV

Sleepless

Sleepless in Seattle (Algo para acordar) literalmente significa sin dormir en Seattle. It stars (es protagonizada por) Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Truth be told (la verdad sea dicha), I’ve never seen the movie. In fact, I believe it’s one of the greatest chick flicks up there with Dirty Dancing and I’m sure it’s good. But really though (pero en serio), how many films have Tom and Meg starred in together? Like 99, right? No, I’m blowing it out of proportion (exagerando). They’ve been in only 3 movies together and this was the second one. I could swear (juraría) there were more.

in Seattle RESPUESTAS: Oh my God!, Be right back, best friends forever, to be determined, estimated time of arrival, for your information

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Chick flick es nuestra forma de decir película cursi. La palabra flick es película y puede que te suene de NetFlix, literalmente net + flicks = películas de internet. Se llaman flicks porque cuando acababa la bobina, el celuloide hacía /flikflikflikflik/. Y chick es piba, aunque no te recomiendo llamar a una chica chick, porque puede ser despectivo, como piba en español. Sin embargo, las chicas también usan la palabra chick flick bastante.

GOOD SPORTS

Seattle has mild (templado) climate, which allows outdoor activities and sports all year round (durante todo el año). Seattleites can be seen walking, cycling, hiking, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing (escalando), boating, sailing (vela), doing team sports and swimming; to name a few.

La palabra climate, clima, aunque acabe en “-ate”, no se pronuncia /kláimeit/, sino /kláimet/, igual que ultimate (último) es /áltimet/. Ahora di esta frase: Spain has the ultimate climate. Hiking es hacer senderismo. Si quieres mandar a alguien a tomar viento, puedes decirle take a hike, que literalmente significa date un paseo o caminata en español. ¿Conoces otras formas de mandar a alguien por ahí? Aquí te dejo algunas:

• Take a walk! • Take a long walk off a short pier! • Get lost!

• Make like a banana and split! • Make tracks!

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

Many companies, such as Amazon, are based in Seattle but perhaps one of the most famous ones is Boeing Company. It was founded by William Boeing and it used to be a boat company. But William Boeing became fascinated with flying and airplanes and his company changed gears (cambió de marcha o rumbo)… literally! Now Seattle is the home of the 747 jumbo jet and many other planes that have brought us closer and made the oceans seem much smaller. One of the nicknames of Seattle is Jet City. They also call it the Emerald (esmeralda) City, the City of Flowers, City of Goodwill (benevolencia) or Rain City. Are you serious? Make up your mind guys! ¡Decidíos, chicos! Anyways, there’s so much more to see. I’m going to jet! ¡Me las piro, vampiro!

Para hablar de algo que ya no ocurre, empleamos used to + infinitivo como, por ejemplo: I used to read more. Yo antes leía más. Más ejemplos: Yo antes vivía en Nueva York.

I used to live in New York.

Ella antes fumaba.

She used to smoke.

¿Antes volabas en primera clase?

Did you use to fly (in) first class?

Having Coffee

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¿Nos tomamos un café? No hay nada como un buen café recién hecho. Este café está recién hecho.

Shall we have a coffee? There’s nothing like a fresh cup of java/ joe/coffee. This coffee was just brewed.

Es café recién molido.

It’s fresh ground coffee.

¿Es una mezcla?

Is it a blend?

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Yo no sé nada acerca de los granos de café. Voy a comprar una taza de recuerdo para mi madre. ¿Me pueden dar un removedor?

I don’t know the first thing about coffee beans. I’m going to buy my mom a souvenir mug.

¿Tienen leche de soja? Soy intolerante a la lactosa. Yo prefiero leche templada.

Do you have soy milk? I’m lactose intolerant. I prefer warm milk.

Pues pídeles que te la calienten.

Well, ask them to warm it up.

¡Espabila, hombre!

Wake up and smell the coffee!

May I have a stirrer?

Cuidado, mucha gente traduce tomar un café como take a coffee, pero es incorrecto. Para bebidas y comida, empleamos el verbo to have. De hecho, ya que estamos: I’m going to have a croissant, too. Me voy a tomar un cruasán también. Remove no es remover, sino quitar. Remover es to stir y a stirrer es el palo para remover el café. Practica diciéndolo en voz alta, porque no es fácil decir /ssstérer/. Esta es fácil. Soy es soja. Piensa en la marca Vive Soy. Sabiendo eso, también sabes que salsa de soja es soy sauce. Y soy sauce en español es I’m sauce. Ba dum tssss… ¡perdona, un chiste malísimo!

Austin, Texas

3,413 km

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YOU ARE HERE

Austin,

7

TX

: 6,906 KM CE TRAVELLED TOTAL DISTAN

Howdy partner,

in erything’s BIGGER ev at th y sa ey h T just tin, Texas. Texas? Austin is not of l ta I just arrived in Aus pi ca e th in (de moda) e world” so Texas. So, what’s big m it to be “the live music capital of th e clai moda o popular). a (l e az cr e the capital but som th n ee b and a gig usic has always I imagine that live m varme un poco) and then catch dinner (la I’m going to wash up ppening 6th Street. ha (un bolo) on the very Ciao for now! stival. It’s a film, fe W S X S e th r fo back in March esome! ¡Pinta bien! PS: We should come aw ds un so It . al iv d music fest interactive media an

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Happening significa ocurriendo o pasando, y cuando algo está pasando, es actual o... está de moda. Austin’s a happening city! ¡Austin está de moda! Pero cuidado con el uso del verbo to happen (ocurrir). Para decir ¿Qué pasa? no decimos What happens? Veamos lo que sí decimos: ¿Que pasó?

What happened?

¿Que pasa? (saludo)

What’s happening?

Lo que pasó, pasó entre tú y yo...

What happened between you and me, happened...

PS es corto para postscript y lo solemos usar solamente abreviado. Es igual que P.D. y posdata en español. También se usa hablado cuando quieres recordarle algo a alguien. Se pronuncia /píies/. Por ejemplo: PS: Don’t forget your backpack! P.D.: ¡No olvides la mochila!

FACT OR FICTION? One of Austin’s slogans is “Keep Austin Weird”.

“Keep Austin Weird” (mantén a Austin raro) is a slogan adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small and medium-sized local businesses (pymes locales) in Austin. It’s a trademarked (de marca registrada) slogan and you can get it on T-shirts, mugs (tazas) or caps. But you’re probably asking yourself: why weird? I know, it’s a little raro, raro, raro… but it worked so well that Portland, Oregon and Louisville, Kentucky adopted the same slogan! Can you imagine adopting it for Madrid? Keep Madrid weird! I like it! It has a nice ring to it! ¡Suena bien!

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Las palabras cortas son las que más engañan a la hora de pronunciarlas. Cap es gorra y se pronuncia /keep/, pero no te líes con cup /kap/ (taza) o cop /kop/ (policía). A ver si pronuncias bien esta frase: The cop wore a cap and drank from a cup. El poli llevaba puesta una gorra y bebía de una taza.

This is

History

Austin originally shared its name with an Abba Song. I’m not talking about “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”… I’m talking about Waterloo. I’m serious! Well… not about the ABBA bit, but about the previous (anterior) name of the city. It was named Waterloo in 1839. Eventually the name of the city was changed to Austin. The city is named after Stephen F. Austin, the founder and “Father of Texas”. He was the Republic of Texas’s first Secretary of State. No offence Stephen, but I think Waterloo sounds more funky!

La mejor forma de practicar el verbo compuesto to be named after, que significa ser nombrado en honor a, es pensar en tu familia. Piensa en familiares que compartan nombre o busca sitios que llevan nombres de personas. Por favor, ¡siempre en voz alta! Mi nombre es en honor a mi abuelo Alberto.

I was named after my grandfather Alberto.

El nombre de mi primo Nick es en honor a mi bisabuelo Nicola.

My cousin Nick was named after my great grandfather Nicola.

El nombre Washington DC es en honor a George Washington.

Washington DC was named after George Washington.

FUN FACTS

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This is batty (loco o locura)! There’s a bridge in Austin which has the world’s largest urban population of Mexican free-tailed bats (murciélagos). Beginning in March, about 1.5 million bats live in and around the bridge. Every evening, around sundown (atardecer), the bats come out looking for insects. It’s a popular event for both locals and tourists with over 100,000 viewers per year. Sorry if you’re afraid of bats! I should’ve warned you right off the bat (desde el primer momento)!

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En inglés empezamos nuestros meses, días de la semana y nacionalidades ¡con MAYÚSCULAS! Por ejemplo: I’m American and I was born on a Saturday in November. Soy americano y nací un sábado en noviembre. Ahora fíjate también en las proposiciones que usé. A ver si te sabes la preposición correcta:

• • • • •

I was born … November. I was born … November 19. I was born … Saturday. I was born … the autumn. I was born … 1977.

DIG IN! If you’re like me and love BBQ then you’ll have a field day in Austin and the surrounding areas (los alrededores). There are many different types of BBQ just in Texas. The Central Texas style is called barbacoa coming from the Mexican influence in the region. They rub (frotan) the meat with spices and cook it over indirect heat, usually with pecan (pacana) or oak (roble) wood. Yummy! I don’t know about you but... my mouth is watering! ¡Se me hace la boca agua!

To have a field day es pasarlo en grande. ¡Qué recuerdos tengo de los field days! Son los días de excursión del colegio cuando te ibas y no tenías que estar en clase... donde te lo pasabas... ¡en grande! I hope you’re having a field day with this book. Espero que lo estés pasando en grande con este libro.

RESPUESTAS: in, on, on, in, in

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LOCAL LINGO Wingo, a mix of wings (alitas de pollo) and bingo, is for me a synonym for heaven on earth. And what could possibly be better? Pluckers Wing Bar has a weekly (semanal) WINGO event on Thursdays. You can eat wings, play bingo and even win prizes. But, leave the kids at home as you have to be 21 years old to play! Note to self (nota para mí mismo): We need to start one of these in Madrid! I don’t know how to make wings but we can wing it (improvisar)!

Prize es premio y se pronuncia /práisss/, y no es lo mismo que price (precio), que se pronuncia con una “s” más corta diciendo /práis/. Usamos el adjetivo prized para hablar de algo que valoramos o estimamos mucho. Por ejemplo: The watch my father gave me is my most prized possession. El reloj que me dio mi padre es mi posesión más preciada.

Famous AUSTINITES Tom Ford

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Fashion designer and film director Tom Ford was born in Austin. He became well known as the creative director at two major fashion houses: Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. It’s said that he saved Gucci from Chapter 11 and really turned the company around (le dio la vuelta). He launched his very own eponymous label in 2006. And then, he tried his hand at (intentó o probó) film directing and it seems he found a new calling (vocación). His first film, A Single Man, was nominated for an Oscar. Nice one, Tom! What’s next? A Formula One™ racer?

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Chapter 11 es el código de bancarrota en Estados Unidos. Si te parece difícil, siempre puedes decir bankruptcy. El verbo correspondiente es to go bankrupt. Por ejemplo: The company declared Chapter 11. It went bankrupt due to mismanagement. La empresa se declaró en bancarrota debido a una mala gestión. No, no decimos pilot cuando nos referimos a un piloto de motos o coches. Pilot está reservado exclusivamente a pilotos de aviones y helicópteros. Decimos racer o race car driver. Si te acuerdas de este false friend y de los otros 20 o 30 que puede haber, ¡pilotarás el inglés dentro de muy poco! Grammy award-winning rapper and producer Nelly is a Texan too. He was born in Austin but bred (criado) in Spain until he was 3 years old since his father was in the Air Force. It’s funny that he would later have a hit called “Air Force Ones”. Apart from having tons of number one hits, he’s also worked with people like Justin Timberlake and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas, to name a couple. One of my favorite songs of his is the summer hit “Hot in Here”. Listen to the song if you haven’t heard it yet. It’s very infectious and you can learn the phrasal verb take off (quitarse algo) plus some other naughty vocabulary. We can’t just limit ourselves to nice vocabulary, can we? No decimos I have 30 years old ni I’m 30 years ni tampoco I have 30 years. Decimos I’m 30 years old o I’m 30. That’s it, solo tienes estas dos opciones. Y si no te quieres complicar la vida, ¡di solo el número! Naughty es malo o malcriado, pero tiene un segundo significado: picante o sexual. No creo que te confundas entre los dos, porque el tono en el que se dice cada uno es muy diferente. Por cierto, el tono es importantísimo a la hora de hablar un idioma, así que no solo escuches palabras; fíjate también en el tono, la entonación y el ritmo: todo esto es parte del idioma, igual que el vocabulario y la gramática.

WTF?

Robert Plant (Roberto Fábrica), the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, owns a home in Austin as many celebs do. Now, he’s known to haggle (regatear) over even the price of cheese at the supermarket. I hope he doesn’t get cheesed off and cuts the cheese in the dairy section if he doesn’t get his way (si no se sale con la suya).

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To be cheesed off es muy británico, así como lo es Mr. Plant, y significa estar cabreado, mientras que to cut the cheese es una forma de decir tirarse un pedo en inglés. No creo que tenga que explicar el por qué. Sé que mis chistes son cheesy (cursis), pero quiero que aprendas diferentes expresiones y vocabulario con un poco de humor... ¡Eso siempre!

TELL ME

IE V O M E TH

Actress Dakota Johnson, who starred in 50 Shades of Grey5 (Cincuenta sombras de Grey) was born in Austin. Let’s take a look at a scene from this movie that I must admit... I’ve never seen: Anastasia Steele: Maybe you’re just lucky. Christian Grey: I’ve always found that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. The key to my success has been in identifying talented individuals and harnessing their efforts. Anastasia Steele: So you’re a control freak?

y s of Gre e d a h S 50 En inglés, la palabra gris se puede escribir de dos maneras: grey, como en el Reino Unido, o gray, como en Estados Unidos. También lo usamos de forma metafórica, como a gray day (un día gris) o a gray period (un periodo gris). Y si hablamos de canas, se dice I have gray hair. Is it clear? ¿Queda claro? I hope there are no more gray areas with this word. Espero que ya no haya zonas grises con esta palabra. Aquí vemos la estructura cuanto más…, más…, que en inglés corresponde a the more…, the more… para adjetivos de 2 sílabas no acabados en “y”, o 3 y más sílabas. Para adjetivos de 1 o 2 sílabas acabados en “y”, añadimos la terminación -er o -ier respectivamente. ¿Queeeeeé? Don’t freak out! ¡No entres en pánico! Aquí van algunos ejemplos:

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Cuanto más estudies, más sabrás.

The more you study, the more you’ll know.

Cuanto más como, más engordo.

The more I eat, the fatter I get.

Cuanto más sonrías, más feliz estarás.

The more you smile, the happier you’ll be.

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A control freak es una persona que siempre quiere tener el control sobre todo. Por ejemplo: Their boss is a control freak. Su jefe es un controlador compulsivo. Freak en inglés no significa friki, sino un bicho raro o un pervertido sexual. Si quieres decir que alguien es un friki de la aviación, como yo, sería aviation geek. Are you a Star Wars geek? ¿Eres un friki de Star Wars?

GOOD SPORTS

Former (ex- o antiguo) tennis ace (as) Andy Roddick is an Austinite too. Although he was a great tennis player, he would lose his cool or temper (perder los estribos) very often on the court (cancha de tenis). Speaking of court, let me teach you some cool expressions: La pelota está en tu tejado.

The ball’s in your court.

Así es la vida. (Lit., Así bota la pelota).

That’s the way the ball bounces.

Deja de hacer tanto ruido con la raqueta.

Stop making such a racket with that racket.

¿A que no sabías que la palabra racket (raqueta) también significa follón o ruido?

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At a Gig

Pete Best fue uno de los primeros integrantes de los Beatles.

Pete Best was in the original line up of The Beatles.

¿Sabes el cartel del festival SXSW de este año?

Do you know the lineup at the SXSW festival this year?

Espero que haya muchas canciones antiguas en la lista de canciones que toquen.

I hope there are a lot of their older songs on the set list.

¿A qué hora hace el grupo la prueba de sonido?

What time does the band do the soundcheck?

Jimi Hendrix fue una vez telonero de los Monkees.

Jimi Hendrix was once the opening act for The Monkees.

Me alegro tanto de haber podido ver un concierto en directo en Austin.

I’m so glad I got the chance to catch a live show in Austin.

No decimos in direct ni on live ni tampoco in live. En directo es live a secas. Piensa en el show Saturday Night Live. ¡Va sin preposición!

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Houston, Texas

266 km

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YOU ARE HERE

8

Houston,

TX

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 7,172 KM

Houston, we have a problem. No, I’m just kidding (estoy bromeando). But I’ve always wanted to say that. I’m looking forward to discovering Houston. This city is huge, and there’s so much to see. We’re going to have a bite to eat (algo de picar) in one of Houston’s many hip restaurants and then the cherry on top (la guinda del pastel): THE RODEO. Might as well (no perdemos nada) since the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the biggest in the world. And it’s still going strong (sigue en vigor o sigue fuerte), even after 80 years. Let’s go, partner! ¡Vamos, colega!

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Esta estructura es muy común en inglés aunque suene un poco forzada en español. To look forward to se traduce como esperar con ilusión o tener muchas ganas. ¡Ojo! Al to no le sigue el infinitivo sino el gerundio. Sería to look forward to + ing. Vamos a practicar: Tengo ganas de comer contigo.

I’m looking forward to eating with you.

Tengo ganas de verte.

I’m looking forward to seeing you.

Lo espero con muchas ilusiones.

I look forward to it.

Puede que hip te suene de la palabra hípster, pero es una palabra que se usaba antiguamente para decir en inglés de moda. Hoy en día diríamos in style o simplemente in.

FACT OR FICTION? Houston was founded by Sam Houston, a statesman and general who gained popularity after the Battle of San Jacinto.

This is

History

If morbid curiosity is your thing and you like undertakers, tombs, graveyards (cementerios), coffins/caskets (ataúdes), don’t worry, the National Museum of Funeral History is right up your alley. It’s the largest collection of funeral service artifacts in the US. This museum is just north of Houston and its aim is to inform the public and keep the culture of death care alive. What a mission statement (declaración de intenciones)!

Quizá te suene The Undertaker del pressing catch que, por cierto, no se dice pressing catch sino wrestling. Pues claro, es el director de funerarias, aunque más bien parece ser el padre del Hombre de Negro. Otra palabra que quizá te suene pero probablemente pronuncies mal, es tomb. La culpa es de Tomb Raider (asaltadora de tumbas) Lara Croft. Tomb Raider no se pronuncia /tam raider/ sino /tuum réider/ aunque puede que tus amigos españoles se rían de ti por decirlo bien. Right up your alley significa en inglés justo lo que te gusta. Me gusta enseñar el otro lado de la moneda si hay uno y en este caso sí que lo hay; No es lo mío en inglés se dice It’s not my cup of tea.

It sounds like a nice story but it’s just a tall tale (cuento chino). The city was founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, but it was named after (nombrado en honor a) Sam Houston.

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FUN FACTS

Most Texans will tell you that Houston was the first word spoken by Neil Armstrong when he landed on the moon. However, this is not true. When going through a checklist (repasando una lista de verificación) of course, he did say “Houston” when addressing NASA mission control located (ubicado) in Houston. He also said this very famous line: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” -Neil Armstrong

La ciudad Houston se pronuncía /jiústen/ sin embargo la calle Houston en Nueva York, se pronuncia /jáusten/… Pero no nos adelantemos, que ya nos tocará ir a Nueva York en este viaje. No decimos The NASA en inglés, decimos NASA a secas. Otras palabras en las que no empleamos el artículo the delante cuando sí se hace en español son: la India - India, la vida life, la muerte - death, las cosas (en general) - things.

DIG IN! The Hubcap Grill was voted best burger by the Houston Chronicle. This sounds a bit too cheesy for me but you cheese buffs (amantes del queso) would love it. There’s a burger called the Cheetos burger; a beef patty topped with crunchy (crujiente) Cheetos and, to top it all off (para rematarlo), a cheesy sauce! But don’t worry if you can’t stomach that. Houston, with over 10,000 restaurants, takes the cake (se lleva la palma o tarta) on the best food scene.

Otro pun (juego de palabras): cheesy significa con o de mucho queso pero también significa cursi. Lo mejor de palabras con doble sentido es que dan juego para hacer chistes. ¡A ver si te sale uno!

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Nosotros pronunciamos Cheetos con una “i” larga. Decimos /chíitous/. Claro, es un juego de palabras por su mascota Chester: Chester the cheetah likes Cheetos. Mucha gente conoce la palabra stomach que significa estómago pero pocos la pronuncian bien. Se pronuncia /ssstámek/. Aquí figura como verbo; to stomach y significa soportar o tolerar. Por ejemplo: I can’t stomach mayo. No tolero la mahonesa. Mira, ¡otra palabra para un chiste con doble sentido!

LOCAL LINGO I need to do a load (lavar ropa o hacer una colada). I’m running out of (quedarse sin) clean clothes. I was looking for a laundromat (lavandería) but all I found was a washateria (lavandería en Houston) but it’s exactly the same thing. Weird! I guess they call laundromats washaterias here. Hey, I hate to bug you, but do you have any spare change?

Seguramente te suena la palabra bug (bicho) de A Bug’s Life o de Bugs Bunny. ¿Y te acuerdas de que Bugs siempre estaba chinchando o molestando a los demás? Pues es lo que significa to bug, significa chinchar o molestar. ¡Y cuidadito con este false friend! To molest no significa molestar, ¡sino acosar sexualmente! Spare change es calderilla y, hablando de calderilla, veamos cómo se llaman las monedas en los Estados Unidos: 1 céntimo

penny

5 céntimos

nickel

10 céntimos

dime

25 céntimos

quarter

100 céntimos

a dollar bill

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Famous HOUSTONIANS Matt Stone

One of the creators and voices of South Park was born in Houston but he was raised in Littleton, Colorado. Even though you may think South Park is childish (infantil), it’s actually kind of an institution, like the RAE. Well… not quite the same, but it’s true that its creators Matt and Trey invented the word “derp” which is used to draw attention to an act of stupidity. Derp is now used in the American Lexicon.

Quite se pronuncía /kuáit/. No la confundes con quiet (silencioso) que se pronuncia /kuáiet/. La estructura not quite significa no exactamente y se puede usar indistintamente con not exactly pero te ahorras dos sílabas usando quite, ya que es más corta. Practiquémoslo: (Él) No es exactamente alto.

He’s not quite tall.

No es exactamente correcto.

It’s not quite right.

No son exactamente preparados.

They aren’t quite ready.

Y quite a secas significa bastante. Unos ejemplos:

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Tengo bastante hambre.

I’m quite hungry.

Estamos bastante perdidos.

We’re quite lost.

Estamos bastante cerca.

We’re quite close.

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Beyoncé is affectionately called Bey, /béi/, in her hometown (pueblo/ciudad natal) of Houston. The Destiny’s Child song “Bootylicious”, which adequately describes her and her hot bod (cuerpo sexy) and curves, gave way to the media dubbing her Bootylicious. It became such a popular adjective used to describe Beyoncé, that it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. What page are you on, Beyoncé? We want to look you up! It seems that Matt Stone isn’t the only Houstonian to add words to the dictionary… Pronuncias Beyoncé casi bien. Lo único es que la entonación no va al final sino en la segunda vocal. Decimos /biánsei/. ¿A qué algunos nombres, como Matthew McConaughey, cuestan pronunciar? No te preocupes, hay muchos guiris que no saben pronunciarlo bien tampoco. Se dice /méziu makánahei/. La palabra to dub significa doblar como en las pelis. Pero en este caso significa apodar o nombrar. Quizá os suene de la letra de “The Unforgiven6” de Metallica: “Never free, never me, so I dub thee unforgiven”. Ya sé lo que estás pensando… ¿y este thee que nos has colado? WTF? Thee viene del inglés antiguo de Shakespeare y significa you. Did thee learn thy lesson? Buscar algo en un sitio físico es to look for. Sin embargo, para buscar en internet o en un diccionario usamos to look up. Veamos algunos ejemplos: Estoy buscando mis llaves.

I’m looking for my keys.

Estoy buscando un traje.

I’m looking for a suit.

Déjame buscarlo en la base de datos.

Let me look it up in the database.

Tengo que buscarlo en el diccionario.

I have to look it up in the dictionary.

WTF?

There’s a burping bubble in Houston. That’s right! You read correctly. It’s underneath (debajo de) the Preston Street Bridge. You can make it burp with a nondescript red button in a tower on the bridge. You know you want to press it! To burp es eructar. La palabra se parece mucho al sonido que hacemos cuando eructamos. A ver si reconoces estas otras onomatopeyas: pop, moo, crack, boo, hum, zip, gulp RESPUESTAS: reventar/explotar, mugir, grietar, abuchear, tararear, cerrar con cremallera, engullir/tragar.

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TELL ME

THE MOVIE

“

7 Apollo 13

”

lem Houston we have a prob

Houston has many different industries: technology, education, medicine, and research. But one of its most well-known industries is the NASA command center. There’s a reason that the city’s nickname is the Space City. One of the most famous movie quotes ever, from Apollo 13, is actually a misquote (cita errónea). What the astronauts really said on Apollo 13 was “Houston, we’ve had a problem”. However, the one in the movie and the one that most people use is “Houston, we have a problem.” This was because the director, Ron Howard, felt that the present perfect “we’ve had” implies the problem was resolved, so he decided to change it to the simple present saying “we have”. I guess people in Hollywood have poetic license to rewrite history to their liking (a su gusto).

Investigar se dice to do research. No decimos to make research. Pero lo más fácil es usar el verbo to research (investigar). Por ejemplo: I researched it for the exam. Lo investigué para el examen. Hablando de investigación, I+D se dice R&D, acrónimo para research and development. A ver si te sabes estas otras siglas corporativas: HR, IT, PR, CFO, CEO. ¡Ojo! CEO no se pronuncia /ceo/ sino /si iii óu/.

GOOD SPORTS

Houston’s biggest claim to fame (razón por la cual es conocida) is the now defunct (obsoleto) Astrodome, the world’s first multi-purpose, domed (de bóveda) sports stadium. It also became the first major sports venue (sitio) to feature artificial turf, also known as AstroTurf. In its heyday it was lightyears ahead of its time (a años luz por delante de su tiempo). Speaking of light years, except for their football team the Texans, the names of Houston’s sports teams are all space related words: the Astros, the Aeros, the Comets.

RESPUESTAS: human resources, recursos humanos; information technology, IT/informática; public relations, relaciones públicas; Chief Financial Officer, director financiero; Chief Executive Officer, director ejecutivo

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Turf significa terreno o reino y si estás jugando en casa, you are on home turf. Heyday significa apogeo. Siempre me ha gustado esta palabra, quizá porque rima. Y ya que estamos con hey… ¿Eres de los que pones ey men cuando escribes un WhatsApp? Primero, men es plural. Yo soy man. Y ey en inglés se pronuncia y se escribe con “h”. Lo correcto es: Hey man! Don’t make me repeat it! ¡No me hagas repetirlo!

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Oil is the king in Houston and many oil companies have their headquarters (sede central) here because of the access to the Gulf of Mexico. However, FlightAware (literalmente, atento a tu vuelo), a popular flight-tracking app and website, was founded in Houston in 2005. CEO Daniel Baker created a free flight tracking service because he wanted to provide a way for his family to be able to track his many flights around the country. Necessity is the mother of invention. FlightAware earned over one million dollars in revenue in its first eighteen months. You could say that his idea really took off.

¿Te suena la palabra tracking de Fed Ex, UPS o de un vuelo? ¡Claro que sí! Es el número que usan para rastrear la mercancía o el vuelo. Por ejemplo: Quiero rastrear un paquete.

I want to track a package.

¿Me podría facilitar el número de rastreo?

Could you give me the tracking number?

Él está rastreando el vuelo en la aplicación.

He’s tracking the flight on the app.

Aquí va otro juego de palabras corny (malo), de los míos… To take off significa despegar y tener éxito. Da igual si no te hace gracia, ¡lo que quiero es que te quedes con ambos significados!

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At the Rodeo subirse al caballo

to saddle up

Siéntate en el caballo, que vamos a montar a caballo.

Saddle up, we’re going horseback riding.

volver a hacer algo

to be back in the saddle

Él estuvo enfermo durante un tiempo pero está de vuelta.

He was sick for a while but he’s back in the saddle.

coger el toro por los cuernos

to grab the bull by the horns

Si quieres aprender inglés de verdad, tienes que coger el toro por los cuernos.

If you want to really learn English, you have to grab the bull by the horns.

y una mierda

bullcrap/bullshit

¡Una mierda, no me lo creo!

BS, I don’t buy it!

manada

herd

oído

heard

Oí una manada de búfalos.

I heard a herd of buffaloes.

Rodeo se pronuncia /róudiou/; sin embargo, la calle de tiendas más famosa de Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, se pronuncia /roudéiou/. Fíjate que herd y heard se pronuncian igual. Decimos /hhherd/.

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Dallas, Texas

385 km

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YOU ARE HERE

9

Dallas, TX TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 7,557 KM

Yeehaw!

ig D, as they B or s lla a D in re we’ n in Texas. Today fu h uc m o me enrollaré (n so t g n or vi a sh it p ee We’re h k much to do, so I’ll so s e’ er h Cowboys Stadium T e. ry a er d h n ge le e call it th ur e . Our plan is to to s) a n ia rs ensa) and all thos pe pr s e la d o o lc a com (p ox b rooms, the press to (ir a) the er d ck ea lo h e ll th e’ e w se en d n th a And e stadium great. th ke some deep fried a m on t a s) a th ot b s la things erse e and pig out (pon s a ex T enough to try som of o) ir a id F ev tr (a State g n ri a if I’m d Coke or fried . I don’t know ) d ie ga fr n r, ta ri ee b (f d ts ie ea fr tr as icias raras) such el (d es d me to make ci in a m ic re el , d d se ca in st of the od Ju ble around here... ila va a re a t a th rs Twix ba my cardiologist! h it w t en tm n oi pp an a

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Vestuario es locker room, literalmente cuarto de taquillas, o changing room, literalmente cuarto de cambiarse. ¡Qué bien! Más palabras que tienen sentido en inglés. Hablando de locker, a lo mejor te suena la tienda de zapatillas Foot Locker, que en inglés es una taquilla pequeña para dejar los zapatos de calle cuando haces deporte. Hay dos tipos de citas, al menos en inglés: appointment es una cita formal con tu médico, dentista o abogado, mientras que date es una cita romántica. Te reto a practicar con estos ejemplos: Tengo cita con el dentista a primera hora de la mañana.

I have a dentist appointment first thing in the morning.

Tengo una cita con esa chica que conocí hace dos días.

I have a date with that girl I met 2 days ago.

Tengo que cancelar nuestra cita porque tengo una cita de trabajo.

I have to call off our date because I have a work appointment.

FACT OR FICTION? The computer was invented in Dallas.

The computer was invented in Dallas. Aquí tenemos la voz pasiva, o lo que yo llamo, el tiempo verbal documental. Es parecido al español, fíjate: America was discovered by Columbus. América fue descubierta por Colón. Más ejemplos: El anillo fue robado por él.

The ring was stolen by him.

La ley ha sido escrita por el juez.

The law was written by the judge.

El pescado fue cocinado por él.

The fish was cooked by him.

The computer was not invented in Dallas. However, one of its key (clave) components, the integrated circuit computer chip which became the microchip, was invented here in Dallas in 1958. You could say that this was really instrumental (fundamental) in making our modern-day computers. Maybe that’s why my first calculator and my first computer were made by Texas Instruments, a company located in… Dallas!

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This is

History

Texans keep proving (demostrando) that their motto (eslogan) “Everything is bigger in Texas” is true. You don’t believe them? Then you haven’t met Big Tex, the 16 meter statue at the gates (en la puerta) of the annual State Fair of Texas. He’s the tallest and most famous cowboy in Texas. But Big Tex has had his share of mishaps (bastantes percances). He was destroyed in a fire during the 2012 State Fair. A new Tex was created in 2013 costing $500,000. But there’s also some good news for Tex. The Galleria Mall (centro comercial) is home to the country’s tallest indoor Christmas tree. Now all Big Tex needs is a 16 meter-tall cowgirl so he won’t have to celebrate Christmas alone ever again (jamás). If you know of any, please contact the Dallas Tourism Bureau (oficina de turismo) or just whatsapp him to his supersized smartphone.

Indoor es un adjetivo que empleamos para hablar de cosas que se hacen o están en el interior: Veamos unos ejemplos:

• indoor pool (piscina interior) • indoor activities (actividades para hacer en casa) • indoor parking (parking interior) Outdoor, por otra parte, es al aire libre:

• outdoor activities (actividades al aire libre) • outdoor patio (patio exterior) • outdoor furniture (muebles de terraza)

FUN

CTS

FA

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is the third busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements, and it’s larger than Manhattan Island in NYC. It has more than 900 daily inbound (entrante) and outbound (saliente) flights all together. Plus you can choose from over 200 destinations. I think Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is worth it (vale la pena)!

¿Pronuncias third correctamente? No es /zirz/, termina en “d”. Es /zerddd/. Un truco: piensa que rima con word. It’s the third word /zerddd werddd/. ¡Venga! The third time’s a charm! ¡A la tercera va la vencida! 98

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La palabra island es muy reconocida, pero la gente suele pronunciar la “s”, y si la pronuncias, en realidad dices Iceland (Islandia). Se pronuncia /áilend/. Si necesitas ayuda, escucha el temazo “La Isla Bonita8” de Madonna. No te preocupes, también dice la palabra en inglés: “Tropical island breeze, all that make you wild and free…”.

DIG IN! The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez. It was originally intended to make slushy ice cream. But Texans thought it would be a better idea to add tequila and lime juice to this machine! Long live Tequila! Long live Mariano Martinez! Long live Dallas!

Slushy es granizado y es una bebida típica de los 7-Eleven. Entonces no es una sorpresa que slush sea aguanieve. Y si te mola este tipo de bebidas heladas, también te sonará el McFlurry. Flurry significa nieve ligera o ráfaga de nieve. Todo está en el nombre y en la textura de estas bebidas. Long live… es como se dice ¡Viva…! No decimos Long life the king. No empleamos el sustantivo life (vida) sino el verbo to live (vivir). Solo tienes una vida para vivir. You just have one life to live.

LOCAL LINGO I’m about to (estoy a punto de o tengo pensado) tell you how a Houstonian says “I’m about to…”. They say I’m fixing to…. Por ejemplo: We’re fixing to go to the fair. Estamos a punto de ir a la feria. And where’s the fair? It’s over yonder (por ahí) in Houston speak. It’s very poetic. In New York we just say over there. Are you fixing to learn English? ¿Estás planteándote aprender inglés?

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Vamos a practicar about to y fixing to, ¡como un texano! I’m fixing to give you some examples. Estoy a punto de darte unos ejemplos. Estoy a punto de comenzar.

I’m about to start. I’m fixing to start.

Ella está a punto de explicarlo.

She’s about to explain it. She’s fixing to explain it.

Ellos están a punto de terminar.

They’re about to finish. They are fixing to finish.

Famous Dallasonians Owen and Luke Wilson

Brothers Owen and Luke Wilson are Dallas natives. Luke is the younger one. Owen is 3 years Luke’s elder (le lleva 3 años). Being the eldest (el mayor) must be why Owen is the more popular one of the two. You could say he paved the way (allanó el camino) for his little bro. Or perhaps it’s because of his trademark crooked (torcido) nose? He has reportedly broken his nose on two separate occasions. The first was during a high school spat (pelea), and the second was playing football with friends. But he doesn’t want to talk about it. So stop being nosey.

No te detengas en medio de las palabras high y school, porque corres el riesgo de meter una “e” antes de school. No se pronuncia /jáieskul/, sino /hhháissskuul/, sin pausa y como una sola palabra. Y cuidadito con la palabra college: parece que significa colegio, pero en realidad significa universidad. Nosey significa fisgón o cotilla y es una palabra que tiene sentido en inglés: si eres nosey, es porque metes la nariz en todo. Pero no la confundas con noisy, que es ruidoso o escandaloso. ¿Qué prefieres, nosey neighbors o noisy neighbors?

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I didn’t know whether to put this in the food or music section: Meatloaf (pastel de carne) and Vanilla Ice are both from Dallas. Although Vanilla Ice told everyone he was from the hood (el barrio chungo) in Miami. Let’s take a look at the lyrics to “Under Pressure”… err, I mean... “Ice Ice Baby9”. Let’s see if you can rap it with me...

“Alright stop. Collaborate and listen.” - Bien, para, colabora y escucha. “Ice is back with my brand new invention.” - Ice ha vuelto con su nuevo invento. “Something grabs a hold of me tightly.” - Algo me agarra fuerte. “Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly.” - Tengo flow/fluyo como un arpón día y noche. “Will it ever stop? Yo, I don’t know.” - ¿Acabará algún día? No sé. “Turn off the lights and I’ll glow.” - Apaga las luces y brillaré. Whether es otra forma de decir si y se pronuncia igual que weather (el tiempo). Vamos a practicarlo. I don’t know whether you’re ready. No sé si estas preparado. No sé si nos montaremos en la montaña rusa.

I don’t know whether we’ll go on the roller coaster.

¿Sabes si ellos llegarán a tiempo?

Do you know whether they’ll be on time?

No me importa si hace mal tiempo

I don’t care whether the weather is bad.

WTF?

Dallas resident Glenn Hudson was sued in 2011 by the city for operating a business that was a church during the day and a swingers club at night. It was called the Playground (patio o parque infantil). ¡Ahí se han columpiado! Did you get the joke? Swing also means columpio.

El verbo to sue significa demandar y se pronuncia tal y como su propio nombre indica: Sue, diminutivo de Susanne. Sue is going to sue. Sue va a demandar. La palabra sew (coser) no se pronuncia igual. Sew se pronuncia igual que la palabra so, /sóu/. You sew so much. Coses demasiado. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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TELL ME THE MOVIE The assassination of JFK, one of the most tragic events in American history, happened in Dallas. Director Oliver Stone filmed his movie JFK in Dealey Plaza, the actual location of the shooting. He spent $4 million to make Dealey Plaza look as it did on that fateful (funesto o catastrófico) day in November 1963 when Kennedy took a fatal bullet to the head. That day the world lost a great leader. It was a big deal. Fue un acontecimiento importante.

JFK Nos encanta llamar a la gente por sus siglas en inglés. A ver si pronuncias estas personas correctamente y si sabes quienes son: JFK, FDR, MLK, RFK

Suelo oír a la gente pronunciar bullet (bala) mal diciendo /balet/. La palabra bullet se pronuncia /búlet/. So, bite the bullet and say it right. Así que haz de tripas corazón y dilo bien. RESPUESTAS: JFK /chéi ef kéi/ - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, FDR /ef di ar/ - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, MLK /em el kéi/ - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., RFK /ar ef kéi/ - Robert Francis Kennedy

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GOOD

The Dallas Cowboys were originally known as the Dallas Steers (cabestros). The name was changed when the team’s manager decided he didn’t want a castrated mascot. The Cowboys Stadium is so huge that the entire Statue of Liberty could fit in it. Lamar Hunt, a noted Dallas resident, coined (acuñó) the phrase Super Bowl. The name just stuck (pegó o se quedó). And if football isn’t your thing, the NFL’s first ever professional cheerleading squad started here in 1972. What’s more American than cheering for the home team?

SPORTS

To fit significa caber o quedar bien. Practiquémoslo: Esta camiseta de fútbol no me cabe.

This football jersey doesn’t fit.

¿Crees que cabremos los 5 en tu coche?

Do you think all 5 of us will fit in your car?

Me queda como anillo al dedo.

It fits like a glove.

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La Super Bowl es cada vez más popular fuera de EE. UU. Aunque confieso que mi parte favorita son the commercials (los anuncios). Te habrás fijado que la palabra bowl significa bol, cuenco o tazón. ¡Entonces super bowl sería un mega tazón!

IN GOOD

COMPANY

We already had a slushy when we stopped at 7-Eleven, the first convenience store ever that opened in 1927. But the coolest part is that it started in Dallas and the corporation is still headquartered (con sede) here today. 7-Eleven has currently more than 50,000 locations, making it the largest chain in the world. And you’ve been in one if you’ve ever seen The Simpsons: Apu’s Kwik-E Mart. This is a play on words because Kwik-E is supposed to mean quickie since you’re in and out quickly (rápido). But be careful with this word because a quickie is un kiki.

Convenience store es una tienda de alimentación. Piénsalo, es una palabra muy lógica. Convenient es cómodo y poder comprar de todo a cualquier hora es muy… ¡cómodo! Having a convenience store on your block is very convenient. Tener una tienda de alimentación en tu manzana es muy cómodo.

At the State Fair

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La noria de la feria de Texas es la segunda más alta de EE. UU.

The Texas Star Ferris wheel is the second tallest ferris wheel in the US.

Creo que voy a vomitar.

I think I’m going to puke/throw up.

Estoy mareado de las tacitas.

I’m dizzy from the teacups.

¿Te montas en el tiovivo conmigo?

Will you go on the merry-go-round with me?

Nunca gano nada en los puestos de juego.

I never win anything at the game booths.

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¿Hay un tragasables?

Is there a sword swallower?

Vamos a echar un vistazo a los puestos de comida.

Let’s check out the food stands.

¡No puedo comer más! Estoy lleno.

I can’t eat anymore! I’m stuffed.

¡Vamos a casa!

Let’s call it a day!

New Orleans, Louisiana

814 km

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YOU ARE HERE

10

New Orleans, LA TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 8,371 KM

Hey amigo! Orleans, Louisiana. It’s the We finally got to the Big Easy, NOLA: New the very beginning belonging American city with a multicultural feel, since one thing that the people here to the French and the Spanish. If there’s lo genial). In fact, their motto know how to do, it’s to have a blast (pasar good times roll” or “Laissez the t “Le is h glis En and nch Fre in h, bot d, use nish means “Que siga el le bon temps rouler” which translated to Spa This is exactly what we intend buen rollo”. I told you it was multicultural! do some sightseeing and then to do, let the good times roll. We’re going to rdi Gras parade (desfile). Are head to the French Quarter to see the Ma you ready to roll? ¿Listo para la acción?

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New Orleans se pronuncia diferente en Estados Unidos que en el Reino Unido. En Estados Unidos decimos /nuórlins/, mientras que en el Reino Unido dicen /niuorlíins/. Y los de allí lo pronuncian /náhlens/. Cuidado, en inglés no decimos to do tourism ni to make tourism, sino to do sightseeing o to go sightseeing. Usamos la palabra tourism para hablar del ámbito del turismo, como por ejemplo, the tourism industry (la industria de turismo). Veamos cómo pronunciar las palabras que acaban en -ism:

• • • •

tourism /túrisim/ (turismo) nationalism /néshenalisim/ (nacionalismo) catholicism /kázolisisim/ (catolicismo) communism /kómiunisim/ (comunismo)

FACT OR FICTION? New Orleans is commonly known as the birthplace of jazz music.

