blueboy broken

Vocabulary

fall / fell / fallen
I fell asleep late

giggle (verb) – riendo
My friend and I used to giggle a lot

nightmare (noun) – a bad dream
I had a nightmare last night

Grammar

annoyed + by
I am annoyed by mosquitos

interested + in
I am interested in photography

Vocabulary

1. Shutter speed (compound noun):
   • Definition: Shutter speed is how fast or slow a camera takes a picture. It controls how much light enters the camera.
   • Example: To capture a clear picture of a speeding car, you need a fast shutter speed.
2. Twilight (noun):
   • Definition: Twilight is the time of day between sunset and darkness, or between darkness and sunrise, when the sky is a bit bright but the sun is not visible.
   • Example: We enjoyed the beautiful colors of the sky during twilight as the day turned into night.
3. Shine (verb):
   • Definition: Shine means to give out or reflect light.
   • Example: The sun shone brightly, warming the earth below.
4. Suitable (adjective):
   • Definition: Suitable means right or appropriate for a particular purpose.
   • Example: It’s important to wear suitable clothing for the weather.
5. Steam (noun):
   • Definition: Steam is the hot mist that forms when water boils.
   • Example: The steam rose from the pot of boiling water on the stove.
6. Smoke (noun):
   • Definition: Smoke is the cloud of black, gray, or white gases and dust that is produced by burning something.
   • Example: Smoke billowed from the chimney of the old house.

Grammar

something represents something (something means something)
The water represents life

someone presents something (someone shows something)
I present the picture

Pronunciation

tough – sound like ‘enough’.

Vocabulary

1. cluttered:
   • Definition: Messy and filled with too many things.
2. Dusty:
   • Definition: Covered with fine dirt or powder.
3. Dirty:
   • Definition: Not clean, with dirt or stains on it.

Since / Until:

Since is used to indicate the starting point of an action or a period of time. Something has been happening continuously from that starting point up to the present moment. Example: “I have been studying English since last year”

Until is used to indicate the ending point of an action or a period of time. It implies that something will continue happening up to a specified point in time but will stop afterward.
Example: “The store is open until 9 PM”

Grammar

can / could / been able to

I can do it now

I could do it before

I have been able to do it recently.

Vocabulary

Moose – alce (sounds like Chocolate Mousse)
I have never seen a moose in my life.

population (uncountable/uncountable)
When “population” is used as an uncountable noun, it refers to a collective group or the total number of people or animals in a particular area or country.
How much is the population of Colombia?
The population of Colombia is 52 million.

When “population” is used as a countable noun, it refers to different populations of different countries or areas.
How many penguins are there in South Africa?
There are 2 big populations of penguins and a few small populations too. There are about 20000 penguins.

sleep in = stay in bed until you want to get up.
It is Saturday, so I slept in.

wake up late = stay in bed until later than you should.
I woke up late and my boss is not happy.

dawn – when the sun comes up
I was out until dawn (at dawn, I went home)

dusk – when the sun goes down
The birds sing until dusk (they stop singing at dusk)

Pronunciation

hit – short vowel

hitter – short vowel

heat – longer vowel

heater – longer vowel

Vocabulary

nightdress = a light, loose garment worn by a woman or child in bed
She can’t go out because she is wearing her night dress

evening dress / evening gown =  a long dress usually worn at formal occasions
I wore an evening dress to the exhibition

tender = soft
This meat is tender

tough = not soft
This steak is too tough

a blocked nose
una nariz tapada
I have a blocked nose.

a runny nose
una nariz que moquea
I have a runny nose

over + verb
overdo = do too much
overcook = cook for too long a time
overdress = wear more expensive/formal clothes than expected

under + verb
underdo = do too little (usually used with cooking)
undercook = cook for too little a time
underdress = wear less expensive/formal clothes than expected

Pronunciation

stairs (sounds like hair)
stars (sounds like está)

tender (say the vowel clearly to avoid saying Tinder)

Vocabulary

begin / began / begun

get / got / gotten

prepare something = make it ready
prepare for something = make yourself ready for something

Pronunciation

feel / felt / felt (verb 2 and 3 sound like ‘belt’)

Grammar

I have been + verb 4 (it’s not finished)
I have been feeling sad. (I still feel sad now)

I have + verb 3 (it’s finished)
I have felt sad. (I don’t feel sad now)

Vocabulary

earthquake  – terremoto
There was an earthquake

See / Saw / Seen

read / read / read (verb 2 and 3 sound like the color red)

ride / rode / ridden

take / took / taken

How would you like your employer to be? (this sentence is not natural)
What do you expect from your employer? (this is more natural)

Pronunciation

worked – use the same vowel from the beginning of ‘America’

Grammar

since is generally used in 3 ways

1. or time: Use “since” to talk about when something started and continues until now.
   • Example: I’ve lived here since 2010.
2. For reason: Use “since” to give a reason for something.
   • Example: Since it’s raining, we’ll stay indoors.
3. For both time and reason: You can combine both uses.
   • Example: She’s been happy since she met her best friend.

Pronunciation

employee – em ploy jee

employer – em ploy ji

employed – em ployd

Vocabulary

hire (verb) contratar
They hired a new employee

backup drive – unidad de respaldo
I have been copying files onto my backup drive

Pronunciation

signs – same vowel as ‘fines’

since – same vowel as ‘prince’

read – same vowel as ‘need’

ride – same vowel as ‘fly’

worm – same vowel as the first sound in ‘America’.

warm – same vowel as in ‘door’

scared – same vowel as in ‘wear’

scarred – same vowel as in ‘hard’

studying – STA DEE YING

psychologist – SAI KO LI JIST

Vocabulary

ride / rode / ridden
Have you ever ridden an elephant?
I have never ridden an elephant

Vocabulary

tolerate (verb) –  tolerar
You have to tolerate it

Grammar

Have you been + verb 4 + recently?
Have you been taking pictures recently?

Have you + verb 3? = unfinished time
Have you talked to your mom today?

have / has + verb 3 = unfinished time
I have seen two friends this week

have / has + been + verb 4 = recently / unfinished action
I have been going to the gym recently

I was somewhere at + time
I was at the supermarket at 17:00

I have been somewhere since + time
I have been in Spain since 2022.
(from 2022 until now)

Vocabulary

the hair salon – the place where you can get your hair done

dye (verb/noun) – to change the color of your hair

I had my hair dyed at the hair salon

polite – opposite of rude
I would rather talk to a polite person than a rude person

wise (adj) – having good judgement from experience and knowledge
He is a wise man

Grammar

I’m sorry for + verb 4
I’m sorry for doing something
I’m sorry for being late

I have been + verb 4 + since
I have been taking picture since I was 20 years old
(It started when you were 20 and still continues today)

Pronunciation

‘since’ has the same vowel as ‘prince’.

Pronunciation

remember to open your mouth widely, like you’re going to bite an apple, for the /a/ in apple. It’s NOT the same as the sound in ‘up’.

Vocabulary

gather (verb) – to come together / to bring together
We gather on New Year’s Eve

scatter (verb) – the opposite of gather
I scattered the paper on the floor

Grammar

child – singular
children – plural
childrens – not a word

on – days
on Christmas Eve

in – months
in December

Pronunciation

Pronunciation

Vocabulary

rack one’s brain – make a great effort to think of or remember something.
I’m racking my brain, but I can’t remember

refresh one’s memory – help someone remember
Let me refresh your memory with a picture

career (noun) carrera
His career is in photography

misremember (verb) – remember incorrectly
I misremembered his name

one’s mind is a blank – can’t remember / think of anything
I don’t know the answer. My mind is a blank.

the U.S.A / EE.UU
He lives in the U.S.A

it goes in one ear and out the other – forget something soon after learning it

Grammar

She dislikes fly
She dislikes flying

Questions about degrees according to perspective.

Structure: How + adjective + is/are something/someone [to someone/something]

We ask this way because we want an answer about the degree of the adjective. It may be ‘very important’, ‘not very valuable’ or ‘extremely expensive’. The answer to these questions often has an adverb.

Examples:

1) How important is the cat to you?

2) How valuable is the watch to a collector?

3) How expensive are cars for Europeans?

Questions we practiced in class:

Grammar

Today, we practiced using ‘in’.

in year
I was born in 1970

in month
I was born in November

in a room
I am in the kitchen

in a pocket / bag
My keys are in my handbag

in a corner
The stove is in the corner of the kitchen

in time (future)
In 2 days, it will be Saturday

in a computer / phone (physical)
The battery in my phone is old
The hard disk in my computer is full

carry (verb)
My idea was to have a man carry the suitcase in a crowded place

participate (verb)
I will participate in a competition

paddle ball (noun phrase)
My husband likes to play paddle ball

a crowd (noun)
My idea was to have a man carry the suitcase in a crowd

crowded (adj)
My idea was to have a man carry the suitcase in a crowded place

handle (noun)
The handle is on the wrong side

upside down (phrase) – the top is at the bottom
The suitcase is upside down

get a move on (phrase) – start something / do something faster
It’s time to get a move on.

on the wrong side (phrase)
They are driving on the wrong side

Grammar

Pronunciation

competition – kom pu tee shin

paddle – has the /a/ from ‘cat’

puddle – has the /uh/ from ‘cut’

Grammar

I into photography
I’m into photography

My husband is on a business travel
My husband is travelling for business
My husband is on a business trip

I have my hair cut (usually)
I had my hair cut (before)

Vocabulary

crowd (noun)
There is a big crowd

crowded (adjective)
It is a crowded place

handle (noun)
The handle is on the wrong side

upside down (phrase)
The picture is upside down

Grammar

tell someone something
She told me she will be late

say something
She said she will be late

Vocabulary

pain (noun)
I am in pain

hurt (verb)
My leg hurts

I’m into (special meaning = I like)
I’m into photography

dabble (verb) – do something casually
I dabble in cooking

the set (noun) – the place where a movie is shot or pictures are taken
They are preparing the set for the photoshoot

Pronunciation

nervous – make sure you focus on saying the /v/ clearly.

Vocabulary

concentrate (verb)
It helps me to concentrate

concentration (noun)
It’s good for your concentration

Grammar

Last month was the last time I listened to music
(this sounds like you will never listen to music again)

The last time I listened to music was last month
(this is just saying when last it happened)

I am used to doing something (it is normal for me to do something)

I used to do something (I usually did it before, but now I don’t do it)

I used something usé algo

Vocabulary

Persist (verb): To continue to exist or endure; to continue in a course of action despite difficulties or opposition.
She decided to persist in her efforts to find a solution to the problem.

Persistent (adj): Continuing to exist or endure over a long period; refusing to give up or let go.
His persistent dedication to the project paid off in the end.

Memories (noun): Recollections or remembrances of past events, experiences, or people.
Childhood memories of summer vacations always bring a smile to her face.

Memorize (verb): To learn something by heart; to commit information to memory.
He needed to memorize all the key equations for the upcoming exam.

Flat (adj): Having a level and even surface without any bumps or curves; lacking interest or excitement.
The road was so flat that it made for an easy and smooth bike ride.

Flap (verb): To move up and down or back and forth rapidly, often with a waving or vibrating motion.
The flag continued to flap in the strong wind.

Wings (noun): The flat, usually feathered structures on the body of a bird or airplane that enable it to fly.
Birds use their wings to soar gracefully through the sky.

Wins (verb): The third person singular form of the verb “win,” which means to be victorious in a competition or contest.
She wins almost every chess match she plays.

Give up (phrasal verb): To surrender or quit; to stop trying to achieve something.
Don’t give up on your dreams, even when faced with challenges.

Temptation (noun): The desire or urge to do something, especially when it’s something one knows is wrong or unwise.
The temptation to eat another slice of cake was hard to resist.

Vocabulary

advice (noun) – consejo
Can you give me some advice?

outskirts (noun) – outer part of the city
The factory is on the outskirts of the city

research (verb / noun) – investigación
She is doing some research about the exhibition
She is researching the exhibition

Pronunciation

factory – it’s very important to say a clear /a/ like the sound in ‘apple’ or ‘advice’

exhibition -egg si bee shin

Grammar

I have never + verb 3
I have never eaten
I have never played
I have never made

I was + noun
I was a waitress
I was an admin assistant

Vocabulary

interject (verb) interponer
He interjected when she asked me what happened

hurt (verb)
I hurt my finger

pain (noun)
I was in pain

wrap (verb)
I wrapped my finger in a towel

out of someone’s league
When someone/something is “out of your league,” it means they’re much better than you think you are, and you are not good enough for that.
I felt like that job was out of my league

Pronunciation

Letters: “LEH-turz”
Lettuce: “LEH-tiss”
Section: “SEK-shun”
Session: “SEH-shun”

Pronunciation

ground – the same vowel from the first part of ‘mountain’.

hike – the same vowel sound as ‘bike’

fry – the same vowel sound as ‘try’

Grammar

I never been there
I have never been there

I didn’t been there
I didn’t go there

Vocabulary

sausages (noun)
In some languages, there are different words for different kinds of ‘sausage’.
In English, there are many kinds of sausages.

consist (verb) – made of
What do these arrepas consist of?
These arrepas consist mostly of corn flour and milk

grill (verb) – parrillada
You can grill arrepas

grilled (adj)
I like grilled arrepas

grind (verb) (present tense) – pulverizar
I usually grind coffee beans

ground (verb) (past tense)
I ground corn yesterday

ground (adj)
I have some ground corn

the Andes mountains (noun phrase)
I went hiking on the Andes mountains.

altitude sickness (noun phrase) mal de altura
Altitude sickness is unbearable

Vocabulary

What have you been up to? = What have you done recently?

rush (verb) – do something quickly
We have been rushing to finish the project

Pronunciation

bio (bai yo) – make sure you say the /b/ sound clearly

series (seej rees)

Complete the sentences using prepositions.

What are you looking ________?

Where did you buy that beautiful dress __________?

Where are you thinking __________?

What are you working __________?

Where are you going ________?

What do you need help __________?

Where did you get that book __________?

Vocabulary

stuck (verb) – unable to get out of a place for some time
I was stuck in a traffic jam

Grammar

fantasy about now/future
if + verb 3, I would + verb 1
if I had 1 billion dollars, I would take care of my family

fantasy about the past
if + had + verb 3, I would have + verb 3
if I had eaten yogurt, I would not have been hungry

Pronunciation

feather

further

caress

carrots

archives

Vocabulary

charge (verb) – to ask for money for something
They charge you extra for that

overcharge (verb) to ask for too much money for something
They always overcharge tourists

haggle (verb) – to argue about the price
If you want a fair price, you can haggle with the seller

green grocers – the place where you buy fruit and vegetables
I bought some groceries at the green grocers

suit (verb) – to look good on someone
The dress suits you

Grammar

I bought it to the supermarket
I bought it from the supermarket

can’t pay / couldn’t pay
– I can’t pay now / I can’t usually pay / I couldn’t pay before

Grammar

When I go to school – Usuaully OR in the future

I am going to school – now

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

garage – the ‘ga’ has the ‘a’ from ‘apple’.

drag – the ‘a’ from ‘apple’.

sore – sounds like ‘more’.

throat – remember the /t/ at the end

Grammar

sell /sold / sold / selling

He sold the camera (before)

I have hay fever (usually / now)

I have had hay fever (before)

Vocabulary

wink guiño
He winked at me

blink parpadear
He doesn’t blink

It’s over in the blink of an eye (it’s over very quickly)

treadmill – a running machine
I use the treadmill at the gym

remind – help to remember
My husband reminds me to go to the gym

Pronunciation

mayonaise – mei yo neiz

throat – make sure you put your tongue between your teeth for the first sound

Vocabulary

mould (noun) moho
There is mould on it

mouldy (adj) mohosa
It is mouldy

adults (noun) adultas
Adults like condensed milk too

Grammar

He used to like drink milk
He used to like drinking milk

it makes my mouth watering
it’s mouth watering
it makes my mouth water

How to ask Questions

Do / Did + verb 1
Do you eat (usually/sometimes/always)
Did you eat (before – finished time, e.g. yesterday)

Have + verb 3
Have you eaten (before – unfinished time, e.g. in your life, today)

Are + verb 4
Are you eating (now)

I’m very well we have a lot of things. / I’m doing great a lot of things happened
I cannot fit everything in my home

we are looking at new homes / we plan to get a new home / we plan to move to a bigger place.

