EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

What are all those cars doing? They are not traveling anywhere ( and yet in a way they are). What they are doing is called Commuting which is to travel regularly over some distance and not necessarily for pleasure. In other words, when you travel to work, or college, and back you are commuting.  IR AL TRABAJO is then COMMUTE TO WORK, and IR A LA UNIVERSIDAD can be expressed as COMMUTE TO COLLEGE. In Spanish we have the verb CONMUTAR which is COMMUTE, but is never used to refer to regular trips to work or college. Traveling is another activity that is expressed somewhat differently in English. While in Spanish we only say VIAJE and we make no difference if this happens by land or by the sea; in English a long trip by land is called a JOURNEY and if it is by the sea or space then it is called a VOYAGE. The word TRAVEL is often misused by early EFL learners who use TRAVEL instead of TRIP. It's common to hear from them: "A Travel to Europe" instead of "A Trip t...

When I was a little kid both my parents worked the whole day which meant that my sister and I were looked after a babysitter, but really she did not do such a good job. Since we used to live in an apartment, getting out was no easy task, so most of the time we spent the afternoon just watching TV. Was it a fruitless activity? Perhaps, but when I weigh my past life and remember all the time I was in front of a TV I realize there were things that I learned that I could not have acquired from any other source.  One of those sources was none other that this cartoon show: The Super Friends that united the greatest comic book heroes to face their enemies on a regular basis. Usually the good guys had the upper hand, but then in one episode called The Monolith of Evil the Legion of Doom (that's the bad guys' group) stumbles upon a most  unexpected discovery, an object so powerful it could grant any wish. The Justice League (the Super Friends) can do nothing against the onslaught...

Ha sido una larga espera, una muy larga, pero por fin. Ver a Barcelona campeón es saber que hoy muchas personas son felices, personas que hace mucho no habían sido tan felices. Hoy es cuando todos aquellos que tenían dos o tres años la última vez que Barcelona obtuvo el título podrán ver a su equipo campeón y sabrán lo que se siente. Es extraordinario sin embargo ver cómo todo se ha dado. Así cómo Barcelona luchó duro para llegar a este sitio también Emelec intentó lo propio jugando con convicción y ganando varios partidos en seguidilla anclado a la posibilidad de que las cosas se le dieran. Hoy contra el Dep. Quito pensé que iba a ser igual y que quizás tocaría esperar hasta el próximo domingo, ya en diciembre, para que esto se dilucide y no fue así. Dos goles, uno tempranero y otro casi al final, sentenciaron a Emelec. Y as Barcelona es campeóní, sin patear la pelota una sola vez, en Quito, una fecha antes de que termine el campeonato y con Emelec enfrentando a un equipo que no...

When we say JUDGMENT (also spelled JUDGEMENT) that does not imply a legal situation necessarily, probably we are talking about using our common sense. That is referred to as using “our good judgment”. When we make certain decisions with a moral or ethical connotation then we say “we are passing judgment”. Of course this is not right unless we have been conferred a certain degree of authority either by the society we live in or a superior authority. In legal cases the word JUDGMENT is not used and the term TRIAL is preferred instead. That does not occur in Spanish since for both situations we use the same word and only the context reveals the difference. To go to trial indicates that one individual is going to be accused of some specific charge and therefore will have to use his or her right to defend himself or herself. There will be then an attorney (a litigant lawyer) accusing, trying to prove that the accused is indeed guilty and the there will be another lawyer defending, try...

Kratos, the main character in the God of War series and the most iconic character created to be played in the Playstation consoles, is dead and still he keeps coming back and every time he does, he is better than ever. Sure, the real god of war was Ares and in fact he appears in the first installment of the series as such. In this story Kratos is a Spartan warrior, the fiercest and most ruthless of them all. During a war against a superior enemy, Kratos summons Ares and asks for help against his enemy. As a response the god sends him a pair of blades that through magical chains gets forever attached to his arms and becomes his principal weapon and the means to most of his devastating attacks. The bloodthirsty warrior gets his revenge and thus, Kratos becomes a servant of the gods and does all their dirty work. In order to make sure Kratos will forever be their puppet, Ares secretly engineers a scheme and sends his champion to destroy a village. Cruel and undefeatable, Kratos kill...

I must say that this is and is not a good movie. It tells the story of Hoover rising to the position that would define the way the U.S. government dealt with internal affairs: by being practical but also ruthless and even merciless. Hoover is presented as a man who is full of flaws, who is tormented by his condition of being homosexual in a very intolerant society, and who ultimately believed that all his machinations could not be questioned, not even by himself, because his way was right. The way the story is set and how the time he lived is presented is accurate. The music is only Ok, but the way the story is told lacks of a good rhythm or pacing. Naomi Watts as Helen Gandy, Hoover's trusted secretary, and Judie Dench as Anna  Marie Hoover, Hoover's mother are wonderful but their performances suffer for the little time of their appearances.Luckily, the movie relies heavily on Di Caprio and that is right and also wrong. Perhaps that is the problem. Really if there is ...

This is not a movie for everybody. Many perhaps would find it slow and boring, but those who lived the eighties and remember Margaret Thatcher, will find this film interesting since it brings back the figure of this woman who was a regular in the political headlines of that time.  It begins in her last years when she is an elderly lady who struggles between reality and the fictional image of his late husband who was her constant company. The one who was once called with admiration and also fear, the Iron Lady, is presented as a frail being who has been forgotten by the nation she served so vehemently. The movie is full of flashbacks that are actually memories of Thatcher and they are also the way that helps comprehend what the film is to show about Thatcher.  Thus, we witness her difficult beginnings in the world of Politics that was then reserved only to men, her obstination in not letting any opposing circumstance defeat her and her ascension that made her become the...