El jazz es una música con un toque especial, así que es normal que usemos la expresión to jazz up pare decir darle un toque especial. También podrías decir to spice something up, que literalmente significa darle más especias o sabor. Puedes jazz up la comida, tu salón o, por qué no, ¡tu vida! Hay otra expresión relacionada con este estilo de música: ...and all that jazz que viene a decir y todo lo que conlleva. Veamos: We’re going to dress up for dinner, the parade and all that jazz. Nos vamos a arreglar para la cena, el desfile y todo eso.

A New Orleans barber, Buddy Bolden, is credited with inventing jazz music in New Orleans in 1891. Although there were many people and factors that all came together to give birth to this new music, its roots (raíces) can be traced to (rastreadas a) Storyville, a one-time red-light district in NOLA. Since then New Orleans has always been associated with jazz. Nowadays you can catch a jazz show on Bourbon Street or the less famous but much cooler Frenchmen Street. If you want to jazz up your night, New Orleans is the place!

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This is

History

They call it the French Quarter. But the first thing I thought upon seeing (al ver) this historic neighborhood is that the architecture looks very Spanish. I’m no expert but you can see an Andalusian style of architecture. And there’s a reason why: In 1762, Louis XV of France gave Louisiana to his Spanish cousin, King Charles III. Anyone who knows anything about architecture will tell you that the French Quarter has more of a Spanish feel than a French one. I think it’s bullshit that they call it the French Quarter, it should be called the Spanish Quarter! Pardon my French!

Sí, la palabra bullshit es vulgar, pero tiene tantos usos que hay que, al menos, entenderlo. Siempre tienes la opción de usar la abreviatura BS si no quieres decir vulgaridades. Vamos a verlo: ¡Vaya chorrada!

That’s bullshit!

Estuvimos de palique hasta las mil.

We were bullshitting until the wee hours.

Eso es mentira. No me lo creo.

That’s bullshit. I don’t buy it.

Es un vendehúmos./Tiene un pico de oro.

He’s a good bullshitter.

¡No me vengas con chorradas!

Don’t give me any bullshit!

Pardon my French! Es algo que decimos antes o después de decir una palabrota, que, por cierto, se dice to curse o to swear en inglés. Sé que en España “un francés” tiene otro uso más vulgar, pero en inglés somos un poco más inocentes, porque un French kiss es un beso con lengua… en la boca. Get your mind out of the gutter! ¡No seas malpensado! Esta expresión literalmente dice saca la mente de la alcantarilla.

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NOLA was not only the birthplace of jazz but also the place where voodoo was introduced to the US. There are many voodoo museums in NOLA and they’re fascinating to visit. Many people leave cigarettes and other offerings (ofrendas) when they visit. Perhaps the most well-known priestess (sacerdotisa) and spokeswoman (portavoz) for voodoo is Marie Laveau. She’s as much a part of the city as the famous St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. In fact, her marriage certificate is still in the cathedral. If you want to read a fascinating biography, I recommend that you read hers. It’s simply spellbinding.

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¡Cuidado con este false friend! Presentar a alguien a otra persona es to introduce someone to, mientras que to present se usa más en la tele o en un escenario o acto público. Solo es una introducción al tema, pero a ver si lo has pillado: Preséntate tú, no me acuerdo de tu nombre.

Introduce yourself, I can’t remember your name.

Él presenta un programa diario.

He presents/hosts a daily show.

¿Por qué no me la presentaste?

Why didn’t you introduce me to her?

Fascinante es spellbinding en inglés y es una palabra muy apropiada para describir el vudú de Nueva Orleans. A spell es un hechizo y binding es atado u obligado. Sería literalmente bajo un hechizo del que no puedes salir. Creo que decís hipnótico en español. La idea es igual, no puedes quitar la mirada o atención. A lo mejor te suena la famosa canción “I put a spell on you...” Te hechizé...

DIG IN! The food in NOLA is as diverse as its people. You can try turtle soup or alligator at the famous Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. But be sure to make a reservation as the place is in demand (con mucha demanda). If you’re finicky (quisquilloso) like me, there are less daring (menos atrevido) choices such as jambalaya, a rice stew (guiso) with meat and vegetables. Oysters are also pretty big and my all-time favorite: beignets. This is deep-fried dough sprinkled with (espolvoreado con) sugar. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re on a diet. But who goes on a diet while they’re in NOLA?!? It’s a place where indulgence (satisfacción) is king! Jeez, I’m hungry! ¡Ostras, qué hambre tengo!

Masa en inglés es dough si es más consistente, y si es más líquida, decimos batter. Se hacen crepes y pancakes (tortitas) con batter, y se hacen pan y pizzas con dough. Dough también significa pasta en el sentido de dinero. Don’t spend a lot of dough in NOLA. No te gastes mucha pasta en NOLA. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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Sé que sabes que sugar es azúcar, pero lo que me preocupa es la pronunciación. Sugar se pronuncia /shúguer/, y la “s” debe sonar como si mandaras callar a alguien. Mi mujer comete este error con la palabra shower (ducha). No dice “sh”, sino “s” y suena como sour (agrio o ácido). Cariño, es /sháuer/, /shhhháuer/, /shhhhhhhhháuer/. Vale… ya me callo.

LOCAL LINGO

When a New Orleanian asks “Where y’at?”, they don’t actually want to know where you are. I mean, yes, if you look at it, you can decipher the question “Where are you at?” and that’s exactly what it means in New York, but not here. Here in NOLA it’s a common greeting (saludo). So there’s no need to tell people where you are. Now, the term “Yat” refers to the New Orleans accents that are the thickest (más marcado) or hardest to understand. 

If you want to hear a traditional Yat dialect, just watch the popular series Treme. The series takes its name from the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans. And don’t forget, you’ll Esto es un tema de pronunciación. No hear a lot of French being spoken, too. In te recomiendo que pongas ya en cartas fact, if you close your eyes and just listen, o emails formales; usa you mejor. Pero a you won’t know what country la hora de hablar, you se convierte en ya en la you are in. mayor parte de EE. UU. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos de uso común. ¡A la voz de ya!

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¡Te veo luego!

See ya later!

¿Dónde estabas ayer?

Where were ya yesterday?

Te lo he dicho mil veces.

I’ve told ya a thousand times.

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Famous

New Orleanians Truman Capote

Truman Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons, but the last name Capote wasn’t merely a pen name (pseudónimo o alias). It came from his stepfather, Joseph Capote. Truman Capote was a self-taught (autodidacta) man who never went to university and, as a kid, taught himself how to read and write. In 1972, Rolling Stone Magazine hired Capote as a correspondent (corresponsal) to cover the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. Tour. He was on the road with the band, but he did not finish the piece (artículo). He did enjoy being on tour but he just didn’t want to write about it, because it didn’t interest him creatively. I guess Capote didn’t want to roll with the punches. Supongo que Capote no quería amoldarse a la situación.

Self- es auto- como, por ejemplo, autofoto es selfie. Sabiendo esto, a ver si te suenan esta otras palabras que emplean self-:

• • • •

self-confidence self-esteem self-service self-conscious

• self-made • self-help • self-explanatory

Miremos los -astros. Si padrastro es stepfather, entonces madrastra tendría que ser stepmother. ¿Y hermanastro y hermanastra? Eso es, stepbrother y stepsister, que no son lo mismo que half-brother y half-sister, que son hermanos con un progenitor en común. No pises a tu padrastro sería Don’t step on your stepfather. Hablando de padrastros, voy a dejar de escribir un rato, porque me ha salido a hangnail (un padrastro).

RESPUESTAS: confianza en uno mismo, autoestima, autoservicio, cohibido, artífice del éxito de uno mismo, autoayuda, evidente.

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Louis Armstrong had a tough childhood growing up in NOLA. He was born into adversity. His father left the family when Armstrong was young, leaving his mother to rear (criar) him. She often left him in the hands of his grandmother while she practiced her profession: prostitution. Even the mob (mafia) tried to strongarm (intimidar) him later in life. But against all odds, he became a great man! We all have adversities in life; the true test is how you face (afrontar) them!

Against all odds significa contra todo pronóstico. Odd es una palabra un tanto rara en inglés, quizás porque significa raro y se pronuncia /od/. Pero cuando lo pluralizamos, se convierte en odds, que significa probabilidad. Vamos a ver otros ejemplos de esta palabra tan odd: ¿Cuál es la probabilidad de ganar el partido?

What are the odds of winning the game?

El 3, el 5 y el 7 son números impares.

3, 5, and 7 are odd numbers.

¡Qué nombre más raro!

What an odd name!

WTF?

NOLA is known as the most haunted city in America. Many paranormal experts and buffs (forofos) flock (ir en masa) here to discover its haunted history. The cemeteries operate daily tours. In NOLA, cemeteries are not places of mourning (luto), you can see people having picnics there! I have to admit, I’m chicken shit (miedica) and I didn’t explore these places. But if this is your sort of thing, you are going to be thrilled! Encantado tiene tres traducciones al inglés: haunted en cuanto a fantasmas se refiere, thrilled, en cuanto a emoción se refiere y finalmente nice to meet you como saludo cuando conoces a alguien. Vamos a ver estos 3 usos. Sé que os encanta:

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Encantado de conocerte.

Nice/Pleased to meet you.

Su casa está encantada.

Her house is haunted.

Él estaría encantado de ir contigo a la casa encantada.

He’d be thrilled to go to the haunted house with you.

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IE V O M E H T E TELL M A Streetcar Named Desire (Un tranvía llamado deseo) starring Marlon Brando is set (tiene lugar) in NOLA. When the film had its preview (preestreno) in Santa Barbara in 1951, the director Elia Kazan’s date was then a little-known star in the making named Marilyn Monroe. He introduced her to playwright Arthur Miller who would end up marrying her. The real streetcar named Desire was restored in 1998 and is still in service today in NOLA.

ire Named Des r a tc e e tr S A In the making significa en sus comienzos o haciéndose. Literalmente significa que está en proceso de formarse pero que aún no se ha terminado de hacer. Is this making any sense? ¿Tiene algo de sentido? Playwright es dramaturgo. Los guionistas que escriben para el cine se llaman screenwriters, literalmente escritor de/para la pantalla. De hecho, una forma cariñosa de llamar a las pelis de cine es the silver screen (la pantalla plateada), porque tienen un brillo especial por el aluminio. This is one of the best movies to ever be on the silver screen. Esta es una de las mejores pelis de la gran pantalla.

GOOD SPORTS

Do you like the Saints? No, I’m not talking about Saint Anthony or Saint Patrick. I’m talking about the New Orleans Saints, the local football team. They play in the Superdome, the largest enclosed (cerrado) arena in the world. It’s not only a stadium but, due to its size, it has also become a makeshift (improvisado) hospital, shelter and morgue during the aftermath (tras el desastre) of Hurricane Katrina. The stadium became so much more than a place to play sports in the wake of (en la estela de) this devastating hurricane. Some Saints fans taught me the football chants (cánticos): Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? ¿Quién es ese? ¿Quién es ese? ¿Quién es ese que dice que va a ganarles a los Saints? The fans are called the “Who dat nation”. You could say the fans are saintly (piadosos).

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Dat es nuestra forma de decir that, dem es them y dis es this. No solo en NOLA, ¡sino también en Nueva York y creo que en Irlanda! No recomiendo que lo uses si no eres nativo. Pero es bueno reconocer que muchos lo pronunciamos así. Aunque en mis clases insisto en la pronunciación de that, them y this sacando la lengua para la “th”. Vamos a ver un poco de dis and dat: Este es mío y ese es tuyo.

Dis one is mine and dat one is yours.

Esto es mucha comida.

Dis is a lot of food.

Diles que esa no es la respuesta correcta.

Tell dem dat it isn’t the right answer.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

This isn’t a company so much as an institution, but it’s a must-see (imprescindible) when in NOLA, especially if you or someone you know served (hizo la mili). The World War II Museum was founded on June 6, 2000, on the 56th anniversary of D-Day. In 2003 the US Congress designated it as America’s official World War II Museum. The museum is very extensive and keeps growing every year. You can find tanks, planes and other relics that help tell the story of WW2. The museum is open every day. The only time the museum closed was for three months in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina ravaged (arrasar o devastar) the city. Cuidadito con every day, porque hasta los nativos la lían parda aquí. Every day, y no all the days, es todos los días. Everyday significa cotidiano o de cada día. Fíjate: I tell you to do everyday things every day. Te digo que hagas cosas cotidianas todos los días.

Mardi Gras Parade

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Él va a su bola.

He marches to the beat of his own drum.

Siempre se está pavoneando/chuleando en su descapotable.

He’s always parading around in his convertible.

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No quiero aguarte la fiesta.

I don’t want to rain on your parade.

NOLA no tiene leyes antibotellón.

New Orleans doesn’t have open container laws.

Vamos a ir de bar en bar.

We are going to go bar-hopping.

Yo pago esta ronda de chupitos.

This round of shots is on me.

Estoy con el puntito.

I’m a bit tipsy.

Tienes la lengua como un zapato y no hay quien te entienda.

You are slurring your words.

Estoy borrachísimo.

I’m hammered.

Más te vale no vomitar.

You’d better not throw up.

¿Hasta cuándo se puede pedir la última?

When’s last call?

Se te ha ido la pinza.

You’ve lost your mind.

Memphis, Tennessee

636 km ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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Pit Stop

2

Break Down We are SOL. The car just broke down (se averió). It looks like it has overheated (se ha recalentado) but, to be honest, I don’t know what I’m talking about. If we had gotten a flat tire (pinchazo), I could have changed it myself because we have a jack (gato) in the trunk. I guess we’ll have to call a tow truck and have a mechanic take a look under the hood (debajo del capó). We don’t want to get behind on our busy schedule. SOL es la abreviatura para shit outta luck. Se pronuncia /esouél/ y es una forma vulgar de decir estar jodido. Digo vulgar, pero ¿realmente hay una forma bonita de decir estar jodido?

Frases que espero que no tengas que usar ni oír

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Tu coche no arranca.

Your car won’t start.

Tu seguro no cubre la grúa.

Your insurance doesn’t cover towing.

¿Me puedes dar un presupuesto?

Can you give me an estimate?

Tus pastillas de frenos estaban desgastadas.

Your brake pads were worn down.

¿Dices que necesito un embrague nuevo?

Are you saying I need a new clutch?

Digo que tu caja de cambios está hecha polvo.

I’m saying that your gearbox is shot.

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Tu batería ha muerto. Tenemos que arrancar tu coche.

Your battery is dead. We have to jump start your car.

No tienes líquido de frenos.

You have no brake fluid.

Parece que tienes una fuga de aceite.

It seems you have an oil leak.

¿Eso es todo?

Is that it?

Tu coche tampoco está alineado.

No, your alignment is off too.

Tenía que haber contratado más que un seguro a terceros.

I should have gotten more than just liability insurance.

Esto me va a costar un ojo de la cara.

This is going to cost me an arm and a leg.

No tengo gato.

I don’t have a jack.

Tenemos que llamar a una grúa.

We have to call a tow truck.

No sólo conducimos en diferentes lados de la carretera, sino que tampoco nos ponemos de acuerdo con las partes del coche. Veamos las diferencias:

USA: blinker

1 UK: indicator USA: windshield

2 UK: windscreen USA: hood

USA: gas tank

7 UK: petrol tank

USA: tire

USA: headlights

5 UK: tyre

8 UK: headlamps USA: rearview mirror

USA: highway

3 UK: bonnet

6 UK: motorway

4 1

USA: trunk

4 UK: boot

9

9 UK: wing mirror

2

3

7

8

5 6

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YOU ARE HERE

11

Memphis, TN TOTAL DISTAN CE

TRAVELLED: 9,0 07 KM

Hello from Memp

his!

Hello from the b irthplace of rock ‘n’ roll: Memphis is the kind of city , Tennessee. This that you can com e back to a zillio inventado que si n times (número gnifica infinitas veces). We’re goi (serpentear) dow ng to meander n the Mississipp i R iv er, have some BB Charlie’s Rendez Q ribs at vous, and then sp end the afternoo Elvis built for his n at the home dear mom: Grace land. And if we a all that, we’ll ca ren’t pooped after tch a live gig on one of the most America: Beale S famous streets in treet. Let’s rock ‘n’ roll!

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Pooped significa muy cansado. Sé que conoces la palabra tired, pero I’m tired of (estoy cansado de) escuchar la gente pronunciándolo mal por decir /tired/ tal y como está escrito. ¡Se pronuncia /táierd/! Es la vida al revés. Y si te sigue costando, aquí te dejo unos sinónimos para decir que estás cansado o reventado:

• • • •

I’m beat (to a snot). I’m knackered. I’m worn out. (literalmente desgastado) I’m spent.

Let’s rock ‘n’ roll!, o simplemente Let’s rock!, significa ¡Vamos al lío! Y para decir que estás listo o al pie del cañón, decimos I’m ready to rock! Y no nos olvidemos de que rock también significa molar: English rocks! ¡El inglés es la leche!

FACT OR FICTION? Elvis was born in Memphis, TN.

Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, 175 km southeast of Memphis. His family was hard up (muy pobres). He moved to Memphis when he was a teenager. However, he did grow up and become famous in Memphis and is also interred (enterrado) here at Graceland, in the Meditation Garden. If you’re an early bird (madrugador), you can get in for free. Many people come to pay homage to the King, even at the crack of dawn (al despuntar el alba)!

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To pay homage es brindar homenaje y proviene de una palabra francesa que se pronuncia a la americana: /hhhámich/. Si es confuso para ti, no te preocupes, ya que también puedes decir to pay tribute to, que se pronuncia /tu péi tríbiut tu/. Every January 8 Elvis fans pay tribute to the king for his birthday. Cada ocho de enero los fans de Elvis brindan homenaje a the king por su cumpleaños.

This is

History

Martin Luther King Jr., an American clergyman (clérigo) and civil rights leader was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, on April 4, 1968. The motel is still here but it has become the National Civil Rights Museum. It’s a very riveting (fascinante) experience. If you come to Memphis, make time for a visit! It’s worth it!

¡Ojo! To make time es hacer un hueco y to do time es ir a la cárcel. If you don’t make time to file your taxes, you could do time. Si no haces tiempo para hacer la declaración de la renta, puedes acabar en la cárcel. To be worth it es valer o merecer la pena. También se dice to be worthwhile. It’s worth practicing both versions. Vale la pena practicar ambas versiones. Veamos unos ejemplos: ¿Crees que vale la pena?

Do you think it’s worth it? Do you think it’s worthwhile?

Seguro que vale la pena.

I’m sure it’s worth it. I’m sure it’s worthwhile.

Valió la pena.

It was worth it. It was worthwhile.

FUN FACTS

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There’s a bridge called the Dolly Parton Bridge in Memphis. OK, it’s not officially called Dolly Parton Bridge but the Memphians call it that. Its real name is the Hernando de Soto Bridge or, as Memphians also call it, New Bridge… not as exciting (emocionante) of a name, I know. The reason they lovingly call it the Dolly Parton Bridge is because it has two big arches that resemble breasts. And, if you’ve ever seen Dolly, then you know she’s the breast country singer! Ooops… Freudian slip (lapsus)! Of course I meant to say best country singer.

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Breast significa pecho femenino o, si añadimos chicken, pechuga de pollo. El término para referirse al pecho en general, tanto de hombre como de mujer, es chest. Ambas palabras son inofensivas. Ya sabes, hay que tener cuidado con estos términos. La gente se lo toma a pecho. People take it to heart. No escucho a gente que no sea nativa usar este verbo que nosotros usamos tanto. Meant to say es quise decir o pretendía decir, aunque to mean a secas también significa significar. ¡No, no es una errata! Y cuidado con to pretend, que no significa pretender sino fingir. Vamos a practicar el uso de mean. Aquí te puede ayudar Justin Bieber con su canción “What do you mean?” ¿Qué quieres decir? No sé qué quieres decir.

I don’t know what you mean.

¿Qué quiere decir ella?

What does she mean?

¿Quieres decir que la temperatura media en enero es de 4,4 grados?

Do you mean that the mean temperature is 4.4 degrees in January?

DIG IN! Memphis is the pork barbecue capital of the world! Memphis-style barbecue has become well-known (conocida) because of the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest that takes place every May. It’s listed in the Guinness World Records as the largest pork barbecue contest (concurso) in the world. But if you can’t make it (acudir a) to the contest, no worries, there are more than 100 barbecue joints in Memphis. And the food is finger-licking good. I’m drooling! ¡Estoy salivando!

Joint tiene varios significados. Es articulación, garito, conjunto, cárcel o porro. Te dejo este material para que crees tus propios chistes en inglés. Pero cuidado con la pronunciación: no es /yoint/, sino /chóint/. He went to the joint for smoking a joint at the joint next to his house; he said he smoked because he had joint pain. Él fue a la cárcel por fumarse un porro en el garito de al lado de su casa; dijo que fumó por sus dolores de articulaciones. Finger-licking good significa para chuparse los dedos. Aunque to lick aquí se traduce como chupar, en realidad significa lamer. Chupar sería to suck en el sentido de ejercer presión al chupar. Me encanta la expresión ¡Chúpate esa! en inglés. Se dice Put that in your pipe and smoke it. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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LOCAL LINGO I just bought a pair of tennis shoes, as they call them here. Where I’m from they’re called sneakers and the word they use in the UK is trainers. I think I’ll also buy a beanie (boina de lana) but here they call it a toboggan (tobogán). Are you confused? Don’t worry, so am I! And I’m a native speaker! Why can’t we all just agree on one word for the same thing? I guess we don’t see eye to eye.

Tennis shoes es como llama la gente de Memphis a las zapatillas de deporte. En algunas partes de España también las llaman tenis. Luego, la palabra sneaker es lógica, porque to sneak up on es acercarte sigilosamente y es lo que puedes hacer con este tipo de calzado y no con zapatos de vestir, por ejemplo. Y en el Reino Unido se llaman trainers porque son para hacer deporte y entrenas con ellos. Empleamos We see eye to eye para decir que estamos de acuerdo, aunque creo que es más fácil decir We agree. El problema es que mucha gente dice I am agree, traduciendo literalmente del español, pero en inglés estar de acuerdo es to agree, a secas. Estar en desacuerdo o no estar de acuerdo sería to disagree. Unos ejemplos:

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No están de acuerdo.

They don’t agree. They disagree.

¿Estás de acuerdo?

Do you agree?

¿Por qué no estás de acuerdo?

Why don’t you agree?

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Famous Memphians

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is originally from Memphis. He fell into acting and discovered it was his vocation when he joined the school’s drama club as a punishment for pulling a chair out from under a girl in class. He really took a liking to it (le empezó a gustar mucho) and the rest is history. But he has always given back (ha devuelto el cariño) to his community. In the ‘90s he started the Rock River Foundation in Memphis. The aim (objetivo) of the foundation is to promote education and the arts. If he wants to help people, he can... He’s a free man! Free to do what he pleases with his moolah (dinero). I think it’s money well spent!

To fall es caerse, por lo que es lógico que caerse en algo sin querer es to fall into. Se conjuga fall – fell – fallen. Espero que no seas uno de los que se lían con feel (sentir), que se conjuga feel – felt – felt. Te pongo a prueba y si cometes un error, ya sabes… ¡a practicar! Ayer estaba cansado.

I felt tired yesterday.

¿Cuántas veces te has caído?

How many times have you fallen?

El alumno se enamoró de la profesora.

The student fell in love with the teacher.

Si eres un friki de los cómics y te gusta el Universo Marvel, seguro que te suena la palabra punished de the Punisher (el Castigador). Punish se pronuncia /pánish/. Don’t punish yourself and remember to have fun when learning English. No te castigues y acuérdate de pasarlo bien mientras aprendes inglés. If music’s your bag (lo tuyo), then you can’t miss Memphis. As if Sun Studio being the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll weren’t enough, according to Billboard Magazine, Memphis is mentioned in more songs than any other city in the world! It’s mentioned in over 400 songs. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to start “Walking in Memphis”. I know, it was a bad joke…

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Según tengo entendido y según se comenta, according to es bastante común en inglés, ¡así que vamos a practicarlo! Pero no sin antes aclarar que se pronuncia como una palabra: /ekórdingtu/. Aquí van los ejemplos: ¿Según quién?

According to who?

Según tu jefe, eres un vago.

According to your boss, you’re a slacker.

Según la previsión meteorológica, va a llover a cántaros mañana.

According to the weather forecast, it’s going to pour tomorrow.

WTF?

Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, is the second most visited private home in the United States with 600,000 visitors every year. But people don’t have access to his bathroom and bedroom where he died. Nothing has been touched since he passed on (falleció) and the only two people who have unlimited access to these two rooms are his wife and his daughter. Interestingly enough, when you walk through the front door, his bathroom is right upstairs so you actually stand right beneath (debajo de) where he died. Creepy. Anyways, can you guess what the first most visited home is? It’s at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and yes, I’m taking about the White House in Washington, DC. So I guess you could say that the White House trumps Graceland.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue es la dirección de la Casa Blanca. No, no hablo del Bernabéu, ¡sino de la de Washington! Tres cosas dignas de destacar en cuanto a direcciones: 1. No se dice direction, sino address. 2. En inglés, el número de la calle va primero. 3. La preposición que empleamos es at. Por ejemplo: La sede de Vaughan está en la calle Orense, 69. Vaughan’s headquarters is at 69 Orense Street. To trump es triunfar o superar. ¿Es casualidad que el actual presidente de Estados Unidos se llame Donald Trump? No sé, no sé… Donald trumped Hillary. Donald triunfó sobre Hillary. Reality trumps fiction. La realidad supera la ficción.

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TELL ME THE MOVIE Memphis is often called “Hollywood South”. Many movies have been filmed here such as Great Balls of Fire, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Cast Away, 21 Grams or Walk the Line. This is very fascinating but even more intriguing (fascinante) is Volney, the lion. He was the lion that roared at the beginning of all the old MGM movies. He lived at the Memphis Zoo until he died in 1944. And I’m not lyin’!

La palabra to roar significa rugir y es onomatopéyica: si la dices, ¡suena como si rugieras! Es como la canción de Katy Perry10 que, de hecho, nos enseña unas expresiones guays: I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath Scared to rock the boat and make a mess… Antes me mordía la lengua y esperaba sentada Me daba miedo estorbar y meterme en líos… ¡Guau! ¡2 frases con 4 expresiones! Gracias, Katy Perry, ¡eso no lo hace ni Perry! ;-) ¿Pillaste el chiste? Cuando pronuncias lion (león), suena a lyin’ que significa mentir. En Estados Unidos muchas veces omitimos la “g” final del -ing y decimos, por ejemplo: I’m goin’ to give you some examples: Lo estoy intentando.

I’m tryin’.

Estás comprando mucho.

You’re buyin’ a lot.

Estoy llorando porque no encuentro mi móvil.

I’m cryin’ cos I’m not findin’ my phone.

GOOD SPORTS

Memphians love their BBQ, blues, beers and their Grizzlies, and, more importantly, their golden boy Marc Gasol. I’ve realized on my trip here that Marc Gasol isn’t seen as a Spaniard living and playing ball in Memphis. He’s an honorary Memphian adored and loved by all. As we say in the USA, he’s their brother from another mother.

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Los Grizzlies son los osos pardos. Es una palabra conocida en España, y más si eres fan de Marc, como yo. Grizzly también significa canoso. O sea se podría decir de uno oso pardo canoso que He’s a grizzly grizzly bear y quedarte tan ancho. Brother from another mother significa literalmente hermano de otra madre. ¡Vamos, que son como familia! No solo mola como expresión, ¡pero es que encima rima! Esa ha sido sin querer, ¡os lo prometo! No os preocupéis, amigas, que hay una forma de decirlo de chica a chica y rima también: She’s my sister from another mister, que es literalmente Mi hermana de otro señor y también significa que es como de la familia.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Fed-Ex and Memphis go hand in hand (van de la mano). In fact, their beloved stadium in the heart of the city is called The Fed-Ex Forum. This parcel service was founded in Memphis in 1971. Their 24/7/365 package-sorting (ordenar o clasificar) complex located at the airport is called the Super Hub. All this hustle & bustle makes Memphis Airport the second busiest cargo airport in the world. Can you guess what number 1 is? Let me give you a clue: Made in... Hong Kong!

24/7/365 significa que algo está abierto las 24 horas del día, 7 días a la semana y 365 días al año. Lo que viene siendo que nunca cierra. Si curras en informática, que por cierto no se dice informatics, sino IT /áitii/, conocerás la palabra hub /hhhab/, porque es donde conectas muchas cosas a la vez. Significa núcleo o meollo, y por eso lo usamos también con aeropuertos o intercambiadores de cualquier transporte: Atlanta Airport is a major hub. Atocha is one of the main hubs in Madrid.

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Graceland Tour

¡Próxima parada, Graceland!

Next stop, Graceland!

Elvis pagó 102.500 $ por Graceland en 1957.

Elvis paid $102,500 for Graceland in 1957.

Hay 5 escaleras en Graceland.

There are 5 staircases in Graceland.

Graceland tiene 23 habitaciones en total.

Graceland has 23 rooms total.

Tiene 8 dormitorios.

It has 8 bedrooms.

Hay 8 cuartos de baño.

There are 8 bathrooms.

El Elvis es un sándwich con crema de cacahuete, beicon y plátano.

The Elvis is a peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwich.

Nashville, Tennessee

341 km ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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YOU ARE HERE

12

Nashville, TN TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 9,348 KM

le!

Hello from Nashvil

While country y. it C ic us M , n ow o kn hville or, as it’s als as N om also known for its fr is gs in ty ci et e Gre th e, er h pular kind of music po t os m e y music, but we got th tr is un ic co us to m in ot n ’m ny other genres. I st-running ge n lo ’s ld or w e th jazz, gospel and ma s It’ e Grand Ole Opry. s th to go to s et ck ti where many famou o some ls a ’s it d n a ow music radio sh e Grand Ole Opry h T . rt a st r (más longevo) live ei th t , go s, like Dolly Parton diehard (a muerte) e n O . on country performer en om en , it’s a cultural ph n. And rightfully so fa 1 is more than a show # ’s O O G e th lkhart, is called eeks in a row. I w 4 8 ,1 2 r fo fan, named Paul E ce an orm He attended a perf )! te en m a id ec er (m (ser suficiente). ce ffi su ld ou w t si vi think one

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To be into something es que te mola. You are into English. If not, you wouldn’t be reading this book! Te mola el inglés. Si no fuera así, ¡no leerías este libro! Vamos a ver unos ejemplos: Me mola tocar la guitarra.

I’m into playing the guitar.

Bailar no es lo suyo.

She isn’t into dancing.

¿Qué tipo de cosas te molan?

What kind of things are you into?

In a row significa seguido y, si te cuesta, siempre puedes usar la palabra consecutively, pronunciada /konsékiutivvvli/. Los nativos decimos más in a row, literalmente en una fila. Apréndetelo como un solo sonido y di /inaróu/. Say it ten times in a row. Dilo 10 veces seguidas.

FACT OR FICTION? Nashville was founded on Christmas Eve.

Nos encantan los días festivos, pero ¿las sabes decir en inglés? Aquí te pongo a prueba: Celebraron Nochevieja en Nueva York.

They celebrated New Year’s Eve in New York.

Mi abuela nació en Nochebuena.

My grandma was born on Christmas Eve.

Empezaré la dieta en Año Nuevo.

I’ll start my diet on New Year’s Day.

A los niños les gusta la Navidad.

Kids love Christmas Day.

Nos llenamos de pavo relleno en el Día de Acción de Gracias.

We stuff ourselves with stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

This is

History

In 1928 a blind Vanderbilt University student, named Morris Frank, founded the first guide-dog school: The Seeing Eye in the United States. He was the first person to have a guide dog (perro guía). The dog’s name was Buddy (colega). They were buddies until his buddy Buddy’s death in 1938. Morris named Buddy’s successor (sucesor) Buddy, as he did with all his subsequent (posterior) guide dogs. Part of Morris Frank’s legacy (legado) is The Seeing Eye organization, which is still a trailblazer (pionero) in this field. The town was founded on Christmas Eve in 1779. Nashville was named in honor of Francis Nash, an American Revolutionary War hero. And Nashville, Tennessee, isn’t the only place to honor General Nash: Nashville and Nash County, both in North Carolina, are named after him, too.

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Blind es ciego. Si queremos decir que alguien ve menos que Pepe Leches, diríamos He sees less than Pepe Milks. ¡Que no! Es broma. Se dice He’s as blind as a bat, que literalmente significa que es tan ciego como un murciélago. La estructura tan + adjetivo + como en inglés es as + adjective + as. Apréndete sobre todo que siempre va con as, porque un error muy común es decir She’s so rich as… o She’s as rich than... Es She’s as rich as… ¡No hay otra opción! It’s as simple as that. Es tan sencillo como eso. Unos ejemplos y, como siempre, ¡crea los tuyos! No soy tan rico como Amancio Ortega.

I’m not as rich as Amancio Ortega.

Ella es tan inteligente como su madre.

She’s as smart as her mother.

Vente en cuanto puedas.

Come as soon as you can.

FUN FACTS

Nashville is known as the Athens of the South and there’s a good reason why. The only full-scale (escala real) replica of the Greek Parthenon is in Nashville’s Centennial Park. And, if that’s not remarkable (impresionante) enough, the tallest indoor sculpture in the western world is inside this famous replica of the Parthenon. It’s 42 feet high… which is… 13 meters? I studied feet so I don’t get meters. It’s all Greek to me!

Reconocerás la palabra Athens como la ciudad Atenas, pero ¿sabes que en inglés se pronuncia /ézens/? Te pongo otros lugares que suelo oír mal pronunciados:

• • • •

Haiti /hhhéiti/ Jerusalem /cherúselem/ Kansas /kénsssis/ Arkansas /árkensoo/

• Ottawa /átaua/ • Stockholm /ssstókhoom/ • Egypt /íchipt/

It’s all Greek to me es lo que decimos cuando no entendemos algo. ¡Qué curioso que digamos que algo nos suena a griego cuando a los españoles os suena a chino! Otra cosa importante: en inglés las nacionalidades e idiomas se escriben con mayúscula. Veámoslo escrito para que se te quede grabado y, de paso, pongo a prueba tu conocimiento de nacionalidades en inglés:

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Ella es holandesa.

She’s Dutch.

Ellos hablan francés, alemán y polaco.

They speak French, German, and Polish.

Su padre es peruano y su madre es turca.

His dad is Peruvian and his mom is Turkish.

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DIG IN! The GooGoo Cluster is an iconic candy loved by Nashvillians. It’s made of peanuts (cacahuetes), caramel, marshmallows, and, of course, chocolate and has been a local favorite since 1901. When I first saw the name, I thought it was called goo (sustancia viscosa) because it’s gooey (pegajoso o pringoso) but it turns out that it’s the abbreviation of Nashville’s most famous landmark (lugar emblemático): the Grand Ole Opry theatre.

Sé que reconoces la palabra chocolate cuando la ves, pero es una palabra que engaña, porque, aunque tenga 3 sílabas, la pronunciamos como si tuviera 2. No es /chó-ko-leit/, sino /chóc-lit/. Ole es una forma antigua y afectuosa de decir old, viejo. Pero no se pronuncia /olé/ como la palabra española olé. Se pronuncia /óul/ y se puede escribir ole o ol. Por ejemplo, la Universidad de Misisipi se conoce como Ole Miss (vieja señorita) de MISSissippi, igual que al río Misisipi lo llaman Ol Man River.

LOCAL LINGO

I learned these expressions when I was knocking back a couple cold ones (tomando unas cerves) in a bar. In NY we say cheers when we want to make a toast. Nashvillians are much more creative; they say Holler and swaller! It’s a play on words with the word holler (gritar) and swallow (tragar). I think the Spanish equivalent would be Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa’ dentro! I also ordered some food at the bar and I learned the term meat and 3. It’s a popular meat dish with 3 sides (acompañantes). I have to stop eating so much or I’m going to put on weight!

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To make a toast es hacer un brindis. ¿Tú prefieres hacer un brindis o hacer tostadas? Qué pregunta más absurda, dirás, ¡pero la diferencia está en el artículo a! Mira: Preferiría hacer tostadas.

I’d rather make toast.

Preferiría hacer un brindis.

I’d rather make a toast.

Deja de hacer tostadas y vamos a brindar.

Stop making toast and let’s make a toast.

Cuando queremos decir dejar de hacer algo, decimos to stop doing something. Por ejemplo: Stop eating. Deja de comer. Si decimos Stop to eat, lo que queremos es parar para comer. La diferencia está en el -ing. Para dejar de hacer algo, la estructura es stop + verbo con -ing: I’m going to stop explaining so we can look at some examples. Voy a dejar de explicarlo para que podamos ver unos ejemplos. Deja de beber tanta cerveza.

Stop drinking so much beer.

Tengo que parar para ir al baño.

I have to stop to go to the bathroom.

Si no dejas de comer patatas fritas, tendremos que parar para comprar más patatas fritas pronto.

If you don’t stop eating the chips we’ll have to stop to get some more chips soon.

Famous NASHVILLIANS Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus isn’t from Nashville proper (ciudad). She’s from a town 34 kilometers to the south. Her nickname as a baby was Smiley, hence (de ahí) the name Miley. Her father is a country music singer and her godmother (madrina) is country music legend Dolly Parton. You can watch these two amazing singers perform Dolly’s legendary song “Jolene” together. Miley was destined for stardom (estrellato). In fact, her real name is Destiny Hope (esperanza) Cyrus. I hope she doesn’t wreck her career. Get it? ¿Lo pillas? From her song “Wrecking Ball”… Ha ha ha! I know I made you smiley. OK, I’ll stop now!

To the south es al sur. Hay que tener cuidado con las preposiciones, porque hay una diferencia entre to the south of (al sur de) y in the south of (en el sur de). Por otra parte, siempre se habla de southern hospitality (la hospitalidad sureña), pero cuidado, porque aquí no se pronuncia como south /sáuz/. El sonido de “ou” cambia y decimos /sázern/. 132

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Veamos: Su casa está al oeste de la ciudad.

Her house is to the west of the city.

Ellos viven en el este de Madrid.

They live in the east of Madrid.

Ridgetop está al norte de Nashville.

Ridgetop is to the north of Nashville.

To wreck es destrozar, como en la canción “Wrecking Ball” (bola de demolición) de Miley Cyrus. También empleamos wrecked para referirnos al cansancio como los españoles: I’m going to bed! I’m wrecked! ¡Me voy a la cama! ¡Estoy destrozado! As I mentioned earlier, Nashville is called Music City. The reasons why are endless (infinitas). For example, Nashville obtained the country’s first license to air on the FM radio waves in 1941. Also, Elvis recorded more than 200 of his songs at RCA’s historic Studio B on Music Row. The producers put up a string of Christmas lights when Elvis had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit (metiéndose en el espíritu navideño) while recording a Christmas album. These very same Christmas lights still hang in the studio to this day. Waves son olas y también ondas. Si lo piensas, es la misma idea. De ahí viene la expresión to be on the same wavelength, que es igual en español, estar en la misma onda que alguien. We aren’t on the same wavelength but I don’t want to make waves. No estamos en la misma onda pero no quiero crear problemas. To have a hard time significa costar y también se puede decir I’m having difficulty, aunque esta segunda opción no es tan común. Solemos usar I’m having a hard time, que siempre va seguido de un verbo con -ing. A practicar... So you don’t have a hard time understanding this! ¡Para que no te cueste entenderlo! Está teniendo dificultades en su nuevo puesto.

He’s having a hard time in his new position.

Tengo dificultades con las matemáticas.

I have a hard time with Math.

¿Tienes dificultades al hablar inglés?

Do you have a hard time speaking English?

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WTF?

Tennessee’s tallest building, the AT&T building, is nicknamed the Batman Building because it resembles (se parece a) Batman’s mask. It’s a 33-story building. In 2009 it was named one of the 12 most original office buildings in the world. The architect didn’t see the Batman nickname coming (no lo vio venir), but now it’s too late. They are capitalizing off (sacándole jugo) of it. In fact, they even bring in the batmobile for special events and parties. Did someone say party? Quick! Robin to the bat cave… we’ve got to put on our best capes for the affair (para la ocasión).

Para decir plantas vale floors or stories en inglés americano, y storeys en ingles británico. ¡Pero ojo! En este caso no diríamos a 33-stories building, porque 33-story es un adjetivo. Vamos a ver otros ejemplos porque es un error muy común:

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Es un chaval de 15 años.

He’s a 15-year-old kid.

Es una tradición de 200 años.

It’s a 200-year-old tradition.

Ella trabaja una semana laboral de 40 horas.

She works a 40-hour work week.

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TELL ME

IE V O M E TH

infrey Oprah W

Oprah Winfrey started her world domination on Nashville TV. There she became the first female and African American news anchor (presentadora de noticias) while she was still attending Tennessee State University. Fast forward a few decades and Oprah has the Midas Touch or, as it’s called now, the Oprah Effect. It basically states that whatever Oprah mentions on her show, sells like hotcakes (vende como churros). She’s made psychologist Dr. Phil, home cooking expert Rachael Ray, finance guru Suze Orman and many other celebrities famous. All of them have launched their own shows, and are now richer and more successful than they were before coming under the Oprah Effect. Oprah’s net worth is 3 billion dollars (tres mil millones de dólares). But the most impressive part is that she comes from very humble beginnings (comienzos humildes). Sorry Midas, there’s a new boss in town named Oprah and she’s kicking ass and taking names (arrasando).

¿Te suena el rey Midas? ¡Por supuesto que sí! Pero no se pronuncia como en español; decimos /máides/. Aquí tienes otros nombres que no se pronuncian igual en inglés que en español:

• Judas /chúdes/ • Aristotle /eristátl/

• Socrates /sákretiis/ • Plato /pléitou/

Net significa neto, mientras que gross es bruto y también asqueroso. Por ejemplo: You should see what I gross. It’s gross! Deberías ver lo que gano en bruto. ¡Es asqueroso! Net worth significa ingresos netos: Amancio Ortega’s net worth is 71.3 billion dollars. Los ingresos netos de Amancio Ortega son de 71,3 mil millones de dólares.

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GOOD SPORTS

Nashville is home to Iroquois, the first thoroughbred horse to ever have won the English Derby. Two other very well-known thoroughbreds came from Nashville as well. I’m talking about War Admiral and Seabiscuit. There was a movie with Tobey Maguire about Seabiscuit and it got 7 Oscar nominations. Now, that’s a horse of a different color! ¡Eso sí es harina de otro costal!

Thoroughbred es pura sangre y se pronuncia /zeróubred/. Es un poco difícil de pronunciar, pero siempre puedes decir purebred (pura raza). Bred es el participio de to breed, que significa criar o procrear. Si alguien ha nacido y se ha criado en Madrid, se dice: He was born and bred in Madrid. A ver si lo has pillado: ¿De qué raza es tu perro?