I didn’t buy nothing but the course is very good and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. -> I didn’t pay for the course / it is a free course but it is great learned a lot of things I didn’t know.

you can take advantages of it if you are jobless / unemployed

I was trying to search for some courses but it was expensive and I found one in the Madrid community.
They have a lot of courses for the unemployed / jobless.

I never thought the community had this kind of courses.  / it really surprised me that they offer this.
One girl also told me they have yoga course, I said I need to join that course.
Maybe they have shorter courses, they want you to work quickly.
They want you to get some knowledge to then find a job

The course is for everyone who wants to work from it or just enjoy it / they course is for people who want to learn new skills.

You need to register  and you can enjoy some of the courses. You can also take on a part time job as long as it doesn’t disturb your studies.
it is for people who want to do it professionally and for enthusiasts

We do a lot of practice in the studio with lights. / we work with strobes in the studio
This week we had a model test.

we had to find the light used in the mona lisa had / we had to replicate / imitate / copy the light of the Mona Lisa.

at the last minute we found how to light the smoke. / how to use light to give more contrast to the smoke / how to light the smoke to make it more prominent  / to make the smoke stand out

For the last photo we used 3 strobes and 1 flash
at the last minute we found how to light the smoke

she didn’t smoke so another classmate smoke and put the cigarette in her hand.

We are 5 students per group. Sometimes you can forget things.
The first difficulty was we are agree in , everyone has an idea
– > first we have to agree on what to do with the lights. / we have to agree on how to position the strobes.
Sometimes you don’t want to argue so you follow their ideas

it is difficult to be agree -> it is difficult to agree as a group.
We used color filters in blue and orange.
We tried to get a blue color / blue tint

we set the white balance in the camera.

we used a filter to increase the color
Next week we will start to learn photoshop.

Now photoshop has a lot of things where you write something and they make it so / now photoshop has AI capabilities / AI functions , you write a prompt and it does it
It is not perfect but it can do it. / it does the job 
he won the contest with an AI image

My classmate is crazy with everything about photography so he found something about AI.
He asked a program to make a portrait with traits of black people and Indian people  / he made a portrait for a mixed person half Indian and half Black.

we needed to do a presentation about a photographer.
I tried to ask AI to make a biography about him and it did. / I used an AI to generate a biography

Vocabulary

to do the job : be good enough
My car is quite old but it still does the job

to set (v) choose a setting
I set the flash to TTL mode to make it easier for me

to stand out (v) be very obvious / very noticeable / appear different from the rest
We use a red filter to make it stand out

traits (n) something specific about something / typical characteristic
One of the traits of lions is that they are very lazy

prompt (n) text used with AI
I wrote a good prompt and got a good image

contest (n) : a competition between people
He joined a photography contest

to argue (v) disagree strongly / voice a different opinion strongly
We argued about where to position the lights

enthusiast (n) someone who has a hobby
I am a photography enthusiast

enthusiasm (n) happiness when looking forward to doing something
He does his job with a lot of enthusiasm

Pronunciation

pulp fiction

capabilities

today we focused on “preposition of movement”

Grammar

through: 3 dimensional

across: 2 dimensional

Pronunciation

village

hill

through

across

are you planning to get married?

Vocabulary

dye = to change the color of something
I dyed my hair brown
I had my hair dyed brown

the will to + verb
I don’t have the will to go

What are you up to? = What are you doing?

cupboard armario

Pronunciation

drag – the vowel from ‘apple’.

drug – the vowel from ‘gun’

next – make sure you say the /k/ sound

Grammar

I am listen the pronunciation
I am listening to the pronunciation

It’s in the shoes cupboard
It’s in the shoe cupboard

Pronunciation

learn

eye

composition

zoom

Telephoto

Instruction

produce

creatively

images

range

equipment

Vocabulary

a keen eye – able to notice something small
He has a keen eye for detail

I have to change my glasses (means you already have other glasses that you want to wear)
I have to get new glasses (means that you will go to the doctor for better glasses)

Grammar

all – many
every – one
All the cats were happy
Every cat was happy

I take photos to the moon
I take photos of the moon

Vocabulary

born (verb) – A baby will be born

birth (noun) – A woman will give birth

forbidden (adj) – It is forbidden to smoke

unplug (verb) – desenchufar
I will unplug for most of the day

cell reception (noun) – There’s no cell reception in that town

get the ball rolling – to start something
I need to get the ball rolling on this project

get the lead out – to start working faster
If I don’t get the lead out, I won’t finish on time

row – the horizontal line
My picture is in the third row

column – the vertical line
My picture is in the eighth column

collage – many pictures glued to one place
We took some pictures and made a collage

Grammar

I didn’t use it – the time to use it is over

I haven’t used it – the time to use it is not over

Vocabulary

forget – not remember
I forgot to set my alarm

forgive – not be angry
He forgave me for being late

forbid – not allow
I forbid people from smoking in my home

crave – a powerful desire
I crave chocolate late at night

relatives – family
I have relatives in Columbia

Grammar

I used to + do (I did something often before but now I don’t do it anymore)
I used to go to drink decaf

I’m used to + doing (It is normal for me to do something)
I’m used to drinking tea

Did you went out?
Did you go out?

Vocabulary

take off – remove
It’s hard to take it off your hand

put off – postpone
I put off my meeting for tomorrow because I’m busy today

magnify – to make it look bigger
If you magnify the image, you can see the problem

Grammar

Did you what you wanted to fix?
Did you fix what you wanted to?

take advantage of something to do something
e.g. You should take advantage of the opportunity to ask questions

Pronunciation

edit – sounds like credit

edited – e, di, tid

share – sounds like wear

advantage – ad, van, tidj

Vocabulary

Tie up – to fix together
I tied up my hair

take advantage –  use one thing to do another thing
I took advantage of the sunlight to take a nice picture

Look into – investigate
I will look into what it means

turn out – result
It didn’t turn out great
It turned out great

Pronunciation

share – sounds like bear

flour – sounds like power

carrot – ka rit

contemporary – con tem pri

Grammar

My day was quite good – the day is over
My day has been quite good – the day is not over yet

The result was a very bad carrot cake
The carrot cake didn’t turn out great

Grammar

I make exercise
I do exercise

Which exercise you like to do?
Which exercise do you like to do?

I do a yoga class
I take a yoga class

How much a yoga class cost?
How much does a yoga class cost?

Pronunciation

exert – egg zit

Vocabulary

exert (verb) – make (used with effort or energy)
You will exert more effort at the beginning

strain (verb) – esforzarse
I strained my muscles by lifting a heavy weight

strain (noun) – esfuerzo
I put too much strain on my neck muscles

At the morning
In the morning

Cut my hair – cut it myself
Get my hair cut – pay someone else do cut it

Vocabulary

hair stylist / hair dresser – person who cuts hair
I don’t have time to go to the hair dresser

Hair salon – place where hair dressers work
I haven’t been to the hair salon for a while

Straighten (verb) – to make straight
I will get my hair straightened

Bald (adj) – no hair
My husband is bald

pass through – to go to a place because you are going somewhere else
He was passing through Venice on his way to work

Vocabulary

franchise (n): BUSINESS a right to sell a company’s products in a particular area using the company’s name
franquicia
a fast-food franchise
a franchise holder

mug (n): CUP
a large cup with straight sides used for hot drinks
taza alta
I made myself a large mug of cocoa (= enough to fill a mug) and went to bed.
Me preparé una gran taza de chocolate caliente y me fui a la cama.

windshield (n): the glass through which the driver of a vehicle looks
parabrisas [ masculine, singular ]
a broken windshield
un parabrisas roto

The front and rear windows are referred to as “windshields”. The side windows are called “windows”

rush hour (n): the busy part of the day when towns and cities are crowded, either in the morning when people are travelling to work, or in the evening when people are travelling home
hora punta
rush hour traffic
tráfico en hora punta

vehicle emissions rating-clasificación de emisiones del vehículo

bottleneck (n): a place where a road becomes narrow, or a place where there is often a lot of traffic, causing the traffic to slow down or stop
cuello de botella, embotellamiento
The construction work is causing bottlenecks in the city centre.
Las obras están provocando embotellamientos en el centro de la ciudad.

traffic jam (n): a large number of vehicles close together and unable to move or moving very slowly
atasco, embotellamiento
The snow caused traffic jams all over the city.
La nieve provocó atascos en toda la ciudad.
I was stuck in a traffic jam for an hour yesterday.
Ayer me quedé una hora atrapado en un atasco.

module (n): one of the units that together make a complete course, taught especially at a college or university
módulo /ˈmɑː.dʒuːl/

novice (n): a person who is not experienced in a job or situation
principiante, novato, novata
I’ve never driven a car before – I’m a complete novice.
This plant can be difficult for novice gardeners to grow.

newbie (n): US /ˈnuː.bi/
someone who has just started doing an activity, a job, etc.
recién llegado, recién llegada, novato, novata
The guide helps newbies understand the latest social networking sites and apps.
La guía ayuda a que los novatos entiendan las redes sociales y apps más recientes.

field trip (n): a visit made by students to study something away from their school or college
viaje de estudio
a geography field trip

The photography process can be broken into three distinct phases: planning, thinking, and execution.

To rent a Studio

presupuesto estimado-estimated budget

Vocabulary

for good? – permanently

intermediate:in the middle

batch: group (use this word when there’s 1st, 2nd, third…)
ie. You’re the first batch to get COVID.

storage: place you store things you don’t need

m2: square meters

clutter: full of stuff

unkempt: your poor neighbors (adj)

occupied: already being used, not available for other things

push/pressure the company

he needs to travel for business …

they’re more friendly

I feel really bad in my throat
I feel a lot pain in my throat
my throat really hurt

my plan now in summer we go to columbia
now my plan is that we go to columbia in the summer

I’m with my move
Now I am try to put everything at home
I’m busy/occupied with moving and organizing.

Pronunciation

Employed – the word ends with ‘oyd’ not ‘oyed’.

Vocabulary

Register (verb) – enter a record
You have to register at the office

Qualify (verb) – be entitled to a benefit
If you left your job voluntarily, you don’t qualify for the money

Voluntary (adj)
It was a voluntary action

Voluntarily (adv)
He left his job voluntarily

Leave of absence – Excedencia
I took a leave of absense

I didn’t notice it – no me di cuenta

Grammar

Make appointment
Make an appointment

Do some course
Do some courses
Do a course

Vocabulary

domain (n): a set of websites on the internet that end with the same letters, for example .com
dominio

internet domain optimization-optimización de dominios de internet

warehouse (n): a large building for storing things before they are sold, used, or sent out to shops, or
almacén
The goods have been sitting in a warehouse for months because a strike has prevented distribution.
Las mercancías llevan meses en un almacén porque una huelga no ha permitido su distribución.

Storage unit

arrange (v): to put a group of objects in a particular order
arreglar, disponer
She arranged her birthday cards along the shelf.
Who arranged these flowers so beautifully?
His books are neatly arranged in alphabetical order.

organize (v): to arrange things in a logical way
organizar
I need to organize my notes before the meeting.
Necesito organizar mis apuntes antes de la reunión.

groceries (n): food that has just been bought
la compra [ feminine ]
alimentos [ masculine ]
comestibles [ masculine ]
a man unloading groceries from his car
un hombre descargando la compra de su coche

to get used to this life-para acostumbrarme a esta vida

rob (v): to take money or property illegally from a place, organization, or person, often using violence
robar, atracar
The terrorists financed themselves by robbing banks.
Los terroristas se financiaban atracando bancos.
My wallet’s gone! I’ve been robbed!
They robbed the company of $2 million

pickpocket (n): a thief who steals from people on the street
carterista

be on the lookout for sth/sb
to search for something or someone
andar a la caza de algo/alguien
I’m always on the lookout for interesting new recipes.

Vocabulary

update me:

humid: wet

lag: the audio/video is slow/stuck

Grammar

In my last 3 years, I was painting and took photography
In the last 3 years, I was painting and doing photography

I am very interested in that hobbies
I am very interested in those hobbies

I’m interested in painting from I was child
I’ve been interested in painting since I was a child

When I was younger, I interesting to put color to my drawings
When I was younger, I was interested in coloring my drawings

I enjoyed more and more to do that
I enjoyed doing that more and more

Vocabulary

Some time – an amount of time
It takes some time to draw a good picture

sometimes – between often and rarely
I draw pictures sometimes

Pronunciation

since – sounds like prince

Vocabulary

affordable – cheap (but in a positive way)
The clothes are so affordable there

Pronunciation

cheap – starts with the ‘ch’ from ‘chip’ but has a long ‘ee’ like ‘sheep’.

Grammar

Did you used to go to a lot of restaurants in Shanghai?
(Something you did a lot before, but now you don’t)

Are you used to cooking at home?
(Something that is normal for you to do)

Did you use to going to a lot of restaurants?
Did you use to go to a lot of restaurants?

Yes. I used to going to a lot of restaurants.
Yes. I used to go to a lot of restaurants.

Are you used to go to a lot of restaurants?
Are you used to going to a lot of restaurants?

Do you buy something (usually)
Did you buy something (before)

Pronunciation

liquor /ˈlɪkə/

Vocabulary

cardboard (noun) – the material that boxes are made of
We cut the cardboard to make special boxes

throw away (verb) – tirar la basura
I could have thrown away lots of things

let go (verb) – Déjalo ir
You have to let go of negative emotions and bad thoughts

pack (verb) – to put things in other things
I packed all the paintings in boxes

custom-sized – a special size for something
I had some custom-sized boxes made for the canvasses

put yourself in someone else’s shoes (idiom)
Imagine how someone else feels and why they did what they did.

Grammar

Could you have + verb 3 (imaginary past)
Could you have given the liquor to your friends?

I could have + verb 3 (imaginary past)
I could have given the liquor to my friends.

Did you have to + verb 1
Did you have to bring everything to Madrid?

I didn’t have to + verb 1
I didn’t have to bring everything to Madrid

Make something – do it yourself
Have something made – pay someone to do it

Hope to see you soon

Grammar

What are you cooking today? (in the future)
What did you cook today? (before)

Did you travel recently?
Have you traveled recently?

Pronunciation

traveled – the ‘a’ is the vowel from ‘apple’
trapped – the ‘a’ is the vowel from ‘apple’
dangerous – the ‘a’ is the vowel from ‘day’
recently – the first ‘e’ is like the vowel in ‘free’

Vocabulary

we are in the same boat – we have the same problem

bun (bread used for hamburgers)

We ate in a restaurant and some people had covid so they said we were contact cases.

they contacted us last Thursday and they said we are contact case for something that happened on Oct 2

So we started this lockdown on Oct 7

We didn’t know anything about this until Thursday and now Friday we finally understood what they told us

I thought it was people who tried to sell you something. / I thought they were just cold calling me to sell something

Finally they sent one message in English if not I would have just kept hanging up

she tried to explain me in Chinese and I said I don’t buy and decided to hang up 
Finally on Friday we realized what happened. And on Saturday they explained everything

The first 3 days when you don’t know what happened … normally the Shanghai rules are 7 days of quarantine. So we almost had the 7 days already / 7 days had almost passed and they said you need to go to the hotel.

Now finally we had a talk with the Spanish Consulate and a Chinese girl explained to us.

Finally there are a lot of people that they need to take the hotel so maybe they don’t have space for us. / maybe they don’t have vacancies
We were waiting for 2 days with our suitcases prepared.

The first day we were waiting and they didn’t arrive, finally we decided no let’s go to sleep because no one came.