What breed is your dog?

Sus abuelos lo criaron para que fuera honesto.

His grandparents bred/raised him to be honest.

Él cría caballos.

He breeds horses.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

There’s a famous coffee brand called Maxwell House in the States. Everyone knows their slogan “Good to the last drop” which was also used by Coca-Cola and now used in pop culture. But what most don’t know, is that it was former president Theodore Roosevelt who proclaimed that the coffee was “good to the last drop” when he tasted it in Nashville. Can you guess (adivinar) where exactly? Yes, the Maxwell House Hotel! This has actually not been confirmed but hey! Nice story, right? Wake up and smell the coffee. Don’t forget to drop by if you’re in Nashville.

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Good to the last drop significa rico hasta la última gota. Drop significa gota, pero el verbo correspondiente no es to drop. To drop significa dejar caer, mientras que gotear es to drip. Apúntala para tu lista de palabras onomatopéyicas. Y como una gota es muy poca cosa, también lo usamos para decir un poco. Por ejemplo: I’ll have a drop of whipped cream. Tomaré un poco de nata montada.

At the Grand Ole Opry El GOO empezó en noviembre de 1925.

The Grand Ole Opry began in November, 1925.

El GOO es un concierto de country semanal.

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country-music concert.

Originalmente se llamaba el Baile del Granero.

It was originally called the Barn Dance.

La palabra opry viene de la palabra opera.

The word opry comes from the word opera.

Se llama “el show que dio fama a la música country”.

It’s called “the show that made country music famous”.

El GOO es un quién es quién de artistas de country.

The GOO is a who’s who of country artists.

Se llama country porqué nació en el campo.

It’s called country because it was born in the country.

Atlanta, Georgia

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YOU ARE HERE

13

Atlanta,

GA

KM TRAVELLED: 9,748 TOTAL DISTANCE

Hey y’all (todos vosotros)! ! We just got to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, which is the quintessential (prototípico) southern state. This isn’t my first time here and it won’t be my last. Atlanta is a big city with a homely (hogareño o casero) feel where people are so welcoming (acogedor) and friendly (am igable). The city and its people have a certain southern charm that keep s you coming back. But enough talking, we have a busy day planned: Firs t we’re going to the very fun Coca-Cola™ Museum, then we’re off to tour CNN’s HQ (sede), and finally we’ll finish off the day at the ballpark whe re we’ll take in (disfrutar de) a Brave’s game. Play ball! 138

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No confundas its y it’s. Suenan igual, sí, pero its significa su, mientras que it’s significa eso es, la contracción de it is. Es incluso algo que confunden los nativos a la hora de escribir. Veamos más ejemplos because it’s important: Es una ciudad encantadora.

It’s a charming city.

Georgia es famoso por sus melocotones.

Georgia is famous for its peaches.

¡Es genial! Sus calles están muy limpias.

It’s great! Its streets are very clean.

He tenido la siguiente conversación mil veces en clase: Yo: Alumno: Yo:

How was your weekend? It was funny. ¿Gracioso? ¿Qué pasó?

Creo que querían decir It was fun (fue divertido) porque, si me dices que algo fue funny (gracioso), estoy esperando alguna anécdota graciosa. Fun, por otra parte, indica que te lo has pasado bien. Play ball! significa ¡Al lío! y viene del béisbol, de cuando el umpire (árbitro para deportes como el béisbol y el tenis) grita esta frase para arrancar el partido. Como ves, también la usamos en contextos fuera del campo de juego. Para muchos españoles el béisbol es aburrido, pero del béisbol se pueden aprender muchas frases de uso común. Por ejemplo: I don’t want to throw you a curveball. No quiero engañaros. No quiero pillaros por sorpresa. Luego las veremos.

FACT OR FICTION? In Atlanta it’s against the law to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp (farola). Against the law, literalmente contra la ley, es un forma de decir ilegal, aunque también puedes decir illegal. El problema es que lo he oído pronunciado mal más veces que bien. Decimos /ilíigl/. It’s illegal to pronounce it any other way! ¡Está prohibido pronunciarlo de cualquier otro modo! Even if it sounds made up (inventado), it’s true. So, if you do have a giraffe, tie it up to a fire hydrant because, you know… it’s only against the law to tie it to a telephone post or a street lamp! But fire hydrants are OK. That way you don’t get a summons (multa). This isn’t the only ridiculous law. There’s another law that bans (prohibir) you from keeping your donkey (burro) in a bathtub (bañera). Only a jackass (burro o idiota) would break this law! Are my jokes getting any funnier yet?

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If you do have a giraffe significa que sí, efectivamente tienes una jirafa. Ese do no es necesario, pero añade énfasis y cumple la función de un sí en español. Mira: Sí que me gusta, pero no lo quiero volver a ver.

I do like it but I don’t want to watch it again.

Sí que he comido.

I did have lunch.

Sí que trabajo los fines de semana.

I do work on weekends.

This is

History

Atlanta was the only city in the US to be wiped out (devastada) as an act of war. Union commander General Sherman evacuated the city and burned it to the ground thereby (así) defeating the Confederate troops. It might sound familiar from the classic movie Gone with the Wind (Lo que el viento se llevó). Only 400 buildings survived the blaze (incendio). But the city eventually rose from its ashes (cenizas) like the phoenix so it’s no wonder (no es de extrañar) that the city’s symbol is the phoenix.

Burn tiene dos pasados aceptados: burned, más común en EE. UU., y burnt, en el Reino Unido. La palabra burn (quemar o arder) se conoce en España porque hay una bebida energética del mismo nombre. Pero, por favor, no la pronuncies /barn/; ¡barn es granero! Acuérdate de pronunciarla /bern/. Hay otras palabras en las que he oído esa combinación de letras mal pronunciada. A ver qué tal con estos nombres:

• Tim Burton no es /tiim bárton/, sino /tim bérton/. • Mr. Burns no es /míister barns/, sino /míster berns/. Excellent... Smithers! Eventually significa con el tiempo o finalmente y lo usamos muchísimo. Así que al final vas a tener que usarlo. So you’ll have to start using it eventually. Veamos esta palabra tan común en contexto:

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Si sigues así, al final hablarás inglés con facilidad.

If you keep it up, eventually you’ll speak English with ease.

Al final acabaremos comiendo comida basura.

Eventually we’ll end up eating junk food.

Si no usas el inglés, al final te olvidarás de hablarlo.

If you don’t use English, eventually you’ll forget how to speak it.

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N

FU

CTS A F

Georgia is known as the Peach State. In fact, a girl from Georgia is a Georgia peach (una chica dulce de Georgia). And everywhere you look in Georgia, you see peaches in every sense of the word! This is just peachy until you have to put it into your GPS and you realize there are over 55 streets with the name “Peachtree” in Atlanta. Also, Atlantans use the acronyms ITP for inside the perimeter (dentro del perímetro) and OTP for, you guessed it, outside the perimeter (fuera del perímetro) of Interstate 285, a highway that encircles (rodear) the city. O sea, es la diferencia entre estar dentro o fuera de la M-30, madrileños.

Peachy, aparte de saber a melocotón, significa magnífico o estupendo. Por ejemplo: Life is peachy. La vida es magnífica. También decimos peachy keen aunque suena un poco corny (cursi): How was your holiday? It was peachy keen! ¿Qué tal tus vacaciones? ¡Maravillosas! Keen significa aplicado o entusiasta, y la estructura to be keen on + -ing se traduce como tener ganas de. Es muy British, so let’s practice it, shall we? Tengo ganas de ir al estadio de béisbol.

I’m keen on going to the ballpark.

¿Tienes ganas de ir a picar algo?

Are you keen on getting a bite to eat?

No tengo ganas de hacer cola.

I’m not keen on waiting in line.

DIG IN! You don’t have to fill up on (hincharte de) just peaches. There are so many more food choices in Atlanta. One that’s strange to me, being from the northeast, is shrimp and grits (gachas). It sounds weird but it’s delish. If you like Asian food, then you’ll love Atlanta. It has some of the best Korean food in the US thanks to its significant Korean population. Don’t even think of washing it down with a Pepsi. This is sacrilegious in Atlanta and is punishable by law. Always Coca-Cola! ¿Delish en vez de delicious? Te quejarás pero… somos un poco vagos y no nos gusta pronunciar palabras con más de 3 sílabas como regla general. ¿Cuál es la solución? Pues recortar la palabra a nuestro gusto. A ver si te suenan estas:

• abs • admin

• fab • indie

• lab • lav

• zine • vocab

RESPUESTAS: abdominals, administrative, fabulous, independent, laboratory, lavatory, magazine, vocabulary

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Don’t even think of/about + verbo -ing es la estructura que usamos para decir ni se te ocurra. Padres, ¡tomad nota! Ni se te ocurra llegar tarde a casa.

Don’t even think of getting home late.

Ni se te ocurra tomar una Pepsi.

Don’t even think of having a Pepsi.

Ni se os ocurra dejar el inglés.

Don’t even think about giving up English.

LOCAL LINGO

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We’re going to get a lube job (poner lubricante). Now, in the rest of the States this means to lubricate the engine of our cars. But here in Atlanta it means going to the legendary, yet greasy (grasiento), Varsity Restaurant. It’s a typical American style diner. One thing though, be careful when you order. Sometimes the southern drawl is hard to understand. Notwithstanding (no obstante), I love the Atlanta accent. It has a certain charm. But I have to admit it took me some time to get used to it.

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Drawl es pronunciación lenta. Te voy a dar unos consejos para entender mejor la pronunciación de Georgia, y sureña en general. Un drawl tiene un ritmo más lento, no como los neoyorquinos, que hablamos a mile a minute (a mil por hora). Veamos unos ejemplos:

• • • •

tired - standard USA /táierd/ - ATL /taaard/ retired - standard USA /retáierd/ - ATL /retaaard/ hired - standard USA /hhháierd/ - ATL /hhhaaard/ fired - standard USA /fáierd/ - ATL /faaard/

To get used to es acostumbrarse a algo. No lo confundas ni con used to, que es solía, ni con usually, que es habitualmente. Veamos: Yo antes comía más.

I used to eat more.

Me acostumbré a vivir en Madrid.

I got used to living in Madrid.

Antes me acostumbraba a las cosas más rápido.

I used to get used to things faster.

Famous ATLANTANS Jimmy Carter Martin Luther King Jr.

Two outstanding (excepcional) Nobel Peace Prize winners hail from (vienen de) Atlanta: former (anterior) president Jimmy Carter and the revolutionary leader Martin Luther King Jr. In fact, if you want to have a life changing experience, you have to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. MLK was baptized here and later became the pastor of this still active church. It’s a place that’s visited by so many people who are still fighting for the same civil rights MLK died trying to protect. It’s up to us (depende de nosotros) whether his death was in vain. We have to keep his dream alive. Amen! Can I get a hallelujah?

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Do you want to improve your English? It’s up to you! ¿Quieres mejorar tu inglés? ¡La decisión es tuya! Esta estructura se usa a menudo en inglés. Vamos a ver si la dominas o no: ¿De quién depende la decisión?

Who’s the decision up to?

No depende de mí.

It isn’t up to me.

Si dependiera de mí, yo iría.

If it were up to me, I’d go.

Atlanta has a prosperous hip hop scene as many artists have come out of ATL /ei-ti-él/, like singer and actor Ludacris or the boys from Outkast. Also, music legend Elton John calls Atlanta home. Can you guess the name of his street? Yes! It’s Peachtree Road. In fact, I think if you live in Atlanta, 3 out of 4 people live on a Peachtree road just because there are so many of them! Let’s learn some English with Elton John’s song “I’m Still Standing”. Shall we? I’m still standing significa sigo en pie. Empleamos still cuando queremos decir que seguimos haciendo algo. Let’s see if you still remember this structure. A ver si te sigues acordando de esta estructura. ¿Sigues trabajando en la radio?

Are you still working on the radio?

Sigo intentando estar quieto.

I’m still trying to be still.

¿Por qué me sigues gritando?

Why are you still shouting at me?

WTF?

Atlanta is the fifth city to be the capital of Georgia. It was preceded by (precedido por) Savannah, Augusta, Louisville and Milledgeville. It seems they can’t make up their minds. Let’s hope Atlanta continues to be the capital, if only because it’s easier to pronounce than the other cities. Besides, the other cities are out-of-the-way (en el quinto pino). Ojo con la palabra fifth, no se pronuncia /fáifz/ por mucho que proceda del número cardinal five (cinco). Se pronuncia /fifz/. This is the fifty-fifth time I’ve said this. Es la quincuagésima quinta vez que he dicho esto y no eso en la frase española. To make up your mind es decidirse. Si no lo dominas, no te preocupes, ya que puedes decir también to decide, aunque es mejor saber usarlo, así que let’s play ball!

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Ella nunca se decide.

She never makes up her mind.

Decídete ya, ¡por favor!

Make up your mind, will you?

Al final tendrás que decidirte.

Eventually you’ll have to make up your mind.

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TELL ME

THE MOVIE

Atlanta resident Margaret Mitchell was a journalist (periodista) for the Atlanta Journal magazine. Then she took a sick leave to recover from an ankle injury. Her ankle was taking a long time to heal so, to avoid boredom (aburrimiento), she decided to keep herself busy by writing. 63 chapters later she had produced one of the most classic books ever, which was made into an even more iconic movie a few years later. Of course, I’m talking about Gone with the Wind. And if you don’t like this story frankly, I don’t give a damn (francamente, me importa un bledo).

Gone with the Wind La palabra leave significa marcharse, así que no es de extrañar que marcharse por enfermedad sea to be on sick leave, en español, estar de baja médica. Entonces ¿qué significa maternity leave? Eso es, baja por maternidad. La palabra ankle es un poco confusa por su pronunciación, ¡y más si tienes que contarnos que tu tío se ha torcido el tobillo! My uncle twisted his ankle. Ankle se pronuncia /eenkl/ y uncle es /ankl/.

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GOOD SPORTS

Atlanta has always loved sports. In fact, if you recall, the 1996 Summer Olympics took place here and there are still remnants (restos) of it. One of Atlanta’s sports institutions is their baseball team, the Braves. They’re the oldest team in major league baseball. They began in 1871 not in Atlanta but in Boston, Massachusetts. They were originally called the “Boston Red Stockings (medias)”. I guess Boston liked the name because their team now is still called the Boston Red Sox (calcetines). I’ve been to many games but I have to say that Braves’ fans really know how to raise the roof!

To raise the roof significa literalmente levantar el techo, pero lo usamos para decir reventar o petar. Me gusta visualizar un sitio donde el ruido y el alboroto hacen que el estadio reviente. REM raised the roof when they played in their home state, Georgia. REM lo reventó cuando tocaron en su estado natal, Georgia.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Many major companies are from Atlanta, such as Coca-Cola or CNN. But one of the biggest operations in Atlanta, and arguably in the world, is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It’s been known as the world’s busiest airport since 1998. You’re probably thinking “Why isn’t it NY’s JFK or LAX in LA? It’s because Atlanta is a perfect location because it’s just a three-hour flight from many major American cities. The airport is so big, it’s dizzying (mareante).

Arguably es discutiblemente o posiblemente y se pronuncia /árgiuebli/. Viene del verbo to argue /tu árgiu/, que significa discutir acaloradamente y se usa con la preposición over o about. To discuss, por otra parte, es debatir o hablar tranquilamente y no se usa con preposición. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos:

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¿Por qué siempre discutes sobre política con tu hermano?

Why do you always argue about politics with your brother?

Me gusta debatir sobre la vida contigo.

I love discussing life with you.

Discutes sobre tonterías, tienes que hablar sobre tus problemas reales.

You argue over nonsense, you need to discuss your real problems.

The Coca-Cola Museum La Coca-Cola se inventó en una farmacia en 1886.

Coke was invented in a pharmacy in 1886.

La receta de la Coca-Cola es un secreto.

Coke’s recipe is a secret.

La mantienen bajo llave.

They keep it under lock and key.

Hasta 1905 contenía cocaína.

Up till 1905 it used to contain cocaine.

Se hizo originalmente para curar resacas y dolores de cabeza.

It was originally made to cure hangovers and headaches.

Empezaron a enlatar el refresco para los soldados.

They started to can the soft drink for soldiers.

En 1982 lanzaron Coca-Cola Light.

In 1982 they launched Diet Coke.

Santa Claus se viste de rojo debido a una campaña publicitaria de Coca-Cola de 1931.

Santa Claus wears red due to a Coke ad campaign in 1931.

Se consumen 10.450 productos de Coca-Cola cada segundo.

10,450 Coke products are consumed every second.

Miami, Florida

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YOU ARE HERE

14

Miami, FL

ELLED: 10,814 KM TOTAL DISTANCE TRAV

Hola from sunny

Miami.

I fell in love with Miami the first ti me I came here. flavor, beaches, n Its weather, the ightlife and outd Latin oo r a c tivities, like divin of the hottest (m g, ás caluroso o má make Miami one s de moda) desti Many well-to-do n ations in the wor (adinerado) New ld. Yorkers call Mia from home. Then mi their home aw you’ve got all the ay tourists from aro here every year in u n d the world who floc addition to the 5 k million cruise pass through Miami a engers who come nnually. Hence th e nickname the C world. Let’s cruis ruise Capital of th e around this am e azing place!

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In addition to significa además y lo usamos bastante en inglés. Pero no te lo aprendas como 3 palabras sueltas, sino como un solo sonido; decimos /inedíshentu/. También decimos as well as e, igualmente, lo pronunciamos como un solo sonido diciendo /esuelés/. Practiquemos las siguientes frases con ambas versiones: Además del océano Atlántico, Florida tiene el golfo de México.

In addition to the Atlantic Ocean, Florida has the Gulf of Mexico.

Además de inglés, se habla español en Miami.

English is spoken in Miami as well as Spanish.

Además de tener discotecas de moda, Miami tiene buena gastronomía.

In addition to having trendy clubs, Miami also has great cuisine.

Sé que la palabra cruise no te es desconocida por el apellido de Tom, pero ¡ojo! pronunciamos su apellido casi igual que el de Penélope; es /krus/. Ahora, cruise no solo significa crucero; también significa vaguear: He cruised through high school. Vagueó en el instituto. Y, por supuesto significa dar una vuelta, como vimos en el texto: When I got my driver’s license, I loved to cruise around. Cuando me saqué el carnet de conducir, me encantaba ir a dar vueltas.

FACT OR FICTION? Sunscreen (crema solar) was invented in Miami.

Aquí tenemos otro false friend. Recipe es receta de cocina y prescription es receta médica. Vamos a practicarlo. It’s just what the doctor ordered. Nos viene de maravilla. Es mi receta secreta.

It’s my secret recipe.

Necesitas una receta para analgésicos.

You need a prescription for painkillers.

El secreto de las recetas de mi abuela es que pone mucho amor.

The secret of my grandma’s recipes is tender loving care/TLC.

In the ‘40s a pharmacist, named Benjamin Green, developed one of the world’s first sunscreens. He perfected his formula experimenting with cocoa butter (manteca de cacao) and coconut oil (aceite de coco). His recipe eventually became the most famous sunscreen brand in the States: Coppertone (literalmente, tono de cobre). The company became really famous in 1959 when they introduced the Coppertone girl. It was an ad showing a young, blond girl in pigtails (coletas) with a dog pulling off her bathing suit (bañador) revealing her bottom (culete).

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¡Ojo! Cuando nos referiríamos al ámbito de la publicidad, no decimos publicity, sino advertising. Por ejemplo: My wife has a degree in advertising. Mi mujer estudió publicidad. Entonces advertisement significa anuncio pero, como es una palabra tan larga, la recortamos y decimos ad en Estados Unidos y advert en el Reino Unido. Solo te lo advierto.  

Miami is the only major American city to be founded by a woman. It officially became a city in 1896 when local businesswoman (empresaria local) Julia Tuttle talked a railroad mogul (empresario de trenes) into expanding his railroad to what back then was her land, present day Miami. She is, both, a visionary and a pioneer who saw Miami as a gorgeous (precioso) yet strategic place to start a city and she came to be known as the Mother of Miami. There is a causeway (autovía elevada) in her honor in Miami called the Julia Tuttle Causeway.

This is

History

Aunque el verbo para convencer es to convince, también usamos el verbo compuesto to talk someone into para decir convencer a alguien de que haga algo y to talk someone out of para decir convencer a alguien de que no haga algo. Vamos a ver estos dos phrasal verbs que, la verdad, son bastante lógicos: La convencí para que viniera a la fiesta.

I talked her into coming to the party.

Me convenció para que no fuera a ese barrio.

He talked me out of going to that neighborhood.

¡Me voy! Así que no me intentes convencer para que no me vaya.

I’m out! So stop trying to talk me out of it.

CTS A F FUN

Since Miami Beach is mostly man-made (artificial), its beaches have to be frequently replenished (repuestos) with new sand. It’s not just a question of aesthetics but also of safety as a larger shoreline will protect inhabitants during hurricane season. Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to November 30. In 2016 there were a total of fifteen named storms, seven hurricanes and four major hurricanes. There’s a reason why the team of Miami’s university is called the Miami Hurricanes. Unlike the natural disaster, the team doesn’t exactly destroy everything in its way, they are just barely (apenas) in the top 20 teams.

Since es una de las palabras que oigo mal pronunciadas since I started teaching (desde que empecé a dar clases). Since significa como, ya que o desde. Practícalo en voz alta y asegúrate de decir /sins/ y no /sáins/.

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No me importa recogerte, ya que me pilla de camino.

I don’t mind picking you up since it’s on my way.

La quiero desde que la conocí.

I’ve loved her since I met her.

¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado desde tu visita?

How long has it been since you last visited?

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¿Te suena la palabra shore de Jersey Shore? Es la orilla de la playa de New Jersey… ¡o Gandía! I’m not sure which is worse. No estoy seguro de cuál es peor. Pero sí estoy seguro de que shore se pronuncia como sure, con “sh”: /shoor/. I’m sure you can pronounce shore correctly. Estoy seguro de que pronuncias shore correctamente.

DIG IN! Miami is very multicultural but one of its best known contributions to gastronomy is perhaps the Cuban. No, I’m not referring to a person of Cuban decent, I’m talking about the world famous Cuban sandwich. It’s stuffed with pork, Swiss cheese, pickles (pepinillos) and mustard (mostaza). Just don’t ask anybody from Tampa, FL, where it’s from because they’ll tell you it’s from Ybor City in Tampa. This is nothing new; there’s been a decade-long debate whether the Cuban is from Miami or from Tampa. The Miamians deem the Tampa Cubano less authentic because it has mayo and salami in addition to the other ingredients. You can accompany it with a mojito o perhaps a mango daiquiri.

Mayo (mayonesa) es una de las cosas que menos me gustan en este mundo, así que estoy muy acostumbrado a decir I’ll have a Cubano Sandwich. Hold the mayo! Un sándwich cubano. ¡Sin mayonesa! Como puedes ver, hold the… indica lo que no quieres en tu comida. Vamos a practicar esta estructura: ¿Me pones una hamburguesa? Sin cebolla. ¿Me pones una pizza con carne sin beicon, por favor? Me gustaría pedir una ensalada sin aliño ni picatostes.

Can I have a hamburger? Hold the onions. May I have a meat lovers pizza? Hold the bacon, please. I’d like to order a salad, hold the dressing and the croutons.

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Nosotros no pronunciamos la palabra daiquiri como los españoles. No decimos /daikíri/, sino /dákeri/. Y… creo que ambos lo decimos mal porque viene de Daiquirí, acentuando la “i” final, que es el nombre de una playa en Santiago de Cuba. Otra palabra en la que no nos ponemos de acuerdo es quinoa; en España decís /kinóa/, mientras que los guiris decimos /kín-ua/. Creo que después de unos cuantos daiquiris ¡no lo pronunciarías bien ni en tu propio idioma!

LOCAL LINGO In Miami you don’t really need English to get by (salir del paso). Almost everyone speaks Spanish, or at least it seems like that. But it’s a far cry (muy lejos de ser) from Castilian Spanish. My wife is from Spain and she’s been confused twice by their Spanish or, as some like to call it, Spanglish. For example, when we wanted to withdraw (sacar) money from the ATM, the screen read: REMUEVE LA TARJETA.

I imagined it meant to remove (sacar) and not to stir (remover). Or at the airport, when we wanted to get our suitcases at the baggage claim, it read RECLAMO DE MALETAS. And my wife was like: “We didn’t lose our luggage, we don’t have to complain about it.” So whenever I’m here, I find myself translating from Spanglish to Castilian. And, if that’s not confusing enough for you, there are more than 60 different languages spoken here and over 150 different ethnicities (grupos étnicos) live in this ethnically-diverse beautiful place.

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n

Por si no has pillado el Spanglish de antes, to remove significa quitar o sacar, mientras que to stir es remover. Baggage claim es cinta de equipaje y reclamar es to file a complaint. Aun así, siguen siendo palabras confusas. Vamos a ver si lo tienes: Tienes que reclamar.

You have to file a complaint.

Remueve el risotto.

Stir the risotto.

Quítate los zapatos en casa.

Remove your shoes in the house.

¿Dónde está la cinta de equipaje?

Where’s the baggage claim?

I was like es una muletilla para decir yo dije. Solemos usarlo cuando contamos una historia en lugar de siempre decir and then he said o and then she said. Mira: Yo dije: ¿De dónde eres?

I was like: Where are you from?

Ella dijo: Miami.

She was like: Miami.

Yo dije: Yo también. ¡Vamos a tomar algo!

I was like: Me too. Let’s grab a drink!

o o

Famous Miamians

Pitbull

Pitbull is from Miami. No, I don’t mean the dog breed (raza)… I mean the rapper! I call him Miami’s Midas and you can imagine why. Pitbull repeats “Calle Ocho” in his songs over and over again. It’s an homage to his stomping grounds. Calle Ocho is 8th Street in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. There’s a yearly festival that takes place here where they do the craziest of things. Miami is a city full of superlatives, so let’s look at some that happened here in Miami.

Stomping grounds es literalmente la tierra que pisoteas o que pisoteábamos de jóvenes y se refiere a la tierra en la que crecimos. Por ejemplo: She loves going back to her old stomping grounds. Le encanta volver a donde jugaba de niña.

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¿Te acuerdas de cuando hablamos de los comparativos? Pues ahora tocan los superlativos. Para los adjetivos de 2 sílabas no acabados en “y” o 3 y más sílabas, empleamos most + adjetivo: The most interesting person I know is my wife. La persona más interesante que conozco es mi mujer. Ahora, para los adjetivos de 1 sílaba o 2 sílabas acabados en “y”, añadimos la terminación -est o -iest. Tienes razón, ¡mejor verlo en ejemplos! La conga más larga del mundo constó de 119.986 personas en 1988.

The world’s longest conga line consisted of 119,986 people in 1988.

La piñata más pesada pesó 10.000 libras en 1990.

The heaviest piñata weighed 10,000-pounds in 1990.

El puro más largo del mundo se enrolló en Miami en 2000.

The world’s longest cigar was rolled in Miami in 2000.

One of the most famous people from Miami is Gloria Estefan. She’s been an artist, philanthropist and champion (defensora) for Latin culture, especially Cuban, in Miami. She’s bilingual. There’s just one problem, her song “Conga11” is so fast that nobody knows if she’s actually speaking English, Spanish or gibberish (balbuceo). See if you can learn the chorus (estribillo). Be warned, you’ll have to practice this one a few times till you get it right. If you manage to get it, send me the video via Twitter @imalbertoalonso. “Come on, shake your body baby, do the conga!  I know you can’t control yourself any longer. Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger. Don’t you fight it ‘til you tried it, do that conga... beat!” “Venga, mueve el cuerpo, cielo, ¡haz la conga!  Sé que ya no puedes controlarte más. Siente el ritmo de la música subiendo más fuerte. No te niegues hasta que lo hayas probado... ritmo!” Bilingual es bilingüe, sí, pero no se pronuncia /bilíngua/, sino /bailíngüel/. Como prefijo en inglés, bi- se pronuncia /bái/. Practiquemos, como siempre, con otros ejemplos:

• • • • •

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biology /baiólochi/ (biología) bisexual /baisékshuel/ (bisexual) biodiversity /baioudaivvvérsiti/ (biodiversidad) bionic /baiónik/ (biónico) bilateral /bailéterel/ (bilateral)

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WTF?

The ATM, pronounced /eitiém/ and short for automated teller machine (cajero automático), was introduced at One Citibank in Miami. It was a way for rollerbladers and skaters to conveniently take out (sacar) money on the go (mientras estás en movimiento). Now there are over 3 million of these cash dispensing machines all over the world. But why is it that every time I need one, I can’t find one or they are out of order?

Si has visto la señal out of order, ya sea en Estados Unidos o en el Reino Unido, te habrás dado cuenta de lo que significa. Significa fuera de servicio y al verlo, por lo menos a mí, se me suele escapar un ¡mecachis! To be out of order o to be out of line también significa pasarse tres pueblos. Vamos a ver ambos usos. I promise not to be out of order. Prometo no pasarme tres pueblos. La máquina expendedora está averiada.

The vending machine is out of order.

Te has pasado tres pueblos con ese comentario.

That comment was out of order.

No me creo que el portátil no funcione. Esto es un desfase.

I can’t believe the laptop is out of order. This is out of order.

TELL ME

IE V O M E H T

The movie Scarface (El precio del poder) was filmed in Miami for the first 2 weeks of its production. But then the crew started getting a lot of heat (presión) from Cuban-American associations for the movie’s portrayal (representación) of Cubans. They had to relocate (trasladarse) to LA to finish filming there. Oliver Stone wrote the movie while he was recovering from his own cocaine addiction. I’m glad he didn’t blow it!

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Por si no pillaste el chiste, to blow es soplar y si te acuerdas de Blow, la película con Johnny Depp, verás que también es una forma de llamar a la cocaína. Sería como decir farlopa y to blow it es cagarla. If you do blow, you will blow it! ¡Si tomas farlopa, la cagarás!

GOOD

When I say Miami Heat, I’m not just talking about the sweltering (sofocante) temperatures. I’m also referring to the basketball team. In general, people in Miami are health nuts (locos por la salud). But you’ll find a bit of everything from beach bums (gente que se tira todo el día en la playa) to gym buffs (frikis del gym) getting buff (poniéndose fuertes).

SPORTS

Heat es calor y hot es caluroso. Eso me recuerda una expresión: If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen! Si no aguantas la presión, vete. Vamos a ver otros ejemplos con heat y hot: No aguanto este calor.

I can’t take this heat.

Hace demasiado calor.

It’s too hot.

Mucha gente no puede con la presión laboral.

Many people can’t take the heat.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

I’m not too keen on (no es lo mío) fast food, but, if you are in a rush (con prisa), it comes in handy (viene bien). The first Burger King opened in Miami in 1954. Three years later, the company launched the now iconic Whopper. It was sold for a not-so-whopping 37 cents at that time. The burger is fit for a king... or a queen! La hamburguesa es apta para un rey... ¡o una reina!

A ver si vas pillando mis chistes… Whopper es una hamburguesa bastante tocha, ¿no? Y whopping es gigante. O sea, se podría decir que the Whopper is a whopping burger. Otro ejemplo: He paid a whopping 8 million dollars for his house. Pagó la cantidad astronómica de 8 millones de dólares por su casa. 156

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Scuba Diving

SCUBA significa Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

SCUBA stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

Nunca he hecho buceo.

I’ve never gone scuba diving.

He de admitir que estoy un poco nervioso.

I must admit I’m a bit nervous.

Miami es conocida por los barcos naufragados que hay bajo sus aguas.

Miami is known for its many underwater wrecks.

Hay más de 50 sitios donde bucear.

There are more than 50 dive sites.

Puedes encontrar tanques, aviones y barcos debajo el agua.

You can find tanks, planes and ships underwater.

No tengo traje de neopreno.

I don’t have a wetsuit.

Es el arrecife más colorido que he visto.

It’s the most colorful reef I’ve ever seen.

Washington, DC

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YOU ARE HERE

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Washington, DC TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 12,508 KM

!

Hello from Washington

I’m not talking about s, er rk Yo ew N o, N . US the t the seat of the ou We’re in the capital of ab g in lk ta m I’ l. ta pi tourism ca the fashion, business or used with the state of nf co be to ot N C. D n, ngto US Government: Washi ember? We already m re t, as Co t es W e th r away on Washington. That’s fa ery sense of the word. ev in ty ci l ta en um on m is a d monuments that stopped by Seattle. DC an s ue at st e th of e m so eck out So first we’re going to ch Pennsylvania Avenue. 16 of ur to a by ed w llo C fo make up (componen) D is a white lie (mentira is th … OK . is se ou H te That’s where the Whi first and then we’ll see se ou H te hi W e th to g goin l that glitters isn’t piadosa), we’re actually al ut B t. gh ni at ) lla ri glitters (b the sights because DC que reluce! gold! ¡No es oro todo lo

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Admito que las palabras capital y Capitol me confunden incluso a mí. Dicen que la mejor forma de aclarar algo es enseñándoselo a otra persona así que aquí va. Lo primero es la pronunciación: ambas se pronuncian igual; decimos /képitl/. Ahora, capital significa capital de un país o provincia, y también significa mayúscula. Por ejemplo: You should start capitals with a capital letter. Deberías empezar las capitales con mayúscula. Capitol es Capitolio, es decir, el edificio del Congreso de Estados Unidos, y siempre se escribe con mayúscula. Mira: The word Capitol is capitalized in English. La palabra Capitol se escribe con mayúscula en inglés. Usamos el verbo compuesto to stop by muchísimo. Significa pasarse en el sentido de hacer una visita habitualmente corta. Por ejemplo: Stop by later if you can. Pásate luego si puedes. Se pronuncia /ssstabái/, como una sola palabra. Vamos a practicarlo en su ámbito natural: Intentaré pasarme por la fiesta de despedida de soltero.

I’ll try and stop by the bachelor party.

Pásate por mi mesa cuando puedas.

Stop by my desk when you get a chance.

Si estás en DC, pásate por la Biblioteca del Congreso.

If you’re in DC, stop by the Library of Congress.

FACT OR FICTION? Darth Vader’s image is sculpted on the National Cathedral. Cathedral es una palabra que seguramente te suena, pero no se pronuncia igual que en español. En inglés es /kezídrel/. Y ya que estamos, otra palabra que la gente a menudo pronuncia mal es catholic /kézlik/. Y esto, amigos, ¡va a misa! Di esta frase: The catholic /kézlik/ chorus /kóres/ went to the cathedral /kezídrel/. El coro católico fue a la catedral. The National Cathedral has a lot of wacky gargoyles (gárgolas) and grotesques. Let’s say, it’s not your average cathedral. The Darth Vader grotesque is part of the National Cathedral’s rain control method. The grotesques deflect (desvían) rainwater. The rainwater bounces (rebota) off the top of their heads and doesn’t drip down the stone walls. This is a good thing for Washingtonians who want to keep dry because they get an average of one meter of rainfall per year. That’s more than Seattle in Washington! If it rains, we’ll take a rain check (mejor lo dejamos para otro día).

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Wacky es una manera para decir loco, pero tenemos muchos sinónimos en inglés. Igual es porque hay muchos locos… Veamos algunos de estos sinónimos: Él está loco.

He’s nuts.

Ellos están locos.

They’re bananas.

Estás loco.

You’re cuckoo.

Estás como una cabra.

You’re bonkers.

This is

History

Washington, DC is named after first president, George Washington. Really, Alberto? Shocker! ¡Vaya sorpresa! But maybe you didn’t know that it’s also named after Christopher Columbus as DC stands for District of Columbia (distrito de Columbia). And you thought it was because of DC comics… Also, Washington isn’t in a state like every other city. In fact, that’s why Washingtonians couldn’t vote for the President until 1961! It shares a border with the states of Maryland and Virginia. Many people who work in the city live in these states and commute to DC every day.

To commute significa desplazarse al trabajo y es una palabra muy usada, porque hay mucha gente que vive en las afueras y trabaja en el centro de la ciudad. A estas personas se les llama commuters. Commuter hour es otra forma de decir rush hour, literalmente la hora de la prisa, lo que viene siendo hora punta. Vamos a ver si entiendes el concepto de commuting.

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Él se desplaza 3 horas al día para ir al trabajo.

He has a 3-hour commute to work.

Mi desplazamiento matutino es de 20 minutos.

My morning commute takes 20 minutes.

¿Vives en la universidad o vienes hasta aquí?

Do you live on campus or do you commute?

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TS FUN FAC

The Washington Monument opened in 1884. It was the tallest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower in Paris took the title in 1889. The monument has 2 color tones, but this wasn’t done on purpose. They ran out of (se quedaron sin) money when they were building it and had to use another shade of marble (mármol). The monument consists of 36,491 blocks. It’s still the world’s tallest freestanding stone structure. And it will always be the tallest structure in DC as they aren’t allowed to build any taller due to laws restricting the height of buildings.

Monument es monumento, pero lo menciono por su pronunciación. Hay veces que la “u” en inglés suena como you y monument es uno de esos casos. Se pronuncia /móniument/. Veamos otras palabras que tienen esta “u”:

• community /komiúniti/ (comunidad) • Cupid /kiúpid/ (Cupido) • uniform /iúniform/ (uniforme)

• fuel /fiúl/ (combustible) • union /iúnien/ (sindicato)

On purpose es a propósito y se pronuncia /onpérpes/. Apréndetelo como frase hecha. Y no, hacer algo aposta no es on accident, sino by accident. By the way (a propósito), vamos a ver estos antónimos: No lo hice aposta.

I didn’t do it on purpose.

Lo hice sin querer.

It was by accident.

No me digas que fue sin querer, yo sé que lo hiciste aposta.

Don’t tell me it was done by accident, I know you did it on purpose.

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DIG IN! If you like Ethiopian food, then DC is right up your alley (justo tu lugar)! There are about 350,000 Ethiopians residing in the Washington metro area and they enrich the city with delicious restaurants. Another signature dish called a chili half smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl is a hit with the locals. It’s a sausage (salchicha) that’s half pork and half beef. Obama has been there before and his meals are, of course, on the house. But people don’t go there for the food as much as for its history. The now famous chili joint has survived when all the businesses around it were forced to close. What a chilling (escalofriante) story! Acuérdate de que en inglés no decimos I invite, sino it’s on me cuando queremos invitar a alguien. Te invito a practicarlo porque practice makes perfect. Aunque creo que para practicarlo, mejor ¡invitas tú! It’s on you! ;-) Invitaste tú la última vez.

It was on you last time.

Me han dado un aumento. ¡Invito yo a esta ronda!

I got a raise. This round is on me!

Qué majos. Invitaron a todo.

How nice. Everything was on them.

LOCAL LINGO

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This is the part of the trip where I learn the most because every place has its local slang (jerga) and it’s not until you visit that you realize. For example, young people in DC say jonin when they want to say joking or playing around (bromeando o vacilando). Another word they use, which I wasn’t familiar with, is cised and means excited. And lunchin’ doesn’t mean having lunch, it means to be annoying (pesado). I’m a native English speaker but I may have to carry my DC slang dictionary with me, just in case!

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Cised es emocionado, como excited, que se pronuncia /eksáited/; sin embargo, los neoyorquinos decimos I’m pumped y los de LA dicen I’m stoked. Es un país, sí, pero ya te digo yo que no nos sentamos todos anualmente a ponernos de acuerdo. Igual que en España, donde hay diferentes palabras para la misma cosa dependiendo de dónde estés. El ejemplo perfecto es el marisco y el pescado: jibia vs. sepia, calamar vs. pota, chipirones, etc. ¡Nunca sé qué pedir!

Famous Washingtonians Bill Nye

The Science Guy, was born in Washington, DC. Not only has he taught millions of us about the world around us but he also makes learning fun. The key to a good teacher is just that: making learning a discovery process and making it fun. It’s no surprise when you find out that he won a comedy contest when he was younger and I guess it helps when legend Carl Sagan is your astronomy teacher. And his story gets even cooler. His mom was a codebreaker during WW2 and his dad was a POW who made sundials (reloj solar) when he was captive. Bill was surrounded (rodeado) by curious people and this sparked (desató) his curiosity. Yes, curiosity killed the cat but it also cracked the Nazi code! And Bill’s goal is no less than to change the world. You have to reach for the stars (ir a por todas)!

La persona es scientist /sáientist/, el adjetivo es scientific /saintífik/ y el campo se llama science /sáiens/. Práctica el uso y la pronunciación, ya que engañan un poco: Ella es científica.

She’s a scientist.

Ella estudió ciencia molecular.

She studied molecular science.

Deberías usar el método científico.

You should use the scientific method.

Pow es como suena un golpe! Pow, right in the kisser! es de Family Guy (Padre de familia) y lo traducen como ¡Zas en toda la boca! Pero en este caso POW es un acrónimo que significa prisoner of war (prisionero de guerra) y se pronuncia /pi-ou-dábeliu/. Vamos a ver otros acrónimos militares. Ten Hut! ¡Atención!

• AWOL /éiuol/ Absent without Leave (ausencia injustificada) • MIA /emaiéi/ Missing in Action (desaparecido en combate) ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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• • • • •

SWAT /suát/ Special Weapons and Tactics (armas y tácticas especiales) SEALS /siils/ Navy Sea Air Land Forces DOD /dioudí/ Department of Defense (Ministerio de Defensa) MP /empí/ Military Police (Policía Militar) JAG /cheeg/ Judge Advocate General (abogado militar) I heard through the grapevine (por radio macuto) that Marvin Gaye was born in DC. No, I’m just yanking your chain (vacilando). It’s a fact that he’s from DC but I just wanted to use that expression that he teaches us in his most popular song: “I heard it through the grapevine12” (parra). This isn’t a pretty song. If you listen to the lyrics, it’s rather sad. It’s about a guy who finds out (se entera) via a little bird (un pajarito) that his girl is cheating on him and is going to leave him. Poor Marvin Gaye wasn’t so gay (contento) afterall!

Vamos a ver la letra de una de las mejores canciones de la historia: Me lo ha contado un pajarito.

I heard it through the grapevine.

No ibas a ser mía por mucho más tiempo.

Not much longer would you be mine.

Oh me lo ha contado un pajarito.

Oh I heard it through the grapevine.

Oh estoy a punto de perder la cabeza.

Oh I’m just about to lose my mind.

WTF?

The White House is a zoo! Literally! Three alligators (caimanes) have resided there. The first one owned by John Quincy Adams and the other two by Herbert Hoover’s son. But that’s bush league (de principiantes). Teddy Roosevelt’s six children brought their pets to the White House in 1901. They had many dogs, a small bear, a lizard (lagarto), guinea pigs (cobayas), a pig, a badger (tejón), a garter snake (culebra rayada), a one-legged rooster (gallo con una pata), a hyena, an owl (búho), a rabbit, a pony and a hen (gallina).