Every night we talked about this. The second day they said there are a lot of people and so we don’t know when we can take you to the hotel.
We noticed when they came and made us do the PCR We had one a sensor on the door.
So maybe we can do the quarantine at home.

Now we are here.

It is like in March, there are a lot of buildings in quarantine.

Some people who work or have that kind of work and need to do a lot of trips I don’t know how they can live all the time in quarantine. / how they deal with quarantine / how they cope with quarantine

It is ok we are in our last 2 months in SH.

Sometimes you need to think about that, how long they will continue this situation it is impossible to contain the virus.

I am afraid now because we don’t want to have any other issues before we leave / we don’t want to get in troubles again before we leave
If we have some problems with all our things it would be very troublesome  / annoying

before it had some mirrors but I removed it all and converted it into drawers

Vocabulary

contact case (n) someone who has been in contact with a covid positive person
They called us to tell us were were a contact case

to pack / unpack : put clothes in a suitcase
I need to pack my clothes for the business trip
I just moved yesterday I need some time to unpack everything

Move (v) mudanza
I will move to another apartment

to move in / out
I will move out on Oct 10

alarm (n) something that produces a big sound
My car alarm rang, maybe someone someone tried to steal it

sensor (n) device to get information
They put a movement sensor on our door to make sure we stay at home

to convert (v) change the purpose
I converted an old bus into a house

to cope with (v)para hacer frente a / afrontar
I find it hard to cope with lockdowns

to cold call (v) call people you don’t know to offer products or services
Tom has to cold call 1,000 people everyday

hang up (v) finish a phone call
I usually hang up when they try to sell something

hang on : wait a minute
Hang on , let me check for you

Grammar

first/last + number
My last 3 days in China were great
On my first 2 months in China I got lost very often

Pronunciation

comfortable /ˈkəmftərb(ə)l/

apartment /əˈpartmənt/

style /staīl/

1. they back home

they go back home

2. my ex-husband want to go there

my ex-husband wants/wanted to go there

3. start to painting

start to paint  or start painting

(start to do …/start doing…)

Vocabulary

bright (adj.): 

1. giving out or reflecting a lot of light; shining

e.g. I have problems seeing things when the sun is bright.

2. (of a person, idea, or remark) intelligent and quick-witted

e.g. A bright young journalist 

       A suggestion box for bright ideas.

agency (n.): A business or organization established to provide a particular service, typically one that involves organizing transactions between two other parties.

e.g. An advertising agency 

preference (n.): A greater liking for one alternative over another or others.

e.g. My musical preferences are blues and reggaeton.

Vocabulary

cold sore (n): a painful, red swelling, especially on the lips or nose, that is caused by a virus
herpes labial , boquera

canker (n): a disease affecting the ears and mouth of animals and humans
cancro, chancro

they were supposed to choose the winner by the 28th

tune in (v): to watch or listen to a particular TV or radio station or program
sintonizar
Millions of viewers tuned in to watch the finals.
Millones de espectadores sintonizaron para ver las finales.

take part in
to be one of a group of people doing something, to take an active share in (eg playing a game, performing a play, holding a discussion etc)
tomar parte en, participar en
He never took part in arguments.

glow (v): to produce a continuous light and sometimes heat
brillar
A nightlight glowed dimly in the corner of the children’s bedroom.
This substance is so radioactive that it glows in the dark.

missionary (n): a person who has been sent to a foreign country to teach their religion to the people who live there
misionero, misionera
He did missionary work for the Presbyterian Church in Alaska.
Hizo obra misionera para la Iglesia Presbiteriana en Alaska.

crumble (v): to gradually fall apart
derrumbarse
The city’s bridges are crumbling.
Los puentes de la ciudad se están derrumbando.

a crumbling tower-una torre que se derrumba

steep (adj): (of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle
empinado
a steep slope
It’s a steep climb to the top of the mountain, but the view is worth it.
The castle is set on a steep hill/hillside.

today we have a meeting. A brand of wine invited some people to try to make one logo for their wine/to make a bottle label. The ticket cost is 200rmb and it covers includes some wine and dinner. When you have After that, you design the logo. You can win 2500RMB in wine. They invited my teacher and the teacher asked if we want to participate in this event. They send us the label of the

label (b): a piece of paper or other material that gives you information about the object it is attached to
etiqueta
Remember to put some address labels on the suitcases.
Washing instructions should be on the label.

back and forth button

forth (adv): ahead or forward
adelante
hacia delante

Vocabulary

out of the blue-If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected.
de la nada, inesperadamente
One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.

indigenous (adj): naturally existing in a place or country rather than arriving from another place
indígena , autóctono
Are there any species of frog indigenous to the area?
So who are the indigenous people of this land?

governor (n): a person in charge of a particular political unit
gobernador, gobernadora
the governor of Texas
el gobernador de Texas

intrusion (n): an occasion when someone goes into a place or situation where they are not wanted or expected to be
intrusión, intromisión
They complained about excessive government intrusion (= unwanted involvement) into their legitimate activities.
His phone call was a welcome intrusion into an otherwise tedious morning.

according to (prep): as stated by
según
According to Sarah they’re not getting on very well at the moment.
According to our records you owe us $130.

it’s frustrating sometimes

escritos-writings

history is written by the victors

Vocabulary

impatient (adj): easily annoyed by someone’s mistakes or because you have to wait
impaciente
He’s a good teacher, but inclined to be a bit impatient with slow learners.
You’d be hopeless taking care of children – you’re far too impatient!

once they’re back they need to/have to ..

I’m glad that the situation taught me to stay positive

mindset (n): a person’s way of thinking and their opinions
mentalidad
to have a different/the same mindset
It’s extraordinary how hard it is to change the mindset of the public and the press.

last (v): to continue to exist
durar
The meeting lasted two hours.
The drought lasted for several months.
They say the snow will last until the end of next week

sand (v): to make a surface smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper
lijar
Sand all surfaces carefully before painting.
Lije todas las superficies cuidadosamente antes de pintar.

apply (v): to spread or rub a substance such as cream or paint on a surface
aplicar
Apply the cream liberally to exposed areas every three hours and after swimming.
The paint should be applied thinly and evenly.

to spread the varnish/ to apply the varnish

how to clean the top of kitchen cabinets/elements

ladder (n): a piece of equipment used for climbing up and down, that consists of two vertical bars or pieces of rope joined to each other by a set of horizontal steps
escalera
She was up a ladder, cleaning the window.

site (n): a place where something is, was, or will be built, or where something happened, is happening, or will happen
emplazamiento, lugar
a building site
The company hasn’t yet chosen the site for the new hospital.
This is the site of the accident.

Pronunciation

varnish-/ˈvɑːr.nɪʃ/
ladder-/ˈlæd.ɚ/

Vocabulary

sunbathe (v): to sit or lie in the sun in order to make your skin darker
tomar el sol
I like to sunbathe in the morning when the sun is not so hot.

sunbathe (v): to sit or lie in the sun in order to make your skin darker
tomar el sol
I like to sunbathe in the morning when the sun is not so hot.

sunbath (n): the act of sitting or lying in the sun in order to make your skin darker

algae (n): very simple, usually small plants that grow in or near water and do not have ordinary leaves or roots
algas

buoy (n): a floating object on the top of the sea, used for directing ships and warning them of possible danger

putrid (adj): DECAYED
decayed and having an unpleasant smell
pútrido
the putrid body of a dead fox
What’s that putrid smell?

rotten (adj): decayed
podrido
The room smelled of rotten vegetables.

stall (n):a large table or a small shop with an open front from which goods are sold in a public place
puesto
In the village market, the stalls are piled high with local vegetables.

buoy/ˈbuː.i/
algae– /ˈæl.dʒiː/

Yesterday I went with my friend to Jinshang to the Shanghai beach. Something that impressed me was that the beach is really small, around one hundred meters.  And on these 100-150 there were 7 lifeguards

stop getting/giving me presents

Yesterday we visited a town NEXT TO/NEAR the beach, they had some special dried fish

they have many plates dishes with tofu

We tried finding a place where we can/could to buy something because we got hungry, finally, we bought some fried chicken

I’m back to my old activities

Vocabulary

cough (v): to force air out of your lungs through your throat with a short, loud sound
toser
The smoke made me cough.
I coughed all night long.

barely (adv): by the smallest amount
apenas
They have barely enough (= no more than what is needed) to pay the rent this month.
She was barely (= only just) 15 when she won her first championship.

barely (adv): by the smallest amount
apenas
They have barely enough (= no more than what is needed) to pay the rent this month.
She was barely (= only just) 15 when she won her first championship.

barely -almost not
apenas
por poco
children barely old enough to walk
niños apenas lo suficientemente mayores para caminar
jeans that she barely fits into
vaqueros que apenas le caben

in charge
responsible for or in control of sth or sb
encargado/da
a cargo
Who’s in charge of this project?
¿Quién está a cargo de este proyecto?

responsible for
in charge of
responsable
Each leader will be responsible for five children.
Cada líder será responsable de cinco niños.
Who is responsible for ordering the food?
¿Quién es responsable de pedir la comida?

shift (n): a group of workers who do a job for a period of time during the day or night, or the period of time itself
turno
As the night shift leave/leaves, the day shift arrive/arrives.
Are you on the night shift or the day shift? (= Do you work during the night period or the day period?)

shift (n): a change in position or direction
cambio
a shift in the wind/temperature
The shift in the balance of power in the region has had far-reaching consequences.
There has been a dramatic shift in public opinion towards peaceful negotiations.

host (n): someone who has guests
anfitrión, -ona
We thanked our hosts for a very enjoyable evening.
The local language school is advertising for host families (= families people stay with when they are visiting another country).

he works  front of the house

before he worked only part-time on Fridays and Saturdays and starting from today he’ll work full-time as a

charge (v): to ask an amount of money for something, especially a service or activity
cobrar
How much/What do you charge for a haircut and blow-dry?
The bank charged commission to change my traveller’s cheques.
[ + two objects ] They charge you $20 just to get in the nightclub.
The local museum doesn’t charge for admission.

stay indoors

this weather makes me headache —> this weather gives me headaches

I back to Spain —> I went back to Spain

every people —> every person/everyone

the card to go out —> the pass

they don’t want to go in groups —> they don’t want to gather

you lost your money —> you waste your money

there are some shadows —> there are some shade

Vocabulary

mental health: psychological health, well-being

rock bottom: the worst situation

lifestyle: way of living, habits

heat stroke: when the temperature is too high and people experience discomfort and can possibly faint

When do you think the country will re-open and why? What are your reasons?

Last week I lost one meeting because I can’t to open it on my computer -> Last week I couldn’t join one meeting because I couldn’t open it on my computer

They shared the link too but I can’t to do anything on my computer -> They shared the link too but I couldn’t do anything on my computer

Last week I had a call about excel and I can’t open it on my computer and on my phone it is too small to see the cells / tables -> Last week I had a call about excel and I couldn’t open it on my computer and on my phone it was too small to see the cells / table

It is impossible you go and enjoy something out -> It is impossible to go and enjoy being out

I went to drawing last Saturday. -> I went drawing last Saturday / I went to a drawing class last Saturday

I went to Moca bros, that one is near my home.

Last year we did the class nearby IAPM. / last year the class was held in a coffee shop in IAPM

Now our teacher changed the place/venue and this one is near my home but I went there walking and wow it was amazing how hot it was. / it was so hot 

Only 10 mins for me arrive there -> It only took me 10 mins to get there but I felt really hot

Then after the class I had a headache 

Now I can’t stay out for a long time when it is very hot day.

After that it is easy to me to have headache -> I easily get headaches / I am prone to headaches 

One guy lended a fan to me because in Moca Bros not all ACs were working / turned on

That was funny because the fan is like this one.

You can clip the fan on the neck of your t-shirt and the air goes through a hole on top of it.

We have bad weather in the world.

For example in Columbia it is not too hot because it is raining a lot.

In Spain there are some fires / wildfires

some people start the fire on purpose 

For example you are interested in this place and some people want to build some buildings

They may start fires to pressure people into selling their land.

It is too difficult to plant a lot of trees again and it takes a lot of time to grow so they just decide to sell the land and other people build buildings 

I changed something in the settings  and finally I couldn’t hear you 

Vocabulary

Land (n) el terreno
Tom owns this piece of land 

To land (v) Aterrizar
The plane will land in SH at 2pm

Pyromaniac (n) people who like to start fires / Incendiario
The fire was started by a pyromaniac 

Wildfire (n) incendios forestales
There are many wildfires in Europe right now because it is too hot 

Air conditioner (AC) (n)
I need to buy an AC because it is too hot in Europe now 

Prone to (adj) likely to suffer from …
I am prone to headaches
This camera is prone to overheating
British cars are prone to breaking down 

Venue (n) place where an event happens / evento /el lugar de encuentro
The venue for the annual party is the ball room in the W hotel 

To hold a meeting / hold an event : organize an event
We hold the class in a coffee shop

To clip (v) to put something (usually on clothes) thanks to a clip
I clipped the GoPro on my t-shirt

Helmet (n) thing to protect your head
you must wear a helmet when you ride a motorbike 

To lend (v) give something to someone temporarily
I decided to lend my camera to Tom for his trip to Africa 

To borrow (v) get something from someone temporarily
I borrowed money from the bank 

Cell (n) each square/rectangle in a table
One cell has wrong data 

Table (n) excel file or similar
I wrote the budget on a table

Conservative treatment is a type of medical treatment defined by the avoidance of invasive measures such as surgery, usually with the intent to preserve function.

minor surgery

they’re working on my case

according to to-segun

to avoid doing something

chaos (n):  a state of total confusion with no order
caos
Snow and ice have caused chaos on the roads.
Ever since our secretary walked out, the office has been in a state of total/utter chaos.
We muddled up the name labels and chaos ensued (= resulted).

Pronunciation

chaos– /ˈkeɪ.ɑːs/
accelerate – /əkˈsel.ɚ.eɪt/

Write about why you like Ken Follet?

Vocabulary

post (v/n)
I barely post things on social media.

encourage (v)
My friend encouraged me to post more on Ins.

merge (v) to combine things (school, organization, company, river, road etc.) together.

switch (v)
I need to switch to the other account.
Tap this button two times to switch to another account.

complicated (adj.)
It can be complicated to create a bank account in China.

accelerate (v)
If you want to accelerate/speed up the process, then you need to do …..

chronological (adj.)
The story was not told in a chronological order. 

sequel (n) a published work (book, movie) that follows a previous work.
Star Wars and its sequels.

trilogy (n)

suspense (n)
Ken Follet is a master of suspense fiction.

page-turner (n)
It is a page-turner, I finished it in 2 days.

classic literature

dialect (n)
China has more than 100 dialects.

motivation (n)
I never had the motivation to study another language.

demotivate (v)
A cold environment can demotivate me easily.

waste (v)
Waste time/energy/food/money

polyglot (n) people who speak many languages.

neural system 
neuron (n)
My neurons are not as active as before.

spy: political
espionage (n)  both political and commercial
industrial/corporate espionage

my frequent teacher
My usual teacher

I want to show my photographs.
I wanted to show my photographs.

I spent 3 hours trying to create an account.

I don’t have any person to do that.
I didn’t have anyone to help me.

If you have some illness, you can die very easy.
If you have some other severe diseases, then it is more likely for you to die from Covid. 

You have to pay close attention to the story.

You need a teacher who explain you …
You need a teacher to explain to you …

When I was in college, I read some books by South American writers.

When you read two books at the same time.

She understand what I am trying to say. 

You need the teacher to correct you.

You read that book?
Have you read that book?

Vocabulary

it felt like it was 52 degrees

drench (v): to make someone or something extremely wet
empapar
A sudden thunderstorm had drenched us to the skin.
The athletes were drenched in/with sweat.