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Pets son animales de compañía y to pet es acariciar. Muchas veces comparamos a la gente con animales, y si no lo ves, ¡estás como una cabra! Veamos algunos ejemplos comunes: No soy tu conejillo de indias.

I’m not your guinea pig.

Ese tío es un chivato.

That guy is a rat.

¿Cuándo es su despedida de soltera?

When’s her hen party?

El tejón estaba fastidiando a los que hacían picnic.

The badger was badgering the picnickers.

Él es noctámbulo.

He’s a night owl.

TELL ME

VIE O M E TH

The White House has been in many movies and many movies have been in it. WTF? What I’m getting at (lo que quiero decir) is that there’s a movie theatre in the White House, which opened in 1942. Many presidents and their moviegoing guests have enjoyed it since then. The last movie JFK watched, was actually a James Bond flick: From Russia with Love. But the most moviegoing POTUS was Jimmy Carter. He watched a record of 480 movies here. One question: Wasn’t he supposed to be running the country (llevando o gestionando el país)?

Moviegoing es un cinéfilo y literalmente significa yendo al cine. Y a moviegoer es una persona que va al cine. Te doy más ejemplos: ¿Qué tipo de -goer eres tu?

• • • •

Churchgoers (gente que va a la iglesia) Festivalgoers (gente que va a festivales) Concertgoers (gente que va a conciertos) Museumgoers (gente que va a museos)

POTUS, además de ser la cuenta de Twitter del presidente de EE. UU., es un acrónimo que significa President of the United States y se pronuncia /pótes/. A ver si te sabes estas siglas: FLOTUS /flótes/, SCOTUS /ssskótes/. RESPUESTAS: First Lady of the United States, Supreme Court of the United States

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GOOD SPORTS

The term the 7th inning stretch (el estiramiento de la séptima) was coined by President William Howard when he went to a baseball game in DC. He decided to get up to stretch his legs in the seventh inning. Everybody thought the president was getting up to leave (marcharse) so the other fans in the stadium out of respect, stood up too, thus beginning the tradition of the seventh inning stretch. Now it’s a part of every baseball game played in the USA. It’s not just a chance to rest before the final 2 innings but it’s also great to get up and tinkle (echar una meadita).

To stretch es estirarse, pero también significa tramo y exageración. Vamos a ver esta palabra tan útil en sus diferentes variaciones. ¡Vamos, que estamos en la recta final! We’re in the final stretch! Es un tramo de tierra árido.

It’s a barren stretch of land.

No te estires en la mesa.

Don’t stretch at the table.

No te creo. Es una exageración.

I don’t believe you. It’s a stretch.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Perhaps one of the most important organizations is the US Capitol. They mean business. Van en serio. The building is like its own city. There’s a crypt in the basement where George Washington was supposed to be buried (enterrado). There’s just one bone of contention (manzana de la discordia) as he wanted to be buried at Mount Vernon, the crypt here is empty. There’s also a fallout shelter, just in case there’s a nuclear war. You never know what could happen, it’s a house of cards (casa de naipes)! Speaking of, watch the series House of Cards in order to learn political jargon (jerga) and because it’s awesome!

Fallout shelter es un refugio nuclear. Si eres un gamer, te sonará Fallout. Es un videojuego que tiene lugar en un mundo posapocalíptico nuclear y la palabra fallout significa lluvia radiactiva y efectos colaterales en general. 166

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White House Tour

La Casa Blanca tiene 35 cuartos de baño.

The White House has 35 bathrooms.

La Casa Blanca fue diseñada por un arquitecto irlandés llamado James Hoban.

The White House was designed by an Irish architect named James Hoban.

George Washington nunca vivió en Washington.

George Washington never lived in Washington.

Se completó la Casa Blanca un año después de su fallecimiento.

The White House was completed a year after his passing.

El segundo presidente, John Adams, fue el primero en vivir en la Casa Blanca.

The second President, John Adams, was the first to live in the White House.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Pit Stop

3

In a Traffic Jam Well, we’ve come to a grinding halt (punto muerto). We didn’t mean to stop, but now we’re stuck (atascados) in traffic. It must be rush hour (hora punta). We aren’t moving at all. The traffic is bumper to bumper. Let’s look on the bright side of life, we’ve got a great playlist! In fact, that Monty Python classic can be our first song! Would you like to request a song? ¿Te gustaría pedir una canción? Bumper es parachoques. Es una palabra lógica, porque to bump es chocar levemente o toparse con. Por ejemplo: He bumped into his uncle at the grocery store. Él se topó con su tío en el supermercado. Bumper to bumper entonces sucede cuando los coches están en un atasco. Por cierto, los coches de choque se llaman bumper cars porque siempre están bumping into (chocando contra) otros coches, ¡aunque no sé si lo hacen levemente!

Road Songs Playlist • • • • •

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“Life in the Fast Lane” (viviendo la vida a tope) by The Eagles “On the Road Again” (en la carretera de nuevo) by Willie Nelson “Hit the Road Jack” (lárgate, colega) by Ray Charles “Born to Be Wild” (nacido para ser salvaje) by Steppenwolf “Road Trippin’” (de viaje en coche) by The Red Hot Chili Peppers

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In traffic Él se metió de manera peligrosa delante de mí.

He cut me off.

Se supone que tú tenías que ceder el paso.

You were supposed to yield.

¡No soy agresivo al volante!

I don’t have road rage!

¿Entonces por qué estás tan cerca del coche de delante?

Then why are you tailgating?

¡Deja de tocar el claxon!

Stop honking the horn!

Espero que no tengamos un accidente.

I hope we don’t get into a fender-bender.

O peor, ¡tener un traumatismo cervical!

Or worse, get whiplash!

Incorpórate al carril de la derecha.

Merge into the right lane.

Pon el intermitente.

Put on your blinker.

Dios mío, ahora estás en el arcén.

Oh my God, now you are in the shoulder.

To jam significa atascar o bloquear y es una palabra con muchos usos en inglés. Veamos si los sabes todos: Estoy en un apuro.

I’m in a jam.

Voy a tocar música improvisada con mis I’m going to jam with my friends. amigos. El papel está atascado en la impresora.

The paper is jammed in the printer.

Yo prefiero mermelada de fresa.

I prefer strawberry jam.

El evento estaba a reventar.

The event was jam-packed.

La señal de radio estaba bloqueada.

The radio signal was jammed.

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YOU ARE HERE

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Philadelphia, PA AVELLED: 12,732 KM TOTAL DISTANCE TR

Hello from Philadelphia,

inutivo), It’s the city of brotherly (fraternal) love or, as we call it for short (dim the Philly. You’ll never get your fill (siempre querrás más) of this city. Since o por) state of Pennsylvania was one of the first areas settled by (colonizad Historic the American pilgrims (peregrinos), it’s chock-full (petado) of history. pendence Hall, landmarks (sitios de interés histórico) such as the Liberty Bell, Inde ful, the and many others form part of Philly’s colorful history. Speaking of color 0 outdoor city is known as the Mural Capital of the US. There are more than 2,00 y steps at murals on display (expuestos) on its streets. I’ll have to run up the Rock some point, too. I have to check it off my bucket list!

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To check something off my bucket list significa tachar algo de la lista de cosas que tengo que hacer antes de morir. Bucket list es literalmente lista del cubo. Te preguntarás de dónde viene ese cubo... En inglés, to kick the bucket, literalmente darle una patada al cubo, significa morir. Viene de cuando daban una patada al cubo para ahorcar a alguien en el Oeste; el delincuente se quedaba colgado y moría poco después. Es rara la expresión, porque realmente el que da una patada al cubo es el verdugo (executioner) y no el que está siendo ejecutado (executed). ¡Sé que te has quedado colgado con esta expresión!

FACT OR FICTION? The maker of the first American flag, Betsy Ross, sewed (cosió) it in Philadelphia. Hearsay, literalmente oír-hablar, significa rumor. Me encanta esta palabra porque es muy lógica. También puedes decir gossip, como Gossip Girl. Y si aún te cuesta, siempre puedes recurrir a rumor, que se pronuncia /rúmer/. Proof es prueba, pero ¡ojo! En inglés es incontable, así que nunca digas I have some proofs. Lo correcto es decir I have proof. El verbo to prove es probar o demostrar. Prove you know how to use them. Demuéstrame que sabes usarlas. No tengo pruebas.

I don’t have any proof.

¿Lo puedes demostrar?

Can you prove it?

Demuéstrame que tienes pruebas.

Prove to me that you have proof.

This is

Philadelphia was one of the nation’s capitals during the Revolutionary War, and it was the temporary US n (en capital while Washington, DC was under constructio like USA, the of obras). The Founding Fathers (fundadores) endence John Hancock, who signed the Declaration of Indep So it’s no in 1776 and later the Constitution in 1787, met here. It’s home firsts. of city a is wonder (no te extrañará) that Philly hospital, first , to America’s first zoo, first daily newspaper children’s first electronic computer, first medical school, first hospital, and the list goes on... (y la lista sigue…).

H is to ry

If you ask most Americans, they’ll tell you that this is true. In fact, it’s what we were taught in history class. However, it’s hearsay and there’s really no proof of this claim. There’s just as much proof of that as there is that Antonio Banderas designed the Spanish flag.

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John Hancock fue uno de los firmantes de la Declaración de Independencia que se firmó en Filadelfia. Su firma destacó tanto que ahora su nombre es sinónimo de firma. Por ejemplo: I need your John Hancock. Necesito tu firma. First zoo es, efectivamente, primer zoo, pero lo menciono porque se juntan dos palabras que se suelen pronunciar mal. First se pronuncia /feerst/ y tiene el mismo sonido vocálico que third /zeerd/, otra palabra que suele ser difícil. La otra es zoo, que se pronuncia /suu/. ¿Pronunciabas estas 3 palabras bien? ¿O solo the /feerst/ and the /zeerd/? Di esta frase: This is the first zoo in the Third World.

FUN FACTS

The Liberty Bell is a symbol of America’s independence. Apparently it wasn’t a strong symbol. The first bell cracked (se rajó) the first time it rang (sonó) and it’s still known for its distinctive crack. But that’s not the only imperfection. To add insult to injury, the engraved (grabado) word “Pennsylvania” is misspelled (mal escrito) on the bell. It’s missing an “n” and reads “Pensylvania”. This wasn’t a typo (errata) though, it was one of several acceptable spellings of the city at that time. Nowadays, there’s only one proper spelling (forma correcta de escribirla): Philly!

To add insult to injury significa para echarle leña al fuego y literalmente se traduce como añadir un insulto a una lesión. Ojo con injury en inglés, porque es un poco confusa. To get injured es lesionarse, an injury es una lesión e injured es lesionado. ¡Lo que no decimos es to get injury! A ver si te sabes estas traducciones, así veo de qué pie cojeas:

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¿Cómo te lesionaste?

How did you get injured?

Estoy lesionado de nuevo.

I’m injured again.

Tiene una lesión.

He has an injury.

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DIG IN! You can’t go to Philly and not order a Philly cheese steak. This Philly staple (alimento básico) is a thin-sliced (al corte fino) steak sandwich with cheese, but you can also kick it up a notch (subir el listón) and get onions and/or peppers on it, too. It was supposedly invented by Pat and Harry Olivieri in 1930. The first one didn’t originally have cheese on it, so what they really invented was more of a... steak sandwich. Eventually, Pat opened South Philly’s famous Pat’s King of Steaks and had a line around the block (una cola que daba la vuelta a la manzana) and still does today. You can try his famous cheese steak and then his archrival Geno’s, which is also very popular with locals. Which one is better? You be the judge! Just don’t forget to get some Almax; in the States you have to ask for Pepto-Bismol. And if you’re a little too late then get Imodium, that’s what we call Fortasec here. BURP! ¡Eructo!

Steak es chuleta. ¿Cómo lo pronuncias? ¿/stiik/? ¡Nooooo! No pidas un stick (palo). Aunque en español mucha gente dice /stik/ tartar, la pronunciación correcta es /ssstéik/ tartar. Carnívoros, ¡con esta palabra no se juega! Cada vez que oigo /stiik/ se me clava una stake (estaca) en el corazón, que, de hecho, ¡se pronuncia igual, /ssstéik/! You be the judge, literalmente sé tú el juez, significa tú mismo. Pero cuidado con la pronunciación de judge, se pronuncia /chach/. Dilo bien a no ser que quieras que te juzguen por tu mala pronunciación.

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LOCAL LINGO

Jimmies? That doesn’t make any sense at all (en absoluto). We call them sprinkles because you sprinkle (esparcir) them on the ice cream. One way they are similar to New Yorkers though, is in the usage of yous as vosotros. If not, there’s no difference between: you (tú) and you (vosotros). So we just add an s to the end when we mean vosotros. Do yous understand? Are yous paying attention?

I hope you saved room (dejar hueco) for dessert (postre). There’s always room for ice cream. We have an old rhyming expression: I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Corny, I know, but it’s an age-old (muy antiguo) expression. When I ordered what I always order, vanilla soft serve with sprinkles (fideos de chocolate), the woman looked at me like I was from Mars (Marte)! After a little explaining and a lot of embarrassment, I realized that they call sprinkles, jimmies here in Philly.

Cuidado con este false friend que a mí me pilló en una de mis primeras clases. Le pregunté a una alumna qué le pasaba al cuerpo cuando uno está avergonzado y me empezó a contar que se mareaba, vomitaba, estaba de mal humor, etc. Yo me quedé de piedra, pensando que eran unas reacciones un poco exageradas para el embarrassment (vergüenza). Claro, después de 5 minutos contándome lo mal que lo pasaba, por fin me di cuenta de que ella entendió qué le pasaba al cuerpo cuando estás embarazada. ¡LOL! Embarazada es pregnant, que se parece más a preñada. Y embarrassed es avergonzado. It was an embarrassing situation to say the least. Fue una situación embarazosa cuando menos.

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Famous Philadelphians Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper was born in Philly to an Italian mother and an Irish father. The city has the second-largest Irish and Italian populations in the US. Can you guess which city has the largest? If you said New York City, you’d be right (tendrías razon). Anyway (de todos modos) Bradley and his father used to go to the cinema next-door (al lado de casa) very often. This most definitely sparked his interest in movies. The Elephant Man was the movie that made him want to be an actor. I guess Bradley Cooper felt cooped up in Philly and had to spread his wings and fly to Hollywood.

A spark es una chispa en inglés, así que tiene sentido que el verbo to spark signifique provocar, desatar o desencadenar. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos en contexto: Tener un padre español desató mi pasión por la cultura española.

Having a Spanish father sparked my passion for Spanish culture.

Ella tiene chispa como su madre.

She’s got spark like her mother.

El tono es lo que provocó mi reacción.

The tone is what sparked my reaction.

To be cooped up significa estar enjaulado; otra palabra que tiene sentido, ya que chicken coop es gallinero. Por ejemplo: The hens feel cooped up in the coop. Las gallinas se sienten enjauladas en el gallinero.

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Will Smith is a graduate of Philly’s legendary Overbrook High School, whose alumni include NBA great Wilt Chamberlain, among others. Will Smith named his production company after his beloved high school: Overbrook Entertainment. He’s a go-getter and usually does what he sets out to do (lo que se plantea). He kept his promise to learn Spanish. If there’s one thing he does regret (arrepentirse) in his eventful (ajetreado o memorable) life, it’s turning down the role (rechazar el papel) of Neo in The Matrix. It’s all good, Will! ¡No pasa nada, Will! We’ll always remember you as the Fresh Prince who “in West Philadelphia born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days...13” If you don’t know the Fresh Prince theme song (tema principal), you need to learn it in English at once (ya), so drop everything (así que déjalo todo). Where there’s a will (Smith), there’s a way! ¡Querer es poder! To graduate, pronunciado /tu grádueit/, significa graduarse, y la persona que se gradúa es the graduate /ze gráduit/, ¡como la película con Dustin Hoffman! Fíjate que no se pronuncian igual. A ver si pronuncias esta frase bien: Once you graduate, you’ll be a graduate. A go-getter es un triunfador o ambicioso, y es literalmente alguien que va a por lo que quiere, someone who goes and gets what they want. En inglés ser ambicioso no es algo negativo. Yes, we can! Go get ‘em! ¡A por ellos!

WTF?

Philly has a lot of museums but there’s one that blows them all out of the water (les da mil vueltas). The Mütter Museum, established in 1863, has an unusual collection of medical oddities (rarezas), such as slides (láminas) of Einstein’s brain, slices (rodajas) of a human face, and a book bound in human skin. The museum is part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and houses (almacena) over 20,000 specimens, out of which about 13% are on display. If you get queasy (con nauseas) with the sight of blood or organs, then this museum is not for you. It’s not for the faint of heart. No es apto para todos los públicos.

Bound viene del verbo to bind y significa empastado, fijado o encuadernado. Al final, las páginas de un libro están efectivamente fijadas al binding (encuadernación). Y si has hecho snowboard, seguro que te suena la palabra bindings, que son las fijaciones que te sujetan a la tabla. 176

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TELL ME

E I V O M E H T

Yo Adrian! I’m sure you know that the Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa, is from the mean streets of Philly. This movie was make or break (todo o nada) for Sly Stallone. He put all his eggs in one basket. He wrote the script in only three and a half days. The Studio, United Artists, offered Stallone almost $340,000 to sell them the rights (derechos) to the screenplay (guión) if he agreed to not star in the movie. But he wouldn’t budge (moverse o negociar) and ended up accepting a lot less for the chance to star in it. Stallone didn’t throw in the towel (no tiró la toalla).

Rocky Mean Streets (malas calles) quizá te suena de la película clásica de Martin Scorsese. Es una peli sobre las calles chungas de Nueva York, pues el título lo dice todo. Cuando empleamos la palabra mean para describir a una persona, es desagradable o miserable. Por ejemplo: He’s a mean guy from the mean streets of NYC. Do you know what I mean? Es un tipo desagradable de las calles chungas de Nueva York. ¿Me entiendes? Sly significa astuto. En inglés usamos la comparación sly as a fox (astuto como un zorro). Pero Sly también es el apodo de Sylvester Stallone. Sly Stallone is a sly guy. Sylvester Stallone es un tío astuto. A lo mejor no quería compartir nombre con el gato Silvestre... Por cierto, su apellido se pronuncia /ssstalóun/, igual que Al Capone se pronuncia /kapóun/. No pronunciamos la “e”.

G O OTDS SPOR

t Japanese steak. I’m I’m not talking abou , No e! tim be Ko It’s . He was named ia’s boy, Kobe Bryant lph de ila Ph t ou ab g talkin ef, strangely (ya mencionado) be ed ion nt me re afo he was after the (pueblo natal). When wn to me ho his is enough. Philly ed to his Philly ly but then he return young he moved to Ita 91. He won 4 n High School in 19 roots to go to Merio convirtió d he also became (se an e er th s hip ns pio cham do) out of be drafted (ser ficha to d ar gu er ev st fir en) the is was a big feat tly into the NBA. Th high school and direc a mater, Merion be and also for his alm Ko th bo for ) ña za (ha High School.

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¿Te suena la palabra guard de la NBA? Significa alero o escolta. Quizá te suene de la película The Bodyguard (El guardaespaldas), pero me pregunto si lo pronuncias bien. No decimos /guard/ sino /gaard/. Parece fácil, pero don’t drop your guard (no bajes la guardia).

IN GOOD

COMPANY

I’m trying to think of what my childhood would’ve been like without Mister Softee. No, he’s not an old teacher of mine. Mister Softee is the ice cream truck that made the rounds (hacía las rondas) and delivered us ice cream and happiness. The company was founded by William and James Conway in 1956 in Philadelphia. In this day and age (hoy en día) it’s one of the largest franchisors (franquiciadores) of soft ice cream in the States. It now has about 350 franchisees (franquicias) operating 600 trucks in 15 states. And when I hear that music coming from the ice cream truck as it gets closer (se acerca), it brings me back to some of my earliest memories.

Childhood es niñez. Quiero que veamos más ejemplos de estas palabras que terminan con -hood, porque hay unas cuantas que creo que son dignas de conocer:

• • • • •

Adulthood (edad adulta) Parenthood (paternidad/maternidad) Brotherhood (hermandad) Sisterhood (hermandad) Livelihood (subsistencia)

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Voy a calentar antes de correr.

I’m going to warm up before I run.

Voy a estirar porque no quiero que me dé un tirón.

I’m going to stretch because I don’t want to pull a muscle.

Rocky es el más débil.

Rocky is the quintessential underdog.

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Tengo mi lista de reproducción de Rocky en orden aleatorio.

I have my Rocky playlist on shuffle.

¡“Eye of the Tiger” es una gran canción!

“Eye of the Tiger” is a great tune!

¿Cuantos escalones has dicho que hay?

How many steps did you say there were?

Me he quedado sin aliento.

I’m out of breath.

Estoy KO.

I’m down for the count.

Corre, ¡llama al 112!

Hurry up, call 911!

New York, New York

155 km

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YOU ARE HERE

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New York, NY TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 12,88 7 KM

Hello from New York!

these parts. What nd ou ar up ew gr I e us ca be s This place rings a bell, perhap eady been said? This city is alr ’t sn ha at th ple Ap g Bi e th can I say about ellers (habitantes) and the dw its m fro tes dia ra at th buzzing with energy re every day. It’s been he rk wo to th for d an ck ba e to many people who commut just a lot of nationalities keeping ’t en ar e er th e us ca be t po ng called a melti coming one! Over 800 languages be d an g xin mi e ar ey th ), yo su themselves (a lo lticultural metropolis where mu e, rs ive -d lly ica ist gu lin is are spoken in th ranjero). Join me as we xt (e r ide ts ou an is e on no d everyone is welcome an the top of the Empire to go e’ll W . ds oo rh bo igh ne get lost in NYC’s surprising do but it’s well worth it (vale la to ing th y ist ur to a it’s , ow kn I State Building. breathtaking (impresionante). is l) so de a st ue (p n ow nd su pena). The view at

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Melting pot es crisol y es otra palabra lógica en inglés porque pot significa olla y to melt es derretir o fundir, y en un crisol se funden metales. En Nueva York se funden muchas nacionalidades para hacer un “metal” nuevo, duro y único que llamamos New Yorker. Eso sí, we wild out! (¡se nos va la olla!)

FACT OR FICTION? Albert Einstein’s teeth are in a safe deposit box (caja fuerte) at an undisclosed location in the city. ¿Pillaste el chiste? I’ve got my eye on you es me interesas o te estoy vigilando. Sabrás distinguir los dos por el contexto. A lo mejor te suena de la canción “Can’t take my eyes off of you” (No puedo quitarte los ojos de encima o estoy muy interesado en ti). Vamos a ver esta expresión en contexto. En voz alta, please! No te acerques al agua. Te estoy vigilando.

Don’t go near the water. I’ve got my eye on you.

Lleva tiempo interesada en ese puesto.

She’s had her eye on that position for a long time.

Veo que estás interesado en la nueva chica del curro.

I see you’ve got your eye on the new girl at work.

This is fiction, but his eyes are indeed locked in a safe deposit box in NY. His eyeballs were given to Henry Abrams, Einstein’s eye doctor. How fitting (adecuado)! I guess Dr. Abrams had his eye on Einstein’s eyes for a long time. But in all seriousness (ahora en serio), Dr. Abrams was so happy to receive Al’s eyes; for him this was a way of keeping his friend Albert alive, at least in his mind’s eye. Einstein’s eyes are his prized keepsake (recuerdo más estimado) so it makes sense that he keeps them in a safe deposit box.

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This is

History

Manhattan Island  was purchased from the native people in 1626 for the modern sum (total) of a measly (miserable) US $1,000. The word Manhattan comes from a Lenape Indian word meaning “island of many hills (colinas)”. But I know what you’re thinking. What hills? New York is flat. You’re right, it was flattened when they were planning the urban development (desarrollo urbanístico). Now Manhattan is a grid (cruadrícula) with avenues going north and south and streets going east to west. So when we get in a cab and the cabbie (taxista) asks Where to? (¿Adónde va?), we don’t say 221 West 28th Street, we say 28th (street) between 7th & 8th (avenues). New Yorkers are logical people; after all, we come from the Dutch (holandeses).

Flattened es allanado. ¡Ojo con las siguientes palabras! A la izquierda os pongo el verbo y a la derecha el adjetivo:

• to flatten (allanar) vs. flat (plano) • to loosen (aflojar) vs. loose (suelto)

CTS FUN FA

• to tighten (apretar) vs. tight (apretado) • to straighten (enderezar) vs. straight (recto)

Except in the case of an emergency, honking your car horn is illegal in NYC. This seems to fall on deaf ears (caer en saco roto), especially when it comes to (en cuanto se refiere a) taxi drivers. And if you have toyed with the idea (jugar con la idea) of becoming an NYC cab driver, you’re going to have to spend your nest egg. It costs $1 million to get a license or medallion, as it’s called here. Call it whatever you’d like but you’ll need it to operate a taxicab in NYC; which is probably why the 13,237 taxis in New York are operated by 42,000 different cab drivers. They share a taxi, just like the passengers do when it rains in NY as... taxis are scarce (escaso).

To honk es tocar la bocina y es una palabra onomatopéyica. También se puede decir beep the horn. Horn es obviamente bocina, pero cuidado, porque horny es cachondo. Honk your horn if you’re horny! ¡Toca la bocina si estás cachondo! ¡Oye, pájaro! Nest egg es literalmente huevo del nido y tiene sentido porque es algo que proteges con mucho cuidado; por eso significa ahorros. También decimos piggy bank, que es igual que hucha de cerdito.

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DIG IN! New York has every kind of food you can imagine. But perhaps one of the tastiest (más sabroso) is still a slice (porción) of NY pizza or a pie (pizza familiar) if you’re really hungry. The original recipe arrived on the boats that brought the Italian immigrants to the new world from Italy. Perhaps the special ingredient is TLC, tender loving care. Or maybe it’s just the tap water (agua del grifo) in New York, which, by the way (por cierto), is very good! Maybe it’s because there are tiny shrimp called copepods in it… True story! Sorry, I went off on a tangent (me salí por la tangente)... right pizza! The first pizzeria that opened in the US was in NYC in 1895. There’s a belief (creencia): the price of a slice of pizza is always equivalent to the price of one subway ride (viaje en el metro). It’s called the Pizza Principle or the Pizza-Subway Connection. This sounds more like an episode of Big Bang Theory to me.

Tiny shrimp significa gambita pequeña, pero puede sonar redundante en inglés, ya que tiny /táini/ es pequeño y shrimp significa pequeñajo además de gamba. Y jumbo shrimp (gambón) es un oxímoron.

LOCAL LINGO

New Yorkers use many words from Yiddish (yidis), Ebonics (lengua de la calle de la población afroamericana) and, cómo no, my amigos... mucho Spanglish! See if you understand these sentences in these NY dialects:

Yiddish: Oy vey! He’s a putz but he has a lot of chutzpah. Oy Vey! /oi vvvei/

¡Madre mía!

putz /pats/ o yutz /iáts/

tonto

chutzpah /jjutspah/

desfachatez

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Ebonics: My shawty/shorty is the flyest. She’s so dope. shawty/shorty /shoodi/

cari, bebé o amor

flyest /fláiest/

más guapa o más chula

dope /dóup/

guay

Spanglish: My mami y yo parqueamos behind the bodega. mami /mámi/

mujer (¡no madre!)

parquear /parkeár/

aparcar

bodega /bodéiga/

tienda latina (¡no una bodega!)

LOCAL LINGO Shorty, a veces shawty, viene de bajito o pequeño, que al final no es tan diferente del español. ¿No decís cariñosamente a vuestros hijos y amores peques? ¡Pues igual!

Famous NEW YORKERS Al Pacino Jay Z Paul Simon J Lo Joan Baez

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Take your pick! ¡Elige tú! There are so many famous people from New York and many others who aren’t from here, who call it home. I will try and tell you one from each of the 5 boroughs (distritos). Let’s start with the most famous one, Manhattan: Al Pacino was born in the neighborhood of East Harlem. Next stop Brooklyn: Jay Z was born in the projects (vivienda pública) in this famous borough. Queens: Paul Simon was born in Queens where he lived like a king. The Bronx: J Lo and yes, she’s still “Jenny from the Block”. And don’t forget about Staten Island: revolutionary ‘60s folk singer Joan Baez was born here. And that’s all folks!

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That’s all folks! significa ¡Eso es todo amigos! y es de los Loony Toons, literalmente los dibujos animados locos. Nos quedamos con la palabra folks, que significa gente, pero si empleamos my o your delante de folks, nos referimos a mis padres o tus padres. Y ¡ojo! No decimos fathers a no ser que sean dos varones. Vamos a verlo en contexto, folks: Voy a casa de mis padres este finde.

I’m going to my folks’ house this weekend.

Tus amigos son buena gente.

Your friends are nice folks.

Tus padres son buena gente.

Your folks are nice folks.

There are hundreds of songs about NY but there’s one that stands out above the rest. It’s “New York, New York14” by Frank Sinatra, who is from Hoboken, New Jersey, right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. But I think anyone who grows up (criarse) around this area loves NY or is, at least, fascinated by it just like Frank was. Let’s take a look at the words to the unofficial anthem of New York.

Si puedo triunfar allí,

If I can make it there,

puedo tener éxito en cualquier lado.

I’ll make it anywhere.

Tú decides, Nueva York, Nueva York!

It’s up to you, New York, New York!

To make it es hacerlo o fabricarlo, pero también significa llegar o acudir y tener éxito, como en la canción. A ver si tienes éxito con estas traducciones: Si te empeñas, tendrás éxito.

If you set your mind to it, you’ll make it.

No pueden asistir a la obra de teatro.

They can’t make it to the play.

Voy a hacer un guiso.

I’m going to make a stew.

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WTF?

I know it tends to snow a lot in NY but the following (siguiente) fact blew my mind (me dejó flipado). This city gets about 15 times more snow than the South Pole per year! But I guess it makes sense because Antarctica (Antártida) is a desert and gets very little precipitation.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre little y few? Buena pregunta: little se usa con sustantivos incontables y few con contables. ¿Te parece poco? Pues… a few examples! Hay poca nieve en el parabrisas.

There’s little snow on the windshield.

Hay pocos quitanieves.

There are few snow plows.

Había poca agua y pocas personas.

There was little water and few people.

VIE TELL ME THE MO

Do I really have to choose one? OK, I have an idea. Let’s play a game! Are you game? I’ll give you the name of a movie filmed in NY, in English and one clue (pista) and you tell me the outlandish (excéntrico) name of the movie in Spanish. This way we can practice prepositions too! • Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski • Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese • On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando • Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Audrey Hepburn • Die Hard with a Vengeance with Bruce Willis

To choose es elegir y es un verbo que se suele conjugar mal. Es Everyday I choose /chuus/. Yesterday I chose /chóus/. Lately I’ve chosen /chóusen/. Pero si te cuesta, siempre puedes usar to pick y entonces te puedes imaginar que ser picky o choosey es quisquilloso. Don’t be choosey, pick the one that’s easier for you to say. No seas quisquilloso, escoge el que te resulte más fácil de pronunciar. RESPUESTAS: La semilla del diablo, Uno de los nuestros, La ley del silencio, Desayuno con diamantes, La jungla de cristal 3: la venganza

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Are you game? Significa ¿Te apuntas? Piénsalo como apuntarse al juego. Si te preguntan si te apuntas a actividades en inglés, la respuesta es I’m game! ¡Me apunto!

GOOD

You can’t think of NY without the Yankees and the Mets. They are both NY baseball teams and I’m sure you’ve seen the baseball caps. But can you tell them apart (distinguirlos)? The Mets cap is a lighter blue with an orange logo and the Yankee cap is dark blue with a white logo; both logos read NY. Don’t wear the wrong cap to the wrong stadium. Another term that’s very NY is Subway Series. It’s when the Yankees play the Mets in the best of 7 final known as the World Series. They call it a Subway Series because you can go to both stadiums via subway. Either way, you’ll have a ball (lo pasarás genial) and you might even catch a fly ball too!

SPORTS

Cap es gorra y lo único que tienen en común cap, cop y cup es que tienen 3 letras y que dos de ellas son “c” y “p”; nada más, porque cada una tiene su propio sonido vocálico. A ver si sabes pronunciarlas:

• cap /keep/ rhymes with tap, lap, map. • cop /kop/ rhymes with pop, top, shop. • cup /kap/ rhymes with pup, up, ‘sup (nuestra forma de decir What’s up! en NY). A fly ball es una bola al aire en baseball. También se puede decir a pop fly o a pop up. Y si la pelota va hacia el suelo, se llama a grounder, ya que suelo es ground.

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

There are many companies from and located in New York. The sport brand PONY say it right in their name because it stands for Product of New York. But let’s talk about a name that’s known by everyone worldwide (en todo el mundo): Calvin Klein. It all started for young Calvin in the Bronx. He studied Fashion and apprenticed (fue aprendiz) for a suit maker. In 1968 he and a partner (socio) started their own company and eventually rose to the top (llegaron a lo más alto) of the fashion world. But the coolest part about New York is that there are so many young artists, designers or future tycoons (emprendedores) with one thing in common: they are dreamers and hard workers, like Calvin, who call NY home and even though you don’t know their names yet, you will. So “start spreading the news…14” El apellido de Calvin no es /klein/, sino /kláin/. Y si has visto Regreso al futuro en inglés, sabrás que la madre de Marty McFly le llama Calvin Klein en vez de Levis Strauss porque Calvin Klein no había llegado a España aún en 1985, cuando salió esta mítica película.

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¿A qué hora se pone el sol?

What time does the sun go down?

Depende de la hora en la que salió.

It depends on when it came up.

El Empire State Building tiene 103 plantas.

The Empire State Building has 103 floors.

Mide 443,2 metros incluyendo la antena.

It’s 443.2 meters tall including the antenna spire.

¿Cuánto se tardó en construir este rascacielos?

How long did it take to build this skyscraper?

Se tardó solo 410 días en construir.

It took just 410 days to build it.

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¡Es enorme/monstruoso!

It’s ginormous!

El Empire State tiene su propio código postal.

The Empire State Building has its own zip code.

King Kong realmente nunca escaló el edificio.

King Kong never really climbed up the building.

No te acerques al borde.

Don’t get too close to the edge.

Boston, Massachusetts

346 km

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YOU ARE HERE

18

Boston, MA 3 KM TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 13,23

Hello from Boston!

one of the oldest cities om fr s) ale rm fo s do alu (s s Greetings and salutation mous for its history and fa is y cit is Th . ts et us ch sa as in the US: Boston, M . Historic events such as the ion lut vo Re n ica er Am e th in was instrumental ar) cre went down (tuvieron lug sa as M on st Bo e th d an y rt Boston Tea Pa y and then go catch or st hi me so r) be or bs (a in here. We’re going to soak on Red Sox play. Fenway st Bo e th e er wh rk Pa ay nw a baseball game at Fe e oldest original Major League th it’s t, no or it ve lie Be o. to Park is historic the ded in 1912. I hope you are on un fo s wa It e. us in ill st ium Baseball stad ball today, amigos!

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On the ball es literalmente encima del balón y significa espabilado o al tanto. Vamos… ¡que controlas! Pero si aun así te cuesta esta expresión, puedes decir awake, que significa despierto y espabilado.

FACT OR FICTION? Bostonians couldn’t celebrate Christmas for a period in the 1600s.

This is

History

Boston was founded in 1630, making it one of the oldest cities in the US. So, as you can imagine, like Philly and most of the northeast, it’s home to many firsts in the New World. Read the following achievements to practice years and the passive voice. And you thought it was just famous for the Boston Tea Party and the Celtics!

Boston Common, the oldest city park in the US, was opened.

The first library on the North American continent was built.

New College, America’s first university, was founded. It was later called Harvard.

Revere Beach, the country’s first public beach, was opened.

The first American lighthouse (faro) was built in Boston Harbor (puerto).

America’s first subway (metro), the Tremont Street Subway, was built.

No, it wasn’t because the Grinch stole Christmas. It was against the law to celebrate Christmas from 1659 to 1681 because the Pilgrims believed it was a corrupted holiday. If you were so much as caught uttering (diciendo) Merry Christmas, you could get fined (multado) during this 22-year period. They say that the real reason is that the locals were getting too rowdy and things would quickly get out of hand (irse de las manos). Scrooge would have loved Boston at this time. Bah, humbug! ¡Paparruchas!

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Rowdy significa alborotado. Cuando oigo la palabra rowdy, pienso en hooligans (hinchas) de fútbol, pero ser rowdy no siempre es algo malo. A veces los chavalines se ponen un poco rowdy cuando se pasan con el azúcar. Si eres fan de wrestling (lucha como deporte), quizá te acordarás de Rowdy Roddy Piper, el que llevaba kilt (falda escocesa). Scrooge es el miserable personaje principal de la novela navideña A Christmas Carol, que significa literalmente un villancico. La novela tuvo tanta repercusión que ahora llamamos a la gente miserable o tacaña Scrooge. He’s going to be a scrooge his whole life. Él será un miserable y tacaño toda su vida. Achievements o feats son hazañas o logros. Pero ¿conoces el verbo to achieve? Significa lograr. So if you achieve many things, you will have a lot of achievements. Acuérdate de que en inglés debemos jugar con las palabras. Fíjate en water, que es agua, ¿pero puede ser un verbo? ¡Sí! To water es regar. También puede ser un adjetivo. ¡Pues claro que sí! Watery es con mucha agua y watered down es aguado. Y si hacemos eso, llegamos a conocer una palabra en toda su profundidad.

TS FUN FAC

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be underground? I don’t mean in the subway, I mean much deeper. How about (qué me dices de) 27.5 meters below ground? Don’t worry, you won’t have to dig (cavar), you’ll just have to get in your car and go through the Ted Williams Tunnel in Boston. It’s the deepest tunnel in North America. And if you want to improve your English, don’t worry, there’s hope (esperanza)! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel! ¡Hay luz al final del túnel!

Have you ever wondered…? significa ¿Alguna vez te has preguntado…? Eso sí, ten cuidado con la diferencia entre to wonder, pronunciado /uónder/, que significa preguntarse, y to wander, que se dice /úaander/ y que significa deambular.

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¿Te preguntas si usamos mucho la palabra wonder?

Do you wonder whether we use the word wonder a lot?

Me pregunto por qué perdieron.

I wonder why they lost.

Me pregunto qué piensa ella.

I wonder what she’s thinking.

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DIG IN! One of Boston’s nicknames is Beantown. And I just realized (me acabo de dar cuenta) that it’s because they love baked beans (alubias al estilo inglés) in molasses. I guess you could say that Bostonians are full of beans (tienen mucha energía). It wasn’t all laughs though; back in January 1919 a storage (almacenamiento) tank with 7,570,823 liters of molasses burst (reventó) causing a huge molasses flood (inundación). 21 people died and hundreds were injured. It was a sticky situation, to say the least!

Molasses es melaza y se pronuncia /meláses/. Cuando quieres decir que alguien es lento co…, decimos You are as slow as molasses January. Eres tan lento como la melaza en enero. Esta expresión viene de aquel día. Al menos salió algo positivo de la tragedia.

de in Y algo

A sticky situation es una situación precaria y viene de estar en un sitio donde hay algo sticky (pegajoso), ya que, al ser pegajoso, lo cogemos con más cuidado. Por cierto, no confundas sticky con catchy (pegadizo). Don’t let me catch you mixing them up or else... Que no te pille confundiéndolas, o si no...

O G N I L L A C O L

on’t only have Bostonians d also have ent but they a their own acc ke a look at cab. Let’s ta s. te ri vo their own vo fa f my nt. It’s one o e cc a n ia n o Bost stop : a short “o”: • Sound 1 hot /háut/, not /náut/ /ssstáup/, ced by : /r/ is repla • Sound 2 r /baah/, car /kaah/, far /aah/: ba /faah/

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Let’s see if you can pronounce these sentences in your best Boston accent: Aparqué el coche lejos de Harvard.

I parked /páukt/ the car /kaah/ far /faah/ from Harvard /Havad/.

¿Por qué no aparcaste donde el bar?

Why didn’t you park /páuk/ by the bar /baah/?

Porque hace calor, no llevo pantalones cortos y no voy a hacer deporte.

Because it’s hot /háut/, I’m not /náut/ wearin’ shorts, /sháuts/ and I’m not gonna do any sport /spáut/.

La palabra accent contiene el sonido de la “k”. No digo cuando lo deletreamos, digo cuando lo visualizas en tu cabeza. No se pronuncia /ássent/, sino /áksent/. Aquí te dejo otras palabras donde mis alumnos suelen omitir esa “k” invisible. Espero que no te deje KO. ¿OK?

• • • • •

excited /eksáited/ (emocionado) example /eksámpl/ (ejemplo) exit /éksit/ (salida) exercise /éksersais/ (ejercicio) exist /eksíst/ (existir)

Famous BOSTONIANS

Mark Wahlberg

If you want to hear a cool Bostonian accent, just watch an interview with Mark Wahlberg. This Boston boy was on the wrong track. When he was a rapper, he had a long rap sheet (antecedentes) for all kinds of misdemeanors (delitos menores) and even felonies (delitos graves). He had trouble keeping his nose clean. In both senses of the word: cocaine use and trouble. It seems like he sought help (buscó ayuda de profesionales) and is back on the right track.

Track es pista, pero también es vía del tren. Así que tiene mucho sentido que to be on (the right) track signifique ir por buen camino, literalmente estar encarrilado, y on the wrong track o off track es que vas mal encarrilado, o sea, que vas por el camino equivocado. I hope you’re on the right track with your English.

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¿Pillaste el chiste? To keep your nose clean es literalmente mantener la nariz limpia, pero es realmente portarse bien. Una frase de madre total es Keep your nose clean! ¡Pórtate bien! One of my favorite bands is from Boston. I’m talking about Aerosmith. Their main (principal) nickname is “the Bad Boys from Boston”. I not only listen to their music religiously but I always use them to teach English. We can learn through their songs and album titles. For example their album Rock in a Hard Place. In 1998 one of my favorite songs came out and it wasn’t even on an Aerosmith studio album. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was off the Armageddon soundtrack (banda sonora) and it’s amaaazing!!! I’d better get a grip! Ha ha! See what I did there with the titles? To be stuck between a rock and a hard place es literalmente estar entre una roca y un sitio duro, o sea, que mires por donde mires, la cosa está chunga. En español es estar entre la espada y la pared. Aerosmith está jugando con esta expresión y aquí se refieren a la música rock. Rock on! ¡Genial! I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing, además de ser uno de mis temas favoritos de este grupo, me recuerda la diferencia de uso entre to miss (perder oportunidades, penaltis, tiros, aviones, trenes, etc.) y to lose, que es perder algo físico, más como traspapelar. Let’s see if you got that explanation or if you missed it: No quiero perderme el partido.

I don’t want to miss the game.

Te perdiste una noche divertida.

You missed a fun night.

Si pierdo las llaves, perderé el avión.

If I lose my keys, I’ll miss the plane.

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WTF?

Happy hours are against the law in Boston. It seems like Bostonians can’t hold their liquor. Maybe this is why Christmas was forbidden (prohibido) in the 1600s! JK! ¡Es broma! The real reason happy hour is against the law is because in 1983, a young woman was killed when she was run over (atropellada) by a friend in the parking lot of a bar. The friend had been drinking at a happy hour in the bar earlier (antes) so they deemed (consideraron) it was the cause and made it illegal. Boston’s pub owners, however, find loopholes (vacíos legales) in the law and they usually offer drink discounts, they just don’t advertise (publicitar) them or mention them. They just shave a little off the bill (rebajan un poco la cuenta). I guess you don’t need happy hour to be happy in the end.

To hold your liquor es aguantar el alcohol. Sin embargo, solemos usar take para aguantar en otros sentidos. Let’s see if you can take these translations: ¡No aguanto más!

I can’t take anymore!

Él no aguanta las críticas.

He can’t take criticism.

¿Cuánto aguante tienes?

How much can you take?

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A perfect example of a Boston movie is the Oscarwinning Good Will Hunting (El indomable Will Hunting) by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Most of the characters speak with a Boston accent, so watch it in English to really get it down pat (hacerlo perfecto). After Robin Williams died in 2014, the Boston Public Garden park bench (banco) where he and Matt Damon had their serious conversation in the movie, became an impromptu (espontánea) memorial for Williams. People left flowers, poems and other items at the bench. A petition has been passed around to erect a statue in memory of Robin near the bench.

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Good Will Hunting, que significa el buen Will Hunting, tiene doble sentido en inglés. Goodwill significa benevolencia y Hunting, el apellido de Will, significa en busca o a la caza de. O sea, que good will hunting también podría ser en busca de la benevolencia.

GOOD SPORTS

The first thing that comes to mind if I say Boston sports outside of the US is the legendary Boston Celtics. But Bostonians don’t just love basketball, they love all their local sports teams. Perhaps their most historic sports venue (instalación deportiva) is where the Boston Red Sox play baseball. It opened way back (hace mucho tiempo) in 1912 and is the oldest original Major League Baseball stadium still in use. Even its score board (marcador) is famous. It’s called the Green Monster and is so well-known that the Red Sox have patented the shade (tono) of green now known as Fenway green. If you like baseball, you may bawl your eyes out at this historic ballpark (campo de béisbol).

To bawl your eyes out significa llorar como un bebé y la palabra bawl se pronuncia igual que ball. De hecho, si le preguntas a muchos americanos, te dirán que se escribe ball your eyes out. If the away team wins he, will bawl his eyes out. Si gana el equipo visitante, él llorará como un bebé.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Quincy, MA is where William Rosenberg opened Open Kettle in 1948. But in 1950 he changed the name to Dunkin’ Donuts. His restaurant sold primarily donuts and coffee. He got the idea for this venture (proyecto) after his experiences selling food in factories and on construction sites, where donuts and coffee were the two most sold items. The restaurant was successful and you could say that the idea was too. He started selling franchises in 1955 and now Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 12,000 restaurants in 36 countries. You could say he and his investors are rolling in the dough. ¿Te acuerdas de lo que significaba dunk? Sí, un mate de baloncesto, ¿y? Eso es... ¡también significa mojar! Porque la idea es mojar el dónut en el café. También se puede decir dip, que a lo mejor te suena de las Dippas. Ambas palabras son onomatopéyicas. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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Rolling in the dough no es una canción de Adele, sino literalmente rodar en la masa, y significa estar forrado. Me imagino que si estás forrado, tienes tanta pasta que te puedes tumbar en ella y rodar. Esta expresión se usa tanto que nos vale solo con decir to be rolling in it. Por ejemplo: Adele’s rolling in the... dough. Adele está… forrada.

At a Ball Game

Prefiero llegar a tiempo.

I’d rather be on time.

Estas entradas no son de reventa.

These tickets aren’t scalped.

Espero pillar una bola al aire.

I hope I catch a fly ball.

Asegúrate de que has hecho los deberes.

Make sure you’ve covered your bases.

¡Lo petaste!

You hit it out of the park/a home run!

¿Cómo van?

What’s the score?

Árbitro, ¡eso era falta!

Ump, that was a foul!

Ponte crema solar.

Put on some sunblock.

Te vas a quemar.

You’re going to get sunburn.

No veo el banquillo.

I can’t see the dugout.

¿Cuándo acaba el partido?

When’s the game over?

No hay límite de tiempo.

There’s no time limit.

¿Estás de coña?

Are you kidding?

Noooo, ¡cuidado con la pelota!

Noooo, HEADS UP!

Heads up es literalmente cabezas hacia arriba y lo decimos cuando hay un home run y la pelota se dirige al público. Fuera del terreno de juego, significa aviso. Hey, just a heads up! The boss is angry today. Oye, ¡solo un aviso! El jefe está enfadado hoy. 198

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Toronto, Canada

886 km

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YOU ARE HERE

Toronto,

19

Canada

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 14,119 KM

Welcome to Canada.

d do o ilusionado). We just crosse iva ot (m d he yc ps I’m so re he It’s my first time quested the penthouse re e W . tel ho r ou o int g kin ec the border and now we’re ch e floor-to-ceiling windows th m fro y cit e th of ws vie because of the amazing then nibble on (picar) some d an ke hi a r fo go to ing go is (ventanales). We’re ence Market. The only problem wr La . St us mo fa e th at ies Canadian delicac the hotel. that the market is a hike from Catch you later!

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Penthouse es ático en inglés. Cuidado, porque es un false friend. Un attic en inglés es un trastero. Lo único que tienen en común es que suelen estar en la planta superior. Pero no tiene nada que ver vivir en un penthouse que vivir en un attic. A hike significa una caminata. Viene de to go hiking, que significa hacer senderismo. Como ya os comenté, take a hike se usa para mandar a alguien a tomar viento. Pero cuando decimos que algo es a hike from somewhere, es que está lejos: Madrid is a hike from New York. Madrid está muy lejos de Nueva York.

FACT OR FICTION? Yonge Street in Toronto is the longest street in the world at 1,896 km. “Life in the Fast Lane” es una canción de The Eagles. Y en esta canción hablan de vivir la vida a tope, tal y como hacían lo roqueros de los años 70 y 80. Fast lane es carril rápido, the passing lane es el carril del medio y the right o slow lane es el carril de la derecha. Keith Richards lived his life in the fast lane! ¡Keith Richards vivió su vida a tope!

This is

History

The CN Tower opened in 1976 and is still the tallest freestanding (sin apoyos) structure in the western hemisphere (hemisferio occidental). Its observation deck (mirador) is a great place to get a bird’s-eye view (vista de pájaro) of Toronto. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can dangle (colgar) over the edge at 356 meters in the air, for an additional fee. The sky’s the limit! ¡No hay límites!

It was the longest street in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records until 1999. However, they admitted that there was a mix up (equivocación). The only way Yonge Street could be considered the longest street in the world is if you counted part of Highway 11 as Yonge Street. However, they aren’t the same and aren’t associated. This dethroned (destroneó) Yonge Street as the longest road and now that distinction belongs to the Pan-American Highway. I guess that’s what you could call life in the fast lane.

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Fee es una wee word (palabra pequeña) y significa precio de entrada, comisión y honorario. Te doy unas traducciones comunes con esta palabra: Mi honorario es de 8.000 dólares por hora.

My fee is 8,000 dollars per hour.

Mi banco no me cobra comisiones.

My bank doesn’t charge me any fees.

La agencia cobra una comisión por adelantado.

The agency charges an upfront fee.

TS FUN FAC

Toronto is Canada’s largest city. Its population is almost 5.6 million, yet it doesn’t feel like a big city. Perhaps because it’s so green, in every sense of the word! On (the) one hand because it has over 1,500 named parks, on the other hand because it’s completely pedestrian and cyclist-friendly (fácil o cómodo para…). There’s a whole city underground called PATH (camino) with shops, restaurants, and other leisure (ocio) activities.

On (the) one hand es por un lado y on the other hand es por otro lado. No decimos in one hand, ¡es on para ambas partes de la frase! Y fíjate que the es opcional. Vamos a practicarlo en voz alta como frases hechas: Por un lado, me gusta vivir en la ciudad; por otro, me encanta la naturaleza.

On one hand I like living in the city, on the other hand I love nature.

Por un lado, disfruto de los conciertos; en cambio no me gustan las masas de gente.

On one hand I enjoy concerts, on the other hand I don’t like crowds.

Por un lado, me gusta conducir; sin embargo, no aguanto los atascos.

On one hand I like driving, on the other hand I can’t stand traffic jams.

Cuidadito con esta palabra. Pedestrian es peatón y pedofile es pederasta. ¿Y te acuerdas de cómo se decía padrastro? ¡Eso es... hangnail! Entiendo que es lioso, ¡si yo me lio con estas palabras en español!

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DIG IN! When people ask me if I’m hungry, my answer is always... always! Well, Toronto is a hotspot (sitio de moda) for foodies (amantes de la comida) as it’s home to over 8,000 eateries (restaurantes). If you’re looking for authentic Greek, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese or Indian cuisine, ambiance and music, just stop by Greektown, Little Italy, Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Portugal or Little India. And, if ethnic food isn’t your thing, you can try the peameal bacon (lomo de cerdo o beicon canadiense) sandwich, which was created by William Davies at the St. Lawrence Market. Speaking of, we’d better save room because later on (más tarde) we’re going to this iconic market. You had better... significa Más te vale… y casi siempre se contrae como you’d better.... ¡Incluso los americanos nos saltamos la “d” y decimos you better…! You’d better practice this, or else (porque si no)… Más te vale practicar si quieres mejorar.

You’d better practice if you want to improve.

Más te vale comer sano si quieres estar en forma.

You’d better eat healthy if you want to be in shape.

Más le vale a él no contestar a su madre; si no, le va a castigar.

He’d better not talk back to his mom or else she’s going to punish him.

LOCAL LINGO

l way to do an The stereotypica add eh a Canadian is to impression of I think ut B . ird word eh th ch ea r te af or ay ish isn’t rating eh! Engl ge ag ex st ju e ultural they’r en in this multic ok sp ge ua ng la d dialects the only 0 languages an 13 c, ifi ec sp be lyglots; over city; to ntonians are po ro To . re he en an English are spok nguage other th la a k ea sp em hen you walk 30% of th ll realize this w u’ yo d An . ch ur eyes, you and Fren If you closed yo s. et re st e th tries around number of coun could be in any eh? , ol Co Toronto. without leaving

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Estas expresiones son impresionantes porque no tienen nada que ver. To do an impression es imitar y to make an impression significa causar impresión. Vamos a ver si se te ha quedado en la cabeza: Él imita muy bien a Richard Vaughan.

He does a good impression of Richard Vaughan.

Causó muy buena impresión.

She made a great first impression.

Mi primera impresión de ti es que imitabas bien a la gente.

My first impression of you is that you do good impressions of people.

Famous Torontonians Jim Carrey Mike Myers

Many A-list celebs are from Toronto; household names (nombres muy conocidos) such as Jim Carrey and Mike Myers. But these aren’t the only stars shining in the Toronto night. Every year the glamorous Toronto Film Festival brings in Hollywood’s heavyweights. That is, if they’re not in town (en la ciudad) filming one of the many movies that are filmed here every year. As you can clearly see, there’s a reason why the films that come from Toronto and Vancouver are from Hollywood North, not to be confused with North Hollywood in California. This is really starting to go south (irse al garete).

No te líes… A-list no es The A Team (El equipo A). A-list es literalmente ser de la lista A, es decir, la gente más famosa y los pesos pesados de Hollywood y el mundo del espectáculo. Pero cuidado, también hay B-list y C-list, y puedes subir o bajar en cualquier momento. Por ejemplo, John Travolta ha sido una A-list celebrity, luego ha bajado a la C-list y ha vuelto a la A-list, pero para mí siempre ha estado en la lista de los actores que bailan en cada película en la que salen. I hope you brought your A game to Toronto. Espero que vengas en buena forma a Toronto.

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Neil Young comes from a long line of people who make Canadians proud to call him their boy. His father Scott Young is a sportswriter and journalist, revered (venerado) in Canada. These are hard shoes to fill (difícil seguir sus pasos o dar la talla). But Neil has a sense of humor when it comes to life. When he was a fledgling (emergente) artist, he got a hearse to get to gigs (bolos) and he named it Mort. I don’t know whether he’s young at heart (como un joven) or dead serious (muy serio). Hearse es un coche fúnebre. Si eres fan de AC/DC, verás que esta palabra sale en la canción “Back in Black”: “Forget the hearse cause I’ll never die... I got nine lives, cat’s eyes15 ”. Y después dice que tiene 9 vidas, porque los gatos anglosajones tienen 9 vidas en vez de 7. No hablo de los madrileños de pura cepa, hablo de los felinos.

WTF?

Toronto’s hottest (más cálido o popular) place is the Condom Shack. It’s an infamous sex shop that sells every kind of prophylactic imaginable plus a wide range of other steamy (sexual) products, such as sex toys and bondage stuff. Don’t go there for the Coca-Cola flavored condom, go there for the friendly staff. But hey, don’t take my word for it, check the comments on TripAdvisor.

Prophylactic es preservativo. Cuidado, porque preservatives en inglés son conservantes y no preservativos. Igual que rubber en el Reino Unido es un borrador, mientras que en Estados Unidos un borrador se dice an eraser; a rubber en mi país sería un condón. Si no tienes cuidado con este false friend, te puede explotar en la cara. Los de TripAdvisor te aconsejan sobre viajes, tal y como dice su nombre. Pero no te líes con to advise, que es aconsejar, y advice, que significa consejo. Nunca decimos an advice ni some advices en plural, porque es incontable en inglés. Vamos a ver si has seguido mi advice: Deja que te dé un consejo.

Let me give you some advice.

¿Tienes algún consejo?

Do you have any advice?

Me dieron unos consejos.

They gave me some pieces of advice.

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E TELL M

E

I V O M THE

As I stated (dije) before, so many movies are shot here, even movies that supposedly take place in NY, Chicago, or LA, that why it’s called Hollywood North. Let’s play a movie game! I’ll give you a popular movie and you tell me if it was filmed in Toronto or not. It’s easy, the odds (la probabilidad) are 50/50: • American Psycho • Brokeback Mountain • Crash • Good Will Hunting • Kick-Ass • My Big Fat Greek Wedding • Suicide Squad • X-Men • Chicago

Tener lugar no es to have place, sino to take place. También se puede decir to be set; un ejemplo: Amenábar’s Abre los ojos was set in Madrid.

GOOD SPORTS

Canadians love their ice but they aren’t icy (de personalidad fría) fans. There are 52 outdoor skating rinks (pistas de patinaje de hielo) in Toronto. So, of course, they love their hockey! And don’t call it ice hockey because… is there any other kind of hockey? Not for Canadians! I made that mistake and that’s exactly what I was told. The Toronto Maple Leafs (hojas de arce) are the local team and they haven’t won a championship since 1967. Despite being one of the worst teams in the hockey league, they have loyal diehard (a muerte) fans and their season tickets are always sold out. I guess the fans are hopeful (tienen la esperanza) that the team will turn over a new leaf.

Respuesta: Todas estas pelis se han rodado en Toronto. Así que si te molan las pelis y no quieres ir tan lejos como Hollywood, tienes Toronto mucho más cerca. Y la ciudad ¡es de película!

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Hay dos formas de decir a pesar de en inglés, pero es uno o el otro. ¡No me hagas un híbrido! Puedes decir in spite of o despite. A pesar de toda tu brillantez, creo que deberíamos practicarlo: A pesar de la lluvia, decidimos celebrarlo de todas formas.

In spite of the rain, we decided to celebrate anyway.

Lo pasaremos bien a pesar de su actitud.

We’ll have fun despite his attitude.

A pesar de todo, siempre has sido mi amigo.

In spite of everything, you’ve always been my friend.

Leaf es hoja de árbol, pero también es otra palabra para page (página). Así que to turn over a new leaf es pasar página. También se puede decir to turn the page si te resulta más fácil. This book is a page-turner. Este libro engancha.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Frank Gehry, one of the most famous architects worldwide (en todo el mundo), was born in Toronto. He’s left his mark on the world and on Spain with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Marqués de Riscal Vineyard Hotel in La Rioja Alavesa. Both buildings are visited and admired by millions every year. Another famous Torontonian who reaches (alcanza) millions of people every Saturday night is Lorne Michaels, the producer and creator of Saturday Night Live. Not only is he a successful entrepreneur (emprendedor de éxito), but he also has a good eye (tiene buen ojo) for talent and has helped many with their careers, as Saturday Night Live is a springboard (trampolín) to success.

Vineyard es viñedo y es otra de las palabras lógicas. Vine es vid o parra, y yard es campo. Pero no se pronuncia /váinyard/, sino /vvvínierd/.

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St. Lawrence Market

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St. Lawrence Market es uno de los grandes mercados de Canadá.

St. Lawrence Market is one of Canada’s great markets.

Hay una gama amplia de opciones.

There’s a wide variety of options.

Alberga un mercado de productores ecológicos semanal.

It hosts a weekly farmer’s market.

Fue nombrado mejor mercado de abastos del mundo por National Geographic en 2012.

It was named the world’s best food market by National Geographic in 2012.

Vamos a pillar unas chuletas en la carnicería.

Let’s grab some chops at the butcher’s.

¿Hay un puesto de lácteos?

Is there a dairy stand?

¡Claro! Está al lado de la pescadería.

Of course! It’s next to the fish monger’s.

Esa fruta está madura.

That fruit is ripe.

¿Cuánto cuestan las ostras por unidad?

How much is it per oyster?

La tarde ha sido fructífera.

It was a fruitful afternoon.

Ahora me apetece vaguear en el sofá.

Now I just want to veg out on the sofa.

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Chicago, Illinois

837 km

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YOU ARE HERE

20

Chicago, IL TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 14,956 KM

nd erica, Chicago. This is my seco Am h rt No in op st t las r ou to Greetings from ch the first time that I had mu so it ed lov I y. cit ) so to en time in the windy (v ping, live music, cool people, op sh , es lak s, er riv e, ur ct ite return. If you love arch you. We’re going to walk r fo ce pla e th is n ow i-T Ch yummy food and beer, then ía) as it’s called by jud (la an Be e Th or e, at dg ou a around the city starting at Cl Grant Park that looks like... in ed at loc re tu ulp sc ed or rr many. It’s a cool mi it’s between Lake Michigan d an ) so ro mb so (a g din un to bean! Grant Park is as ncerts, a museum, an co r fo ium or dit au an s ha en and the skyscrapers. It ev ital, interactive Crown dig , rn de mo e th s: in ta un fo t en e aquarium and two very differ untain. You might recognize th Fo am gh in ck Bu ic ss cla re mo Fountain and the d with Children (Matrimonio rie ar M ow sh TV e th om fr o) latter (segundo o últim ything but the famous er ev t no , ell W . go ica Ch in re con hijos). It all starts he gámonos en marcha! on ¡P d! te ar st t ge t’s Le . go Route 66 starts here in Chica 210

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Chicago no se pronuncia con una “ch” tal como está escrito, sino que suena más bien como una “sh” como /shikágou/. Igual que Lake Michigan, que se dice /míshigen/. Si te cuesta mucho, siempre puedes llamar a esta ciudad por uno de sus muchos apodos, como the Second City, the Windy City o Chi-Town /sháitaun/.

FACT OR FICTION? The Chicago River is the only river in the world that flows backwards. Es curioso que tengamos tres palabras para decir al revés en inglés, siendo backwards una de ellas, que también significa hacia atrás. La otra es inside out, como la camiseta que te pones en la oscuridad. You’re wearing your T-shirt inside out. Llevas la camiseta del revés. A lo mejor te suena de la película Inside Out (Del revés). La última es upside down, que es al revés pero boca abajo. That roller coaster goes upside down. Esa montaña rusa va boca abajo. Las dos últimas te suenan del temazo “Upside Down” de Diana Ross. To go with the flow es una expresión muy común en inglés y significa dejarse llevar. Tiene sentido porque es literalmente ir con el flujo o corriente del río, y no luchar por ir en contra. I guess they thought they had nothing to lose (de perdidos al río).

This is

History

You cannot talk about the history of Chicago without talking about bootlegger, racketeer (estafador), mob boss (capo de la mafia) Al “Scarface” Capone. He used Chicago as his headquarters to run his multi-million dollar racket (chanchullo o fraude). In fact, there are still remnants (restos) of Capone’s Chicago like underground tunnels once used to transport liquor, the location of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, night clubs he used to run, etc. But be warned (pero avisado estás) Chicagoans in general aren’t proud if this bloody part of their history and prefer to celebrate the many other people who called Chicago home like architect Frank Lloyd Wright, writer Ernest Hemingway, and yes, even rapper Kanye West.

The Chicago River was engineered to flow backwards on purpose in 1900 because of sanitary issues caused by sewage (aguas residuales). All the sewage from the city was flowing into Lake Michigan. But the Chicagoans decided not to go with the flow. They reversed the river to flow in the other direction using locks (esclusas) and canals. Another interesting fact is that the river is dyed green every year on St. Patrick’s Day. I know you are green with envy (tienes mucha envidia)! So what are you waiting for? Come discover Chicago!

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Bootlegger es contrabandista y se dice así porque llevaban el alcohol de contrabando en las botas. De ahí la palabra bootleg. Pero ahora no solo se usa para alcohol, sino para cualquier producto pirata. He bought a bootleg DVD downtown. El compró un DVD pirata en el centro. La palabra blood se pronuncia /blad/ y no como está escrita. Bloody significa sangriento para los americanos. Para los ingleses, bloody también es maldito. Así que Las malditas calles sangrientas sería The bloody bloody streets.

TS C A F FUN

Chicago has always been inventing and reinventing itself. In fact their tireless spirit is what Chicagoans are known for. When this city burned to the ground in 1871, they saw it as a chance to rebuild a better, stronger city. Like the Phoenix they rose from the ashes. And it doesn’t end there; the zipper was invented in Chicago in 1851, the vacuum cleaner (aspiradora) in 1868, the Ferris wheel in 1893 and spray paint in 1949. Still not impressed? Well, Martin Cooper invented the first cell phone in Chicago in 1973! So next time you pick up (coger) the phone, think of Chicagoans like Martin Cooper, who picked up the pieces (reconstruyeron).

Zipper, otra palabra onomatopéyica, es cremallera, así que no te extrañará que to zip up sea subir la cremallera. ¿Entonces to zip down es bajar la cremallera? ¡No! Bajar la cremallera es to unzip. Somos lógicos, pero no tan lógicos. Sé que spray es una palabra que reconoces, pero ¿la pronuncias bien? Nada de /esprái/ como en español. Se pronuncia /ssspréi/.

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DIG IN! Chicago is known for its deep-dish pizza (pizza de masa gruesa, lit. pizza de plato hondo). It’s a thick pizza and the cheese is baked (horneado) into the center of it. It’s very different from NY-style pizza, which is generally thin crust (masa fina). Deep-dish pizza is very filling so I wouldn’t recommend ordering too many starters (entrantes). If pizza isn’t your thing, don’t worry because Chicago has tons of other culinary options. My favorite place is actually a dive bar (antro) called the Billy Goat Tavern. Perhaps I always go back to it due to its history. The founder, Billy Sianis, supposedly cursed the Chicago Cubs baseball team when he and his goat were thrown out (fueron expulsados) of a game. It took many decades to finally break this curse and win the World Series. It’s called the Curse of the Billy Goat. The place is legendary and it’s still family-owned and run. And we’re lucky because we’re in town for Taste of Chicago, the world’s largest free outdoor food festival. You can snack on cuisine from all around the world here. Whatever you’re in the mood for (para lo que te apetezca), Chicago’s got it!

Billy goat es un macho cabrío. No decimos que alguien está como una cabra en inglés, diríamos he’s nuts. Pero si miramos la palabra goat, sale la palabra goatee (perilla). Y oirás GOAT en muchas canciones de rap, y en este caso significa the greatest of all time (el mejor de todos los tiempos).

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LOCAL LINGO

I will try and keep you in the loop. I’m talking about the Loop in Chicago. It’s the central area in Chicago and it’s called the Loop because the elevated train is circular, literally a loop. When I think of the Chicago accent, I think of a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch with Mike Myers called Da Bears. Check it out. In the sketches they refer to the local teams and instead of saying the Bears, the Bulls or the Cubs, they say Da Bears, Da Bulls, Da Cubs. So as you can see, the “th” is really a “d”. I love the Chicago accent, it’s da best!

To keep someone in the loop es mantener a alguien al tanto. Sabiendo esto, sabemos que to be out of the loop es no estar al tanto o estar en las afueras de Chicago. Instead of significa en vez de y suelo oírlo pronunciado /instídaf/, cuando realmente se pronuncia /instédaf/ como una sola palabra. Vamos a practicarlo en voz alta:

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Quiero café en vez de té.

I want coffee instead of tea.

Pedí algo nuevo en vez de lo mismo de siempre.

I ordered something new instead of the usual.

En vez de quejarte, haz algo.

Instead of complaining, do something.

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Famous Chicagoans Barack Obama Walt Disney

Obama isn’t from Chicago but he grew up here. Another legendary name associated with Chicago is Walt Disney. Wait, wasn’t he born in Mojácar, Spain? Either way, this visionary was ironically terrified of mice (ratones). He would literally freeze up (congelarse) when he saw them. Did you get my joke? Frozen, the movie, and supposedly Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen...? OK, I admit it, it wasn’t that funny. But Walt was never a mousey (timído) guy, he was very vocal. But when his wife wanted to change Mortimer Mouse’s name to Mickey, he listened. Thank God good taste prevailed! ¡Menos mal que se impuso el buen gusto! Mortimer Mouse sounds... deadly (mortífero)!

Terrified significa aterrorizado, pero ojo con la engañosa terrific, porque significa fantástico. Terrorífico no es terrorific, de hecho es una palabra inventada por los españoles. Solemos usar awful, horrific, terrible, lousy, etc. This is terrific news! ¡Esta es una noticia fantástica! Many musicians come from Chicago. It’s always been a musical city. In fact, it was the birthplace of electric blues, where Muddy Waters (agua con barro) first plugged in the acoustic guitar. And electric blues set the ball rolling (allanó el camino) for rock ‘n’ roll. And many rock bands got their start in Chicago too. One of my favorites is The Smashing Pumpkins (calabazas aplastantes). They are smashing! And they’ve had many smash hits (temazos). Te suena unplugged de MTV, ¿no? Pues es porque se supone que los instrumentos están desenchufados. El enchufe es the plug. To plug in es enchufar. ¿Y to plug out es desenchufar? Que no… ¡desenchufar es to unplug!

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Smashing, en el sentido de estupendo, es muy British, pero como siempre digo, los Brits y los yanquis nos entendemos. Do you like the book? Is it smashing? Si quieres ver esto en contexto, es un catchphrase (lema) del muy British Austin Powers. Smashing baby!

WTF?

Chicago is always at war. Not with weapons! It’s a question of who has the tallest building in the USA. Chicago and NY have been facing off (enfrentándose) for years now. If you ask a New Yorker, they will tell you that WTC1 is the tallest building in the USA. But Chicagoans say that antennas or spires (aguja) don’t count so their Willis Tower, or as they still call it Sears Tower, is the tallest. Our tour guide said that if you went to the highest floor in the Willis Tower; which is 110th floor, you would be looking down on (mirándolos desde arriba) the people on the highest floor of WTC1, which is 104th floor. Either way, you have to go to the top of the Willis Tower. You can see 4 states, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, from its observation deck.

Weapons son armas y se pronuncia /uépens/ y no /uíipens/. Si te cuesta, no pasa nada. Di arms, ¿vale, mi arma? To look down on es un phrasal verb bastante lógico, porque significa mirar desde arriba pero también significa que algo está mal visto. Fíjate: Society looks down on that behavior. Ese comportamiento está mal visto por la sociedad. To look up to, en cambio, es admirar. Es como un niño que mira hacia arriba con admiración a sus padres. Vamos a ver si lo has pillado:

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Está mal visto hablar en alto por el móvil en público.

Talking loudly on your phone in public is looked down on.

Ella admira a sus abuelos.

She looks up to her grandparents.

Está mal visto admirar a los criminales.

Looking up to criminals is looked down on.

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TELL ME THE MOVIE Chicago is becoming ever more popular (cada vez más popular) as a set for movies and TV shows. Some even bear (llevan) the city’s name such as the musical called Chicago. The movie I, Robot was filmed in Chicago and The Untouchables (Los intocables de Eliot Ness) was also set (se desarrolla) here. Robert De Niro, being a method actor, tracked down (ubicó) Capone’s original tailors (sastres), and had them make him some identical tailored suits for the movie. De Niro even insisted on wearing the same style silk (seda) underwear (gayumbos) that Capone wore, although (aunque) it would never be seen on the screen. Thank God! Method es método y no se pronuncia /mézod/ tal como está escrito, sino /mézed/… ¡al menos según el Vaughan Method /vvvoon mézed/! Tailored significa a medida. También se dice en inglés tailor-made, que es hecho por un sastre. Pero no solo se aplica este adjetivo a la ropa. We have tailor-made English courses. Tenemos cursos de inglés hechos a medida. ¡Ay, perdona! No te dije cómo se pronunciaba: es /téilermeid/. ¡Qué de-sastre!

GOOD

As I said earlier in the food section, there was a supposed curse, the Curse of the Billy Goat, on the Chicago Cubs (oseznos). The Cubs had a losing streak (racha perdedora) that lasted (duró) 108 years. In 2016, the Cubs finally ended this curse or losing streak when they won the World Series for the first time since 1908. Cubs fans were cursing (usando palabrotas) in the street! They said: “Holy mother f%&$ing s%&T, we won!! I can’t f$&$king believe it!

SPORTS

Las palabras supposed (supuesto) y supposedly (supuestamente) se usan bastante en inglés y lo que me desconcierta es su pronunciación. Supposed se pronuncia /supóused/ y supposedly /supóusedli/. También puedes decir alleged /aléched/ y allegedly /aléchedli/, que tampoco son fáciles de decir y significan presunto y presuntamente. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

The first issue of Playboy came from Chicago in 1953. Media mogul Hugh Hefner also started the first Playboy Club here in his hometown (lugar de nacimiento). I read Playboy because I like the articles, I swear (te lo juro)! Not a fan of Playboy? Perhaps you like to get your fix (dosis) of fast food. The golden arches (arcos dorados) or Mickey Dees, as we fondly (con cariño) call it, opened its first franchise here in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines in 1955. Un número de una revista en inglés, no es number sino issue y se pronuncia /íshu/. Have you read the new issue of Rolling Stone? Has leído el nuevo número de la Rolling Stone?  I hope you read the English version! ¡Dilo bien! No quiero que sea un tema. Say it right! I don’t want it to be an issue.

Sailing on Lake Michigan

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Nunca he navegado a vela.

I’ve never sailed before.

No te preocupes, es fácil.

Don’t worry, it’s a breeze.

Por la boca muere el pez.

Famous last words!

Todo va ir como la seda.

It’s going to be smooth sailing!

El lago está revuelto hoy.

The lake is choppy today.

Espero no marearme.

I hope I don’t get seasick.

No muevas el barco. / No causes problemas.

Don’t rock the boat!

Prepárate para lo peor.

Batten down the hatches.

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Batten down the hatches es literalmente cerrar las escotillas de la nave para que no entre agua en una tormenta. El equivalente en español sería prepárate para lo peor o prepárate para la tormenta. Tiene mucho sentido. Apréndetela como frase hecha en una sola palabra: /bétndaunzehhheches/ ¡Prepárate!

Dublin, Ireland

5,894 km

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Pit Stop

4

A Bite to Eat I don’t know about you, but I’m starving (muerto de hambre). In fact I’m starting to get a bit light-headed (mareado). I think I have low blood sugar (bajo el nivel de azúcar en sangre). Shall we have a 3-course meal (menú completo) or just a pick-me-up? A pick-me-up es un tentempié. Y la idea es igual que en español. Si lo tradujéramos, sería literalmente un levántame. Lo decimos así porque no solo te sube el nivel de azúcar en sangre, sino también la energía. If you want a good pickme-up, pick up an apple. Si quieres un buen tentempié, coge una manzana.

To go – para llevar Si pides algo en una cafetería, normalmente te preguntarán: For here or to go? ¿Para tomar aquí o para llevar? Esta vez vamos con prisa, así que… get it to go! ¡para llevar! ¿Quieres algo salado o dulce?

Do you want something savory or sweet?

Ya me conoces. Soy un goloso.

You know me. I have a sweet tooth.

Voy a por una barra de pan y embutido.

I’m going to get a loaf of bread and some cold cuts.

Creo que voy a tomar unas tabletas de chocolate y una bolsa de patatas fritas.

I think I’ll have some chocolate bars and a bag of chips.

Te va a dar un subidón de azúcar.

You’re going to get a sugar rush.

No quiero migas en el coche de alquiler. I don’t want any crumbs in the rental car. Y no tires basura por la ventanilla. Te multarán.

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And don’t litter. You’ll get fined.

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Vale, me guardaré el envoltorio en el bolsillo hasta que veamos una papelera.

Fine, I’ll keep the wrapper in my pocket until we see a garbage can.

O podemos pedir una bolsa de más para la basura.

Or we can just ask for an extra bag for our trash.

Savory es salado cuando queremos distinguir entre salado o dulce. Salty significa salado en el sentido de que tiene demasiada sal. Do you prefer a sweet or savory breakfast? ¿Prefieres dulce o salado para desayunar? ¿Te has fijado en que una tableta de chocolate se dice a chocolate bar? ¿Y una barra de pan? No es a bar of bread, sino a loaf of bread.

For here Un mesa para dos, por favor.

A table for two, please.

¿Tienes menú del día?

Do you have a fixed daily menu?

¿Nos trae la cuenta?

May we have the check?

Son 25,50 $.

That’ll be $25.50.

¿La propina está incluida?

Is the tip/gratuity included?

¿Tienes cambio de un billete de cien?

Can you break a hundred?

En inglés americano solemos decir the check y en el Reino Unido dicen the bill para referirse a la cuenta. What’s the damage? es otra opción que en español se traduce como ¿Nos traes la dolorosa? Tip es propina, pero se suele utilizar la palabra gratuity en la cuenta física. Así que, before leaving a tip (antes de dejar propina), asegúrate de que en la cuenta no ponga gratuity included.

Snack idioms Tu hermano es lo mejor que hay.

Your brother is all that and a bag of chips.

Estábamos de palique.

We were chewing the fat.

No puedes tenerlo todo.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Estoy muy ocupado/abarcando mucho.

I’ve got a lot on my plate.

El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

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YOU ARE HERE

21

Dublin, Ireland TOTAL DISTAN CE

TRAVELLED: 21 ,317 KM

Hello from Dublin!

is so of Ireland, Dublin. This place al pit ca e th om fr s) do alu (s Regards real Irish pub, it’s a a to go to ve ha e W ). do ma unique and lively (ani g to see the sights (ver sitios in go ’re we st fir t Bu ! le) dib must (imprescin s (bebiendo) all day. One of my pis e th on be to nt wa n’t do turísticos). I y we’ll go to Martello da to d an re he om fr is e, yc Jo favorite writers, James book Ulysses takes place. ry da en leg s hi of r te ap ch st Tower where the fir s we luck out and it doesn’t pis pe ho I so y, da e th of st mo We’ll be outside cks y that the Irish and shamro sa ey Th . us on ) os ar nt cá a down (llover ep your fingers crossed! (tréboles) bring good luck. Ke

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La palabra luck trae mala suerte porque la gente se lía al usarla, pero voy a aclararlo aquí. Luck es el sustantivo suerte, lucky es el adjetivo suertudo o con suerte, y los verbos to be lucky y to luck out son tener suerte. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos. Con un poco de suerte lo has pillado: Él siempre ha tenido suerte.

He’s always been lucky.

Tengo mala suerte. Soy desafortunado.

I have bad luck. I’m unlucky.

Tuvimos suerte, pero algunos no tuvieron tanta suerte.

We lucked out but some people weren’t so lucky.

FACT OR FICTION? Temple Bar is one of the most well-known pubs in Dublin. To bar o to ban es prohibir. También se puede decir to prohibit, pero son tres sílabas, y ¡ya sabes cómo vamos de tiempo estos días! Una expresión con esta palabra es No holds barred. Viene de la lucha deportiva (wrestling) donde holds son llaves y aquí no hay llaves prohibidas, o lo que viene siendo que vale todo. The political debate was no holds barred. El debate político no tuvo restricciones.

This is

History

The name Dublin comes from the words “Dubh Linn”, which is an old Irish Gaelic phrase that translates to black pool (charco negro). I know what you’re thinking, Blackpool is also a place in England! Interestingly enough (curiosamente), Blackpool gets its name from a drainage channel (canal de desagüe) that released discoloured water (vertía aguas decoloradas) into the Irish Sea. This formed a black pool on the other side of the sea in... you guessed it, Dublin! Is it me or does this black pool sound a lot like waste (aguas residuales)? If I were you, I wouldn’t drink the water, drink Guinness!

Temple Bar is one of the most well-known areas in Dublin. It’s positioned (ubicado) on the south bank (orilla) of the River Liffey. It’s not called Temple Bar because there are a lot of bars here, which by the way is also true, but because this is the area where the first Jewish temple was built in Ireland. And the term ‘bar’ in this case refers to the verb ’prohibit’ because at that time, the Catholics barred the Jewish people from entering any of their businesses. Nevertheless, there’s a bar in temple Bar area called the Temple Bar Pub. I drank too much and was barred from this bar last night.

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If I were you... significa Yo que tú…, pero escucharás a muchos americanos decir If I was you…. Sí, es gramaticalmente incorrecto, pero como bien sabes, los nativos a veces dejan el libro de gramática en segundo de la ESO… Yo que tú lo practicaría en voz alta: Yo que tú no comería comida basura.

If I were you, I wouldn’t eat junk food.

Si yo fuera él, no me enfadaría tanto.

If I were him, I wouldn’t get that angry.

Si yo fuera el jefe, no trabajaríamos los viernes.

If I were the boss, we wouldn’t work on Fridays.

FUN FACTS

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough16” (lo suficientemente alto) literally... to be considered a mountain, at least in Dublin. The so called (así llamado) Dublin Mountains are popular places to go hiking and connect with nature. But don’t get your hopes up mountaineers; don’t expect Everest or anything like it. I think you would consider these to be more like little hills. And you wouldn’t be wrong, none of the Dublin Mountains are high enough to meet the criteria to be considered a mountain. The tallest one is the Sugarloaf and it measures (mide) a mere (simplemente) 423.3 meters above sea level (sobre el nivel del mar). But don’t worry outdoor adventurers if these mountains don’t challenge (retar) you, there are 46 rivers in Dublin City alone. So, cry me a river (puedes llorar todo lo que quieras) if you don’t like rivers.

To get your hopes up or to have high hopes es tener altas expectativas. Así que don’t get your hopes up es literalmente que no se te suba la esperanza. Vamos a ver unas frases con algunos usos comunes de esta idea. I hope you do a good job!

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Ella tiene altas expectativas en el nuevo puesto.

She has high hopes in the new position.

No te hagas ilusiones, solo te va a decepcionar/defraudar.

Don’t get your hopes up; he’s only going to let you down.

Espero que no tuvieras demasiadas expectativas.

I hope you didn’t get your hopes up.

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DIG IN! Ten million pints of Guinness are produced daily around the world. Furthermore (es más), Dubliners drink a total of 9,800 pints an hour between 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and 3:00 a.m. on the following Mondays, which is pretty much (lo que viene siendo) the whole weekend. But you can’t live off (vivir de) just Guinness. Even though eating is cheating, I’m going to order either a shepherd’s pie which is minced lamb (cordero) and vegetables topped off with mashed potato, or Irish stew (guiso) made with lamb and veggies. On second thought (pensándolo mejor), I’ll have some bangers and mash (salchichas con puré de patata) because I want to go out with a bang (salir por la puerta grande)! Cuidado con la pronunciación de whole. Se pronuncia igual que hole (agujero): /hhhóul/. I can see the whole hole. Veo el agujero entero. Resiste la tentación de pronunciar esa “w”. On the whole (teniendo todo en cuenta o en general), es el error más común al pronunciar esta palabra. Eating is cheating significa comer es hacer trampa, y es lo que te dicen los amigos cuando estás on the piss (de borrachera) y tú sugieres pedir un kebab. Esto es porque cuando comes, se te baja el puntillo. Yo tengo que comer ¡aunque sea on the down low (a escondidas)!

LOCAL LINGO

Dublinese is quite both similar to NY speak. We In the rest . “t” a e pronounce the “th” lik nounced pro is 33 er of the world, the numb trí/. When rti /te it’s n d Dubli /zertizrí/ but in NY an y say other (se saludan), the Dubliners greet each y hay?) while in NY we sa What’s the craic? (¿Qué I t s up?. Another thing tha ‘Sup? , short for What’ en wh that the Irish, in general always found funny is ur yo y d so (fulanito), they sa they speak about so an at k loo t’s Le ! him know man even if you don’t in Dublin and some things you’ll hear n’t talk, they sing! remember, the Irish do accents. It’s It’s one of my favorite ea music to my rs.

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Buenos días, tío.

Mornin lad.

¿Qué tal?

What’s the craic?

¡Vaya risas anoche!

Good craic last night!

¿Oíste lo que dijo fulanito ayer?

Did you hear what your man said yesterday?

Me lo perdí; estaba de borrachera.

I missed it; I was on the lash.

Te he dicho 33 veces que si tienes sed, bebas agua.

I’ve told you 33 times that if you are thirsty, drink water.

LOCAL LINGO

Famous Dubliners

Oscar Wilde

Dublin has produced some amazing writers, like Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde went to the famous Trinity College along with Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, and many other influential figures from all different fields. This famous learning institution was founded in 1592. It has a campanile (campanilla) that tourists always take pictures of but you won’t see the students walking under it, as it’s bad luck. They say if you pass under the bell when it’s tolling (sonando), you will fail your exams. On graduation day, the students walk under the campanile as a rite of passage (un rito de iniciación). I guess you could say that, by that time, they are saved by the bell (salvados por la campana).