I can run even faster than her.
Puedo correr incluso más rápido que ella.

even -emphasizes a surprising fact
hasta
incluso
Sometimes he even forgot to put his shoes on!
¡A veces hasta se le olvida ponerse los zapatos!

not even
ni siquiera
They didn’t even say thank you!
¡Ni siquiera dijeron gracias!

get rid of sth
to remove or throw away something unwanted
deshacerse de algo
That cream got rid of my skin rash.
I used weedkiller to get rid of the weeds in the garden.

get rid of sb
to send away someone annoying or to persuade them to leave
quitarse a alguien de encima
We got rid of our unwelcome guests by saying we had to go to bed.

if something is useless to you it could be useful to other people

appliance (n): a device, machine, or piece of equipment, especially an electrical one that is used in the house, such as a cooker or washing machine
electrodoméstico
electric/domestic/household appliances

furniture-furnished

turn-off (n): sth sb says or does that makes you dislike them
quitar las ganas
repugnar
His dirty clothes were a real turn-off.
Su ropa sucia me repugnó.

furnished (adj): containing furniture or containing furniture of a particular type
amueblado
She’s looking for a furnished flat/apartment.
Their house is expensively furnished.

review unit 89 of the pdf (either /neither / both …) 

I don’t want to go out.
The best is they take me in quarantine.

Poor people who live in houses without AC (air conditioner) have a hard time

The felt temperature is around 52.
The actual temperature is 38-39 but it feels like 52.

I feel terrible for the people who work outside / working outside must be so hard right now 

I go out sometimes because I need to do a PCR test and it feels like you go to the desert 

I have been here for the last/past 3 years, maybe sometimes it is the same but I forget that.
because I don’t want to go out to do anything

I want to do nothing -> I don’t want to do anything 

When I went to Sanya the temperature there was too hot, you couldn’t enjoy the day unless you woke up early

When you go to Sanya in July it is too hot and you can’t go to the beach during day time
you either need to get up very early or go after 5pm.

In my case I didn’t get up early. 9am for example, then I had breakfast and then I went to the beach and spent all the day there / spent the whole day there

You can swim or play something… ->  you can swim or have fun

Now I know why you can only see people on the beach after 5 or 6pm.
It is impossible at that time.

This morning I talked about  I am happy in my home with AC. -> I talked about how much I love my AC / I said I am happy my home has the AC 

Some friends want to go to Moganshan. I said maybe the swimming pool is like a soup too.

We decided we want to leave. I don’t know what will happen after December.

First is Spain but I don’t have news from him.

My husband don’t want to go there -> my husband doesn’t want to go there

I want to explore, walk on the beach. But sometimes if you sleep bad you don’t wake up early -> sometimes if you don’t sleep well you can’t wake up early 

Vocabulary

Felt temperature (n) temperature based on how you feel
The felt temperature is around 52.

To get up early : madrugar
I have to get up early to go to the airport, I set my alarm clock at 5am

To get up late
Tom likes to get up late because he works at night, usually he wakes up at 11am 

To feel like : to explain a feeling
When I go out I feel like I am in sauna 

Grammar

Using unless (a no ser que) = except if
You cannot go out unless you have a negative PCR test = you can only  go out if you have a negative PCR test.
I won’t go to Sanya unless you pay for everything.

Neither tampoco (refer to unit 89)
Neither of the restaurants are expensive = both restaurants are cheap 

Vocabulary

stiff (adj): If you are stiff or part of your body is stiff, your muscles hurt when they are moved.
agarrotado
Sitting still at a computer terminal all day can give you a stiff neck.

radar (n): a system that uses radio waves to find the position of objects that cannot be seen
radar
Other vessels in the area show up on the ship’s radar (screen).

Weather radar

my husband’s personal assistant

thrombus/blood clot-a thick mass of blood that forms in a blood vessel and may block the flow of blood in the blood vessel
血栓
Arterial thrombosis is caused by a thrombus in an artery.
血栓形成的原因是动脉中出现血栓

advise (v): to give someone advice
aconsejar
I think I’d advise him to leave the company.
His doctor advised him against smoking.
I’d strongly advise against making a sudden decision.
They’re advising that children be kept at home.
I’d advise waiting until tomorrow.

advice (n): an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation
consejo(s)
Steven gave me some good advice.
I think I’ll take your advice (= do what you suggest) and get the green dress.
Can I give you a piece of advice?
I need some advice on which computer to buy.
My advice is to go by train.

Vocabulary

theory (n): a formal statement of the rules on which a subject of study is based or of ideas that are suggested to explain a fact or event or, more generally, an opinion or explanation
teoría
economic theory
scientific theory
Darwin’s theory of evolution
He has a theory that the hole was caused by a meteorite.

attend (v)-be present, to go to an event, place, etc.
asistir (a)
Over two hundred people attended the funeral.
The meeting is on the fifth and we’re hoping everyone will attend.

out of tune
not in tune
desafinado
She was singing out of tune.

groin (n):m BODY
the place where your legs meet the front of your body
ingle
He pulled a muscle in his groin.
Le dio un tirón en la ingle.
a groin strain
una distensión inguinal

subside (v): LESS STRONG
If a condition subsides, it becomes less strong or extreme.
disminuir, calmarse
The police are hoping that the violence will soon subside.
As the pain in my foot subsided, I was able to walk the short distance to the car.

Vocabulary

for good: permanently

the straw that broke the camel’s back: last drop that makes you go boom!

last straw: last drop

dorms：student dormitories

balcony: patio

adjust: prepare yourself for a change

how long we have the class?
how long has it been since our last class?

I wake up
I woke up
I was awake

when the lockdown was lifted (ended)…

He wanted to know how is this color and he bought this color and then I asked him why he buys the color he likes and he doesn’t ask me which color that I like. -> He wanted to know what the color looked like and he bought it. Then I asked him why he bought the color he liked and didn’t ask me what I liked.

I don’t like to change phone every time I am doing something.  -> I don’t like to change phone very often.

It is difficult to keep up with technology. You need to update every day.

I like the music from the 80s and the 90s.
When I listen to that I feel very happy and I feel the best music is from that era / those years. 

My husband doesn’t like the music from Spain like the flamingo / he doesn’t Spanish traditional music.

It is an interesting sound or how they dance it.
I never tried to learn dancing traditional Spanish music.
Sometimes in a party we can dance.

I like some of them too. I really don’t like when they sing.

I have an anecdote about my friend.
One day she introduced me to a girl who sings and she asked me about what I think about that music

She stopped to learn singing 

She easily gets influenced by what I say 

When I was studied Chinese -> When I was studying Chinese.

We went to Pery’s with some Thai friends. How drink beer thai people. -> Thai people are really good at drinking  / They can really drink a lot

It was my first year in SH so I didn’t know anything.

Me and my husband were alone and all the taxis were taken.
That day was very cold we waited for 3 taxis, I don’t know for how long.

I remember one day it wasn’t very late and we were having a dinner and then some friends left and only me and my friend we went for taxi.

They didn’t want to take me because it was too close.
we decided to take a motorbike taxi.

I am very worried about safety.

you don’t where they take you.

We played some drinking games. I enjoyed it a lot before I never did something like that.

Vocabulary

Drinking game (n) games you play while drinking
Chinese people like to play drinking game with dice 

Impact (n) choque

There is an impact on the windscreen

Spot(s) (n) Manchas 

There were many spots on her glasses

Roundabout (n) circular road intersection
Take the first exit at the roundabout 

Intersection (n) where you can turn
You need to turn right at the next intersection 

Traffic light (n) green / yellow / red light allowing you to drive or telling you to stop
He didn’t stop at the traffic light.

Fine (n) money paid when you make a mistake / break the rules
He had to pay a fine for breaking the rules.

Vocabulary

I had coffee more often than in the previous years

I’m not used to drinking coffee…. …that often

dummy (n): a stupid or silly person
tontorrón
You dummy – you don’t know the answer!
Only a dummy would ignore the safety warnings.

hide-esconder

more on comparison / giving opinion

Mainly I forget how write it. -> I mainly forgot how to write.

I really regret forgetting the writing.

I spent a lot of time to learn how to write characters.

Maybe I see and recognize that character but I can’t to do. -> If I see a character I can recognize it but I can’t do it on my own / I can’t do it another way 

the major time you use Chinese you write it on your phone. -> most of the time you use Chinese you write it on the phone

When I try to write some characters I need a lot of time so oh no it’s too hard. -> so it is really hard now.

My characters increase better and better but now no. -> my characters got better and better but now I forgot a lot of it

Sometimes I try to write useful words words and I can’t remember (them).

My idea was like I learn/pick up a little Chinese (language) like/as a souvenir.
I can say some words and ask for something but not too much, not as I want.

It is ok almost 2 years to study and now it is like I study one semester. -> I studied for 2 years / I spent 2 years learning Chinese and now it is like I only studied one semester  / it feels like I only studied one semester.

When I talk with my friend for example she says some words and in that moment I don’t remember the meaning but I try to write the character in my mind.

2 years ago the people who were living there moved to another place and then they renewed the house. I was happy I thought maybe they would do something like XTD.
They changed the roof then they stopped and started again to change the roof.

They like to work extra hours.

Vocabulary

(Property) Agent (n) someone who finds houses for you
I asked a property agent to show me some apartments.

Property agency (n) company that finds houses for you 

Shopwindow (n) Escaparate
I looked at the shopwindow and noticed a nice dress

To roll up (v) arremangar

It was hot so Tom decided to roll up his sleeves

Grammar

Can / can’t + V
I can’t swim

I can cook

Using on the one hand / on the other hand (Usually to give 2 sides about a topic / place /situation )

On the one hand you are in lockdown on the other hand you are safe.

Tom just lost his job. On the one hand he will go through some difficult months, on the other hand he didn’t like his job anyway.

When I came to China on the one hand it felt far from Spain, on the other hand you could visit many places nearby

On the one hand Taobao is convenient because it has everything, on the other hand it can be poor quality.

Pronunciation

Trousers / pants 

T-shirt 

Shirt 

Wears

Whereas

use words about position to describe a picture in writing 

Apart from shoulder pain, everything is fine  / except shoulder pain, everything is fine 

In the last quarantine in Xiamen I did a lot of push-ups.

I think I forced too much and I got some pain and now it is too bad. I can’t exercise normally.

I went to the doctor and he told me maybe I need surgery. / maybe I need to have a surgery / to undergo a surgery.

He said it is better I do that now and not 10 years later. / he advised me to have the surgery early.

It can be better but in some years maybe the pain comes back.  / I could delay the surgery but the pain would come back in the few years.

Finally I don’t know where is he -> I don’t know where he is. 

I told him ok we can have a meeting. He said when do you want to meet? and he has not responded since then.  He has been silent since then.

Yesterday I sent again another message.

He is from Venezuela and he is very good.
Now I know a lot of Spanish people here who had surgery with him / who went under his knife.

Now I used to stay home -> now I got used to staying home / I am used to staying home

Grammar

Say something
I said tomorrow morning 

Tell someone something  / tell something to someone 

I told the doctor I was in pain 

Used to : talk about a habit in the PAST
When I was a teenager I used to skip schools to play with my friends

Get used to/Be used to : habit now / familiar with something

I am used to staying home
At first I didn’t like Chinese food but I am used to it now

Vocabulary

Tree branch (n) rama de árbol
The birds is on the branch 

To ghost (v) no answer someone / receive messages but pretend you don’t see them
Tom has been ghosting me since I asked him to give me my money back 

Ghost (n) fantasma
I am afraid of ghosts 

Hypochondriac (n/adj) someone always worried about being sick
Tom us hypochondriac, he always washes his hands 10 times after touching anything

To undergo (v) to experience / go through / someterse a

I may have to undergo a surgery to fix my arm 

Athlete (n) professional sports people
the Olympic athletes entered the stadium.

Vocabulary

radiology (n): the scientific study of the medical use of radiation, especially X-rays
radiología

radiologist (n): a person who specializes in radiology
radiólogo, -a

I have an Instagram account

to pay attention

I posted only once on this account

When I wanted to sign in I didn’t have the password

An underscore, _,

fruit fly (n): a small flying insect that feeds on plants and leaves its eggs on the leaves of plants
mosca de la fruta

landscape (n): a picture of scenery, not people
paisaje [ masculine, singular ]
I mainly paint landscapes.
Pinto principalmente paisajes.
landscape photography
fotografía de paisaje

Pronunciation

live – short vowel (sounds like the vowel in ‘sit’)

leave – longer vowel (sounds like the vowel in ‘sea’).

reality – say all the syllables clearly – ree ya li tee

Vocabulary

realty – bienes raíces
My husband works in realty

reality – la realidad
The reality of living in Shanghai has changed

Vocabulary

my shoulder hurts

Today I got an MRI

surgery noun (MEDICAL OPERATION)
the treatment of injuries or diseases in people or animals by cutting open the body and removing or repairing the damaged part
The patient had/underwent surgery on his heart.
He made a good recovery after surgery to remove a brain tumour.

grandchildren-nietos

he’s specialised in sport injuries-está especializado en lesiones deportivas

tendon (n): a strong piece of tissue in the body connecting a muscle to a bone
tendón

routine (adj): done as part of what usually happens, and not for any special reason
rutinario
a routine inspection/medical check-up

he’s boring -él es aburrido
he’s bored-El esta aburrido

take it easy
not to work etc hard or energetically; to avoid using much effort
tomar las cosas con calma
The doctor told him to take it easy.

ankle-tobillo

trasnochador-night owl
He’s a night bird

I/we etc will see
I, we etc shall wait and consider the matter later
ya se verá
‘Can I have a new bicycle?’ ‘We’ll see.

Pronunciation

owl-/aʊl/

Vocabulary

hangover (n): a feeling of illness after drinking too much alcohol
resaca
I had a terrible hangover the next morning.
a hangover cure

physics (n): the science studying the laws of the forces found in nature
física [ feminine, singular ]
nuclear physics física nuclear
the physics of light la física de la luz

back to reality

bid (v): to make an official offer to do a job
hacer una oferta
Both contractors bid for the job.
Ambos contratistas hicieron una oferta por el trabajo.

faint (v): to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, usually falling down
desmayarse
He faints at the sight of blood.
I nearly fainted in the heat.
She took one look at the hypodermic needle and fainted (dead) away (= became unconscious immediately).

turtleneck (n): (a garment, especially a sweater, with) a high round neck
cuello de cisne
He was wearing a turtleneck
(also adjective) a turtleneck sweater.

Community – tv show

Vocabulary

fault – take responsibility
mistake – did the wrong thing

setup 
eg. I want to get everything setup before class

they borrow our card and we borrow theirs (take)
they lend us their card and we lend our card to them (give)

realise – to think and then know
notice – to see and then know
eg. they realise that they can’t control us forever

ruined – “roo ind”
broken
damaged

luckily / fortunately / it’s lucky that I have this paper / thankfully / it’s a good thing that i have it

hair dresser – the person who cuts your hair

naked 
eg. when I have a shower I am naked

Grammar

they gave us a card for the day after ours

we can’t to leave

you can be free anytime you want 

I have not started another painting

Pronunciation

scene – “seen”

We share the card with our neighbors, yesterday I went out and today I gave the card to them.

I only went from my home to Shanghai center.

Today I walked around 2h. Not too far but I did a round.

The workers live in the restaurants because they can’t go back home.

Yesterday I went to do a PCR test and I saw this photo of tents  and today they removed everything.

They work and live there and don’t have a bathroom.

We see people out… / we see people on the street
Some people commented something about the situation and said it may start to open from Jun 6 but I don’t think so…. It is too bad. / the situation isn’t getting better yet

I have some friends who have a plan to leave China this year but they accelerated the plan and left.

You need to follow the rules they have.
Some friends they left for too many hours but finally they are relieved  -> leaving is really difficult but once you are on the other side you are relieved

He lived here for around 6y , he said I need to wait for the situation to get better here because I have my company.  Right now I can’t to return to Spain.

I am painting, I am mainly painting and taking some pictures.
I used very bright colors and now I try to remove a lot  / and now I want to fade the colors / lighten the colors

The colors depend on the camera’s picture and on the light. / the camera doesn’t capture the real colors of the painting.

I damaged it when I tried to fix the color.

One guy in the watercolor group said it’s ok but then I didn’t like it.
Now I have one challenge, he wants to make one book with some people who like to write series of poems.

Another made some illustrations for stories and poems.

I participate in it and made 2 illustrations for 2 poems.
I want to continue to painting in watercolor -> I want to continue to paint in watercolor / I want to continue painting in watercolor

My Style changes a lot.
Now I want to paint one painting for my husband. I started to do that but now I can’t to finish it, I don’t have the inspiration.

I did it in watercolor first and now I want to paint it on acrylic.

I try to do it in acrylic but I think I need to reduce the size of the people. I think they are too big / they take too much of the frame  / canvas 

They need more space around them 

I don’t have a lot of colors so I need to mix them. / I ran out of some of the colors so I have to mix them

I saw him in the movie he had his face this way but now he has his face in this direction.

Some people from her company they wanted to work there so they searched on taobao and bought many and they sleep and work there.

The restaurants right now they have service for SH and live in very poor conditions
It is not clean and they have issues with hygiene.

Vocabulary

Avatar (n) picture representing you on an app
I changed my WeChat avatar to a picture of my cat

Hygiene (n)
They have a hygiene problem 

sleeping bag (n) Saco de dormir
I bought a sleeping bag to go camping

 To run out (v) se agoto
I ran out of food so I must buy food today if I want to eat something

Inspiration (n)
I need to have the inspiration to paint

To inspire (v)
Tom inspired me to paint with his poem
I need to be inspired to paint

To damage (v) deteriorar
I damaged my computer

Tent (n) tienda de campana
We went camping in tents

Accountant (n) contador
he works as an accountant

To be relieved (v) aliviado
I was relieved after boarding the plane 

Relief (v)
I felt relief after knowing they are safe

talk about how to speak more clearly

Howard Wolowitz is a character from The Big Bang Theory Series. He is a very special character, beginning with his way of dressing. but that’s another story.
Since he works an aerospace engineer, the NASA one day gave him the opportunity to go to space station. He showed this trip as something amazing in front of his friends, but he really doesn’t want to go because he was afraid of dying in space.
He had some excuses not to go, but the same way was not possible to carry them out. The project continued and finally he went.
His co astronauts bullied him all the time, first when they were in online conference and his mom called him to eat Choco Krispy, that was his nickname on the ship.

Howard Wolowitz is a character from The Big Bang Theory Series. He is a very special character, beginning with his way of dressing, but that’s another story.
Since he works an aerospace engineer, the NASA, one day gave him the opportunity to go to the space station / the ISS. He acted like this trip was something amazing in front of his friends, but really, he doesn’t want to go because he was afraid of dying / he feared dying / he was scared of dying in space.
He had some excuses not to go / excuses to not go, but in the end none of them worked / but they didn’t work. The project continued and finally he went.
His his fellow astronauts / his crew bullied him all the time. First when they were in an online conference and his mom called him to eat his Choco Krispy, so that was his nickname on the ship.

Vocabulary

go out from China – leave China

outbreak – the process of COVID starting
eg. when the outbreak happened, people were scared

more strict rules

take sth for granted
eg. I take clean water for granted

they want to have independence
eg. Barcelona wants independence

I want to slap them

space station / ship

dull (weak) < > bright (strong)

skydiving (plane / helicopter) / base jumping (building / mountain)

the spaceship took off – when the spaceship starts to go into the air

what is the waste capacity of the spacesuit? / how much waste does the spacesuit handle?
what is the picture?
what is the time of the class?

Grammar

they can’t to go out / they can’t leave

today I thinking – today I am / was thinking 

Pronunciation

depth – “dep th” 

maybe i had some childhood trauma

Vocabulary

my muscles ache / my body aches

kick – legs
punch – hands

tight < > loose

she assigned me 2 poems

delayed
the other people who needed to make the illustrations, they were delayed
they were too slow, so it was late
they didn’t finish yet

i wasn’t conscious of it / i wasn’t aware of it

in my day / back in my day 

she suggested that if the teacher gives me some food,

dirt road 
eg. it was a dirt road so it becomes too muddy to walk on

detour / i went the long way around / i had to go really far to get around

dreadlocks – my hair style

Grammar

I was very exciting – I was very excited 

he wants the women to talk about her life

they lived near to the school / they lived close to the school

Pronunciation

ache – “ayk”

Vocabulary

introverted – more shy, less social
extroverted – more confident, more social

know 
meet 
eg. I met him last week so now I know him.

livestream – live show
eg. my friend asked me to be on a livestream

public speaking
eg. I’m afraid of public speaking

maybe i had some childhood trauma

www.toastmasters.org

i changed back to my first idea

not continuously
eg. I took the pills but not continuously

Grammar

you are used to live alone or free – you are used to China / coffee / my class / living alone

I like coffee
I like dancing
I like living alone 

a group of people who like sth – who = they… so “they like”

maybe I can to have

you understand nothing about it – you don’t understand anything about it

i want you read that – I want you to read that

I like to drink coffee
I want to drink coffee
I should drink coffee

I go to school to learn
I go home to sleep 

Pronunciation

story – stor ree
history – his stor ree

I want to share it with you  / I want tell you about it
We have been in lockdown from the day we came

The first day we didn’t have vegetables
We had some meat in the freezer and only needed eggs and vegetables, luckily our neighbors provided some.

After 4 or 5 days we did a group buy and after that we had a lot of food.
We are happy to stay here at home. Starting from this week we can go down to the parking place because we don’t have a big communal area. You can go down to have a walk.

Now we enjoy the time here.

Some people can go out to the street and go around but here it is not allowed.
We are waiting for which day we can go out. / we hope the lockdown can end quickly

I am used to it already  / I already got used to it.

You can take a walk

You can enjoy your walk more

It is your opportunity to do something different and think about that and what time you can thinking good about. -> you have to think positively

Sometimes you need to do something different in your life.
If something was well or not and how many troubles you had before you stay. -> It gives you time to work on yourself / it gives you time to reflect on your life

You can try to think positively.

I promised to send you some documents 

China became another place that you don’t want to go to / I can’t recognize what China has become

Some people say in the building there is one case so they can’t leave and get a flight.

You can but it is too hard. My friend she said I will go to France with her daughter but she plans to come back in August.
I wrote something to my friend to apologize about that and she said it’s ok.

My painting teacher she made one group because she wanted to make a group with some people who write some history or poems. / she wanted to match writers with artists

First she received the story and then sent it to other people to make an illustration so I made one painting

I can’t to have the color very good for sand or the sea -> I felt I couldn’t match and apply the colors well

Vocabulary

Setting (n)
you can find it in settings

Myopia / nearsightedness  (n)
I suffer from Myopia so I need to wear glasses 

Traditional outfit (n)
The qipao is a traditional outfit of Sh

To look for / search (v)  busker
I am looking for my phone
I searched some information on Google 

To plan (v) have a plan / think about doing something
I plan to fly in August

To pretend (v) fake something
Tom pretends to be a CEO but actually he has a basic job.

Karma (n) the idea that you attract things based on your actions
If you think negatively you will have a bad karma

To overcome (v) vencer/superar
I need to overcome my fear of spiders

To reflect (v) to think back
The lock down gave me time to reflect on my life and I decided to make changes.

Walk (v/n)
I am going to take a walk
I will walk a bit 

Pronunciation

Poem 

Vocabulary

I have a project coming up

assignment (n): a piece of work or a job that someone gives you to do
trabajo
a written assignment

solitude (n): the situation of being alone without other people
soledad
a life of solitude
After months of solitude at sea it felt strange to be in company.
It provides one with a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude.

Where is her safe haven? ¿Dónde está su refugio seguro?

Vocabulary

sore (adj): painful and uncomfortable because of injury, infection, or too much use
痛的，疼痛的
All the dust has made my eyes sore.
灰尘使我的眼睛酸痛。
I’ve got a sore back.
我后背疼。
My feet were sore with all the walking.
走了这么多的路，我的脚很痛。

pantry (n): a small room or large cupboard in a house where food is kept
despensa

cottage (n): a small house, usually in the countryside
casita (de campo)

finca-farmhouse

off the beaten path/track
away from places people usually go
fuera de lo común
He likes to visit places that are off the beaten path.
Le gusta visitar lugares que están fuera de lo común.

Vocabulary

there’s no end in sight

On that day all of the flights were cancelled so we took a train. The train

My husband’s assistant said that it will take at least a month to get our stuff delivered to Shanghai

highway (n): a main road, especially between two cities
carretera

powerless (adj): not able to control things that happen
sin poder, impotente
The police were powerless to stop the fighting.

journalist (n): someone whose job is writing for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio
periodista

stock up (v): to buy a lot of something
abastecerse
We’d better stock up on food for the holiday.

I’m well stocked up

We have the flight this Monday but we don’t know if we can go all home. -> we are not sure if we will be able to go all the way back home /… if we can go home directly
Maybe we need to go to a hotel. / We may need to quarantine in a hotel again.

I don’t know for how Long this situation -> I don’t know how long it will last

The virus will be increased -> the virus will increase / the virus will spread (even more)

It’s impossible maybe they need to live with the virus.

SH has a lot of people. The population is too big so to have closed at home is impossible for long Time. -> having to stay in lockdown at home / being stuck at home / being locked at home is impossible / The population is too big, to have everyone locked at home is impossible

One month maybe -> It may last one month / maybe it will last one full month

A lot of people who live there are from another city so many of them don’t have a kitchen, they don’t cook at home. Most of them buy food everyday and now they have a lot of problems.

Now they regret being in SH.

Some people say they tried 

Now my husband talked with his boss about his work. He wants to change the city for work.
He doesn’t want to work here with this situation.

It is totally different, we don’t have a child. For this situation it is too hard right now to visit our family 3 times a year. / we feel it is not worth staying in Shanghai because it is too hard to visit our family.

 We want go to another city closer to Spain or from which it is easier to fly to Spain.

In the next 3 years the situation will stay the same -> the situation will last 3 more years

A lot of people think the same.
They are too tired. Now they hate China.

When you have a good job, they let you do your work you feel very good. / if you have a good job and things go smoothly you feel great
But when they put a lot of obstacles and you can’t work very well you feel very bad/ you don’t feel motivated and you don’t do your job very well. / you won’t perform well / you won’t be efficient / you will not be efficient.

More than 3 years ago / before 2020 you could travel or have a trip. 

During the last 2 years you couldn’t travel or have a trip ‘

They let you live, you respect the rules. Now you can’t do anything.

Some of them back to their country. Others go to another city in their country and others to another country.

Among my Mexican friends, 7 families went back to Mexico. Another went to to Europe : Germany or Switzerland.
And the Spanish go to Spain.

The government always puts the situation too bad -> The government makes things look worse than what they really are

If the country don’t have a lot of problems they invent problems.
Always when there is any situation in the world they blame it for their problems

If the situation does not affect this country they show you it affects it / they pretend it affects it
Maybe it doesn’t affect food but they increase the price because of the war.

Columbia is a potato producer  / we produce potatoes and now in some cities they increased the price a lot.
We produce them but the price still increases.

Vocabulary

To blame (v) saying X is responsible / something is X’s fault
The government blames the war in Ukraine for the increase in prices

To backfire (v) To do something which ends up create problems to yourself
Tom tried to blame his boss for the failure of the project but it backfired and he lost his job.

Have a taste of one’s own medicine : usually when you hurt others but things backfire and you hurt yourself
China is having a taste of its own medicine because now Chinese people complain that it is hard to go back to China.

Worth (v) 

it’s worth it / it not worth it 

To regret (v) wish things happened different
I regret leaving China because now it is hard to go back 

Migrant worker (n) someone who moves to another city for work (usually for more basic jobs) 

Many migrant workers work in construction

To last (v) to express duration / how long something will be / endure / hold on/ survive
The lock down will last for 5 days
I have enough food to last 2 weeks
Our quarantine will last 5 days in Xiamen.
The lock down in SH will last until the end of this month.

Pronunciation

Potato 

Vocabulary

we arrived 7 days ago

How did you feel?

pimple /zit(n): a small, red mark on your skin
grano

wide (adj): measuring a long distance or longer than usual from one side to the other
ancho
a wide road
I have very wide feet.

puffy (adj): swollen, especially unhealthily
hinchado
a puffy face/ankle.

beauty routine -rutina de belleza

before,we were going out quite often, and now not as much

sweatsuit-tracksuit

taste (n): the particular things you like, such as styles of music, clothes, decoration, etc.
gusto
I don’t like his taste in music.

role model (n): a person who someone admires and whose behaviour they try to copy
modelo de conducta
Sports stars are role models for thousands of youngsters.

look up to (v): to respect and admire sb
admirar
Be nice to him. He looks up to you.
Se amable con el. Te admira

We had a lot of obstacles

Before to fly -> Before the flight / Before we fly …

If you send all the documents to the consulate to ask them.
Sometimes they say I need you to send me another itinerary / another document / additional documents.

When you need to send one more/additional document, you need to upload everything on the website.
He was going crazy. / he was going nuts

You need to send to the consulate the passport, visa, itinerary, one covid certification.

7 days before the flight you need to do a PCR test.
Then you need to check your temperature twice a day for 7 days.

You need to write that from paper -> you need to write that on paper.

You don’t know what happens in those days.
With the first PCR, you hope the result is negative. But if it is not you are in trouble.
the first PCR gave an inconclusive result / the first PCR was inconclusive.

You do it 7 days before you leave. Then you only have 6 days. You are not sure if China accepts it or not because they are very strict. / rigid .

We did another one and he had a negative result. He sent the email to the consulate and asked if it was possible or not to fly.

The next day when he picked a negative result he sent an email to ask if we could to get the flight the next day and they replied one day later.

Finally they said ok
They said he could do the next PCR not 48h before but only 24h before. / they asked him to do the last test 24h before the flight instead of the normal 48h.

At that moment we were very nervous / stressed.

We were thinking OMG maybe I needed to do that 48h and for you 24h.
I was in the timeframe. / in the time threshold.

Then we get a flight and we need to do an antigenic test in the airport and fill in a form.
When we had the results from the second PCR we had to send a lot of pictures by email to the consulate to get the green QR code (passport, vaccine certificate, declaration of health, itinerary)

All direct flights were cancelled.

We came from Spain / we departed from Spain and transferred in Turkey and then we arrived in Korea and we were there for 16 days. / we stayed there
One week was quarantine then  we visited the city.

You pray China doesn’t cancel the flight

Now we went back to China because we have everything there.
Now we are in quarantine. We hope we can do another 7 days in SH. / the additional 7 days in SH.

I don’t know if they let us do it because the flight from Madrid were all cancelled a lot

If you leave you may not be able to go back for a long time.

We had a direct flight because a Chinese agency rented some planes from Iberia.
That agency arranged a chartered flight.
In January the ticket price was 2k and then when we tried to go on March 1 the cost of the ticket was 4k. And the last flight from Madrid this week 8k.

It is expensive for the airline to operate the flight / route

Vocabulary

threshold (n) limit
My patience reaches a threshold and then I get angry 

To go crazy / to go nuts
I am going crazy over the flight

Make someone crazy / make someone nuts
Communicating with the consulate is making me nuts 

Negative (adj) you don’t have a disease
The PCR gave a negative result

Inconclusive (adj) not giving a clear result
The test was inconclusive

Pronunciation

Obstacles

Temperature

Nervous

finish correcting the end part of the writing

gu lang yu

Vocabulary

impossible to avoid

it was always eventually going to happen

whole trip / the total cost of the trip 

there’s always a solution 

long covid – when you get covid and recover but then have problems later

fully recovered 

discourage < > encourage

Grammar

in first of march – on the first of march

she has been going to our house to water the plants and clean

into = in + to
I walk in the room = sounds like you just walk around inside the room
I walk into the room

Pronunciation

war – “wor” 

cancelled – “kan selld” 

When I arrived in China, specifically in Shanghai, I had a cultural shock. I had never been in a city like this, too big with too tall buildings and too many people. Shanghai is a city that has almost the same population as Spain.
The hotel where we stayed was a five stars, it was amazing, its lobby had high celling with extravagant decoration, that made it more interesting. The room was big like my house in Madrid, and two things than surprised me more than others there, was the bathroom, it had a toilet that could kept warm and get water and wash your private parts from inside the toilet. By the way, I never used that.
Other thing that I really liked a lot was the mirror into bathroom, when you were there you could see in it, like always but also you could watch television.
These things were the first ones that really surprised me on that moment.