To fail es fracasar, pero también significa suspender un curso o un examen. Se pronuncia /féil/. Lo contrario es to pass: If you don’t make an effort, you’ll fail but if you do your best, you’ll pass. Si no haces un esfuerzo, no aprobarás, pero si lo haces de la mejor forma posible, aprobarás. Te acabo de colar el primer condicional sin que te dieras cuenta. Es muy fácil, ¡como en español! La estructura es: if + presente + futuro. Mira: If you don’t pass, you’ll get left back. Si no apruebas, tendrás que repetir el año. 226

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I can’t think of Ireland without thinking of U2. U2? ¿Tú tampoco? Then you must visit Windmill Lane Studios. It’s covered with graffiti from U2 fans around the world that have paid tribute (rendir homenaje). It’s known as the U2 Wall. For U2 fans, this is the Catedral de Santiago of rock. But Dublin’s love for music started way before (mucho antes) that, specifically in 1742 when Handel’s Messiah, one of the most famous masterpieces (obras maestras) in the world, had its premiere in front of 700 people here in Dublin. And, as I said, if you want to hear music, just listen to the Irish talk. And if you don’t mingle (relacionarse con la gente) and try to talk, eventually you’ll have to face the music. To face the music es enfrentarte a la música, pero la expresión significa afrontar las consecuencias o hacerse cargo de algo. Hay varias explicaciones del porqué, pero yo siempre me quedo con la que mejor visualice o la que más sentido tenga… ¡al menos en mi cabeza! Se supone que cuando un actor salía al escenario, se tenía que poner delante del orchestra pit (foso de la orquesta). Let’s face it, it’s very visual! Las cosas como son, ¡es muy visual!

WTF?

Dubliners have very ‘endearing’ (adorable) names for their public fountains and statues. Anna Livia, a statue that is now located in Croppies Memorial Park, was called the Floozy in the Jacuzzi (fulana en el jacuzzi). Another one of legendary Molly Malone on Grafton Street is known as the Tart with the Cart (la furcia con el carrito). Molly Malone would turn over in her grave. And it doesn’t stop there, the women at the Ha’Penny bridge are called Hags with the Bags (brujas con bolsas) and James Joyce’s statue is called the Dick with the Stick (capullo con el palo). The Millenium Spire has two unofficial names, the Stiletto by the Ghetto and the Stiffy by the Liffey (erección cerca del río Liffey). I don’t know why city hall bothers (molestarse en) naming these landmarks. They should just start a contest. It seems like Dubliners have a lot of creative ideas when it comes to names. Hey, at least they all rhyme!

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To turn over in one’s grave significa revolverse en su tumba y es cuando está pasando algo que no deja al muerto rest in peace (descansar en paz). This is a very grave expression. Esta expresión es muy grave.

TELL ME

THE MOVIE

And the Oscar goes to… There are a lot of Dubliners walking around Tinseltown like Colin Farrell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Gabriel Byrne, etc. But a lesser known (menos conocido) Hollywood connection is that the Oscar statue was designed by Dubliner Cedric Gibbons in 1928. And as if that wasn’t enough, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Production Design 38 times and won the Oscar 11 times. Pretty impressive (bastante impresionante), but you’ve never even heard of him until now, have you? That’s a wrap!

That’s a wrap! es ¡Vámonos pa’ casa! y es lo que se dice al final de una rodaje. Hoy en día también se usa fuera de este contexto. El verbo to wrap también sirve: We’re going to wrap in 15 minutes. Vamos a acabar en 15 minutos.

GOOD

Do you know how to say lanzar in English? If you said to throw, you’d be right (tendrías razón). But perhaps the word hurl sounds familiar to sports fans. It also means to throw! You nailed it! ¡Lo clavaste! Hurling is the national sport of Ireland. It’s a game that’s been played for 3,000 years. The objective of the game is for players to use a wooden stick, called a hurley, to hurl (lanzar) a small ball called a sliotar between your adversary’s goalposts (poste de portería). I’ve been playing it for 20 minutes… and I think I’m going to hurl!

SPORTS

¿Pillaste el doble sentido de to hurl? Por una parte es lanzar y por otra es vomitar. Fíjate en que lanzar también es to throw, pero si añadimos up, se convierte en to throw up, que es vomitar. O sea, que en nuestras cabezas anglosajonas, lo que estamos haciendo cuando vomitamos es lanzar lo que llevamos dentro. 228

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

There are many IT (informática) companies in Dublin but perhaps its most famous company has nothing to do with technology. It’s Guinness. And you can’t say you’ve been to Dublin without a visit to the Guinness storehouse and brewery (cervecería). Make sure you have a pint on the roof to enjoy the panoramic views of the city. And Guinness doesn’t just make stout. In 1954 the managing director of Guinness at that time wanted to have a guide (guía) to settle bar debates once and for all (de una vez por todas). Enter the Guinness Book of World Records. I know, I mentioned Guinness many times in this paragraph. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record (un disco rayado).

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Stout es cerveza negra, pero también significa corpulento o robusto. ¿Y cómo es la Guinness? ¡Es como comerte una fabada! The stout guy had a stout. El chico corpulento se tomó una cerveza negra. To settle es una palabra muy usada en inglés y significa resolver, llegar a un acuerdo, calmarse o asentarse. Pero también es instalarse o vivir. Vamos a ver unos usos comunes para que podamos settle your doubts! No hubo demanda, lo resolvieron.

There was no lawsuit, they settled.

Google resuelve todas las apuestas.

Google settles all bets.

¿Cuándo se instalaron los colonizadores en Dublín?

When did the settlers settle in Dublin?

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Brazen Head es el pub más antiguo de Irlanda.

Brazen Head is the oldest pub in Ireland.

Venga, la penúltima.

Come on, one for the road.

2 pintas de rubia y una negra.

2 pints of lager and a stout.

2 claras con limón y 2 chupitos de ron.

2 pints of shandy and 2 shots of rum.

¡Es tu ronda! / ¡Te toca!

It’s your shout!

¡Salud, chavales!

Sláinte lads!

Este alcohol es muy fuerte.

This booze will put hair on your chest.

No voy a tomar whiskey sin algo para acompañarlo.

I’m not going to drink whiskey without a chaser.

¿Me das una piña colada sin alcohol?

May I have a virgin piña colada?

Tienes poco aguante.

You’re a lightweight.

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Edinburgh, Scotland

467 km

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YOU ARE HERE

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Edinburgh, Scotland

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 21,317 KM

!

burgh Hello from Edin

ern Ireland th r o N f o e m so Belfast and saw m o fr harming. So y c r r y r fe e ve th is k y o it c to is h We just e estábamos). T u q a (y seldomly (rara it lk t a fo e y er tr w n u e o c w e y M whil ot ora todo bien! h a ta s a denbrah/ and n ¡H /é ! d ed o c o n g u o o n s o r r p fa y correctly. It’s s nickname it it c y b is it th ll e a c c n u ys o a n lw vez) pro hard, you can a o to s em me when coal se ti t a a th m o f I fr /. g es m er o c /édinb . The nickname ey k o m S ft a lot of smoke le ld t O a r th o ; ie es k m ee o R h e Auld e burned to heat th e er w d Edinburgh smok o o m w o d fr n a le p ) n eo ó p b e r a th (c k it was because to top it all , in d n th a u y yo a d id to D s . g ir in th in the a to do many fun g in o g e ge Festival. r in e’ r W F ? s u ey o n m im fa h c ld or like a artists at the w g n zi a m a e m so off, we’ll see

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Quizá te suene la palabra chimney, pero cuidado porque no significa chimenea. Chimney en inglés es la parte de fuera; es decir, el conducto. A la parte de la que disfrutas en tu salón se le llama fireplace, literalmente traducido como sitio del fuego. Y la expresión to smoke like a chimney es fumar como un carretero.

FACT OR FICTION? The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal. From rags to riches significa literalmente de trapos a riquezas. Sin embargo, hay gente que nace en una cuna de oro. Para expresar esto en inglés, decimos to be born with a silver spoon in his/her mouth. Por ejemplo: Paris Hilton was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Paris Hilton nació en una cuna de oro.

This is

History

Edinburgh was the first city in the world to have its own fire brigade (cuerpo de bomberos). That was in 1703. They were volunteer firefighters (bomberos). Perhaps that’s why they weren’t too worried when they built their emblematic Edinburgh Castle on a volcano. No need for alarm (no es para alarmarse), it’s extinct! The last time the volcano erupted was 350 million years ago. So they don’t have to worry about volcanoes… instead they should worry about ghosts! That’s a horse of a different color! ¡Eso es harina de otro costal! The castle is one of the most haunted places (lugares encantados) in Scotland. There’s a ghost of a piper boy (gaitero) who roams the tunnels under the castle and his bagpipes (gaitas) can be heard faintly (débilmente) at times. Looks like someone is paying the piper to haunt the castle.

I know what you’re thinking: unicorns are make believe (fantasía)! But what can you expect from the country that inspired the Harry Potter books? J. K. Rowling started writing her first HP book in Edinburgh at the former (antiguo) Nicolson’s Cafe and at The Elephant House. She had a wonderful view of Edinburgh Castle, which could well have been the inspiration for Hogwarts. J. K. Rowling was dead broke (sin un duro) at that time and is the perfect example of a rags-to-riches story.

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Como te comenté en alguna ocasión, estate atento a las palabras con raíces latinas como, por ejemplo, volcano (volcán). Son muy fáciles de reconocer pero bastante difíciles de pronunciar. Fíjate en la pronunciación de las siguientes palabras:

• • • •

volcano /vvvolkéinou/ hurricane /hhhérikein/ philosophy /filósssefii/ geology /chiólochi/

No seas un ignoramus /ignoréimes/, ¡y pronúncialas bien en inglés! La expresión entera es he who pays the piper, calls the tune que quiere decir literalmente el que paga al gaitero, decide la canción. Esa expresión viene del cuento El flautista de Hamelín, The Pied Piper of Hamelin. En dicho cuento, el flautista libera al pueblo de Hamelín de todas las ratas pero, cuando no le quieren pagar, secuestra a los niños con la misma flauta con la que fue capaz de liberar al pueblo de las ratas.

CTS A F FUN

In the 17th century, Edinburgh residents thought that they could cure baldness by rubbing dove droppings and ashes on their heads. I think they went too far (se pasaron) with this craze (moda). You must be pretty desperate to rub (frotar) excrement on your head. I don’t know what’s worse, being bald or being a shithead (gilipollas)!

Baldness quiere decir calvicie. A veces oigo a gente decir: He’s a baldy y es incorrecto. Se diría He’s bald si está calvo y, si se está quedando calvo, diríamos He’s balding, pero nunca He’s a baldy. En inglés tenemos dos tipos de palomas: doves son palomas blancas, el símbolo de la paz, y pigeons son las palomas comunes en las ciudades que se parecen sospechosamente a los pichones españoles. La palabra dropping es una forma muy correcta de decir caca de pájaro, porque it drops from the sky (cae desde cielo).

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DIG IN! Have you heard of haggis, neeps and tatties? No, it isn’t a group from the ‘60s like Crosby Stills and Nash. It’s a famous Scottish dish! Haggis is made from sheep heart, liver (hígado) and lungs (pulmones) mixed with spices and then cooked in the sheep’s stomach for three hours. I’m not big on internal organs so I’ll just have the traditional sides: neeps, which is yellow turnip (nabo), and tatties (puré de patatas). I know… I’m very picky (tiquismiquis)! I’m sure you’ve had it up to here with me (se te revuelven los higadillos con mis manías)! I’m not big on something es una forma cortés de decir que no te gusta algo. Veamos unos ejemplos en contexto: No me suelen gustar los productos lácteos.

I’m not big on dairy products.

A ella no le gusta el whisky escocés.

She’s not big on Scotch.

A ellos no les gusta el marisco.

They aren’t big on seafood.

LOCAL LINGO I must say (debo decir) that, although the Scottish speak English, I have a hard time understanding them. I really have to listen up (escuchar bien). And it’s not just the accent I’m referring to; they use many words that I’d never heard in New York. For example, if something is bad or disappointing, they use shan (malo): This pouring rain is shan. OK, so what do you say for good? Well, you can always say good but they say barry (bueno).

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For example: The waiter asked me if the food was barry. It took me a while but then I realized he meant (me di cuenta de que quiso decir) good. Another word I heard that I was partly familiar with was reekin (apestoso) but it has another meaning here in Edinburgh; it also means drunk. So, if you smell and you are drunk, are you double reekin’ or reekin squared (al cuadrado)?

LOCAL LINGO To have a hard time es pasarlo mal o que algo nos cuesta. ¡Ojo! Se emplea con el gerundio; es decir, añadiendo -ing. Por ejemplo: Do you have a hard time understanding the Scottish? ¿Te cuesta entender a los escoceses? Vamos a practicar esta estructura: Me cuesta hablar en público.

I have a hard time speaking in public.

Les cuesta mucho levantarse.

They have a hard time getting up.

¿Por qué te cuesta tanto hablar inglés?

Why are you having such a hard time speaking English?

Famous Edinburghers Sean Connery

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Perhaps one of the most popular 007s, /dábel óu sévvvens/, was born in Edinburgh in 1930. He worked as a milkman (lechero) in his first job. He didn’t milk it for too long. Another Edinburgher named Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his most famous fictional detective on Professor Joseph Bell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. The detective’s name might ring a bell (quizá te suene): Sherlock Holmes. If you already knew that, you can say No shit Sherlock!

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Aquí te he puesto dos juegos de palabras en inglés; las explico por si acaso. Milk es leche y to milk es ordeñar, pero también significa exprimir o sacar el máximo provecho. Y es lo que realmente haces cuando ordeñas: sacas toda la leche hasta la última gota, ¡al menos es lo que creo! I’ve never milked anything! ¡Nunca he ordeñado nada! El segundo juego de palabras es la exclamación No shit Sherlock! Es una expresión de listillo que utilizamos cuando alguien dice algo obvio. Fíjate en el ejemplo: - Llueve mucho en el norte de España. - ¡No me digas!

- It rains a lot in the north of Spain. - No shit, Sherlock!

I proclaim that the group The Proclaimers is from Leith in Edinburgh. Not because I witnessed (fui testigo) it but because I looked it up. I guess you could also put two and two together (adivinar o hacer hipótesis) if you read the cover (portada) of their album Sunshine On Leith. These twin brothers have one of the quirkiest (menos convencional) love songs ever: “I would walk 500 miles”. And the best part is that, aside from (aparte de) vocabulary, we can also learn the present conditional I would + presente. If you don’t know what tense (tiempo verbal) I’m talking about, take a look at the examples below. I would es yo ...-ía. No pronuncies la “l”; pronúncialo igual que wood (madera). La estructura del condicional es: sujeto + would + verbo infinitivo + if + objeto + pasado. Veamos: Escucharía esa canción quinientas veces si pudiera.

I would listen to that song five hundred times if I could.

Trabajaría en Edimburgo si no lloviera tanto.

I would work in Edinburgh if it didn’t rain so much.

Compraría madera si no fuera tan cara.

I would buy wood if it weren’t so expensive.

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WTF?

A woman named Margaret Dickson was hanged in Edinburgh in 1724. You’re probably saying: So what? ¿Y qué? A lot of people were hanged in those days. Yeah, but Maggie Dickson, unlike (a diferencia de) many others, came back to life (volvió a la vida) after the hanging! Her pallbearers (portadores de ataúd) stopped at a bar for some drinks on the way (de camino) to the cemetery and when they went back outside for a smoke break they noticed (se dieron cuenta) that Maggie was alive! They thought it was a sign from God that he had forgiven (perdonado) her. She was not hanged a second time and earned her nickname Half-Hanged Maggie.

To hang significa colgar o ahorcar, pero se usa mil veces más hoy en día con la preposición out. To hang out significa quedar o pasar tiempo con; ¡se usa mucho en inglés! A ver si sabes usar este phrasal verb: Este fin de semana voy a quedar con mis amigos.

This weekend I’m going to hang out with my friends.

Vamos a estar de relax por casa durante el puente.

We’re just going to hang out at home for the holiday weekend.

Antes quedaba con mis amigos con más frecuencia.

I used to hang out with my friends more often.

TELL ME

IE V O M E TH

o Trainsp 238

tting

The first time I saw Trainspotting I needed subtitles. If you want to hear the Edinburgh accent, just watch these Danny Boyle films. Godspeed! ¡Suerte! Here’s a little known fact: Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol was born in Edinburgh. Dickens came up with the name when he misread (leyó mal) the word meanman (hombre desagradable) under the name Ebenezer Lennox Scroggie on a tombstone. The word under the man’s name was really his profession: mealman (vendedor de maíz). They say that Dickens suffered from mild (leve) dyslexia. It’s a good thing because maybe he would have never created Ebenezer Scrooge!

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It’s a good thing es otra forma de decir Thank God (Gracias a Dios). Para el que prefiera no usar el nombre del Señor en vano, write this one down (apúntate esta). Veamos algunos ejemplos: Menos mal que no llovió anoche.

It’s a good thing it didn’t rain last night.

Menos mal que llevo pañuelos.

It’s a good thing I have tissues.

Menos mal que has comprado este libro.

It’s a good thing you bought this book.

GOOD SPORTS

Have you ever heard of Mark Beaumont? He’s a good sport from Edinburgh. He holds the Guinness World Record for Fastest True Circumnavigation of the World on a Bicycle. It was a 29,446 km bike ride and it took him (tardó) 194 days and 17 hours. When he isn’t busy riding around the world smashing (arrasando) records, he’s wearing one of his many hats (haciendo diferentes papeles): adventurer, broadcaster (presentador), documentary maker, author, etc.

Aquí hice otro juego de palabras. ¿Lo pillaste? Uno de los significados de to be a good sport es ser buen perdedor mientras to be good at sports es ser buen deportista. Y de ahí sale lo más importante: sportsmanship, que es como decimos deportividad.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Alexander Graham Bell, the man credited with (reconocido por) inventing the phone, was from Edinburgh. I’m sure his name rings a bell! Ha, ha, ha! Another interesting fact, if you’re curious and love language: the world famous Encyclopædia Britannica, the old school Google, was first produced in Edinburgh. The first edition caused a stir because the anatomy section contained what were considered very vivid drawings (dibujos explícitos) of the unmentionable body parts. Call me crazy, but isn’t mapping out the body (representar el cuerpo mediante gráficos) in order to better comprehend it the aim of anatomy? Some people need to chill out!

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No te líes, to stir es remover mientras que to remove significa quitar. Y to cause a stir es literalmente causar revuelo. Por otro lado, to stir something up es remover algo en el sentido de darle un aire fresco. Mira: If your English class is boring, stir it up with some songs. Si tu clase de inglés es aburrida, altérala con unas canciones. El adjetivo para describir algo como emocionante es stirring. Por ejemplo: Hugh Jackman’s performance was stirring. La actuación de Hugh Jackman ha sido emocionante. ¿Ves cómo cogemos una palabra y we stir it up?

At the Fringe Festival El Fringe Festival se creó en 1947.

The Fringe Festival was established in 1947.

Hay entre 400.000 y un millón de asistentes al festival.

There’s anywhere from 400,000 to a million festivalgoers.

Muchos actores, artistas y músicos interpretan en la calle.

Many actors, performers and musicians perform in the streets.

Es el festival de arte más grande del mundo.

It’s the world’s largest arts festival.

Hay más de 50.266 interpretaciones en el periodo de 25 días.

There are over 50,266 performances in the 25-day period.

Tiene lugar anualmente en agosto.

It takes place annually in August.

La mejor parte es que cualquiera puede participar.

The best part is that anyone can participate.

Yo canto bastante bien.

I can sing pretty well.

Te he oído cantar. No dejes el trabajo para dedicarte a ello.

I’ve heard you sing. Don’t quit your day job.

El festival se llama Fringe Festival porque ocurre en la fringe, periferia; no es mainstream (convencional), sino algo alternativo. Entonces es lógico que empezara como una alternativa a otro festival que ya existía en Edimburgo llamado The Edinburgh International Festival. 240

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Liverpool, England

357 km

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Liverpool, England

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TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 21,674 KM

Hello from Liverpool! If you’ve never heard of (si no te suena) Li verpool, you must have born in a cave or so been mething! Speaking of caves… the legendary Club is the place where Cavern the Beatles got their st ar t (comenzaron). But fir we’re going to discover st this artistic city and check out the River M historic waterfront (r ersey’s ibera o muelle). The be st way to see Liverpoo foot. It’s good to know l is on we’ll never walk alone here.

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No decimos by foot en inglés, sino on foot para decir a pie. ¡Así que don’t put your foot in your mouth (no metas la pata) con esta! Veamos un ejemplo: My father walked to school on foot. Mi padre iba al colegio a pie. ¡Ah! Y para decir vine andado no decimos I came walking; es más fácil decir I walked here en inglés.

FACT OR FICTION? Liverpool gets its name because Liverpudlians used to store liver in pools (baños o remansos) of brine (salmuera) for the winter. To store es almacenar; seguro que te suena la palabra storage (almacenamiento) del ordenador o el móvil. Pero no solo se usa en el contexto digital, sino también para el almacenamiento físico: We need a storage room because we have no room to store our stuff. Necesitamos un trastero porque no tenemos sitio en casa para almacenar nuestras cosas. To jump on the bandwagon es igual en español, por lo que se traduce como subirse al carro. Pero ¡ojo!, la preposición on es muy importante, ya que to jump the bandwagon sin on es incorrecto. Te recomiendo que repitas la frase un par de veces en voz alta para no omitir esa preposición. Si crees que no son importantes estas palabritas, fíjate en blow y blow up; blow significa soplar y blow up explotar. ¡Te puede explotar en la cara si no usas las preposiciones correctamente!

I made that up! ¡Me lo inventé! But I’m just jumping on the bandwagon. There are many theories; one is that the name may have come from the Welsh (galés) word ‘llif’ meaning flood (inundación). Another theory is that the name came from “elverpool”, a reference to the many eels (anguilas) in the River Mersey. But nobody’s really sure. Do you have any outlandish (extraños) explanations?

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This is

History

Liverpool owes so much to its waterfront. At one time it was the most important dock/port (muelle/puerto) in the world. 40% of the world’s cargo came through these docks. That’s a lot for a small city such as Liverpool. Perhaps the most popular area is Albert Dock. It was ahead of its time (avanzado) because the ships could load and unload (cargar y descargar) directly to the warehouses (almacenes). These warehouses were once the place to buy goods (mercancías) such as brandy (brandi), cotton (algodón), tea, silk (seda), tobacco, ivory (marfil) and sugar. It may not be a major port anymore but it still is one of Liverpool’s top attractions. There’s a wide variety of museums here: Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Beatles Story Museum and the Tate Liverpool, as well as many restaurants and bars.

¡No te líes con to owe y to own! To owe something significa deber algo, mientras que to own something se traduce como poseer algo o ser dueño de algo. Vamos a practicarlo como siempre en voz alta, ¡si no, no vale!

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Él tiene/posee dos casas.

He owns two houses.

Sigue debiendo mucho dinero en ambas casas.

He still owes money on both houses.

Voy a poseer/quedarme con tu bici hasta que me devuelvas lo que me debes.

I’m going to own your bike until you pay me back what you owe me.

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FUN FACTS

Liverpool Cathedral is 189 meters long. This makes it the longest cathedral in the world. I know you were thinking it was St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome but that’s not a cathedral smartypants (listillo)! It’s a church! Liverpool’s Cathedral also has one of the tallest bell towers (campanarios) in the world. And the bells in these towers are, of course, the heaviest in the world. It couldn’t be any other way. The bell tower has 13 bells and the weightiest one (la más pesada) even has a name: Great George. Old George weighs 15,000 kilos. Sounds interesting, I’ll be there with bells on.

Otro juego de palabras pero esta vez con la expresión with bells on, que significa con muchas ganas o mucha ilusión. Por ejemplo: I hope you go to your English class with bells on. Espero que vayas a tu clase de inglés con muchas ganas. En Inglaterra se dice with knobs (ornamentos) on; o sea, vestido con todos los adornos.

DIG IN! People from Liverpool are called Scousers because of a stew (guiso) eaten here called scouse stew. It’s made with lamb or beef, red cabbage (lombarda), carrots (zanahorias), potatoes and onions (cebollas). It’s a hearty dish that they could make for very little money. You can try making it at home but remember that too many chefs spoil the broth.

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Lamb es otra de las palabras que tiene la “b” muda. No se pronuncia /leeembbb/ sino /laammm/. Y a lo mejor te apetece empanar los filetes de cordero con breadcrumbs (pan rallado), que pronunciamos /brédcrammms/. Otras palabras con una “b” muda son:

• thumb /zaammm/ • climb /kláimmm/ • limb /limmm/

• womb /uúmmm/ • debt /dettt/ • subtle /sátl/

Too many chefs spoil the broth significa literalmente que demasiados chefs estropean el caldo. Es una expresión que usamos para decir que hay demasiada gente mandando sin un solo líder.

LOCAL LINGO Listen up, lids! Some say Scouser is a dialect. I say it’s its own language! I have a challenge (reto) that’s going to be hard even for native speakers not from Liverpool. Try to translate the following sentences from Scouse English to “normal” English.

Hang on, me ma’s just belling me.

Wait a minute, my mum’s calling me.

Espera un minuto que me llama mi madre.

The pub was chocka.

The pub was packed.

El pub estaba a reventar.

I’m goin’ down the offie for some bifters.

I’m going to buy cigarettes at the liquor store.

Voy a comprar cigarros en la tienda de alcohol.

Those are jarg sunnies.

Those sunglasses are knock-offs.

Esas gafas de sol son falsas.

I’m goin’ the ozzy.

I’m going to the hospital.

Voy al hospital.

Dirás ¿cómo que lids? ¿Lads no era chavales y lids tapas? Pues sí, pero como te dije antes, está el inglés y luego está el Scouse. No los compares, ¡no tienen nada que ver!

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Famous LIVERPUDLIANS Kim Cattrall

Award-winning (galardonada) actress Kim Cattrall from Sex and the City is from Liverpool but her family moved to Canada when she was 3 months old. But she’s still a Liverpool FC supporter. If you’re not a Sex and the City fan, you would recognize her from some ‘80s classics such as: Police Academy (Loca Academia de Policía), Big Trouble in Little China (Golpe en la Pequeña China) and Mannequin.

La palabra mannequin es muy parecida a su equivalente en español, maniquí, pero no tiene la “n” final. Hay otras palabras que son parecidas pero que, al menos, varían en una o dos letras. Veamos:

• orchestra es orquesta y se pronuncia /órkestra/ • crocodile es cocodrilo y lo pronunciamos /krákedail/ • cemetery es cementerio y decimos /sémeteri/ Sé esto porque siempre me equivocaba al decir estas palabras en español. Yo antes decía crocodrilo, orquestra, cementerio, etc. ¡De los errores se aprende! You can’t say Liverpool without the Beatles popping into your head (entrando en la cabeza). They were influenced so much by their upbringing (crianza) in Liverpool. The songs “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields” were written about places, lovers and friends they remembered from their childhood (infancia) here. The city also holds the Guinness Book of Records title for being the Capital of Pop because it’s home to more artists with a number one hit than any other place. Speaking of hit! Later we’re going to hit the Beatles Museum.

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Además de temazo, to hit significa pegar, pero se usa mucho más como el verbo informal acudir a. Are you ready to hit the books? ¿Estás listo para hincar los codos? Veamos más ejemplos: ¿A qué hora quieres ir al museo?

What time do you want to hit the museum?

¿A qué hora vamos al centro?

What time we hitting town?

Vamos al Cavern Club, donde los Beatles ensayaron muchos temas.

We’re going to hit the Cavern Club where the Beatles rehearsed many hits.

WTF?

Liverpool was home to two famous ocean liner (transatlántico) makers named the Cunard and White Star Line. Perhaps the second one sounds familiar due to the Titanic. Even if it wasn’t built in Liverpool but rather in Belfast, Liverpool was the Titanic’s port of registry (registro). The Titanic wasn’t the only famous ship to be registered in Liverpool. Other titans, such as the RMS Lusitania, Queen Mary and Olympic, were registered here as well. These ships mostly set out (partieron) from Southampton instead of Liverpool because of its proximity to London. Cunard merged with White Star Line and they’re still in Liverpool. At least they didn’t jump ship!

El verbo to merge significa fusionar y una fusión sería a merger. Entonces, las compañías se fusionaron se traduce como the companies merged y hubo una fusión como there was a merger. To jump ship significa abandoner el barco. Por ejemplo: When things go belly up, you don’t just jump ship. Cuando las cosas están patas arriba, no abandones el barco.

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TELL ME

THE MOVIE

Red October The Hunt for

Not just Beatles biopics (películas biográficas) are filmed in Liverpool. It has a thriving (próspero) film industry and you may have thought you were in another city while you were really in good old (de toda la vida) Liverpool. The Hunt for Red October (La caza del Octubre Rojo) was filmed in Liverpool, not Russia. In Captain America - The First Avenger, Stanley Dock in Liverpool is used to represent (sirve como escenario) Brooklyn, NY. More than 140 films were shot here last year. And, as if that weren’t enough, the Lumière brothers filmed what is said to be the world’s first tracking shot in Liverpool.

¡Cuidado! Un plano travelling en inglés se llama tracking shot o following shot porque operan la cámara en unas tracks (vías) pequeñas. Aun así, me imagino que te entenderían si dijeras a travelling shot.

GOOD SPORTS

Liverpool FC have a feud (pelea) with their crosstown rival (rival local) Everton. But their biggest arch rival (archienemigo) perhaps is Manchester United. You will hear the supporters argue over which team is more successful. It all comes down to a question of brass (trofeos). Who’s got more? ¿Quién tiene más? Man U has more league titles than Liverpool but Liverpool has more coveted (codiciado) European Cups than Man U. So it depends which trophy you value more. I’m sure you’ll have a blast (lo pasarás genial) with the atmosphere at any of these stadiums.

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It comes down to se traduce como es cuestión de. Otra forma es it boils down to, que quiere decir se reduce a. El verbo to boil es hervir y si hervimos una salsa, ¿qué pasa? ¡Se reduce! Practica estas frases con ambas formas, porque es cuestión de/se reduce a practicar hasta que te salga naturalmente. It all boils down to practicing until it comes out naturally. Veamos: Es una cuestión de orgullo.

It boils/comes down to pride.

Al final se reduce a trabajar en equipo.

It boils/comes down to teamwork.

Es una cuestión de paciencia.

It boils/comes down to patience.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

The world’s first steam locomotive (locomotora de vapor) passenger railway line (línea ferroviaria) was built in 1830, connecting Liverpool to Manchester. This 65 km seemed like a long distance before this day. However, it wasn’t all celebrations on opening day (día de la inauguración). A member of the local parliament was killed when he was run over (atropellado) by an oncoming train. So, sadly, there had been two firsts that day, the second being the first train fatality ever reported. Anyways… What was I saying? I lost my train of thought. I lost my train of thought es una expresión muy común en inglés que significa perder la concentración. Si no te concentras, perderás el hilo. If you don’t focus, you’ll lose your train of thought. Verás que hacen un chiste de esto en la película Del Revés.

The Legendary Cavern Club

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Los Beatles tocaron aquí casi 300 veces antes de ser descubiertos.

The Beatles played here almost 300 times before being discovered.

Me alegro de que no abandonaran el barco.

I’m glad they didn’t jump ship/give up.

Abrió sus puertas en 1957.

It opened its doors in 1957.

Queen tocó aquí en 1970.

Queen played here in 1970.

Se cerró en 1973.

It was shut down in 1973.

Estaba abandonado y en mal estado a principios de los años 80.

It was abandoned and in disrepair in the early ‘80s.

Se reabrió en 1984, pero eran tiempos turbulentos.

It reopened in 1984, but they were turbulent times.

15.000 ladrillos del lugar original se usaron en la reconstrucción.

15,000 bricks from the original site were used in the reconstruction.

Ha tenido altibajos.

It’s had ups and downs.

En 2017 el club celebró su 60 aniversario.

In 2017 the club celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Manchester, England

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YOU ARE YOU AREHERE HERE

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Manchester, England

Hello from Manc

hester!

Hey mate! ¡Hola amigo! Greetings from the epicen Revolution. I know ter of the Indu , that was ages strial ago (fue hace si can’t live off past gl os ) a nd I know you glories (vivir de la s glorias del pasa city was in dire do). In the ‘50s straits. Manches the ter was written many as a post-in off (descartada) dustrial wastelan by d (páramo). But back (volvió a su M a n chester bounced apogeo) in the ‘6 0s and ‘70s and this once gloriou it was music tha s city back on th t put e map (la puso We’re going to c de nuevo en el m heck out some of apa). the spots (sitios) was made and th w h ere music history en we’re going to see the derby at nicknamed The T Old Trafford, or heatre of Dream as it’s s. We’d better kic miss kick-off. k off or we’re goin g to TOTAL DISTAN CE

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¿Te suena Dire Straits, el grupo de los 80 de “I want my MTV...”? Pues to be in dire straits se traduce como estar en una situación precaria o estar en apuros. The group Dire Straits surely wasn’t in dire straits! ¡El grupo Dire Straits, desde luego, no estaba en apuros! Pues claro que no, they got their money for nothing (les daban dinero a cambio de nada). Aquí hice un juego de palabras con kick off (arrancar) y kick-off (el arranque de un partido de fútbol). We’d better kick off or we’re going to miss kick-off se traduce como Mejor arrancamos o nos perdemos el arranque del partido de fútbol. Si no lo has pillado, I’m going to kick you off the team (te voy a echar del equipo)!

FACT OR FICTION? The city’s name comes from the Latinized Celtic word meaning breast-shaped hill. Breast-shaped hill significa colina con forma de pecho. Se usa -shaped para indicar la forma de algo. Algunos ejemplos son: square-shaped (con forma de cuadrado), heart-shaped (con forma de corazón) o pear-shaped (con forma de pera). La última expresión tiene un doble sentido; cuando las cosas van pear-shaped, quiere decir que se van al garete o que no funcionan. After the Industrial Revolution things went pear-shaped in Manchester. Después de la Revolución Industrial, las cosas se fueron al garete en Mánchester.

It was in Manchester that Ernest Rutherford’s research led to the first atom being split (dividir el primer átomo). He also discovered and named the proton. While we’re on the subject of potentially explosive situations… It’s said that Guy Fawkes supposedly planned the Gunpowder Plot (conspiración de la pólvora) of 1605 in Salford’s Ordsall Hall in Manchester. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords (Cámara de los Lores) in London. London officials got a tip off (chivatazo) and Fawkes was caught red-handed next to 36 barrels of gunpowder. If V is for Vendetta then M is for Manchester.

This is

History

The Romans called the city Mamucium in the 1st century. Mamucium is a Latinized name for the Celtic original meaning breast-shaped hill. I guess (supongo) this is why Mancunians have always been known to strut their stuff (sacar pecho). But Manchester’s history started ages ago (hace siglos) as artifacts from burial sites (lugares de sepultura) from the Bronze Age were found here.

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To catch somebody red-handed se traduce como pillar a alguien con las manos en la masa, aunque literalmente significa atrapar a alguien con las manos ensangrentadas. Esta expresión viene de Inglaterra; solo se podía incriminar a alguien por matar a un animal de otra persona si este tenía sangre de dicho animal en las manos.

FUN FACTS

If King Tut, pronounced /king tat/, and Egyptology fascinates you, then you might want to consider studying at the University of Manchester. It’s the only university in the world where you can get a degree (sacarte un título) in Mummy Studies. They’re equipped with laboratories to study the mummies in-depth. They also have a mummy tissue bank that has hundreds of samples of tissue from Egyptian mummies. This is creepy! ¡Da miedo/repelús! Help! I want my mummy!

In-depth significa en profundidad, pero no lo confundas con deep, que significa profundo. Veamos estas palabras más en profundidad: Hicimos un análisis en profundidad.

We did an in-depth analysis.

Es tan profundo que es más profundo que el mar más profundo.

It’s so deep that it’s deeper than the deepest sea.

Mientras que mamá en Inglaterra se escribe mummy, como momia, en Estados Unidos se escribe mommy. Igual que los británicos, nosotros también hacemos este chiste cada Halloween. ¡Al menos en la kindergarten (guardería)!

DIG IN! Every year the World Pie Eating Championships take place in Wigan, in Greater Manchester. The one to eat their pie the fastest is the winner. The losers have to eat humble pie. Manchester is also known for its curry mile, which actually isn’t really a mile. It’s just a little over (un poco más que) half a mile. But it’s the biggest concentration of South Asian, pronounced /sáuz éishen/, restaurants outside the Indian subcontinent. But I’m not in the mood for (no me apetece) something spicy (picante). I think I’m going to have a local favorite: some black pudding (morcilla)! Now that’s bloody good! ¡Eso sí que está buenísimo! 254

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To eat humble pie significa tragarte tu orgullo. La expresión viene de un meat pie (empanadilla de carne) llamada “umble pie” que llevaba todo tipo de innards (entrañas), como hígado, corazón, tripas y pulmones de ciervo. Y no era comida que se considerara precisamente fácil de tragar. La palabra humble a secas significa humilde y se pronuncia /hhhámbl/. Por ejemplo: He’s a humble guy. Es un tío humilde.

LOCAL LINGO Manchester is smack dab in the middle (justo en el centro) of the UK, but its language could easily be from another country! If you want to hear a Mancunian accent, watch the popular show Coronation Street. I’ll put you to the test (ponerte a prueba) and see if you understand these Mancunian sentences. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the answers below (abajo) in non-Mancunian English and in Spanish.

Our kid is sorted.

My brother is okay.

Mi hermano/amigo está bien.

Gotta chip to me gaff.

I have to go to my house.

Tengo que irme a mi casa.

Your cousin is mingin’.

Your cousin is ugly.

Tu primo es feísimo.

Your mom’s dog is sick.

Your mom’s dog is cool.

El perro de tu madre es chulísimo.

My mom’s boss is a muppet.

My mom’s boss is an idiot.

El jefe de mi madre es un capullo.

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¿A que caíste en esta? ¿A que pensabas que se refería a un perro enfermo? Aquí sick no se refiere a malo o enfermo, sino que significa chulísimo en el sentido de que mola mucho. Esta expresión la usamos en Nueva York también: This book is sick! ¡Este libro es una pasada!

Famous Mancunians Danny Boyle

One of my favorite Mancunians is Danny Boyle, the director of great movies such as Trainspotting, Shallow Grave (Tumba abierta), 28 Days Later (28 días después), Slumdog Millionaire and many others. He’s very grateful (agradecido) to Manchester and he wants to give back to the community (devolvérselo a la comunidad). In 2014 he became a patron of HOME, a center for international contemporary art, theatre and film that opened in Manchester in 2015. And in 2017 Boyle announced his intention to collaborate in the launch of a £30 million film and media school in Manchester.

Patron es una forma de decir patrocinador, pero si vas a usar esta palabra, asegúrate de pronunciarla bien. No decimos /pátron/, sino /péitren/. En cualquier caso, solemos usar las palabras sponsor (patrocinador) y sponsorship (patrocinio) más a menudo hoy en día. Launch significa lanzamiento y es otra palabra que se usa en el ámbito del marketing y los negocios en español, pero ¡ojo!, no la pronuncies como lunch (almuerzo). Se dice /loonch/. We can have lunch after the launch. Podemos comer después del lanzamiento. So many influential bands have come out of Manchester. There was even a musical and cultural movement here in the late ‘80s called Madchester where the world got to hear what Manchester had to say musically. Groups such as The Stone Roses, Joy Division and The Happy Mondays, to name a few (por nombrar algunos), played at the legendary Hacienda nightclub owned by the band New Order. And two Mancunian brothers, named Noel and Liam Gallagher, didn’t miss a beat. Needless to say (está de más decir) they formed the supergroup Oasis. Manchester was the place to be in the late ‘80s. People were in and on ecstasy. 256

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Si eres fan del grupo inglés The Kaiser Chiefs, quizás te suene la canción “Never Miss a Beat”, que significa literalmente que nunca se pierda un ritmo/latido. En español sería no perderse ni una o estar espabilado. La letra de la canción de Kaiser Chiefs dice así: “Take a look at the kids on the street cos they never miss a beat…17” Mira a los chavales de la calle, porque no se pierden ni una... Aquí te he hecho otro juego de palabras para demostrar la importancia de las preposiciones. To be on ecstasy quiere decir estar colocado, mientras que to be in ecstasy se refiere a estar contentísimo.

WTF?

Vegetarianism on the British continent began in a small chapel (capilla) in Salford, more than 200 years ago. The man who started this trend sure didn’t have a name apt for a vegetarian: Reverend William Cowherd (Reverendo Guillermo Manada de Vacas)! He and his followers, the Cowherdites, eventually (con el tiempo) formed the Vegetarian Society in 1847. You’re not going to believe the name of this church: The Beefsteak Chapel (capilla de bistec)! The Lord works in mysterious ways. Los caminos del Señor son inescrutables. Or at least he has a sense of humor! Está claro que society significa sociedad, pero la mayoría de la sociedad pronuncia esta palabra mal. Se pronuncia /sosáieti/. Si quieres oírlo cantado por Eddie Vedder de Pearl Jam, escucha la canción “Society”.

TELL ME

THE MOVIE

You can read the story of Manchester’s music scene or you can watch it and work on understanding the Mancunian dialect and accent. There are some great movies that tell this one of a kind story. I recommend Control and 24 Hour Party People starring Steve Coogan. This actor’s success story is tied to (vinculado con) Manchester not only through this movie. After getting rejected (rechazado) from five drama schools in London, he decided to try Manchester. He got accepted at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre. So, you could say he honed his skills (perfeccionó sus habilidades) in this city.

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One of a kind significa literalmente que solo hay uno de ese tipo. En español sería único en su especie. A su vez, este adjetivo es único porque se pronuncia como una sola palabra: /uanafakáind/. Veamos más ejemplos: Los copos de nieve son únicos.

Snowflakes are one of a kind.

Mi mujer es única.

My wife is one of a kind.

Algunos diamantes son únicos.

Some diamonds are one of a kind.

GOOD SPORTS

I bet (apuesto) you thought I was going to bring up Man United and Man City, right? Well, I won’t… at least not in this section! That’s because we’re going to a match at Old Trafford later. Did you know that Man United isn’t the only team to play at Old Trafford? The Lancashire County Cricket Club have been playing at Old Trafford Cricket Grounds next door (al lado) since 1864. The football team first set foot on (pisó) the field at Old Trafford in 1910. So technically Old Trafford was known for cricket before being known for football. I don’t get (no pillo) cricket. It’s so boring, I hear crickets! To bring up es mencionar y to come up significa surgir; son dos phrasal verbs que me gusta mencionar juntos. Let’s see if I can come up with some examples. A ver si se me ocurren unos ejemplos. No menciones eso delante de él.

Don’t bring that up in front of him.

Si surge el tema, hazte el tonto.

If the issue comes up, play dumb.

Si no surge, yo lo mencionaré.

If it doesn’t come up, I’ll bring it up.

Cricket es el juego inglés conocido como críquet en España. Pero al mismo tiempo cricket significa grillo. Si algo es aburrido, podemos decir It’s so boring I hear crickets! Es una forma perfecta para quedarnos con la palabra cricket.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

At the dawn of (literalmente al amanecer, pero en español, al inicio de) the Automobile Age, a man named Henry Royce designed and built his own car in Manchester. His friend was very impressed (impresionado) and introduced him to a mutual friend named Charles Rolls in 1904. The two men had lunch at the Grand Central Hotel in Manchester. Since the two shared a love for mechanical engineering, namely the car, they hit it off and formed the esteemed Rolls-Royce car company. The rest is automobile history.