When I arrived in China, specifically in Shanghai, I had culture shock. I had never been in a city like that, too big with too tall buildings and too many people. Shanghai is a city that has almost the same population as Spain.
The hotel where we stayed was a five star, and it was amazing / five star which was amazing. Its lobby had a high ceiling with extravagant decoration, that made it more interesting. The room was big like my house in Madrid, and two things that surprised me more than others there, was the bathroom because it had a toilet that could be kept warm and get water and a built-in bidet. By the way, I never used that.
The other thing that I really liked a lot was the mirror in the bathroom, when you were there you could see in it, like always but also you could watch television.
These things were the first ones that really surprised me on that moment.

Write about an event/thing that happened to you when you were in China. (PAST TENSE) 150 words. 

Vocabulary

adventurous (adj.)
take an adventure
my friend is an adventurous person

obstacle (n)
There are many obstacles for us to overcome.

play my hobbies.
spend more time on developing my hobbies.

develop a habit

various (adj.) all kinds, a variety of

surprise (v/n) – surprising (adj.)
I have a big surprise for you.

awesome – excellent – fantastic – marvelous – wonderful – cool – outstanding – fabulous

give – gave – given
I will give you a pen.
Yesterday, I gave him a pen.
I have given all I have to you.

keep – kept
I kept all the things/memories from China.

cultural shock: differences in cultures

independent (adj.) – independence (n)

be dependent on
rely on
Sometimes, young people want to move out for their study/work because they want to be independent.
They don’t want to rely on their parents anymore.

It is important to have a strong bond/tie/connection with you family.

How you manage the situation?
How do you manage the situation.

open-minded (adj.)

If you married quickly.
If you get married too young/soon before you know the other person well.

disagreement/fights/quarrel
I had a quarrel over money with my girlfriend yesterday.

I didn’t get to see the pandas.

I never thought I lived in China.
I have never thought (that) I would live in China.

My English was empty.
My English was zero. 

I am taking class again.
I am picking up English!

make a plan and stick to it. 

we try to back
we tried to go back

Pronunciation

adventure 

pic ture 

culture

va ri e ty

Elena’s hotel diary

Vocabulary

static: the zzzzzzzzzzz sound in the phone when you have a bad connection

unkempt: unwashed, messy, not tidy, not pretty

inconclusive: no conclusion

uniform: the same

relocate: move (longer distance maybe)

asymptomatic: no symptom (adj)

safe haven: protected area

Grammar

I’m not, but I might as well be – actually not, but almost like

we are waiting to leave but on monday, we did the pcr test..
we were supposed to leave next monday, but …  (supposed to do A, but B happened, so now…)

my husband’s result is …
my husband’s result is inconclusive/abnormal /neither positive nor negative

we need to wait for company to have some other work for my husband
we need to wait for his company to assign him somewhere/assign some work for him

this is the first time we are …
this is the first time we relocated 

why you’re in another country …
I don’t know why, under this situation, you would continue to live in another country when your family is somewhere else

In urgent times/emergencies, if you can’t to buy one ticket to …
In urgent times/emergencies, you need to go back to your home right away.

Vocabulary

metropolitan: big fancy city

severity: seriousness

time difference/different time zones

“close call”
ie. It was a close call. I almost got quarantined in Reel.

strained: uneasy

film-developing: in a dark room

hydrate: get lots of water

It’s close to your home.
It’s near your home.

I hope the war comes to an end soon.

I think every people need to pass the virus and get the antibodies.
I think everybody/I think people need to get the virus and get the antibodies.

In the beginning, medical resources were strained

Any people don’t know how to do something about it
People didn’t know/Nobody knew how to do something about it/how to manage it/deal with it.

Now every hospital … know something about the virus. /
greater awareness

I want to go to Spain. But we live in China and now it’s impossible.
To live in China is impossible now, because …/ It’s impossible to live in China now because…

3000 or more new cases everyday. 

I never see some videos.
I have never seen your videos

it’s like that one (for a thing)
it’s just like that/ it’s similar to that (for a event)

Vocabulary

stay up late – don’t go to sleep early

night owls – people who like being awake at night
early birds / morning people – people who like getting up early

they spit mucus 

upload – put sth on the internet

use the lord’s name in vain – “Jesus christ!!! I’m so angry!”

I’m thankful for everything I have

behavior / what people do 

gang / cartel – bad people in groups

torture – to cause pain on sth / sb

morals – right things to do that make you good
moral < > immoral 
eg. it’s immoral to torture an animal

vegan – don’t eat any animal products

scribe – sb who writes an important book
disciple – followers

one of their stories coincide with another

verse / passage – a part of a chapter

interpret the bible

Grammar

we had some days with cloudy – we had some cloudy days / we had some days with cloud / had some days that were cloudy

when he borned – when he was born

Pronunciation

mucus – “myou kus” 

phlegm – “flem” 

king / bring / sing

kine – eye 
kind – eye 

Vocabulary

majority (n):the biggest group of people or things
mayoría
The majority of people in this country own their houses.

pass sth on (v): to give a disease to another person:
It’s possible to pass on the virus to others through physical contact.

I got a high fiver

be someone’s fault
If something bad that happened is someone’s fault, they made it happen.
ser culpa de alguien
The accident was not my fault.

stovetop (n): the flat part on top of a cooker where you heat food in pans
placa

keep a low profile
to avoid getting attention
tratar de pasar desapercibido/da
Since her divorce she’s been keeping a low profile.
Desde su divorcio ella ha tratado de pasar desapercibida.

grind- /ɡrɑɪnd/

you don’t know if you have or not because it is more light -> mild / symptoms are mild

Our flight was on Jan 25 but they canceled every flight and in February they have some but maybe the flight have a high occupation.
Now we have a flight on March 1.

We are waiting for this flight and we hope they don’t cancel it.
You try to go there with transfer from another city.
my friend had one flight transferring in /with a transfer Helsinki and they did a test PCR  in April.
Every PCR there the cost is around 4ooEUR. / every PCR costs 400EUR
And they are 4 people so it was 2k just for the PCR test

Before December if was around 2k and now it is 4k. / and now the ticket price doubled
They want to get a lot of money from the ticket.

Now we think it is impossible to live that way.
Before you could have trips maybe 3 times a/per year

We usually come back 3 times a year to see the family but now it is impossible , you cannot come here for 2 weeks if you need to quarantine for 21 days.

My friend had her mum pass away and she couldn’t see her.
Now we are sad because this situation cannot continue.

you can get that virus too easy -> you can get the virus easily / it is easy to get the virus

My husband talked with his boss about not staying in China.
At the moment they don’t have any answer. Maybe they haven’t thought  about it.

Now I am here so I am happy.
When I came back from Columbia, I arrived here and I took a PCR test and I gave a kiss to my husband and the next day I had a fever and the next day I took the test and I was positive.
I arrived here from Columbia and gave the virus to every member of the family. / and I infected everyone in the family.

I feel very bad. Now they are well.
We have 5 days incubation period but they made me take a test and I was clean / I was negative

I only had  fever (for) 1 night and then my throat ached / I had a sore throat  but nothing more.
And I felt very weak.

One weak after that my husband got it, one day he had fever and he took a test and now he is ok. Only one week and he recovered. / he recovered in a week

Now you need to do a lot of things. one PCR and one IMG test
You can’t to do that in anything, only where they say. -> you can only do it in the centers they recognize.
They have a Chinese clinic near my home so you can do it there.

Now I am sure the Chinese people don’t want to get the virus but now they want to maintain their position in the world power.

There are a lot of people there, it is a lot of people to control.
I think they don’t want to lose a lot of people because they wouldn’t keep they position in the world.

Finally one day the situation will get out of hand / get out of control

this week we finished the quarantine and my husband is well / recovered so now we can do something. We go shopping and now we can enjoy this time together.

While I was in Columbia he was in China. Then we saw each other here on Jan 5 and from Jan 5 to now we couldn’t do anything because of the virus

I talk about how the world was several years ago. Some people who live in Iran, there was war.
Now this situation is everywhere

They don’t have pressure in their life.

life is not really vivid / life feels flat/ they feel disillusioned

When she is talking about the civil war she remembers everything that happened that day.
She didn’t forget anything
Now younger people forget , they feel their days have no meaning.

Vocabulary

get out of hand / get out of control : you cannot control something anymore
Omicron spreads too quickly the situation is getting out of hand.

weak (adj) not strong
I felt a bit weak when I got the virus

Epiphany (n) celebration on January 6
We visited them for the Epiphany

asymptomatic (adj) with no visible/obvious symptoms
You can be sick but asymptotic  / you can be sick and show no symptoms  

mild (adj) not very serious / only light
I like food with a mild taste
Omicron only gives mild symptoms

Pronunciation

weird

finish notes from today and check Elena’s homework

Vocabulary

insomnia – a sickness that stops you sleeping

male – may lll
female – fee mayl

half capacity

I gave the advice / I told them what to do / I instructed them

worse – more bad

admitted –

it’s up to us… we don’t need to listen to you –

sociopath – “so see yo path” – someone who doesn’t feel any emotions

what you do now to others is what you want others to do to you

Do (un)to others as you would have them do (un)to you

enroll / join / signed up

make my homework / do my homework

Grammar

I haven’t heard of it

punished for china –

they has some flights –

I was all the time –

from she start to sick to then –

she told to my another neice –

i told they –

you need to care your parents –

Pronunciation

meme – “meem”

pneumonia – “nem mo nya” 

Vocabulary

relatives – family members

tell her / notify her

lungs 

electrolytes 

xray 
eg. I have to get a chest xray

China punished them

half capacity 

his boss and his family, so there are 5 of them 

calculation –

i tried to savor every moment –

it’s not very common for us –

I’m not desperate for meat

the purpose is to reduce the population because the earth is overpopulated 

take over from America as the world’s superpower 

Grammar

I’ve been vaccinated  / I’ve got the vaccine

I say her … – I tell her / I told her 

i don’t want to disappear my meat – I don’t want my meat to disappear / I don’t want to remove meat from my life 

Vocabulary

spouse: husband/wife

lab rats/guinea pigs: experimental subjects

firm: strong

herd immunity/mass immunity: where most people are immune = virus not danger anymore

darwinism: strongest lives

privilege: good advantage

guilty: like you’re at fault, you’re responsible, shouldn’t have such as good life

debt: money you owe the bank

throw a tantrum: start trouble/arguing, make a fuss

are you winter person =do you like winter?

I will go to my home
I’m going home

My husband will join me in Spain in December.

His trip is December 24th

Everybody is an experiment with the vaccine
Everyone is a lab rat

What happens to the younger/next generation is my concern, but not really.

If the majority people get the vaccine…

They lived the virus different to us
Their lives after the virus is completely different from ours. 

Vocabulary

go to watch a game / go to a stadium to watch a game

make bad bad bad – make it worse and worse / make it worse and in the end it’s just terrible 

delete / remove / erase 
eg. I made a mistake and erased it with a rubber / eraser

sketch / outline 

they’re my actual nieces = real / they really are

writer’s block
eg. Elena has writer’s block so she can’t finish the artwork

milestone – a big goal you reach that tells you that you have definitely improved / achieved something

she replaced my old teacher

hyper – too much energy
eg. kids are really naughty when they are hyper

qing yi dian ke yi ma? = can you do it softly?

they give you a shot 

bruise – purple skin after you get hurt
eg. I had a big bruise

Grammar

I don’t buy – I didn’t buy it 

I don’t put focus on it – I don’t focus on it
I don’t put attention on it

who has been at SE for the longest time? = the total amount of time (ie. how many classes they had)
which one of your current students started at SE the longest time ago? – who started the most number of years in the past?

when I arrived in SH / I arrived at work
I arrived at work / I went to work

 I can’t to remember – I can’t remember

Pronunciation

private – pr “eye” vat

learned – learnd
started – star ted

Vocabulary

how much 1 suitcase weighs / the weight of 1 suitcase 

How much food you eat
how many classes you have
how many times you teach yoga every week

she will have a baby soon / she’s 8 months pregnant / she’s in her 4th term

I think yes – I think so 

she knows what she’s doing = she’s really good / expert 

I (only) wish I met her earlier / sooner / It’s a pity we didn’t meet earlier

i just smiled and nodded – you don’t understand but you just act like you understand
eg. I was in class but her level was too high so I just smiled and nodded every class

every year without this year – every year except for this year 

naughty / misbehaved

hype – excitement

depth of field / focus 

Grammar

I don’t know how long she has lived here for 

she has lived in a place / she has lived for 3 months 

I don’t know for how long she has lived here.

Where do you want to go?
I want to go here
Which restaurant do you want to go to?
I want to go to that restaurant

I back to sleep again – I went back to sleep again

I am back in SH / I come back to SH / I will be back in SH next year

Vocabulary

niece (n): the daughter of your brother or sister
sobrina

nephew (n): the son of your brother or sister
sobrino

be/get involved in something
to do things and be part of an activity or event
estar metido/empezar en algo, estar implicado/implicarse en algo
How did you get involved in acting?

bid (n): an offer to pay a particular amount of money for something
puja, oferta
I made a bid of £150 for the painting.

bid (v): to offer to pay an amount of money for something
ofrecer
They bid $500 million for the company.

beneficiary (n): a person or group who receives money, advantages, etc. as a result of something else
beneficiario, -a
Her wife was the chief beneficiary of her will.

major/minor surgery

I wanted to make a contribution to….

I wanted to contribute…

hype (n): a situation in which something is advertised and discussed in newspapers, on television, etc. a lot in order to attract everyone’s interest:
media hype
There’s been a lot of hype around/surrounding his latest film.
I’ve been put off reading the book by all the hype.

pebble (n): a small smooth round stone, especially one found on a beach or in a river:
This part of the coast has pebble beaches.

hazmat suit
noun US/ˈhæz.mæt ˌsuːt/

abbreviation for hazardous materials suit: a piece of clothing that covers the entire body and other clothing, worn to protect against dangerous substances such as poisonous chemicals or infectious viruses:
Paramedics arrived dressed in hazmat suits and wearing masks.
Each volunteer was given a disposable white hazmat suit.

put on the shoes

take off my shoes

hazmat suit
noun US/ˈhæz.mæt ˌsuːt/

abbreviation for hazardous materials suit: a piece of clothing that covers the entire body and other clothing, worn to protect against dangerous substances such as poisonous chemicals or infectious viruses:
Paramedics arrived dressed in hazmat suits and wearing masks.
Each volunteer was given a disposable white hazmat suit.

pebble – /ˈpeb.əl/

take a trip / have a trip

Vocabulary

jumper / sweater 

blouse

roll it up
eg. they’re too long so I roll up the sleeves

wrinkles – what happens to your skin when you get older

first come first serve – the first one who wants it will get it

spatula – the thing we use for cooking that you used for the buddha

my first thing was do that – the first version was to use a particular method to do it, not to make it look life-like / realistic, but then I decided to give it more detail and definition using brush strokes and other methods. 

gesso – some paint stuff to give the canvas texture

i painted it on and off for 2 years

disorganised – Elena is this sometimes

willie wonka

sth shiny caught his eye 

people rushing around 

he was very hungry – he was starving
eg. his stomach was growling because he was starving

newsagent / newsagency / convenience store 

shop keeper – the person working at a shop

they want to trick him / con him

go directly home
when he got home, he showed his grandparents the ticket…

Grammar

always I need to – I always need to 

I no remember – I don’t remember 

the buddha inspired my photo from cambodia – the buddha was inspired by my photo from cambodia 

i no continue with this – I don’t continue with this

they don’t found it in his chocolate – they don’t find it …

every time when appear one winner his dad read today what happened – every time when a winner appears, his dad reads what happens with the winner today 

SVO = subject verb object

at 5PM when I wake up (SV) 

every time (detail) when (conjunction) a winner appears (SV), his dad reads (SV) what happened…. (O)

I tell him which is the first winner – I tell him who the first winner is 

who are you? = question
i know who you are = statement

it is one girl who she was a chewing gum champion – a girl who was 

she can to win – she can win 

every people – everyone / everybody

Vocabulary

snowy mountain

make trip to there – take a trip there / have a trip there

their idea of cold is not cold

experience – sth you do
experiment – science

need – require
eg. the government requires us to submit many documents

reunite – people come together again after not meeting for a long time

humane / humanitarian – treating people like they’re human, not animals

report you to the police

the parents need to correct their mistakes / behavior 

we’re doing a particular pose

if they misbehave, the teachers hit them

detention 
eg. the punishment for being naughty / bad at school is detention

have a break – a period of time to rest
have a rest – action

Grammar

he don’t want to stay here – he doesn’t want to stay here

Pronunciation

abusive – “ab you siv” 

punishment – “puh nish ment” 

millionaire – “mil yen nair”
eg. I’m a millionaire

Nha Trang

Think of some questions you want to answer about art, and research them, and then write the answers to the questions and we’ll review in class.