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To hit it off significa hacer buenas migas. Quizás este phrasal verb te resulta un poco difícil, así que te doy una alternativa; también decimos to get on with y to get along with. Ambos significan llevarse bien con. Vamos a ver cómo llevas estos verbos con algo de práctica. ¿Te llevas bien con tus nuevos alumnos?

Do you get along with your new students?

Sí, hicimos buenas migas.

Yeah, we hit it off!

Normalmente me llevo bien con mis alumnos.

I usually get on with my students.

Old Trafford Manchester Derby ¿A qué hora empieza el fútbol?

What time does the footy start?

Los derbis son emocionantes.

Derbies are very exciting.

Old Trafford se construyó en 1909.

Old Trafford was built in 1909.

Manchester United perdió su primer partido en casa contra Liverpool en 1910.

Manchester United lost their first home game against Liverpool in 1910.

Fred the Red es la sexta mascota del club.

Fred the Red is the club’s sixth mascot.

Ryan Giggs ha jugado un récord de 909 partidos con los Red Devils.

Ryan Giggs has played a record of 909 matches for the Red Devils.

Jugó para Man U durante 15 años.

He played for Man U for 15 years.

Se nota que vas con Man U.

You can tell you’re rooting for Man U.

London, England

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YOU ARE HERE

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London, England TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 22066 KM

Hello from London! Y’all right mate? We drove from Manchester but I think it didn’t pay (no valió la pena). The train would’ve been faster (hubiese sido más rápido). It’s OK, at least we enjoyed the lush (verde) English countryside. We have a long list of places to see in London today. This huge city has so much to offer. We’re going to go on a pub crawl. But we’re not going to just any ordinary pubs, we’re going to down some pints where iconic people once found inspiration while enjoying these same pints. This is going to be fun! ¡Esto pinta bien! 260

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Me acuerdo de la primera vez que oí a un londinense decirme Y’all right mate? y yo dije que claro que estaba bien. ¿Qué pasa? ¿Qué me veía mal o qué? Y me dijo: No, mate, ¡es como nos saludamos en Londres! Y’all right mate? es lo mismo que preguntar You alright mate? o Are you alright mate? Es decir, es simplemente un saludo. Es igual que cuando un neoyorquino dice: What’s up? ¿Qué hay? ¿Qué ocurre? Los británicos tampoco saben qué contestar. ¡Ja ja ja! Fíjate que algo tan sencillo como un saludo no es universal. Entonces, lo mejor siempre es sonreír y decir Great, how are you? (Fenomenal, ¿cómo estás tú?) a todo. Pub crawl normalmente es un evento organizado donde tú pagas un precio cerrado y vas de bar en bar. En Madrid, por ejemplo, se organiza este tipo de excursiones para los turistas. La palabra pub crawl es muy graciosa porque crawl significa gatear. Así que implica que se bebe tanto en estos eventos, que se acaba gateando a casa o al hotel. ¡Espero que tengas la dirección de tu casa o de tu hotel apuntada en algún lado!

FACT OR FICTION? Big Ben is the most iconic tower in London.

Kinda realmente es kind of dicho rápido y se usa para decir más o menos, un pelín o básicamente. Se emplea mucho en inglés. Let’s see if you kinda know how to use it or if you really know how to use it! ¡A ver si más o menos lo sabes usar o si realmente lo sabes usar! Veamos: Tengo un pelín de hambre.

I’m kinda hungry.

¿La conoces? Sí, más o menos.

Do you know her? Yeah, kinda.

Se está haciendo un pelín tarde.

It’s getting kinda late.

Well, kinda. This is a technicality (tecnicismo). Although the tower has come to be known as Big Ben, it’s really the name of the bell and not the tower. The tower was originally called Clock Tower. How creative! ¡Que original! Then in 2012 it officially became known as Elizabeth Tower. I doubt you’ve ever been inside the tower as it’s only open to UK citizens and they need to make an appointment well in advance (concertar una cita con mucha antelación) with their Parliament representative. Oh, and once you get the appointment and the awaited day arrives, bear in mind that there’s no lift (ascensor). Talk about making you jump through hoops (ponértelo difícil)! Non-brits will have to settle for (conformarse con) a picture of it from outside. I didn’t feel like walking up 15 flights of stairs anyway! ¡Tampoco me apetecía subir 15 plantas de todas formas!

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This is

History

Along (junto a) the River Thames and adjacent to Big Ben, you’ll find the Palace of Westminster which is also called the Houses of Parliament. Aside from being one of the most influential buildings in Britain, it also has 8 bars, 6 restaurants, 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases (escaleras), 11 courtyards (patios), a beauty salon (salón de belleza) and a shooting range (campo de tiro). But if you’re thinking of visiting it, remember that no animals are allowed, except for Seeing Eye dogs (perros guía). So leave your pets at home. However, they say that the building is plagued (plagado) with mice (ratones). I don’t know about you, but if I had the choice, I would rather see cats than mice. But don’t let the cat out of the bag!

Adjacent to es otra forma de decir al lado de. Puede que te suene de la palabra española adyacente. Pero lo que más me preocupa aquí es la pronunciación. Se pronuncia /edchéisent/. Don’t let the cat out of the bag es una expresión muy común para decir no dejes escapar una sorpresa o un secreto. Viene de la expresión a pig in a poke (dar gato por liebre) porque al dejar escapar el gato de la bolsa, se sabía que realmente lo que compraban no era un cerdo. Es decir, que se revela el engaño. Y sí, nuestra liebre en este caso es un cerdo: pig in a poke.

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FUN FACTS

London is known for its tube or underground, as Londoners ironically call it. I say ironically because more than 50% of it is above ground (en superficie). It has plenty of secrets in its tunnels. Many things have been left behind (han sido abandonados) and found in its network like a samurai sword (espada samurái), a stuffed pufferfish, a human skull (calavera humana) and even a coffin! And then they say New Yorkers are weirdos (raros)! The coolest part though is that there are some abandoned underground stations that are now used as movie sets (platós), bars or locations for private parties. These places aren’t mainstream, they are underground, mate!

Plenty of significa bastante, de sobra o mucho. We use this structure plenty. Usamos esta estructura bastante. Veamos: Tenemos tiempo de sobra.

We have plenty of time.

Ellos tienen bastantes amigos.

They have plenty of friends.

Te lo he dicho muchas veces.

I’ve told you plenty of times.

Me encanta el nombre de este pez en español: pez globo. En inglés sería literalmente balloon fish, pero aunque no es tan gracioso, sí que tiene sentido. Decimos pufferfish porque puffy es hinchado o inflado. Por ejemplo, si tienes la cara hinchada, se diría your face is puffy.

DIG IN! The first thing that comes to mind when you think of London food is fish and chips. But London offers so much different cuisine, both English and ethnic. In fact, the best curry I’ve ever had was not in India. It was in London. But my favorite proper English food is more than just food, it’s a Sunday tradition. Sunday roast (asado) is a hearty meal (comida contundente) consisting of roasted meat (carne asada) and potatoes with Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, vegetables and, of course, gravy. You can wash it down (bajarlo) with a pint of lager (cerveza rubia), stout (cerveza negra), ale (cerveza de malta), cider (sidra) or all of the above (todas las anteriores)!

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A los ingleses les gusta decir proper English para decir que algo es auténtico inglés o inglés de toda la vida. Vamos a practicarlo con un proper English accent: No hay nada como un desayuno inglés de toda la vida.

There’s nothing like a proper English breakfast.

Esto es un pub inglés típico.

This is a proper English pub.

La reina tiene un acento inglés auténtico.

The Queen has a proper English accent.

LOCAL LINGO There are many dialects in London alone, never mind (sin mencionar) the accents of foreigners who now call London their home. This makes the London accent hard to pinpoint (ubicar o precisar). But there are a couple of words that I tend to hear over and over (una y otra vez). Let’s see if you recognize them!

I’m sorted bruv!

I’m ok brother!

¡Estoy bien, colega!

The party was popping last night!

The party was a lot of fun last night!

¡La fiesta fue muy divertida anoche!

Nice get up! Big ups to ya!

Nice outfit! Props to ya!

¡Me gusta tu ropa! ¡Enhorabuena!

Ta? Bollocks!

Thanks? Bullshit!

¿Gracias? ¡Y una mierda!

The po-po is in my ends.

The cops are in my hood.

La policía está en mi barrio.

Foreigner significa extranjero. Es una palabra un poco foreign (extraña), ¡al menos a la hora de pronunciarla! Foreigner se pronuncia /fórener/, mientras que foreign se pronuncia /fóren/. Y para decir vivo en el extranjero, decimos I live abroad.

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Famous Londoners

Native Londoners, such as Beckham, Hitchcock, Keats, Bowie, Day-Lewis, Chaplin, are so famous that you know who they are just by their last name. Perhaps that’s what inspired so many other greats to live here. Maybe these names sound familiar to you: Voltaire, Edgar Allen Poe, Mahatma Gandhi, Vincent Van Gogh and Sigmund Freud. They all lived in London for a period in their eventful and productive lives. At least London doesn’t smell like garlic (ajo), right Victoria? Madrileños will never let you live it down! ¡A los madrileños nunca se nos olvidará!

Eventful es una palabra que tiene bastante sentido si piensas que un event es un acontecimiento o evento. El sufijo -ful significa abundancia de por lo que eventful se puede traducir como repleto de eventos o repleto de acontecimientos. Veamos otros ejemplos con el sufijo -ful: dañino

harmful

doloroso

painful

colorido

colorful

habilidoso

skillful

Countless (innumerable) musicians have come from London and even more (aun más) got their start here. You can do a London music tour and visit some of the places where history was made. Actually, that’s a great idea! I’ll punch some addresses into the GPS and we’ll be on our way (y tirando)! This is a perfect opportunity to remind you that we put the number first when we write addresses. Let’s get going! ¡Pongámonos en marcha!

• 25 Brook Street - Handel lived here from 1723 until he died in 1759. • 23 Brook Street - Jimi Hendrix lived in a flat here in the summer of 1968. • 3 Saville Row - The Beatles played unannounced in what was their last gig (bolo) on this roof in 1969.

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• 47 Frith Street - Jimi Hendrix’s last public performance was here at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. • 17 St Anne’s Court - Trident Studios, where The Beatles made most of the White Album

and David Bowie recorded the hit album Ziggy Stardust.

Punch in o punch into es un verbo compuesto que significa teclear o picar datos. Por ejemplo: Punch in your password. Teclea tu contraseña. ¡Pero ojo con la pronunciación! Se pronuncia /panch/. Si lo pronuncias tal y como está escrito, I’m going to punch you! (¡te voy a dar un puñetazo!).

WTF?

Cock Lane, a street in London, didn’t get its name because of a rooster or cock. It’s not so innocent. It’s because during the medieval times it was the only street licensed for prostitution. It isn’t the only weird (raro) street name in London. You can take a drive down Hooker’s Road (Calle de Prostitutas) or have a laugh on Ha Ha Road. I wonder (me pregunto) if this road is called Calle Ja Ja in Spain? Cock significa gallo, pero también significa polla. Uno creería que la calle se nombró por el primer significado pero no es así. Son muy cheeky (descarados). ¡Los ingleses querían que quedara claro que esta calle es la polla!

TELL ME THE MOVIE Movies are filmed on London’s busy streets on a daily basis (diariamente) as well as at studios like the legendary Pinewood Studios, where Harry Potter and James Bond came to life (cobraron vida). Now, my favorite filmmaker is Hitchcock. I’ll never forget how petrified (asustado) I was when I saw Psycho or The Birds for the first time. Speaking of birds, let’s take a look at some common expressions that have to do with these creatures:

James Bond

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Estar en un atasco es lo peor.

Being stuck in traffic is for the birds.

Es un chaval majo, pero es un poco tontito.

He’s a nice guy but he’s a bit bird-brained.

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Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Dios los cría y ellos se juntan.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Vamos a matar dos pájaros de un tiro.

Let’s kill two birds with one stone.

Él me hizo una peineta.

He flipped me the bird.

Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda.

The early bird catches the worm.

Sé que lo he dicho varias veces en este libro y otras mil en mi programa de radio, pero hasta que deje de oír bird pronunciado /biiird/ y empiece a oír /berd/, no dejaré de recordarte que rima con la palabra word /uérd/. Como la canción “Surfin’ Bird” de The Trashmen: “AA-well, a bird, bird, bird, b-bird’s a word18”. Escúchala mil veces hasta que tengas la pronunciación correcta stuck in your head (metida en la cabeza).

GOOD SPORTS

London loves its footy. In the 2016-2017 season (temporada) there were thirteen London teams playing in professional leagues: 5 played in the Premier League and 8 in the Football League. This changes from season to season. We’re going to visit the famous O2 Arena. It’s so big that the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Statue of Liberty could fit (caber) in it. And we have to make time (hacer un hueco) to go to Wembley Stadium which is so iconic that it could join the Great Pyramids one day and become one of the wonders (maravillas) of the modern world.

No te líes con footy, la abreviatura de football, y footsie, que significa hacer piececitos. Do you want to play footy or footsie? ¿Quieres echar una pachanga o hacer piececitos?

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

Harrods’ department store (grandes almacenes) is a London icon. It’s known for everything from swanky clothes to banking (la banca) these days, but it all started in 1834. A 25-year-old man named Charles Henry Harrod opened his first store in London. He had a dream that became the store’s motto (slogan): “Omnia Omnibus Ubique”. Translated from Latin it means All things for all people, everywhere (Todo para todo el mundo en todas partes). Today, the store has 330 departments, so if you can’t find what you’re looking for, it probably doesn’t exist yet, or perhaps (quizá) it’s in one of the other 329 departments. Swanky significa estiloso en plan pijo y la raíz de la palabra es swank, que se traduce como presumir. Al fin y al cabo, la gente compra cosas pijas para presumir, ¿no? Aquí va una frase con la que jamás te olvidarás de esta palabra: Hillary Swank is swanking her swank jacket. Hillary Swank está presumiendo de su chaqueta pija.

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The French House obtuvo su nombre cuando Charles de Gaulle lo usó como base de operaciones durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

The French House got its name when Charles de Gaulle used it as his base of his operations during WW2.

The Punch Bowl fue comprado por Madonna y Guy Ritchie en el 2008.

The Punch Bowl was bought by Madonna and Guy Ritchie in 2008.

En 1895 Oscar Wilde fue detenido en la habitación 118 del Cadogan Hotel & Bar.

In 1985 Oscar Wilde was arrested in room 118 of the Cadogan Hotel & Bar.

The Holly Bush es el garito adonde Jude Law y Liam Gallagher se van de pedo.

The Holly Bush is the watering hole where Jude Law and Liam Gallagher get on the piss.

The Hawley Arms es donde Amy Winehouse se subía a la barra y servía pintas.

The Hawley Arms is where Amy Winehouse used to climb up on the bar and pour pints.

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Johannesburg, South Africa

9,069 km

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Pit Stop

5

Hotel

We need to stop at a hotel and rest up (descansar). We’ve been on the road for many hours now. We don’t have a reservation, but I’m sure we can find a decent motel. I’m not very picky when it comes to lodging (alojamiento). As long as it’s bright (luminoso) and tidy (limpio), you won’t hear any complaints from me. Let’s go into the lobby of this motel and see if they have any rooms available. It looks nice on the outside. Se puede decir reception desk para decir recepción, aunque en Estados Unidos solemos decir lobby. Llámalo como quieras, pero acuérdate de que a veces verás la “L” de lobby en vez de la “R” de reception desk en el ascensor. Verás muchos motels en Estados Unidos: son hoteles económicos situados en las carreteras y están pensados para los motoristas. Entonces tiene sentido que la palabra motel sea una palabra híbrida de motor + hotel.

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¿Ese precio incluye pensión completa?

Does that price include room and board?

¿Hay piscina climatizada?

Is there an indoor pool?

¿La habitación tiene jacuzzi?

Does the room have a hot tub?

¿Hay servicio de habitaciones?

Is there room service?

¿Deberíamos pagar con antelación?

Should we pay in advance?

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¿A qué hora tenemos que dejar la habitación?

What time is checkout?

¿Nos puede llamar a las 9 para despertarnos?

Can we get a wakeup call for 9 a.m.?

¿Hay botones?

Is there a bellhop?

¿Nos podría dar una mejora de habitación?

Can we get an upgrade?

Checkout ¿Le importaría rellenar una encuesta?

Would you like to fill out a survey?

¿Cómo fue su estancia?

How was your stay?

La habitación estaba limpia, pero el colchón era demasiado blando.

The room was very clean but the mattress was too soft.

¿Me puede dar una factura detallada?

May I have an itemized receipt/invoice?

Por favor, pase la tarjeta.

Please, swipe your card.

¡Esperamos volver a verlo pronto!

We hope to see you again soon!

Frases de hotel Este es un hotel de mala muerte.

This is a fleabag hotel.

Voy a consultarlo con la almohada.

I’m going to sleep on it.

Estuve dando vueltas toda la noche.

I was tossing and turning all night.

No pegué ojo.

I didn’t sleep a wink.

Que no te quite el sueño.

Don’t lose any sleep over it.

Me voy al sobre.

I’m going to hit the hay.

Voy a dormir como un tronco.

I’m going to sleep like a log.

Te quedaste sopa.

You were out like a light.

¿Eres sonámbulo?

Are you a sleepwalker?

¡A dormir! Que sueñes con los angelitos. Sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

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YOU ARE HERE

26

Johannesburg, South Africa

5 KM TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 31,13

Hello from Johannesburg! Hello from Joburg, or Jozi as they call it here! Johannesburg is also called “Egoli” which means “the place of gold”. This is because 40% of the world’s gold is found in and around the Johannesburg area. I have to admit, I don’t know what to expect (no se qué esperar) here. I’m told there’s a big contrast between the modern and the old world. It just depends which one you’re looking for. We’re going to try and get the best of both worlds. We’re going to go to The Cradle of Humankind (La Cuna de la Humanidad) first. This is an archaeological site where many early human fossils were found. And then we’ll be going on a safari. Brace yourself (Prepárate) for a wild day! 272

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The best of both worlds es una expresión que significa tener lo mejor de cada casa. Imagínate que te digo que quiero ser rico, pero no quiero trabajar. Me dirías: Alberto, you can’t have the best of both worlds. Si te gusta el grupo de rock Van Halen, te sonará una canción suya con este nombre. Wild significa salvaje pero también se puede traducir como genial. Veamos: We had a wild time at the party. Lo pasamos genial en la fiesta.

FACT OR FICTION? Johannesburg in California was named by gold miners from Johannesburg, South Africa. Gold digger literalmente significa cavador de oro, pero su traducción al español sería cazafortunas; una persona que se casa con alguien por su dinero. Some say Heather Mills, Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, was a gold digger because she got 50 million dollars from their divorce. Algunos dicen que Heather Mills, la exmujer de Paul McCartney, era una cazafortunas porque consiguió 50 millones de dólares de su divorcio. Otros ejemplos que han sido tachados de cazafortunas son Kevin Federline con Britney Spears o Gabriel Aubry con Halle Berry.

This is

History

Johannesburg is one of the youngest cities in the world. It was founded in 1886 during the gold rush (fiebre del oro). But the city wasn’t always the modern city you see today, dotted with skyscrapers and modern infrastructure. It’s been built and rebuilt four times. First, it started as a tent camp (campamento). Its second incarnation was a town of tin shanties (chabolas de hojalata). After that the Edwardian brick (ladrillo) buildings appeared to, finally, give way to modern-day Joburg.

Some of the gold miners who made a fortune (ganaron una fortuna) left Joburg and moved to California where they established (establecieron) a new mining town. When deciding on the name, they suggested Johannesburg since they had found gold in Johannesburg, South Africa, and perhaps, it would bring them good luck. I hope the miners didn’t meet any gold diggers when they arrived in California!

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Dotted with se traduce como salpicado de y, si lo piensas, tiene sentido. Al mirar el mapa verás puntos donde se encuentran los rascacielos, repartidos por toda la ciudad. Y como dot es punto, ahora sabrás decir .com o .es en inglés, ¿no? ¡Correcto! Decimos dot com y dot es, pronunciado /dat kom/ y /dat iés/ respetivamente. Pero cuidado; si nos referimos al punto final de una frase, decimos period en Estados Unidos y full stop en el Reino Unido. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos: Siempre pon un punto al final de la frase.

Always put a period/full stop at the end of a sentence.

Ella trabaja en google.es.

She works at google dot es.

No voy a trabajar en otra empresa de internet y punto.

I’m not going to work at another dot-com, period/full stop.

FUN FACTS

I’m hungry (tengo hambre) so I was thinking about boiling (hervir) some water to make hard-boiled eggs (huevos duros). But the locals here told me that it takes 1 minute longer to boil my eggs here than it does in coastal regions such as Cape Town or Durban. This is because Joburg is 2,000 meters above sea level and the air isn’t as dense. The good thing is that we aren’t in a rush (no tenemos prisa). I guess the boiling time boils down to (se reduce a) a question of air pressure.

Un error muy común es decir I’m thinking to go… para decir pienso en ir. La forma correcta es I’m thinking about going. De hecho, cualquier cosa que piensas hacer tiene la misma estructura: I’m thinking about + verbo + -ing. I’m thinking about giving you some examples. Estoy pensando en darte unos ejemplos.

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Estoy pensando en apuntarme a un máster.

I’m thinking about signing up for a master.

Están pensando en comprar una casa.

They’re thinking about buying a house.

¿Estás pensando en dejar el trabajo?

Are you thinking about quitting your job?

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DIG IN! If you say the word “barbeque” in South Africa, people will tell you it’s a sauce and not a cooking method. What we call barbecuing in the US, they call braaied (barbacoa sudafricana). They grill all kinds of meats in South Africa. We tried Boerewors sausage (longaniza) with monkey gland sauce (salsa de glándula de mono). Don’t worry, it doesn’t really have monkey glands in it. Its name is pure marketing! At the time it was invented, there was a rumor that monkey glands helped you look younger. But it’s really a tangy (agrio) condiment which usually has chopped onion (cebolla picada), garlic (ajo) and ginger (jengibre) with a combination of chutney (conserva agridulce), soy sauce (salsa de soja), mustard (mostaza), Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and wine in it. Even though it’s a hodgepodge (revoltijo) of ingredients, the sauce is actually really good.

Cuando nos apetece hacer una barbacoa, en inglés no decimos I want to make a barbecue today, ¡a no ser que seamos fabricantes de barbacoas! Decimos to have a barbecue o, más fácil, to barbecue a secas. Por ejemplo: I want to have a barbecue today o I want to barbecue today. Quiero hacer una barbacoa hoy. ¡Y cuidado con la pronunciación de la salsa Worcestershire! Se pronuncia /uésteshir/. Habrás visto que he escrito la palabra “barbecue” de dos maneras: con “c” y con “q”. No, no es una errata. Ambas maneras están admitidas, así que escríbela como prefieras o, si te resulta más fácil, puedes escribir BBQ. ¡Lo importante es que me llegue la invitación! Siendo americano, me molan las BBQ. ¡Se puede decir que estoy en mi salsa cuando voy a una! Seguramente te suena la palabra grill de grilled chicken (pollo a la parrilla). Pero tiene dos significados que dependen de dónde la uses. En Estados Unidos, to grill es cocinar a la parrilla, mientras que en el Reino Unido significa gratinar.

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LOCAL LINGO It’s no mystery that South Africa has its own slang (jerga) that comes from many influences. Namely (concretamente) the eleven official languages of South Africa: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. I’ll give you a couple of sentences that I overheard while I walked these streets:

That was a lekker concert.

That was a great concert.

Fue un gran concierto.

Ag, I’m so tired.

Listen dude, I’m so tired.

Oye, tío/a, estoy cansado/a.

Sometimes I laugh just sommer.

Sometimes I laugh just because.

A veces me río porque sí.

The neighbors had a jol last night.

The neighbors had a party last night.

Los vecinos tuvieron una fiesta anoche.

What a babelaas!

What a hangover!

¡Vaya resacón!

To overhear es escuchar algo sin querer y no es lo mismo que listen to, que sería escuchar con atención. Además tenemos otro verbo, to eavesdrop, que se traduce como escuchar a escondidas.

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Famous Joburgers Elon Musk

Elon Musk isn’t from Johannesburg, he’s from nearby (cercano) Pretoria. Aside from Nelson Mandela, he’s one of my favorite South Africans. If you don’t know who he is, google him. He’s a real life version of Tony Stark aka (también conocido como) Iron Man. A self-made inventor with a lot of money and ideas that aim to change the world we live in. He’s the founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and Hyperloop. Yes, he’s a dreamer but he is and has been hard at work (trabajar sin parar) on his dream his whole life. Maybe one day my ideas will be as revolutionary as his. But for now I can just dream on!

Self-made se traduce como artífice de su éxito: Elon is a self-made man. He didn’t come into money like Trump. Elon es artífice de su éxito. No heredó el dinero como Trump. To dream on significa seguir soñando. Muchas veces se usa con un toque de sarcasmo. Por ejemplo, si alguien cree que le voy a regalar un coche, le diré: Yeah, right! Dream on! Puede que te suene de la famosa canción de Aerosmith.

Kwaito music was born in Johannesburg in the ‘90s and has become all the rage (la moda). It’s a mix of African house music, hip hop and, of course, African influences. The catchy (pegadiza) lyrics deal with issues such as apartheid, political freedom and self-expression, and have given many young people in South Africa a voice. There are two artists who claim to be the fathers of Kwaito: Kayle Naidoo and Erskine James David. They are both tooting their own horns. Give them both a listen and decide for yourself who the master is.

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To toot your own horn o to blow your own horn significa fanfarronear. Es una expresión muy graciosa, porque literalmente se traduce como tocar tu propia bocina. To toot sin más también significa tirarse un pedo; el por qué te lo dejo a ti por averiguar.

WTF?

Johannesburg has the unfortunate reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world. But don’t worry, it takes police an average of (promedio de) 60 seconds to respond to a crime in the city center. They also have CCTV, short for closed-circuit TV (videovigilancia), a system that’s on every street corner by the robots. Robots? No, I don’t mean a machine or cyborg. They call traffic lights (semáforos) robots in Johannesburg. But perhaps the biggest problem is robot robbers (ladrones). They steal traffic lights because they have copper wire in them, which they can sell as scrap metal (chatarra). Let’s put the pedal to the metal (pisárlo fuerte) and get out of this area.

Los verbos to steal y to rob significan robar, pero se usan de modo diferente. To rob se centra más en la persona o entidad robada, mientras que to steal se centra más en la cosa sustraída. Por ejemplo: He robbed the bank and millions were stolen. Él atracó un banco y millones fueron robados. Fíjate en las siguientes dos frases; ambas significan Me robaron: They robbed me.

They stole money from me.

Si dices they stole me, lo que quieres decir es que te secuestraron, aunque en este caso usaríamos el verbo to kidnap (secuestrar): They kidnapped me. Me secuestraron. ¡Espero que nunca tengas que usar esta frase! Cuidado con las palabras wire (alambre) y cable (cable). Veamos un ejemplo que lo aclare:

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Hay muchos alambres eléctricos en la caja de fusibles.

There are a lot of electrical wires in the fuse box.

No encuentro el cable de mi portátil.

I can’t find my laptop cable.

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TELL ME

THE MOVIE

One of my favorite movies is Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It details the events before and up to (hasta) the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. The story starts when Nelson Mandela gets out of prison after 30 years and takes office (asumir un cargo) in this racially torn land. He calls on (recurre a) the national rugby team to pull off (lograr) an improbable victory and unite the country for the first time in ages. It’s a stirring (emotivo) movie based on a true story (basada en hechos reales).

Invictus

¿Quién no se acuerda de la canción “Torn” de Natalie Imbruglia? Pues torn significa rasgado o roto en cuanto a papel o tela se refiere, pero también se traduce como indeciso. Viene del verbo to tear (rasgar). Pero no lo confundas con tear (lágrima); se pronuncian /ter/ y /tíer/ respectivamente. Veamos unas frases con ambas palabras para que practiques su pronunciación: Estoy llorando porque estoy indeciso.

I’m in tears because I’m torn.

Si no tienes cuidado, vas a rasgar tu camisa.

If you aren’t careful, you’ll tear your shirt.

No llores lágrimas de cocodrilo.

Don’t cry crocodile tears.

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GOOD

The Spanish Men’s National Soccer Team and their fans have very fond memories (buenos recuerdos) of South Africa. Especially Soccer City, the stadium where Spain held up (levantó) their first World Cup. But before that, it was the site of Mandela’s first speech in Joburg after he was released from prison in 1990. Its nickname is “The Calabash” because it resembles (parece) an African gourd-shaped pot (olla en forma de calabaza). Looking back at the World Cup, I was out of my gourd (se me fue la olla) the night we won!

SPORTS

¡Ojo! No decimos selection para decir selección nacional, sino national team como en the South African national team, the Spanish national team, etc. Acuérdate de que en el Reino Unido dirías football pero en Estados Unidos es soccer.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital is the third largest hospital in the world. It started out as the Royal Imperial Hospital; an infirmary (enfermería) for soldiers in 1941. Now it has 3,200 beds and around 6,760 employees! More than two thousand patients check into (ingresan) the hospital’s clinics every day. I hope I don’t c u in ICU. Este juego de palabras juega con c u, abreviación de see you (te veo) y ICU, abreviación de Intensive Care Unit (UCI) que pronunciamos /aisiiú/. A veces es buena idea ver las cosas desde otro ángulo, otra perspectiva. Por cierto, no digas /ospitál/; hospital se pronuncia /hhháspetl/.Y ya que estamos hablando de hospitales, la palabra ER, abreviación de Emergency Room y pronunciado /iar/, es nuestra forma de decir urgencias. A lo mejor te suena del show de George Clooney.

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On a Safari Me encanta observar animales en su ámbito natural.

I love to observe animals in their natural habitat.

¿Paramos en este refugio?

Shall we stop at this refuge?

Nunca cazaría animales.

I would never hunt any animals.

No rompería ni un plato.

I wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Tampoco quiero ser una presa.

I don’t want to be prey either.

Creo que la caza ilegal es un hobby terrible.

I think poaching is an awful hobby.

Me resbala todo.

I have rhinoceros/thick skin.

Las personas no cambian.

A leopard can’t change its spots.

La gente se hace la loca con este tema.

Nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room.

Melbourne, Australia

10,327 km

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YOU ARE HERE

Melbourne, Australia

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 41,462 KM

Hello from Melbourne! G’day from the land down under (Australia), mate! Ever since (desde que) I saw Crocodile Dundee I’ve wanted to say that. Once we arrived here, I realized that I’ve been pronouncing the word Melbourne wrong my whole life! I always pronounced it /mélbourn/ but it’s more like /mélbern/. Live and learn! ¡No te acostarás sin saber una cosa más! Melbourne became one of the world’s biggest and wealthiest cities in the ‘50s due to the gold rush. And, to this day, it upholds (mantiene) its quality of life. It’s ranked the world’s most liveable city by the Economist for six years straight (consecutivos) since 2011. I’m ready to live it up (vivirlo a tope) here! We’ll tour the city and later this afternoon we managed to get tickets to Circus Oz, a rock ’n’ roll theatre and comedy circus without animals. It’s been a Melbourne institution since 1978. 282

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,

La primera vez que me saludó un australiano oí “good I might”. Después de preguntar 20 veces qué había dicho, me di cuenta de que era G’day mate, que significa Buen día, amigo. Que sepas que no suena nada parecido a como lo decimos en NY. Ellos dicen /gudáimait/. ¿A que te acabo de ahorrar 20 whats? To manage es gestionar, pero cuando va seguido de la preposición to, significa lograr o conseguir hacer algo. ¡Lo usamos mucho! Let’s see if you manage to use it correctly. A ver si consigues usarlo correctamente. ¿Conseguiste hablar con él?

Did you manage to talk to him?

Conseguimos reservarles una plaza.

We managed to reserve a spot for them.

Consiguió enfadar a todos cuando gestionó la empresa.

He managed to make everyone angry when he managed the company.

FACT OR FICTION? Melbourne was originally going to be called Batmania.

La palabra fair significa justo. A lo mejor te suena de fairplay (juego limpio o justo) o de fair trade (comercio justo). Fair se pronuncia /fer/ y su opuesto es unfair (injusto). Si te cuesta la pronunciación, siempre puedes recurrir a just o unjust.

This is

History

Since it was founded, a lot of different people and animals have called Melbourne home. It’s the fox capital of the world. There are between 6 and 23 foxes per square kilometer in the city. So there must be foxes coming out of the woodwork here! Despite these numbers, people seldom (raramente) see foxes walking around the city. You’re more likely to run into a sly, old fox (viejo zorro sabio) or a street performer dressed as Zorro.

It has nothing to do with Bruce Wayne though! John Batman was an explorer and one of the founding fathers of Melbourne. However he wasn’t as heroic as Batman is in Gotham City, at least according to (según) some people. His treatment of the aboriginal people was not what you could call fair. John Glover, an Australian painter and Batman’s neighbor said he was a lousy (terrible) thief and the vilest (más repugnante) person he’d ever met. I think Batmania would’ve been (hubiese sido) a cooler name but I’m glad they didn’t name it after John. He seemed to be batshit crazy (loco).

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Esta estructura, aunque no es fácil, tampoco es imposible. There + to be es haber. Veamos unos ejemplos porque there must be a way to learn this structure (tiene que haber una manera de aprender esta estructura): Hay un coche aparcado en tu sitio.

There’s a car parked in your spot.

Habrá un atasco, como siempre.

There will be a traffic jam, as always.

Hubo uno ayer también. Tiene que haber una solución.

There was one yesterday too. There must be a solution.

La expresión coming out of the woodwork significa literalmente que algo se está saliendo de las molduras, pero quiere decir que aparece de repente e inesperado. Viene de las termitas que viven en la madera y parecen salir de la nada. Por ejemplo: Many sushi joints have come out of the woodwork. Muchos garitos de sushi han salido de la nada.

FUN FACTS

The Black Box Recorder used in airplanes was invented by Dr. David Warren in Melbourne in 1958. He had a personal reason for inventing this: his father died in an unsolved (irresoluto) plane crash over the Bass Strait in 1934 when David was just 9 years old. Some have compared the Bass Strait to the the Bermuda Triangle because ships have disappeared without a trace (sin rastro). I’m not sure whether this is an urban legend or not, but the story of a son inventing something to help save lives so that his father’s death wasn’t in vain, is better than any Hollywood movie I’ve ever seen. I’m sure David’s dad would be proud of his son. And it just shows that necessity is the mother of invention (la necesidad agudiza el ingenio).

Strait es estrecho y straight es recto, aunque ambos se pronuncian /stréit/. Quédate con la frase: We went straight through the strait. Atravesamos el estrecho. Así practicarás la pronunciación, ¡y un poco de geografía de paso! Veamos más ejemplos:

• • • •

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When we were in Turkey, we went straight through the Bosphorous Strait. When we were in Calais, we went straight through the Strait of Dover. When we were in Ceuta, we went straight through the Strait of Gibraltar. When we were in Sumatra, we went straight through the Malacca Strait.

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DIG IN! Melbournians love their coffee. In fact, the city gives off (emite) many smells, but the predominant one is perhaps the smell of roasted java (café tostado). But you can’t live off just coffee, you’ll get jittery! So let’s eat something too. I’ve been told that Ligon Street is where all the foodies hang out (se mueven). There are so many cafes, bars and restaurants on this street that I can’t decide which one to go in. I have an idea! Let’s grab a glass of one of their local wines from the vineyards of Mornington Peninsula. And speaking of booze (alcohol), I’ve been told to try the wet pussy shot. Don’t google it, please! I already made that mistake. In Melbourne, this doesn’t mean a humid vagina, it’s a popular shot (chupito) made with vodka, peach schnapps (licor de melocotón), cranberry (arándano) juice and lime. Jittery significa nervioso o inquieto. También usamos jitters, una forma de esta palabra, como sustantivo para describir que alguien está muy nervioso. Fíjate en el ejemplo: I have to give a speech now, I got the jitters. Tengo que dar un discurso ahora, estoy nervioso. Espero que no cometas el error de decir I commit mistakes. En inglés decimos to make mistakes. Commit es comprometerse con algo: He’s never committed to anything in his life. Él nunca se ha comprometido con nada en su vida. También lo usamos como parte del verbo suicidarse; en inglés no es to suicide, sino to commit suicide. Commit it to memory! ¡Apréndetelo de memoria!

LOCAL LINGO

for beer ny words er juice, a m e r a There uid, amb amber fl robably have as e k li e r e h hey p inds of coldie. T ere are k they th s a tinny or r e e b at mes for alized th many na t all. I re o . When n e s r t’ e a h ry t th beer! Bu eir own vocabula eone asked e th rlier, som ry also hav beach ea as) and I was ve e th t a s g n a I wa (t y s m look at d thong me if I ha . Did this person thong! d earing a w confuse e b ’t n hould body? I s

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Turns out it was a mix-u (confusión) p because the word “thong here means s” “flip-flops”. That person said he was also going to retu rn to the bea tonight with ch his Matilda. I a ssumed it w his girlfriend as ’s name but he was actu referring to ally his sleeping bag! He wan camp out (h ts to acer campin g) on the bea tonight unde ch r the stars. I guess I’ll ha to get used to ve the slang use d in the big smoke (ciud ad).

LOCAL LINGO Tinny viene de la palabra tin (hojalata), aunque también significa suertudo y es un barco pequeño de hojalata. ¡Ah! Y no te líes con la palabra tiny (diminuto), que pronunciamos /táini/. I left a tiny tinny in my tinny. Dejé una latita de cerveza en mi barco de hojalata. ¡Un frase que solo tendría sentido aquí!

Famous Melbournians Kylie Minogue

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“I’ve got chills, they’re multiplying19”(tengo escalofríos, se están multiplicando) because some really great entertainers have come from Melbourne. Talent such as Olivia Newton-John and, my favorite Australian, Kylie Minogue come from these streets. There’s a phenomena called The Kylie Effect in Australia. No, it doesn’t mean that heads turn (llama la atención) every time she walks down the street, even though that’s also true. The Kylie Effect comes from her battle with breast cancer. When she went public about it (lo hizo público), mammograms rose (subieron) by 40% in Australia. She has inspired other women to keep abreast of their health.

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¡Otro juego de palabras aquí! To keep abreast of es mantenerse actualizado. Pero a breast es un pecho. Lo sé, ¡es un chiste muy malo! Pero así igual te quedas con la expresión. Otro ejemplo: He keeps abreast of breakthroughs in breast cancer treatment. Él se mantiene actualizado con los avances en tratamientos de cáncer de mama. Settlers (colonizadores) from the British colony of Van Diemen’s Land (nombre original de Tasmania) founded Melbourne in 1835 and it was incorporated as a city in 1837, 2 years later. I know, what does this have to do with (qué tiene que ver con) music, you ask. Perhaps U2 fans will recognize “Van Diemen’s Land” from the U2 album Rattle & Hum. It’s the second track (pista) on the album and it was written and sung by the lead guitarist, The Edge. The song is a tribute to Irish poet John Boyle O’Reilly. He was imprisoned and deported to Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony at that time, due to his poetry. He managed to break out (escapar) and make it all the way to Philadelphia. La palabra edge significa borde o ventaja, entre otros, y parece tan sencilla; una sílaba y poco más. Es lo que llamo “palabras ricas” por su multitud de usos y frecuencia de uso. Vamos a ver unos ejemplos para que juegues con ventaja: Estoy nervioso porque estoy en el borde de un acantilado.

I’m on edge because I’m on the edge of a cliff.

Si quieres tener ventaja en el mundo de los negocios, necesitas idiomas.

If you want to have an edge in the business world, you need languages.

Tienes que estar a la vanguardia.

You need to be on the cutting edge.

WTF?

Melbourne has some of the wackiest (más locos) laws ever. And since we’re already on it, we can practice the structure you may not (no debes o está prohibido). The following laws take the cake! Está prohibido comerciar con piratas.

You may not trade with pirates.

Está prohibido conducir con un perro o una cabra atados a un vehículo en público.

You may not drive a dog or a goat harnessed to a vehicle in a public place.

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Está prohibido volar cometas o jugar a un juego que moleste a otra persona en público.

You may not fly kites or play a game that annoys another person in public.

Está prohibido cantar una canción obscena si la puede oír alguien.

You may not sing an obscene song within earshot of someone.

Está prohibido tener un artículo de disfraz sin una excusa legítima.

You may not have an article of disguise without a lawful excuse.

Kite es cometa y puede que te suene del deporte kitesurf. Para ambas actividades necesitas viento, y hablando de viento, en inglés decimos Go fly a kite para mandarle a alguien a tomar viento.

E I V O M E H T TELL ME

The Story of the Kelly Gang was filmed in Melbourne in 1906 and is known as the world’s first full-length narrative feature film. It was recognized as such by UNESCO in 2007. That’s all well and good (mola y todo eso) but more importantly, the hunky (buenorro) Chris Hemsworth was born here. He grew up between the city and the outback. Some of his earliest memories are of crocodiles, cattle and buffaloes.

the The Story of Kelly Gang The Outback es el campo en el interior de Australia. Es una palabra muy asociada a este país. De hecho, la cadena australiana Outback Steakhouse es muy popular en Estados Unidos. Cuando pienso en the outback, me viene una imagen de un sitio remoto en medio del campo a la cabeza. Vamos, por donde se movían Crocodile Dundee y Steve Irwin. ¿Te acuerdas de Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter (el Cazador de Cocodrilos)? A este hombre tan ligado a la naturaleza le acabó matando una picadura de una stingray (raya). If you asked me to go to the outback, I would back out. Si me dijeras de ir al campo salvaje, me echaría atrás.

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GOOD SPORTS

Australian rules football started in Melbourne. It’s also where the Olympics took place in 1956. Not only was it the first city to host this sports event, but Australia was also the first country to host it in the Southern Hemisphere. It was a very special ceremony because it was the first time the teams would parade (desfilar) around together at the end of the games as a symbol of unity among (entre) nations. This happened because a teenager, named John Ian Wing, sent an anonymous letter suggesting that the athletes walk out together to close the Olympics. It’s been a tradition ever since. Now that’s what I call an idea of Olympic proportions (enorme)!

Sabemos que host es anfitrión por lo que tiene sentido que el verbo to host signifique acoger u hospedar. También usamos esta palabra en el sentido de portador o huésped de un virus. Si lo piensas, la idea detrás de todo es la misma.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

Two of the most popular companies in Australia happen to be food and drink brands. Australians take their food very seriously. Vegemite was invented in Melbourne. It’s a spread used on toast or in a sandwich. Being an American, I’m not sure what to make of it (no sé exactamente cómo interpretarlo) so let me try and describe it to you. It’s a savory (salado) yeast-based (a base de levadura) product with celery, onion and other seasonings. The other popular brand is Foster’s beer. I have many memories of Foster’s in college. They are foggy (nublado) memories, but great ones!