Grammar

I spend a lot of time in that – on that / to do that 

one day I was to apple store – I went to the apple store 

can you explain me please? – can you explain it to me please?
can you discuss it with me please?

Vocabulary

3500 – 3 thousand 500
1500 – 1 thousand 500
1550 – 1 thousand 500 and 50 

hustle bustle – busy / loud / lots of movement / lots of action
eg. I love the hustle bustle of cities
eg2. I need to get away from the hustle bustle of the city

Pronunciation

icloud – “aaaooo”
house

capacity – “ca pa sit tee” 

vietnamese food – vieh nameez
thai food

Think of some questions you want to answer about art, and research them, and then write the answers to the questions and we’ll review in class.

duel nationality – 2 passports from different countries

Grammar

I can speak more confidently / speak with more confidence 

I no improve – I didn’t improve / I’m not improving 

I’m used to your English = comfortable
I used to do sth = in the past

I can to understand – I can understand

I say him some word – I said some word to him / I told him some word

I no remember – I don’t remember / I can’t remember

I like to look at the painting / I watch TV

Vocabulary

software package 

realistic – sth that seems / looks real
eg. i like realistic style paintings

do you admire any particular artist? / do you have a favourite artist? 

when you retire (v) / after retirement (n)
eg. he retired when he was 65 years old
eg2. he began his retirement when he was 65

enrol (v) / enrollment (n)
eg. we enrolled in the yoga course

carbs / carbohydrates – bread, pasta, rice.. etc
eg. we’re trying to limit our carbs / reduce the carbs that we eat
eg2. we’re trying to eat less carbs / we’re on a low-carb diet

the next tomorrow – the day after tomorrow 

crossfit 
eg. he’s doing crossfit

he’s not flexible enough

Pronunciation

lightroom – laii troom 

I can understand
I can’t understand

Grammar

in columbia not accept my spanish passport – in columbia they don’t accept my spanish passport / columbia doesn’t accept my spanish passport

if he got or not the virus – if he got the virus or not / if he got the virus or didn’t get the virus

one lake she want to see it, they said foreigner no – one lake she wanted to see said “no foreigners” 

they are in china more than 10 years – they have been in China for more than 10 years

Vocabulary

when I was filling in / filling out the submission 

i’m waiting for what happens – i’m waiting to see what happens 

he wants to change his company so they don’t rely on the other company

duel nationality – 2 passports from different countries

antibodies

after he had recovered – not sick anymore but he was sick before

guinea pig – the animal scientists and doctors use to test things

one friend went to the silk road – one of my friends / a friend of mine 

PCR test – neucleic acid test 

bid
eg. they set a starting price and you bid up from there

60 by 70 centimeters = 60 from left to right, 70 from up to down

it was my first sale 

Yesterday I left the picture there.
The auction is on Oc 22 in SH center.
the towers took me 4-5 hours to paint.
Now I am learning watercolor so it is very difficult to do that.
You use thick ink and I don’t need a lot of water so it is easy to paint

You need to put/pay attention on how much water you put in some ink.

everything is hard.

I just started to paint with oil so for me now it is better / I am more familiar with it. /I am better at it.
I tried to do one in acrylic and so when I tried and it dries quickly
I felt I couldn’t do anything. I needed to mix it with another color . I needed to mix some colors but it dried very quickly.
You need to use something to prevent it from drying  / to stop it from drying quickly

water color is on a thick paper.

Now I am relaxed, I try to relax
Now I don’t want to buy gifts because it is too big/bulky and if I buy for one person  or for everyone .I prefer to  go there and eat a lot together

it is too heavy. You want some gifts for the oldest people.
If you buy something for some of them the other say what do you have for me?

People get jealous and are waiting for a gift too. -> they expect a gift

people compare which gift they get.

When I went back for the first time I bought gifts for everyone.
Then I saw if you give one cup it is ok because they can use it but sometimes you buy something and they put it in the corner.
You spend money and it isn’t important for them.

last year I bought some clothes for my niece and now 3 years later I saw that they grew a lot and they are tall. So they can’t wear them anymore.
my niece likes Buddha and Indian religion.
I think religion makes you…remember everyday what you need to do to be a good person or don’t do bad things / behave well.
I think it is important.
I think you need to do something that reminds you everyday how you need to behave

Everyday we pray and every Sunday we go to the church then I stopped to practice because I grew up and I lived with another family.
They lived in the city so one year I lived with my uncle and then the next I lived with another family member.
When I was in my high school I stopped practicing. I lost my faith and I said I am catholic and I don’t need to go to the church but 10 years ago I went back to church in Madrid and now I think God took me to China and renewed my faith. Here I found a catholic group and every Friday we meet and spend time together. I feel better with myself. You need to go back to your beliefs. That helps.

Recently they started to close them. Some are open and the German community and Spanish community I know make/organize the mass in some places like in a restaurant.
The government doesn’t allow it so they don’t have a dedicated place.

I saw some of them speak English. The priest speaks a lot of languages so sometimes he gives the mass in English.

He has been in China for a long time. The first time he was in TW for 5 years and then he came here for 6 years.
When I came here he was a Chinese student.
He had a student visa. He couldn’t work.
It was illegal.

Vocabulary

bulky (adj) very large / taking a lot of space/ voluminoso
I don’t like bulky boxes

to dry (v) : become not wet
I left the clothes to dry on the balcony

buddhism (n) religion
She believes in buddhism.

illegal (adj) not allowed by the law
It is illegal

priest (n) person giving the mass in a church
He works as a priest

dedicated (adj) dedicado
I want a dedicated desk for my painting work

to wrap (v) cover in something
I need to wrap they cup

jealous (adj)
They get jealous if they don’t get a gift

to approve (v) to agree
They need to approve his notes before he gives a mass

What is the best/most perfect/amazing picture that you have ever taken? What do you like about it? What can be better?

If you can’t think of any one particular picture, what would be the ideal one?

Vocabulary

drifting: (v) wherever the wave takes you, moving along, no set direction
ie. I’m drifting through life.

“practice makes perfect” – everything gets better with lots of practice

pick it up – when we’re talking about a hobby, it means “haven’t been doing it for a long time, restarted”

rusty: out of practice
ie. I haven’t used English in 10 years so I’m really rusty.(adj)

lightning: light in the sky during a storm

differentiation: difference

waterfall: “riverfall”

Vocabulary

… All my life with a mobile phone.

I bought one camera but I took my photos in automatic.
I bought one camera but I took my photos with automatic settings.

I never tried to use the manual settings..
I never tried the camera with manual settings.

I learn something but when I am in some situation … I forget in that time…
I learned everything/lots of things (about photography) but when I am in that occasion … I would forget everything in that moment…

For something special time … something special..
for a special occasion

After class, I will go to a restaurant. I will have dinner with my husband. And then we will walk back home. (<- event, use past tense, future tense… )

When we are walking/we walk, sometimes I want to take photos if I brought my camera. When I don’t bring it, sometimes I find a good moment but I miss the chance and I would think “why I didn’t bring my camera” (<- habit, fact, truth, usually, personal info, stay in present tense +would)

The light that you see is different than the camera take.
The light that you see is different than how it is on camera.
The light is different in your eyes and on the camera.

You can take the lights come.
You can add the lights./the lighting effects.

Pronunciation

social – so-shol

thought:  tho – t

th: tongue in between your teeth

t: click (stay away from your teeth)

soft

In today’s class we talked about your paintings and pictures.

Pronunciation

moon – put your lips together for the first sound, then make an oo sound, touch your tongue to the top teeth for the end. do not touch your lips for the last sound. do not touch the teeth while you are making the oo sound.

earth – the first sound is /ə/ like the sound at the beginning of America. Put your tongue between your teeth for the last sound. You don’t need to say the /r/

world – you need to say the /l/ clearly. If the /l/ sound is not clear, you are saying ‘word’ and not ‘world’.

Grammar

I took a picture for the moon
I took a picture of the moon

I searched in internet some pictures
I searched the internet for some pictures
I searched for some pictures on the internet

in 2 months and a half
in 2 and a half months

everything you can see on a plane

Vocabulary

NGO (noun) – non-government organization – a non-profit organization that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a social or political issue.
I donated a painting to an NGO

stuck (verb) – to be unable to leave a place
If I go on holiday to Spain, I may get stuck there.

inspire (verb) – to give inspiration
The view from the airplane inspired me to paint this picture

guarantee (verb/noun) – to give certainty that something will happen
There is no guarantee that I can come back to Shanghai
I cannot guarantee that I can come back to Shanghai

I’m bored of mooncakes.
They gave him some and we gave that to the guard

the tea boxes. I want to keep them but  I don’t know what to do with them

Once I went to the flower market and I found one shop where they sell boxes for tea.
When they showed me the box that was tin . They opened the lid and it was closed with a seal.

there was a seal but the bottom was opened.
So you can put it inside and close the bottom and it looks perfect.

in Columbia there are a lot of days for celebrating.  / there are a lot of celebrations.
We celebrate everything. It is amazing how people spend money.
St Valentines is in September and now every people waits for one breakfast

The new trend is the husband or boyfriend buys breakfast for her.
Some people make it very beautifully and they deliver it and it is the surprise in the morning.
They say I am waiting for my breakfast. / they push their husband/boyfriend to buy breakfast for them
It is the new trend to buy that and it is a business for other people.

My husband and I we don’t celebrate everything.

sometimes some people only have 1 good thing like clothes or shoes and they go and pretend.

Maybe in Columbia it is the same because sometimes you see people buy iPhones with a payment plan or they save money to buy expensive Nike.
For me the most important is to sleep well. I need a nice bed before any other thing. / before anything else/ a nice bed is the most important for me.

If I want to buy any other thing I save money and then I buy it that but some people in Columbia prefer to buy one hi fi.

I feel omg what are people thinking?  / omg I don’t understand people
people say I don’t have anything but I want to have expensive things / luxury goods.
If I am dead tomorrow I can have that for one day.
They want to enjoy some expensive things in their life. They buy and they don’t care about the future. / they don’t care about tomorrow

If life is always the same it is boring
When you compare with Spain food is very expensive.

Elena’s Bio:

Elena is an artist from Columbia.
She was influenced by her time living abroad in Spain and she has been in China for more than 6 years.
Entirely self taught, she started painting more than 8 years ago and uses watercolor, acrylic, pastel and Chinese painting across her pieces.
Drawing influence from her time abroad and the discovery of China through trips she explores her creativity with both painting and photography, she often uses both media to produce the final piece.

Vocabulary

self taught (n) autodidacta
I am a self taught painter

strike (n) / go on strike (v) huelga
There is a strike

to protest (v)
People protest against the new taxes

to import (v) to bring from other country
We import rice from Thailand

tax (n) impuestos
The taxes are too high

food basket (n) food that an average family buys
The price of the food basket has increased a lot

sales (n) when stores give discounts
I bought clothes during the sales

balloon (n) globos
We put balloons everywhere for the celebration

trend (n) moda
They follow the trend

seal (n) precinto
I broke the seal of the box

guard (n) guardia
There is a guard at the door

charlie is spending time with his grandparents like every night he went to his room and now they talk about the willie wonka’s factory what happened there, which amazing everything that he make. He not only makes chocolate, he makes another things like … some ice cream who don’t run / melt in sun. Grandpa joe is who talk about that history. He says one prince, once willie wonka makes one castle for him in chocolate. Everything chocolate. I don’t know how he makes it because if willie wonka say you need to start to eat that soon because it melts soon, so how he did that, and don’t melt it. The prince say no i don’t want to eat that, i want to live in that. Some hours later it melted while he was in the living room. Then willie wonka have a big problem which was every people want spy him because every people want the recipes and the secrets of how they makes everything. So one day he decide put out every worker that he had and charlie says whyyyy how he works? Grandpa joe said yes i don’t know why he did that… and then one day suddenly the people who live near to the factory saw the chimney, some smoke in the chimney and start to smell chocolate and they asked they self why, how, they guess what’s happening inside.

charlie is spending time with his grandparents like every night he went to his room and now they talk about the willie wonka’s factory and what happened there / inside, and which amazing things / and the amazing things / and everything that he makes. He not only makes chocolate, but he makes another things like ice cream and candy….etc… some ice cream which doesn’t run / melt in sun / doesn’t melt outside. Grandpa joe was the one / the person who talked about that history. He talks about one prince, and that once willie wonka makes a castle for him out of / using chocolate. Everything in the castle was (made of) chocolate. I don’t know how he makes it because if willie wonka says to the prince “you need to start to eat that soon because it will melt soon”, so how did he build that without it melting? / how did he build it and not let it melt?. The prince say no i don’t want to eat that, i want to live in that. Some hours later it melted while he was in the living room. Then willie wonka have a big problem which was every people want spy him because every people want the recipes and the secrets of how they makes everything. So one day he decide put out every worker that he had and charlie says whyyyy how he works? Grandpa joe said yes i don’t know why he did that… and then one day suddenly the people who live near to the factory saw the chimney, some smoke in the chimney and start to smell chocolate and they asked they self why, how, they guess what’s happening inside.

Vocabulary

region – the location
eg. the region for my amazon account is set to China

i’m missing out – i haven’t experienced sth that you have experienced that’s really good

grandpas = 2 + grandfathers
grandparents = more than 1 grandma / pa

nod – move your head up and down to say “yes”

hibernating

in hiding / laying low

dwarves / little people

wrapping paper

they don’t know nothing – they don’t know anything 

people will sue you

Grammar

conjunction + 2 ideas

I have coffee because it is good
when i drink coffee so i am happy
if i drink coffee so i will be happy

he not only _____ but also he ____

He is a man who is funny
I have a cup which is black

the next day came 

how did he make it without it melting.

tell sb about sth – gives information
talk to him about sth – have a conversation

Vocabulary

high ceiling / the sky is the limit 
eg. in shanghai everything has a really high ceiling / the sky is the limit in terms of cost

i read it out loud 

he can make it last for 1 month

I’m lost because I haven’t read it yet
I’m missing out – say this when others have done sth exciting but you haven’t done it yet and you wish you could
eg. Ohh I haven’t read that part of the book, I’m missing out!!