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Seguramente conoces el verbo to happen como ocurrir o pasar, pero la estructura happen to es dar la casualidad de que: I happen to have a few examples ready for you to review. Da la casualidad de que tengo unos ejemplos para revisar. Da la casualidad de que tengo un bolígrafo.

I happen to have a pen.

Da la casualidad de que tengo una amiga de Melbourne.

I happen to have a friend from Melbourne.

Da la casualidad de que saben qué ocurre detrás del escenario.

They happen to know what happens backstage.

To spread significa extender, untar o difundir así que tiene sentido que a spread es una crema para untar como el queso crema. ¿Ves? A veces el inglés es lógico. Spread the word! ¡Difunde la palabra!

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Circus Oz se fundó en 1977.

Circus Oz was founded in 1977.

Tratan temas como la injusticia social.

They deal with themes such as social injustice.

¿Pero hay director de circo?

But is there a ring master?

No estoy seguro. Lo único que sé es que no hay animales.

I’m not sure. The only thing I know is that it’s animal free.

¿Es como Cirque du Soleil?

Is it like Cirque du Soleil?

Cirque du Soleil empezó en 1984.

Cirque Du Soleil started in 1984.

¿Son unos copiotas?

Are they copycats?

No, estoy seguro de que ambos son originales a su manera.

No, I’m sure they’re both original in their own way.

¿Y quién fundó Circus Oz?

And who founded Circus Oz?

Si no te importa… ¡estoy intentando ver el espectáculo!

Do you mind? I’m trying to watch the show!

Vale, ¡perdona! Culpa mía.

Right, sorry! My bad.

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Sydney, Australia

878 km

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YOU ARE HERE

28

Sydney,

Australia

TOTAL DISTAN CE

TRAVELLED: 42 ,340 KM

Hello from Sydney! We just got to Sydney and the skyline (horizonte) of this city is even more breathtaking (alucinante) than it looks on TV. It’s hard to believe that this gem of a city was a rough-and-tumble penal colony not too long ago. We’r e going to go to the beach to cool off (refrescarnos) and soak up (absorber) some rays. I can’t decide which beach to go to though… There are over 50 of them in Sydn ey alone! We’ll ask one of the locals to recommend a picturesque one. Later we’ll grab some dinner and go to a show at the world famous and utterly astounding (totalmente asombroso) Sydney Opera House.

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Rough-and-tumble significa violento, brusco o agresivo, y se pronuncia como una sola palabra. Decimos /rafentámbl/ y si te fijas, reconoces la palabra rough (duro) y la palabra tumble (caer). Viene de tirar al contrincante al suelo de manera dura o agresiva. Sydney used to be a roughand-tumble town. Antiguamente, Sídney era un pueblo chungo/violento.

FACT OR FICTION? There’s an annual duck (pato) fashion show in Sydney.

To take something for granted significa subestimar o dar por hecho y se usa mucho en inglés, ¡así que don’t take it for granted (no lo subestimes)! Veamos más ejemplos: No subestimes a tus padres. Un día no estarán.

Don’t take your parents for granted. One day they’ll be gone.

Sus amigas siempre la han subestimado.

Her friends have always taken her for granted.

Damos por hecho algunas cosas básicas como el aire y el agua.

We take basic things like air and water for granted.

To quack es graznar y la expresión if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... it’s a duck significa literalmente si anda como un pato y grazna como un pato... es un pato, aunque su traducción correcta es cuando el río suena, agua lleva.

The fashion show is a part of the 2-week-long Sydney Easter Show. The Easter Show is the biggest yearly event in Australia and it draws (atrae) about 900,000 visitors. Brian Harrington is the founder of the duck show and he’s an absolute duck lover. He says that ducks are just as talented as humans are and that they shouldn’t be taken for granted. This guy sounds like a quack but hey, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... it’s a duck!

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This is

History

One of the city’s trademarks (marcas de la casa) is the Harbour (puerto) Bridge, also known as the coathanger (percha). It opened in 1932, and when they were about to snip the ribbon (cinta inaugural) at the opening ceremony, someone beat them to it (llegó antes). A man dressed in a military uniform, riding a horse, slashed the ribbon with his sword (espada). He was detained but he made it into the history books! OK, well, at least he made it into an English book! Another cool thing about the bridge is that Paul Hogan, aka Crocodile Dundee, worked as a painter on the bridge before his breaththrough (éxito).

Ya que hay muchos tipos de cortes, tenemos muchas formas de decir cortar en inglés: to snip (hacer un cortecito) o to nip (hacer un corte pequeño) son solamente dos ejemplos. Piensa en la serie Nip Tuck, que va de cirugía plástica. En cambio slash, aparte de ser uno de los mejores guitarristas de la historia, es un corte grande y limpio, y da la casualidad de que la barra, el signo de puntuación, en inglés también se dice slash. El verbo to slash, por tanto, indica la acción de hacer dicho corte.

FUN FACTS

We’re going to the Festival of Dangerous Ideas but don’t worry, it’s not as dangerous as it sounds! It’s a yearly convention that brings together (reúne) some of the biggest thinkers (pensadores) of today to discuss and debate different issues that society is dealing with. It started in 2009 and is organized by the Sydney Opera House and The Ethics Centre. Some of the speakers who attended in the past are the likes of (gente como) whistleblower (soplón) Julian Assange, novelist Salman Rushdie and feminist Germaine Greer; people we call gamechangers.

A game-changer es una cosa o persona revolucionaria, algo o alguien que cambia las reglas del juego y que crea un punto de inflexión. Por ejemplo: Germaine Greer’s first book, The Female Eunuch, was a game changer. El primer libro de Germaine Greer, La Mujer Eunuco, cambió las reglas del juego.

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DIG IN! Put another shrimp (gamba) on the barbie. I’ve said this a million times, but never in Oz (Australia)! And no, I’m not talking about a Barbie doll (muñeca). “Barbie” is how Australians say barbecue. So in Australia you technically could buy Barbie’s Barbie (barbacoa de Barbie). The Aussies are known for their succulent barbecue. Now, if you get the chance, order a burger with the lot. But make sure to save room for dessert! Try a Lamington. It’s a chocolate sponge cake with jam (mermelada) or cream filling (relleno de nata) covered (recubierto) in coconut. Sweeeet! ¡Guuuuaaay! It’s so yummy that Aussies have actually dedicated a day to it. Mark your calendars because July 21 is National Lamington Day. ¡Estarás lamingte los dedos! ¡Ja, ja, ja!

The lot significa con todo y es como cuando quieres todas las guarniciones al pedir una hamburguesa en Australia. Los ingleses también usan esta palabra, pero para referirse a todos los miembros de un grupo: The lot of you are invited to my party. Todos estáis invitados a mi fiesta.

LOCAL LINGO Of course Australians speak a different language than we do in New York. We’re on the other side of the earth! I’ll share some sentences I learned, let’s see if you can make out (descifrar) what is said in Australian English. As always, I give you the answers in my English and Spanish below.

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We are going swimming in the arvo.

We are going swimming in the afternoon.

Vamos a bañarnos por la tarde.

Do you have your bathers?

Do you have your bathing suit?

¿Tienes tu bañador?

Yeah, but my battery is flat.

Yeah, but my battery is dead.

Sí, pero no tengo batería en el móvil.

I reckon we can send smoke signals.

I guess we can send smoke signals.

Supongo que podemos mandar señales de humo.

What if the bogans come?

What if the rednecks come?

¿Y si vienen los paletos?

There are heaps of them in this area.

There are tons of them in the area.

Hay muchísimos en la zona.

LOCAL LINGO Movería tierra, mar y aire para que mis alumnos pronunciaran bien la palabra earth. Al decirla, olvídate de la “a” y di /erz/. Pronounce it right. What on earth are you waiting for? ¡Pronúnciala bien! ¿A qué demonios esperas?

Famous Sydneysiders Michael Hutchence

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Michael Hutchence, the late (difunto) singer of INXS, was born in Sydney. He had a promising (prometedor) future as a swimmer, but it came to an end (llegó a su fin) when he broke his arm. It’s a good thing he broke it because otherwise we may have never heard his voice. In 1997 he was found hanging on a belt (cinturón) at a hotel in Sydney. He allegedly (supuestamente) strangled himself while carrying out (llevando a cabo) a sex act. The official ruling (resolución) was suicide, but there was no suicide note. Also the fact that he was naked when he died pointed to (señaló o indicó) death from auto-erotic asphyxiation. Whatever the cause was, that day the world lost a shining (brillante) star. Now his songs are keeping his legacy alive (manteniendo su legado vivo).

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Aunque son solo siglas, si pronuncias el nombre de este grupo en inglés, dirás in excess (en exceso), ya que se pronuncia /ineksés/. Veamos más palabras que se pronuncian con el sonido de una “k”:

• exit (salida) /éksit/ • accept (aceptar) /eksépt/ • access (acceso) /ékses/

• external (externo) /ekstérnl/ • excessive (excesivo) /eksésifff/

Recording artist Iggy Azalea came out of nowhere (salió de la nada) and now she’s everywhere! Well, she came out of Sydney but now she’s all over the pop charts (rankings de música pop). She moved to the US when she was 16 to try her hand in the music business while getting her GED. She did all kinds of odd jobs (todo tipo de trabajos), like that of a housekeeper (asistente de hogar) for example, until she ended up in LA where she was discovered. And she’s blown up (lo ha petado)! On June 7, 2014, her song “Fancy” was at number 1 on the Billboard Charts, while “Problems”, Ariana Grande’s song featuring Iggy Azalea, held second position on that very same day! The last time an artist did that was in 1964 after The Beatles had been on The Ed Sullivan Show. Here’s a trivia question: Do you know the 2 Beatles songs that were at number 1 and 2 in February 1964? Correct! It was “I want to hold your hand” at number 1 and “She loves you” at number 2. To try your hand at significa probar suerte con. Y no es de la mano humana de la que hablamos en este caso, sino de la mano de cartas. ¿Y qué es lo que haces cuando juegas a las cartas? Claro, ¡pruebas suerte jugando con la mano que tienes! You play your cards! GED es el acrónimo de tests of General Educational Development. Se pronuncia /chii ii díi/ y en España sería el graduado escolar. Es un título que demuestra que tienes el nivel de educación básica. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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WTF?

Beware rachnophobes! The Sydney funnel-web is a venomous spider with large fangs (colmillos). These fangs are large enough to penetrate fingernails (uñas de la mano) and toenails (uñas de los pies) easily, so just imagine skin! But the bite isn’t the worst part, it’s what happens next. If you don’t get the antivenom within 25 minutes, the bite could be fatal (mortal). Esta araña australiana se llama, literalmente, con telaraña de embudo, ya que funnel es embudo y web es telaraña. Su nombre viene de que estas arañas hacen telarañas con forma de embudo. ¡O al menos eso es lo que dicen! Yo no pienso acercarme lo suficiente como para comprobarlo. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre venomous y poisonous? Aunque en español no tenéis esta diferencia, en inglés sería literalmente así: If you bite it and die, it’s poisonous; if it bites you and you die, it’s venomous. Si lo muerdes y mueres es venenoso; si te muerde/pica y mueres, es venenoso.

E TELL M IE OV

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Before Hugh Jackman became Huge Jackman, he worked at a gas station and even dressed up as (se disfrazaba de) a clown for birthday parties. He’s loved rugby since he was a kid and he said that it helped him resolve his anger issues. It worked, at least it seems (al menos eso parece): he’s happy since he’s one of Hollywood’s biggest leading men (actores principales). He’s, what we call, a triple threat (amenaza) in the acting world because he’s a great actor, singer and dancer! As if that weren’t enough (por si fuera poco), he currently holds the record for the highest number of times he’s appeared as the same character in a movie: he’s played Wolverine 9 times! It’s ironic because one of the reasons he got into (se metió en) acting was because he wanted to play Jason in Friday the 13th. Although there have been 12 remakes of the Friday the 13th franchise, not a single actor has played the role (representado el papel) more than once.

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Un chiste malo que juega con la pronunciación de Hugh Jackman… Hugh junto con la “j” de Jackman suena como si dijéramos huge (enorme), ya que lo pronunciamos /hhhiuchákman/ y huge se pronuncia /hhhiúch/. Si al final consigo que pronuncies huge bien, sería un huge logro! Wolverine es lobezno, pero es más común llamar a los lobeznos wolf cubs o pups, la misma palabra que usamos para decir cachorros de perro.

GOOD SPORTS

Sydney hosted the Olympics in 2000, which is why they’re also known as the Millennium Olympic Games. Their athletes weren’t the only ones preparing for the games. The organizers were very creative when it came to making the bronze metals. They used old Australian 1 and 2 cent coins (monedas) that had been phased out (obsoletas) in 1991. They also had a protection problem, and I’m not referring to security or bodyguards (guardaespaldas)… They ran out of (se quedaron sin) condoms in the Olympic Village! They’d originally ordered 70,000 of them and they ended up ordering another 20,000 because the athletes were getting it on (se estaban liando entre ellos).

La palabra creative se pronuncia solamente de una manera y es /kriéitifff/. No hay otra forma. So don’t you get creative on me! ¡Así que no te me pongas creativo!

IN GOOD

COMPANY

The electronic pacemaker was developed, and later applied, by Edgar H. Booth and Mark C. Liddell in 1928. They first used it to revive a potentially stillborn (mortinato) infant at Crown Street Women’s Hospital in Sydney. The infant’s heart continued to beat (latir) on its own after being hooked up (conectado) to the device (aparato) for 10 minutes.

Pacemaker es marcapasos. Pace, a secas, es ritmo en inglés. You have to learn English at your own pace. Tienes que aprender inglés a tu propio ritmo.

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At the Opera House

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La Ópera de Sídney es el sitio turístico número 1 de la ciudad.

The Sydney Opera House is the city’s number 1 tourist attraction.

Jørn Utzon fue el arquitecto danés que diseñó esta maravilla.

Jørn Utzon was the Danish architect who designed this marvel.

Se le ocurrió mientras pelaba una naranja.

He got the idea from peeling an orange.

No pudo terminar el proyecto.

He couldn’t finish the project.

Él dimitió por una pelea con el gobierno.

He stepped down because of a falling out with the government.

Tiene 5 salas distintas.

It has five different performance spaces.

Hay 10.154 tubos en el Grand Organ.

There are 10,154 pipes on the Grand Organ.

Cada uno de los tubos tiene un nombre.

Each of the pipes has a name.

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Singapore

6,306 km

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Singapore

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 48,646 KM

Hello from Singapore! We’ve been on the road for quite some time now (bastante tiempo) and I’m pretty beat (bastante cansado) but this is our second to last (penúltima) stop. What a journey! We’ve come so far! But now we’re in the final stretch (la recta final). We’re going to check out Singapore and its contrasts. It’s partly a bustling (ajetreada) big city and partly a nature sanctuary due to its green spaces. I’m not just talking about the fact that 50% of the city is green. I’m also referring to the Sands Skypark which is on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands. It’s a 1.2 hectare tropical oasis with a 150 meter infinity pool high above the city. And it just so happens (da la casualidad) that we’ve got an invite to a pool party up there tonight! Let’s raise the roof! 302

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Cuidado con la palabra journey. No significa jornada; eso sería work day o business day. Journey o trip es nuestra forma de decir un viaje. Y la palabra travel no es un viaje, sino el verbo viajar. No decimos I’m planning a travel, sino I’m planning a trip.

FACT OR FICTION? Chewing gum is banned (prohibido) in Singapore, except if you have a medical prescription (receta). To spit it out significa escupir algo en el sentido literal, como escupir chicle, pero también cuando alguien está dando mil vueltas a un tema sin ir al grano. En este caso le puedes decir I haven’t got all day. Spit it out! No tengo todo el día. ¡Escúpelo! o ¡Dilo ya! Te he puesto dos juegos de palabras en inglés. ¿Has pillado alguno de ellos? To chew out significa echar la bronca. Por ejemplo: They chewed me out for chewing gum. Me echaron la bronca por masticar chicle. Y el otro juego de palabras viene del doble sentido de la palabra gum ya que gum no solamente es chicle, sino también encía. Por ejemplo: He has gum on his gums. Tiene chicle en las encías. Seguro que con esta frase tan sencilla te acordarás de cómo decir encías.

You’re not allowed to chew gum (masticar chicle) or even bring it into the country. Even if you were able to smuggle (traficar/hacer contrabando con) some in, don’t even think about spitting it out on the street. You could get a 700 dollar fine (multa) and not to mention (por no hablar de) you could get chewed out. You are allowed to chew gum if you have dental or gum problems, but you would still need a prescription. Gum was prohibited in 1992 because there was a recurring problem with people vandalizing the city with gum. So they took extreme measures and since then, gum has been banned here. I guess cleanliness is next to godliness (la limpieza es sagrada) to them.

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This is

History

Singapore’s original name was Temasek. It means “sea town” in Japanese. Then, in 1299, an Indonesian Prince named Sang Nila Utama reached (llegó a) the island and saw a lion, or so he thought (o eso pensó). So, he decided to name the place Singa Pura, which is Sanskrit for Lion City. There’s just one problem, there are no lions in Singapore and there never were. Well at least not until 1973 when they opened the zoo. It turns out (resulta) that the unknown (desconocido) lion-like animal was probably a Malayan tiger. The prince’s entourage suggested he get contact lenses (lentillas) after this mix up (equivocación). No, I was just pulling your chain about that last part.

Si eres un friki de las series, quizá te suene la palabra entourage, que significa séquito. Es una serie que trata de un chaval famoso en Hollywood con his entourage. Se pronuncia /ánterash/. To pull someone’s chain es tomar el pelo o vacilar. No es tirar de la cadena del váter, que se diría to flush. I’m not pulling your chain! ¡No te estoy tomando el pelo!

FUN FACTS

There are so many skyscrapers that you can get a great view from almost anywhere. But we’re going to get one of the best vantage points (sitios con vistas privilegiadas). Are you ready to ride (montar en) the Singapore Flyer? No, it’s not a bird and it’s not a plane either, it’s a super ferris wheel (noria). When it opened in 2008, it was the tallest one in the world. Now it’s in second place (puesto). The tallest one nowadays is the High Roller in Las Vegas, which opened in 2014. It’s 167.6 meters tall, while the Singapore Flyer is “only” 165 meters tall. Ha, ha, ha, only! I think once you’ve been at that altitude, you won’t notice the 2.6 meter difference. I hope you aren’t afraid of heights!

La noria de Las Vegas se llama High Roller y es un juego de palabras. Por una parte, literalmente significa algo que está rodando alto, como una noria, pero por otra significa gran apostador, una palabra asociada a Las Vegas. Viene de lanzar los dados, que es to roll the dice en inglés. Height es altura y se pronuncia /hhháittt/. No la confundas con el adjetivo high (alto), pronunciado igual que el saludo hi: /hhhái/ Did I make myself loud and clear? ¿Lo he dicho alto y claro?

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DIG IN! Food is not considered merely sustenance (alimento) in Singapore. It’s everything! It’s a cultural institution or, what some would call, an obsession. When they aren’t eating, they’re talking about food. Hmm… this sounds really familiar, maybe deep down I’m Singaporean! There are so many street food options here. We’re going to a hawker centre so we can try a little bit of everything. It’s like Singaporean tapas, so of course we’ll have to have a local Tiger beer. Easy tiger! ¡Con calma! I think I’m going to have to go on a diet after this trip. A hawker centre es un mercado al aire libre de vendedores de comida ambulante. Por ello, no te sorprenderá que a hawker sea un vendedor ambulante. En inglés, ponerse a dieta es to go on a diet y estar a dieta es to be on a diet. No decimos to be in a diet ni on diet. La preposición correcta es on y se usa siempre con el artículo a. Are you on a diet? ¿Estás a dieta? También puedes usar el verbo to diet si te resulta más fácil: Are you dieting?

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Singapore is an international city if I’ve ever seen one. It has 4 official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. And I left out Singlish, which isn’t an official language but you’ll hear it in the streets here. It’s an English-based creole or patois hybrid.

LOCAL LINGO

The Singaporean government started a Speak Good English campaign in 2000 to try and teach people how to speak proper English. But it seems to have backfired (les salió el tiro por la culata) because just this year the Oxford Dictionary added 20 new Singlish words to its reputable (respetado) dictionary. Let’s look at some key phrases (frases clave): I catch no ball

I don’t understand you.

No te entiendo.

You are talking cock.

You are talking nonsense!

¡Estás diciendo tonterías!

Shiok kaki!

Yes buddy!

¡Sí, colega!

Paiseh I’m late.

Sorry I’m late.

Perdona por llegar tarde.

Blur like sotong.

You don’t get it!

¡No lo pillas!

He’s a lobo.

He’s lazy.

Es un vago.

To leave out es omitir y es un phrasal verb bastante lógico, porque to leave significa dejar y out significa fuera. Por ejemplo: You left out the most important part. Omitiste la parte más importante. Si aún te cuesta, puedes decir to omit, aunque no es tan común.

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Famous SINGAPOREANS Jet Li

Martial artist, actor and producer Jet Li was born in Beijing but in 2009 he became a naturalized (nacionalizado) citizen of Singapore. He’s used to doing stunts (escenas peligrosas) risking his life and saving the day in his movies, but he had his own real life thriller in 2004. He was by the pool in the Maldives when the tsunami hit. Many rumors were going around (circulando) saying that he had perished (fallecido) in the disaster. Thank God they were just rumors. He suffered a minor foot injury while he was guiding his family to safety. It’s a good thing he helped his family and didn’t jet!

To jet es una forma informal de decir pirarse o largarse. Quédate con esta frase: Jet Li has to jet in his private jet. Jet Li se tiene que pirar en su jet privado. Singapore has produced bands such as The Crescendos and The Quests. Yeah… I’m not familiar with them either but they did have some hits in the ‘60s. These days (hoy en día) Singapore has some mega pop stars such as Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin. Stefanie Sun has 12 albums under her belt (en su haber) and has sold over 30 million albums in Asia. She is, without a doubt, one of the most successful singers from Singapore. And JJ Lin broke a world record by signing 3,052 CDs in 2 hours and 30 minutes in 2007. During the signing, he didn’t drink or eat anything. The average time it took him to sign one CD was 2.7 seconds. I guess he saw dollar signs. Tenía una alumna que me decía Can I sing? cada vez que tenía que firmar la hoja de asistencia. Y yo le contestaba, ¡Claro Bea, cántanos algo! Sing es cantar y sign, pronunciado /sáin/, es firmar. Firmaría por no volver a escuchar ese error. To see dollar signs es ver una oportunidad para hacer pasta. When Walt Disney went to Orlando, he saw dollar signs. Cuando Walt Disney fue a Orlando, vio una oportunidad de hacer negocio. ENGLISH ON THE GO!

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WTF?

Singapore was 7.5 hours ahead (delante) of Greenwich Mean Time (hora del meridiano de Greenwich) for 36 years. It’s because East Malaysia’s time was GMT+8.00 and West Malaysia’s time was GMT +7.50. Malaysia decided to standardize their time zones so they were both GMT+8.00. So Singapore followed suit (les copió) in 1982, as it didn’t make sense for them to be the only place on GMT +7.50 time. They lost half an hour that they’ll never get back and you know what they say: Time is money. El tiempo es oro. Speaking of time, do you know how to tell time in English? If not, it’s about time (ya era hora) you learned: Son las ocho menos cuarto de la tarde.

It’s seven forty-five p.m. It’s quarter to eight p.m.

Son las cinco y cuarto de la mañana.

It’s five fifteen a.m. It’s quarter past five a.m.

Son las dos y media de la madrugada.

It’s two thirty a.m. It’s half past two a.m.

Son las diez en punto.

It’s ten on the dot. It’s ten sharp.

Los ingleses también dicen half two para decir las dos y media, pero no se dice two and a half para decir esta hora. Sí se usaría esa estructura con edades. Por ejemplo: She’s going to be two and a half at half two. Va a cumplir dos años y medio a las dos y media.

IE V O M E H T TELL ME

If you saw Avatar, then you’ll recognize the Gardens by the Bay. The supertrees here look a lot like the ones from this blockbuster. Some call these huge electronic trees the Avatar trees. And it seems (parece) like The Guardians of the Galaxy producers were feeling inspired too when they based the planet of Xandar on the Gardens by the Bay. Also, the movie Hitman Agent 47 was filmed in Singapore in 2015. It’s a great place to film a futuristic city, that’s out of this world (extraordinario)!

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Blockbuster originalmente era el nombre de la bomba más poderosa de los ejércitos inglés y americano. Es un poco raro, porque si una película es a bomb, es un fracaso! También se emplea bomb como verbo. Por ejemplo: The Green Lantern superhero movie bombed. La película de superhéroes Linterna Verde fue un fracaso.

GOOD SPORTS

We’re going to the Singapore Sports Hub. It’s a state of the art (a la vanguardia) sport and entertainment complex that was built in 2014. Aside from the 55,000-seat national stadium, there are many other facilities (instalaciones) like an aquatic center with a 10-lane (calle) competition pool that seats 6,000 people, a water park for kids, a skate park, volleyball courts as well as a sports library. The only problem is that I’m not sporting my gym clothes.

Sport es deporte, pero también es una manera de decir llevar puesto. Fíjate: I’m not sporting my sports clothes. No llevo mi ropa de deporte puesta. Y clothes se suele pronunciar /klóus/, igual que close (cerrar). Aunque lleve la “th” al final, suena un poco raro si la pronuncias en esta palabra.

IN GOOD

COMPANY

The local airline, Singapore Airlines, banned the mile-high club (el club de una milla de altura). The mile high club means having sex on an airplane while it’s in the air. And the funniest part is that this “club” started when the automatic pilot was invented. Singapore Airlines had such a problem on their planes, especially the A380 double-decker jumbo, that they had to ask people not to have sex in the VIP suites. They even put in two single beds instead of a double bed (cama matrimonial) so that passengers wouldn’t be tempted. I guess the next step in passenger comfort is soundproofing (insonorizar) the walls.

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La gente se suele equivocar con el negativo del infinitivo. Pero solo hay que pensar en Shakespeare: to be or not to be. A ver si lo dominas: Le dije que no fuera.

I told him not to go.

Me dijeron que no le hiciera caso.

They told me not to pay attention to him.

Te dije que no cometieras errores con esta estructura.

I told you not to make mistakes with this structure.

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¿Es verdad que te emborrachas más rápido a 191 metros?

Is it true you get drunk quicker at 191 meters?

¿Soy yo o el edificio se mueve?

Is it me or is the building swaying?

Tiene que ser el edificio, porque ni siquiera hemos pedido copas aún.

It has to be the building because we haven’t even ordered drinks yet.

¿Cuánta gente cabe en esta azotea?

How many people fit on this roof?

¿Estás seguro de que es robusto?

Are you sure it’s sturdy?

Es la plataforma voladiza pública más grande del mundo.

It’s the world’s largest public cantilevered platform.

¿Se supone que eso hace que me sienta más seguro?

Is that supposed to make me feel safer?

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Me estoy mareando.

I’m getting queasy.

Tú lo que necesitas es un Singapore Sling cocktail.

What you need is a Singapore Sling.

Necesito una bolsa. ¡Estoy hiperventilando!

I need a bag. I’m hyperventilating!

Anchorage, Alaska

10,446 km

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Anchorage, AK

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 59,092 KM

Hello from Anchorage!

), this stop it’s farewell (adiós er Aft ip! tr r ou on op st st Well, this is the la English journey for the ur yo ue in nt co u yo pe ho until we meet again! I os y salvos) and I an (s ce pie e on in ka as Al it to rest of your life. We made ve to make the most of ha we e us ca be left gy er en nnect, hope you still have some ople come to nature to disco pe me So . ka as Al e, ag or ch (aprovechar) An It’s paradoxical in a way: t. an rt po im ’s at wh th wi t and others to reconnec we go out into the en wh d fin we at th y cit pli sim there’s a certain intricate elta por) Anchorage and vu a un ar (d nd ou ar e uis with wild. We’re going to cr k the ice (romper el hielo) ea br to y wa od go a ’s It . then go ice fishing sta cómo ha sonado eso. gu me No . at th of d un so e the locals. I don’t like th

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Para decir la naturaleza en inglés, no empleamos el artículo the delante. Es nature a secas. ¡Cuidado! Se pronuncia /néicher/. I’m really into nature. Me alucina la naturaleza.

FACT OR FICTION? The United States purchased (compró) Alaska from Russia for about 5 euros per square kilometer (kilómetro cuadrado). Como puedes ver, tenemos varias formas de decir chollo: a steal, deal or bargain. La palabra bargain, pronuciada /bárguen/, viene de regatear. If you bargain, you will get a bargain. Si regateas, obtendrás un chollo.

This is

History

It’s believed that Anchorage was first explored and described by an English explorer named Captain James Cook in 1778. But the city didn’t boom until 1914 when it became a construction site port for the Alaska railroad (red ferroviaria). It started out as a tent city (ciudad de tiendas de campaña). At first it was called Alaska City and then, in 1920, it got its current name: Anchorage. In 1968 it had another boom when oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay and yet another one with the building of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline. It seems like the city is in a boom-boom cycle instead of a boom-bust (con grandes altibajos) cycle. Let’s see what’s next in the pipeline.

El nombre Anchorage, pronunciado /énkeridch/, significa ancladero y es porque el puerto de Anchorage es un sitio donde los barcos echaban y siguen echando el anchor (ancla), pronunciado /énker/. ¿Y sabes cómo se dice anclar? Muy fácil, es to anchor.

What a steal! ¡Vaya chollo! I don’t think you can get land anywhere at that price nowadays (hoy en día). It added 1,518,800 km2 of territory to the United States. And this wasn’t just any (cualquier) land, Alaska is a gorgeous (bello) place, rich in precious resources such as oil and gold. Some people called the Alaska purchase Seward’s folly (error) because they thought it wasn’t worth buying. William H. Seward was the Secretary of State who championed (abogar o defender) the idea of buying Alaska. I think we can all agree that it should be called Seward’s deal (chollo) instead of Seward’s folly.

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Pipeline es oleoducto pero in the pipeline significa en proceso o previsto. Por ejemplo: Do you have any projects in the pipeline? ¿Tienes algún proyecto planificado/previsto?

FUN FACTS

Six mountain ranges (cordilleras) can be seen from Anchorage. I’m talking about the Chugach, Kenai, Talkeetna, Tordrillo, Alaska and Aleutian. And on a clear day you can see Denali, aka Mount McKinley, which is 209 km away. It’s the tallest mountain in North America. Its summit (cima) is 6,190 meters above sea level. You can imagine just how many species of animals there are in these mountains and even in the city. About 60 grizzly bears live in urban Anchorage. I can bear bears but I can’t bear snakes. If you suffer from ophidiophobia (ofidiofobia) like me, then there’s good news. There are no snakes in Anchorage or in all of Alaska for that matter (en todo caso).

Yo me lío con la palabra especie y especia en español. A ver si no me lío en la explicación y así aprovecho para repasarlo también. Species, pronunciado /spíshis/, es especie, mientras que spices, pronunciado /ssspáises/, es especias. Fíjate en los ejemplos: There are many species in the wild. Hay muchas especies en estado salvaje. There are many spices in my kitchen. Hay muchas especias en mi cocina. Para entender este juego de palabras, hay que saber que bear, además de oso, también significa soportar o aguantar y se pronuncia /béar/.

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DIG IN! I’m so hungry I could eat… a reindeer! Good thing they have reindeer dogs! They are wieners (salchichas) made with reindeer meat (carne de reno). The salmon and shellfish (marisco) is delish (delicioso) due to the cold water here. But let’s try some local options, shall we? Are you feeling brave? If you are, you can try muktuk. It’s a combination of whale blubber (grasa de ballena) frozen together with skin. Oh and… it’s eaten raw (crudo)! I’m good! ¡Yo paso! I may jump straight to dessert. Speaking of, maybe I’ll try the Eskimo ice cream, or as they call it aqutak. It’s made with seal oil (aceite de foca), reindeer fat, snow and wild berries (bayas). Actually, now that I think of it, I’ll pass on that too! I’m going to order the baked Alaska. It’s ice cream with meringue baked in the oven but it was invented in New York, and not is Alaska! I told you I’m fussy (tiquismiquis).

Aquí estuve a punto de decir la frase conocida I’m so hungry I could eat a horse, que decimos cuando tenemos mucha hambre pero, claro, ¡un reno pega mucho más aquí, en Alaska! Seguramente te suene la palabra meringue, ¡y más si eres madridista! Pero cuidado con la pronuciación. Decimos /meréeng/.

LOCAL LINGO

Even though English is the , it’s its own primary language in Alaska m everything. world, kilometers away fro lingo. Let’s So they have their very own and expressions take a look at some words always, every you will hear in Alaska. As glish version sentence comes with my En n. and the Spanish translatio

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I’m going outside.

I’m going to the mainland.

Me voy al continente.

This place is full of cheechakos.

This place is full of newbies.

Este sitio está lleno de gente de fuera.

I’ve been here for years. I’m sourdough.

I’ve been here for years. I’m old school.

Llevo años aquí. Soy de la vieja escuela.

Is your snow machine working?

Is your snowmobile working?

¿Funciona tu motonieve?

Put on your bunny boots.

Put on your snow boots.

Ponte las botas de nieve.

LOCAL LINGO Bunny boots son botas blancas que supuestamente te mantienen los pies calentitos y secos en la nieve. Bunny significa conejito, pero la historia de estas botas no es tan inocente. Vienen de la mili y se desarrollaron para ayudar a las tropas a combatir el frío. ¡Que no te pille el invierno sin ellas en Alaska!

Famous Alaskans Sarah Palin

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Sarah Palin isn’t from Anchorage or, come to think of it (pensándolo mejor), from Alaska but her family moved here when she was just two months old. That’s good enough! ¡Eso nos vale! She’s always associated with Alaska because not only was she their youngest and first female governor but also because she ran, unsuccessfully, for vice-president of the United States. In her early days, back in 1984, she won the Miss Wasilla local beauty pageant (concurso de belleza) and was the runner-up (segundo puesto) in the Miss Alaska pageant. She also won the Miss Congeniality award and got a college scholarship (beca). Her congeniality almost got her to the White House. I imagine she still lives in a white house in Alaska… white with snow!

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Sé que te suena run de correr, pero también significa presentarse para un puesto en un gobierno y se usa con la preposición for. Un ejemplo: Hillary ran for POTUS (President of the United States). Hillary se presentó a las elecciones presidenciales de EE. UU. A lo mejor te suena la película Miss Congeniality de Sandra Bullock. Congeniality significa simpatía, aunque en España esta película se llama Miss agente especial, mientras que en Latinoamérica se tradujo más como el título original: Miss simpatía. Aun así, debes saber que casi nunca usamos la palabra congenial, sino kind, likeable o friendly. Singer Jewel was raised on a 3.23 km2 ranch in Anchorage, Alaska. Her family was dirt poor (muy pobre). They had no running water (agua corriente), no locks on the doors and no TV. But this didn’t stop Jewel, she learned how to play the piano and sing before she learned how to read. Her parents were performers and invited her to join them on stage when she was six years old. She was hooked (enganchada) from the get go. She faced many other hardships (dificultades) before she made it in the music business though. She lived in a van while she was paying her dues (currándoselo). From the get go significa desde el principio. Veamos unos ejemplos: Espero que hayas disfrutado de este libro desde el primer momento.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this book from the get go.

¿Te ha gustado el inglés desde el principio?

Have you liked English from the get go?

Ella ha sido una crack desde el primer momento.

She’s been a go-getter from the get go.

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WTF?

The Good Friday (Viernes Santo) earthquake devastated Anchorage on March 27, 1964. An estimated 130 people died and many others were injured or uprooted from their homes or businesses. It lasted (duró) about five minutes and it was fierce (feroz). It measured 9.2 on the Richter scale being the strongest quake ever recorded in North America. The destroyed area was turned into (convertido en) Earthquake Park. No, this is not a wild theme park. It’s a park where you can take a walk and learn about and reflect on this devastating moment in history. There are signs (letreros o indicaciones) all over the park explaining the tragic events of that day. And if you’re lucky, you might even spot a moose.

To uproot significa desplazar y tiene sentido porque root es raíz y up es arriba; o sea, la idea es levantar o arrancar las raíces. You always have to look at the roots of words. Siempre hay que mirar las raíces de las palabras. Moose es alce y se dice igual en plural. Es como deer, la forma singular y plural de decir ciervo.

TELL ME

THE MOVIE

ns The Simpso

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In The Simpsons movie, TV’s favorite family moves to Alaska because the EPA, short for Environmental Protection Agency, is on their tails (siguiéndolos de cerca). But that’s just a cartoon, you might say. Well, there are many live action movies filmed in Alaska’s wilderness. One of my favorite movies of all time is Into the Wild (Hacia rutas salvajes), directed by Sean Penn. It’s a beautiful movie with amazing cinematography (fotografía) and an amazing score (banda sonora) by Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. But it wasn’t an easy film to make as it was shot on location (en escenarios reales y no en un estudio) in Alaska. The crew really had to rough it in the middle of the Alaskan winter. It was a far cry from (no tiene nada que ver con) the sunny streets of Hollywood.

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Wilderness es tierra salvaje y no se pronuncia /uáildernis/, y mucho menos /guaildernis/. ¡Es /uíldernis/! To rough it significa estar sin lujos o estar a la aventura. Es muy graciosa esta expresión, porque rough también es duro; o sea, es como hacerse el duro o vivir en duras condiciones. Usamos esta expresión cuando vamos a un festival y no tenemos los lujos de casa, por ejemplo. It’s rough but we have to rough it tonight. Es duro, pero tenemos que ir a la aventura esta noche.

GOOD SPORTS

One of the biggest sporting events in Anchorage is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (carrera de trineo con perros). It takes place annually on the first Saturday of March. The race starts in Anchorage and goes 1,688 km to Nome on the coast of the Bering Sea. Anchorage has many sports, most of them snow or ice-based, such as ice hockey and skiing, as there are 168 km of groomed cross-country ski trails (pistas de esquí de fondo) in Anchorage. Sadly, they haven’t hosted the Winter Olympics yet. They were in the bidding (puja) process in 1992 and 1994. Hopefully, they will get their own games soon so they can have yet another boom!

Iditarod es una palabra que parece derivar de la palabra atabascana haiditarod, que significa lugar lejano o distante. ¡Y tú pensabas que solo ibas a aprender inglés en este viaje! To groom es limpiar, peinar o arreglar y no solo la usamos en el contexto de pistas de esquí, sino también con personas. Por ejemplo: He’s very well groomed. Él está muy arreglado.

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IN GOOD

COMPANY

You may think that Anchorage is in the middle of nowhere. Quite the contrary! ¡Todo lo contario! It’s a strategic location. It’s 9 and a half hours flying time to most of the industrialized world. Cities such as New York, Tokyo and Berlin are all within 9.5 hours by plane. This is probably why it’s such a popular port and why FedEx has a major hub (centro de operaciones) here. But that’s not going to help us on our ice fishing adventure. First, we need some beer so let’s stop by the Midnight Sun Brewing Company, a local brewery founded here in Anchorage in 1995. We should pick up a keg (barril). If we don’t catch any fish, we can at least catch a buzz! To catch a buzz es coger el puntillo y viene de to be buzzing (estar contentillo o de subidón) no solo hablando de alcohol. Por ejemplo: I was buzzing when I finished the book. Estaba de subidón cuando terminé el libro.

Ice Fishing

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Nunca he pescado sobre hielo.

I’ve never been ice fishing before.

Yo tampoco. No puede ser muy difícil.

Me neither. It can’t be that hard.

No estoy preocupado por la dificultad. ¡No quiero caerme y atravesar el hielo!

I’m not worried about the difficulty. I don’t want to fall through the ice!

Confía en mí. Estarás bien.

Trust me. You’ll be fine.

¿Cómo lo sabes? Tú eres un comercial horrible.

How do you know? You couldn’t sell ice to an eskimo.

Tienes razón. No sé hacer nada. Pásame el cebo.

You’re right. I’m no good at anything. Pass me the bait.

Solo estás buscando elogios.

You are just fishing for compliments.

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Cuidado con ese anzuelo. Es muy puntiagudo.

Careful with that hook. It’s very sharp.

Creo que han picado.

I think I got a bite.

Si ni si quiera tienes el anzuelo en el agua.

Your line isn’t even in the water.

Tienes razón. No soy un partidazo.

You’re right. I’m not a good catch.

¿Has terminado de buscar piropos?

Are you done fishing for compliments?

Perdona… ¿Has oído ese chasquido?

Sorry… Did you hear that cracking noise?

Home

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References Capítulo 1

Capítulo 14

There’s Something about Mary. Dir. Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. By Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. Perf. Cameron Diaz and Matt Dillon. 20th Century Fox, 1998. DVD.

Miami Sound Machine. Conga. Epic, 1985. Vinyl recording.

Capítulo 5

Marvin Gaye. I Heard It Through the Grapevine. Tamla, 1968. Vinyl recording.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Dir. Sergio Leone. Perf. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef. United Artists, 1967. Film.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Yo Home to Bel-Air. Jive/Zomba, 1992. Vinyl recording.

1

Scott McKenzie. San Francisco. Lou Adler, John Phillips, 1967. Vinyl recording.

2

3

11

Capítulo 15 12

Capítulo 16 13

Capítulo 17

Gran Torino. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley. Warner Bros., 2008. Film.

Frank Sinatra. Theme from New York, New York. Reprise, 1980. Vinyl recording.

Capítulo 7

Capítulo 19

4

Fifty Shades of Grey. Dir. Sam TaylorJohnson. Perf. Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan. Universal Pictures, 2015. DVD.

5

Capítulo 8

14

AC/DC. Back in Black. Atlantic, 1980. Vinyl recording. 15

Capítulo 21

6

Metallica. The Unforgiven. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, 1991. CD.

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Tamla, 1967. Vinyl recording.

Apollo 13. Dir. Ron Howard. Perf. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon. Universal Pictures, 1995. DVD.

Capítulo 24

7

Capítulo 9 8

Madonna. La Isla Bonita. Madonna, Patrick Leonard, 1986. Vinyl recording.

9

Vanilla Ice. Ice Ice Baby. Vanilla Ice, 1990. Vinyl recording.

Capítulo 11

Katy Perry. Roar. Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Cirkut, 2013. CD. 10

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16

The Kaiser Chiefs. Never Miss a Beat. Polydor, 2008. CD. 17

Capítulo 25

The Trashmen. Surfin’ Bird. Garrett, 1963. Vinyl recording. 18

Capítulo 27

John Travolta. Greased Lightnin’. RSO Records, 1978. Vinyl recording. 19

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