I have a pen which is black
My pen which is black is good
He puts the chocolate which / that they give him into the box 

prey – an animal that is eaten by another animal

Grammar

i start again to read it – I started reading it again

i no remember which is – I don’t remember which one

That family was very poor. every sunday they can get seconds and his dream was the chocolate. He likes chocolate a lot so every year during his birthday because the family keep money and buy some bars of chocolate for him…. for him it’s a treasure because when he has a birthday the chocolate that they give him, he put that bar into the wood box like a dresser and take it only to see for a few days, and then he start to eat that but only nibble every day or he put off some wrapping paper, and then he nibble the chocolate and enjoy that nibble like the best food in his life. Maybe that bar he can to have it for 1 month. He enjoyed that days like the best month in every year. He lives in front of willie wonka’s factory so when he went to the school he pass in front that factory gate and he walks very slow smelling the chocolate.

That family was very poor. every sunday they can get seconds (for dinner / during dinner) and / but he dreams of chocolate. He likes chocolate a lot so every year for his birthday, the family gives him chocolate because they save money for that special day… for him it’s a treasure because when he has a birthday he puts the chocolate that they give him into the wooden box like a dresser and gets it / picked it up / holds it only to look at / watch for a few days, and then he starts to take off some wrapping paper and then nibbles it every day and enjoys it like it is the best food he can eat / he has ever eaten. Maybe he has that bar / he makes that bar last for 1 month or more / for longer than 1 month. He enjoyed those days like they are the best month in every year. He lives in front of willie wonka’s factory so when he is on his way home from the school / when he is going back home from school he passes in front of that factory gate / entrance and he walks very slow / slowly smelling the chocolate.

Pronunciation

chocolate – chok lat

treasure – trehhh zher 

Hey girl!

Sorry you missed our class together 🙁

See you soon!

-Ally

read the pdf about reported / direct speech

finish correcting the speaking

my husband convinced me to go / pushed me to go

now we do fitness.
Sometimes I went there for yoga and sometimes fitness.

you listen to music and to the radio and in September the station says it is September …. it means December is very near.
They feel you very very happy to have December very near.  They feel excited.

I send you one audio file
It is like you smell December and parties
when you listen to it December feels very close

I need to do many things here.
I will go to Spain first and then to Columbia and in January I return to Spain and then we will try to come back to SH.
Now the rule is you need to quarantine for 7 days in Spain and you do a test 48h before you fly.

he said you need to do in the recognized hospital.

my friend said he had the first time record and then he sent that information to the assistant here and she said here says you don’t have some information about your vaccination.
after that he sends again the papers and said to them I sent you the information and I send again….

Now they say that in Spain you have some codes too like China.

I read my first book in English/ English book, which was Charlotte’s Web.
It’s an amazing book. This book refers to / talks about one family, who is living in a farm. They are Mr. and Mrs. Arable. They have two children/kids, a girl and a boy. They have animals in their farm. / the main characters are the Arable parents, their 2 kids and the animals of the farm.

When Mrs. Arable prepared the breakfast for her daughter she decided to help her.

Fern saw his father left and go to the pig pen. She asked her mother where her father went with his axe

At that moment, her mother said:  yesterday little pigs were born. She explained one of them was a runt, it’s too difficult for that pig to survive. Your father wants to kill him. Fern became crazy and went to catch her father and tried to convince him “don’t kill that pig” / she tried to convince him not to kill the pig.

She asked “Where are you going?  and why do you want to kill that pig?”. Her father said “you know nothing about pigs”. She said “if I had been born weak and fragile, would you have killed me?… It’s an animal who has a life.” That made him think about it / consider… finally he decided not to kill that pig and to give the pig to Fern. Fern needed to give him food with a bottle. And she gave the food everyday in the morning, afternoon, and night / she fed it…. When she is at school, her mother feeds the pig. She is very happy and plays with him. frequently picks him up and walks, if he is tired, she puts him in the cart next to the doll, and sometimes the pig sleeps in her doll’s cart.

One day, when the pig grows up a little bit more, they can have him in the home. They need to do something with him. Mr. Arable said “I will make some box / shelter outside for him because there isn‘t  space for him”. Fern was a bit sad because she thought outside he can get a cold at night. But her father says “no, it’s ok I’ll put some straw, so you can see him this afternoon.
You can see Wilbur, what he does.” She goes there at night, he digs a tunnel in the straw and covers it, so the nights isn’t cold for him. And then, when Wilbur is around 2 months old, her father tells her again” Wilbur is too big, we can’t have to many pigs”. Her father gives some ideas to her, which was to call his uncle Mr Zukerman who has one farm very near to their farm. Mr. Arable says “You can ask your uncle to buy your pig”. Finally, her uncle buys Wilbur for 6 dollars.

Fern goes there every day and she sits near the pig pen and looks at  him hours and hours after school. She spends a lot of time with Wilbur, and her mother says “you need to do other things and not spend all the time in that farm.”
One day when Wilbur is bored, the goose tells him “you can escape”. You can break the wooden board and go out where you want… you can be free. Wilber does that and he is in the orchard. When they run to catch him, the animals tell  him to go to the woods.
He baits Wilbur with food, and makes Wilbur go into the pen.
Finally, he meets Charlotte who is for him  a very interesting friend and he is very excited because Charlotte is very clever and she protects him. Charlotte thinks about how to help him in the winter, and finally she convinces the family’s not to kill him. Finally, Charlotte saves Wilbur’s life.

Vocabulary

hemisphere (n) hemisferio
It is in the northern hemisphere

broadcasting station (n) estación de radiodifusión
All the people work in the broadcasting station

shelter (n) tambo
The dog sleeps in the small shelter

radio station / channel
That is my favorite radio channel

Grammar

to convince someone NOT TO DO something
I convinced Tom not to quit his job during the pandemic

direct speech
Tom said : “Don’t fall asleep!”
Sally said ” I like red”
Tom said ” don’t smoke”
Tom told Jerry “Don’t work too hard”

reported speech 
Tom said not to fall asleep
“Sally said that she likes red”
Tom said not to smoke.
Tom told Jerry not to work too hard

Edit your summary (Try to make perfect sentences!)

Vocabulary

summary: short description of what you see/read

revise: review+edit

brief: quick/short

milestone: symbol of your development and growth

cart/wagon: small cart

ruin

bait (verb): attract someone over to do what you want

install: put on

Grammar

one goose two geese

How far along are you？

Q: Give me a brief summary of one of your favourite movies/books.

A: I read my first book in English, which was Charlotte’s Web. It’s an amazing book. This book refers about one family, who living in a farm. They are Mr. and Mrs. Arable. They have two children/kids, a girl and a boy. They have animals in their farm. When Mrs. Arable prepared the breakfast for her daughter help her. First saw his father left went to the pig pen. She asked her mother where her father go ax. At that moment, her mother say the pig born a little pig. She explained one of them is ran, it’s too difficult that this pig survive. Your father want to kill him. Fern went crazy and went to catch her father. “Where you go and why you want to kill that pig”. Her father said “you know nothing about pigs”. She says “if I born weak and fragile, you kill me?… It’s an animal who have life.” That make him to think about… finally he decides don’t kill that pig and give the pig to Fern. Fern needs to give him food with bottle. And she gave the food everyday in the morning, afternoon, and night. When she isn’t in school, her mother feed the pig. She was very happy and it became… play with him and pick up him and she put him in the cart with the doll, sometimes the pig sleeps in his cart.

One day, when the pig grew up a little bit more, they can to have him in the home. They need to do something with him. Mr. Arable said “I will make some box outside for him because there aren’t space for him”. Fern was a bit sad because she thought outside he can’t to have a cold at night. But her father say “no, it’s ok I’ll put some straw so you can see him this afternoon. You can see Wilber, what he does.” She went there at night, she covered with the straw so the night isn’t cold for him. And then, when Wilber has 2 months, her father told her again” Wilber is too big, they can’t have too many”. Her father gave some idea for her, which was to call his uncle who has one farm very near to his farm. Mr. Arable say “You can ask to your uncle and you sell that”. She sold Wilber for 6 dollars. Finally, they sold that and Fern went there everyday and they sit near to the pig pen and too see him hours and hours after school. She spend a lot of time with Wilber, and her mother say “you need to do other things and not spend all the time in that farm.”

The goose told him “you can escape”. You can break the wooden board and go out where you want… you can free. Wilber did that and he is in the orchard. When they ran to catch him, the animals told him to go to the woods. He baited Wilber with food, and made Wilber go into the pen.

Finally, he meet Charlotte, for him very interesting friend and he was very excited with her because Charlotte was very clever and she protects him. Charlotte think about how to help him in the winter, and finally she get the family’s don’t kill him. Finally, Charlotte saves Wilbur’s life.

Charlie and the chocolate Factory

Chapter one
Here comes Charlie
The book started with the introduction of Charlie`s family. There are seven people including to Charlie: The Charlie`s parents Mr and Mrs Bucket, and Charlie’s grandparents. His grandparents are very old, each one is over ninety years. The names of Mr Bucket’s parents are, Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine.

The book started with the introduction of Charlie`s family. There are seven characters including Charlie, Charlie`s parents Mr and Mrs Bucket, and Charlie’s grandparents. His grandparents are all very old, over/more than ninety years old. The names of Mr Bucket’s parents are Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine.

And The names of Mrs Bucket’s parents are, Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina.
These grown-ups six people and little Charlie make up this family.
They are too poor; they live in a small house which is on the edge a great town. That house is very uncomfortable for seven people living together, because it has only two rooms, one for grandparents and another one for Charlie and his parents. They have only one bed which is in Charlie`s grandparents` room. It’s normal they are very old and tired. Charlie and his parents only have a mattress on the floor.

And The names of Mrs Bucket’s parents are, Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina.
These six grown-ups(noun) and little Charlie make up this family.
They are too poor; they live in a small house which is on the edge of a great town. That house is very uncomfortable for seven people living together, because it has only two rooms, one for grandparents and another one for Charlie and his parents. They have only one bed which is in Charlie`s grandparents` room because they’re elders and they need the bed more. Charlie and his parents only have a mattress on the floor.

Mr Bucket is the only person who works in that family/household. His job is in a toothpaste factory, screwing little caps on the top of toothpaste tubes, but that job doesn’t pay enough to support a large family, no matter how fast or how hard Mr Bucket works.

Pronunciation

feed – “d” not “th”

Vocabulary

gap year: when you graduate, and take a year off (to think about what you wanna do in the future)

diagnosis (noun): a doctor tells you what’s wrong

coach = trainer

respiration: breathing

water weight

combine: put together

diet: general concept of the food/water/nutrients that you consume

on a diet: eating less

lend: <>borrow

sanitize: get rid of the germs/clean

toiletries: things we need for a shower

fully booked: all booked

What are you doing?
What have you been doing?

Her baby born in September.
She is due in September.

1200: twelve hundred
12000: twelve thousand

For three classes that you don’t cancel it before, you need to go there to book there.
If you don’t cancel ahead three times, the penalty is that you need to go there to book./you can no longer book classes online.

I’ve been practicing yoga during one year and a half, and now I feel my body better and more flexible.
I’ve been practicing yoga for one year and a half, and now I feel my body getting better and more flexible.

Talking about how inflexible are the rules in China.
We were talking about how inflexible the rules are in China. (ie I don’t know who are you -> I don’t know who you are.)

In Madrid you can drink tap water, I don’t know if in other cities you can do that.

In my portraits I need to take care of the dimension/ proportion, which is very important if I want to have a very good result and don’t make it like a cartoon. (I want to don’t make it like a cartoon)
In my portraits I need to take care of the dimension/ proportion, which is very important if I want to have a very good result and not make it like a cartoon. (I want to not make it like a cartoon)
In my portraits I need to take care of the dimension/ proportion, which is very important if I don’t want to have a bad result and make it like a cartoon.

When I decided to draw my 17th nieces, I had to draw a number/raffle because I didn’t want any of them was to be mad when I drew the first one.
When I decided to draw my 17 nieces, I had to draw a number/raffle because I didn’t want any of them was to be mad when I drew the first one.

Every day everything in the world to get worse
Every day everything in the world is getting worse

Sanya in summer is scorching hot

Pronunciation

physical therapist: fi-si-cal the-ra-pi-st

they do it very comfortable  —> they make it very comfortable/convenient for tourists and visitors

the mountain is very high —> the mountain is very tall

her child say me aunt —> her child calls me aunt

when they know I’m drawing —> when they heard/found out/discovered I’m drawing

Vocabulary

flexible

inflexible

tap water

dimensions

draw a number (to decide randomly which one will be the winner)

it gets worse

scorching hot: deadly hot

Pronunciation

comfortable: KOMF-te-ble

Write a sentence with all the new words we learned today.

we went there for 10 days.
I liked it.

we are in gansu province and I don’t know how many cities maybe only 4.

im not sure this is really silk

I want to buy one qipao in silk but I don’t know which silk is really good.

it is like pearls I don’t know which is fake and which is real.

it is too difficult.

sometimes you think that is real and it’s not so I prefer don’t buy.

in some shops like really good shops and

the shop you think it is original and then I’m not sure because there are a lot of fake things.
I don’t know if they sell a copy or a real one.
Same with camera or lenses.

I bought one 50mm in china and now I don’t know it is fake or not.

There is one Apple Store but the store all of them was fake.

How you know which is real or no.
In Nanjing Xi lu, 4 years ago there was a canon store so when I went to buy one lens I got there and I saw that shop is closed and I though omg because I don’t know where I can go to buy one lens but I want to find one original store so I read the direction with address they have for the new store so I saw the map and I go there one week end it is in a mall too far from my home and when I got there I was trying to find the shop but cant find.
only the Nikon store so they changed the shop before it was canon and now its Nikon.
From that time I am not sure. Nothing in Sh I am not sure anything because you don’t know.
They change the address and then it is not canon it is nikon

down in the street in the corner the people sell some yogurt .

6 months after that they renovated the that place everything and then 6 months after that they closed and the new one renovated everything.

last year near to Jing an open one store indigo, they have furniture for home

In more than 6 months they open to now. Last year they open and this year it is closed.

it is many special things.
More than 6 months to open, one year it is opened and now it is closed.
You explain me what ….

we went there for 10 days. / we had a 10 day trip
I liked it / I enjoyed it.

we were in Gansu province / we went to Gansu and I don’t know how many cities we visited, maybe only 4.

I was not sure if this  was really silk / I couldn’t see the difference between the real and the fake one / I was afraid of being cheated

I want to buy one qipao in silk but I don’t know which silk is really good. / I want to have an expert with me.

it is like pearls I don’t know which is fake and which is real. /I can’t distinguish between real and fake pearls.

it is too difficult.

sometimes you think that is real and it’s not so I prefer not to buy. / I prefer not to take the risk.

in some shops like really good shops and you think it is original and then I’m not sure because there are a lot of fake things / fake products.
I don’t know if they sell a copy or a real one.
Same with camera or lenses.

I bought one 50mm in China and now I don’t know if it is fake or not.

There was one Apple Store but the whole store was fake.

How you know which is real or not  / it is hard to know which one is fake and which one is real.

On Nanjing Xi lu, 4 years ago there was a Canon store so when I went to buy one lens I got there and I saw that shop was closed and I though omg because I didn’t know where I could go to buy one lens but I want to find one original store so I read the direction with address they had for the new store so I saw the map and I went there one week end it was in a mall too far from my home and when I got there I was trying to find the shop but couldn’t find it
There was only the Nikon store so they changed the shop before it was Canon and now it was Nikon.
From that time I am not sure.  In Sh I am not sure of anything because you don’t know. / you never know.
They changed the address and then it was not canon it is nikon.

down the street in the corner the people sell some yogurt .

6 months after that they renovated the whole / the entire  place and then 6 months after that they closed and the new one renovated the whole place again.

last year near to Jing an Indigo opened one store they have furniture for home  / home furniture
It took them 6 months to renovate the place then they opened for a year and closed.

Last year they opened and this year it is closed.

there are many special things.
More than 6 months to open, it stayed opened one year and now it is closed.
You explain to me  / I don’t understand

she wanted to buy one in the shop for 8k. she thought ok this is good …. and then another friend said it is too expensive you can buy that for 3k.
How do you know?  people can cheat you.