It depends really. The most obvious answer is TO TAKE A BATH,  but that becomes a little inaccurate when used in contexts other than the U.S. or the U.K. What happens is that in Ecuador for example, we do not take baths, we take showers. It is not customary that we have a bathtub in our rest (we should not even call them BATHrooms when we translate since perhaps the expression W.C. would be more appropriate).  And here is another problem TO TAKE A BATH really means TOMAR UN BAÑO. The same can be said for the other option since TO TAKE A SHOWER only means DUCHARSE. The right way to say BAÑARSE is TO BATHE. You bathe when you go to the sea or when you swim in a lake or a lagoon. Sadly, this word is not so often used as TO TAKE A BATH and has been left to specific occassions such as going to the beach.          Donald Duck for instance, in the illustration that accompanies this entry,  is taking, or has recently taken, a bath.   ...

    One day after class... T: G, can you come over here? We need to talk. G: Yes, mister? T: It's about your essay... G: Oh that...did you like it? T: Not really. G: But why not? I spent a lot of time writing that thing. T: Well, It was challenging. G: Challenging? What do you mean? T: It was a challenge trying to understand your handwriting. G: Well, mister, I can do nothing about it. T: Yes, you can. You can type your document. That way I would understand. G: But mister, this way is faster and besides it's good practice for me. T: Good Practice? G, how can this be good practice for anything? G: It's good practice for my future job. T: Future job? What future job? G: Ah, teacher. I'm going to be a doctor! T: A doctor...now, I understand...!

Two things need to be explained in order to understand the following dialog. First, students who are about to finish high school in Ecuador do sometimes internship in companies selected by the schools as a requirement to graduate. Second, the B and V consonants are pronounced with the same sound by most Latin Americans so basically there is no distinction and as a result that can create unexpected word games that are usually lost in translation.  One day at the end of class... L: Mister... T: Yes, L. What do you need? L: Do you remember I am an entern in a company now? T: Entern? Do you mean Intern? L: Yes, that. Well, I was doing some paper work when then my boss called me... T: Your boss? L: Yes, my boss. He called me to his office so I come in afraid it is something serious and then my boss tells me: "What if I kissed you?" T: What? L: So, at first I did not know what to say, but then I responded: "I would hit you!", and he says like: "But w...

Here is another concept that can be expressed in only one word in English but it needs more than one word in Spanish. The term WRESTLER is usually put into Spanish as LUCHADOR but it is an incomplete translation since it does not indicate the kind of LUCHADOR we are talking about. We need to specify the name of the activity and say LUCHA LIBRE. The problem with this is we fall into redundancy inadvertently but necessarily, and we have to say LUCHADOR DE LUCHA LIBRE. To say Sumo wrestler or Greco-roman wresler we say LUCHADOR DE SUMO and LUCHADOR DE LUCHA GRECO-ROMANA. Nevertheless, as Spanish is limited in that case English is limited in another, and for example BEISBOLISTA is BASEBALL PLAYER in English. Here are more examples: Spanish                             English Basquetbolista                    Basketball player Futbolista       ...

It means Teacher, and not. Someone teaching at Elementary, Primary or Secondary level is called a Teacher. If that someone teaches at the Superior level (that is at some collefe or university) then is not usually called a Teacher but a Professor. A Professor is a teacher of the highest rank and usually he or she holds a Doctor's degree plus has other academic merits. Many people tend to forget that for example the main character in the Indiana Jones saga is an archaelogist and also a professor. He is seen teaching in Raiders of The Lost Ark and also in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. He is then and there addressed by his real name:  Dr. Henry Walton Jones Jr.  

So, it's over. One of the most anticipated endings and all I can say is I'm not disappointed.  They say that sequels are never good or at least not good enough as the original. This is the fifth installment of the saga and instead of a descendo this was a crescendo. It begins exactly where the last one left off with Bella already a vampire and getting used to her new condition, discovering her new powers and abilities and also growing to the her new role of being the mother of a girl who is half human and half vampire. Soon the "royalty" of the vampires, the Volturi, get wind of what is happening and decide to pay a visit to the Cullens and see by themselves how to assess the potential threat posed by Renesmee, Edward and Bella's child, conceived while Bella was still human (though really there is a more sinister reason for their move). That is the core of the movie, how the Cullens prepare and finally confront the almighty Volturi, the help they get from ot...

Is it? Yes, but not as we understand it.  In Spanish when we use the word BACHILLER, that only means a person who has finished high school.  BACHELOR in English does not mean necessarily the same. When you finish university or college they give you a degree: a B.A. (Bachelor in Arts) if you studied human sciences or a B.S. (Bachelor in Science) if you studied science - related subject. If you have any of those you are an UNDERGRADUATE. The term GRADUATE IS for those who have obtained higher degrees such as a Master's for example.          A Bachelor is also a man in his prime, at the right time to get married (we call it a SOLTERO). The female version of such word is BACHELORETTE.  If you want to see somewhat related movie, then see THe Graduate with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It´s about a young man who is seduced by one of his friends   ...

What if you could have all those who have been James Bond in one movie? It is not an idea of mine by the way, but a project that was on years ago and sadly never came to be.  The idea was that James Bond is actually a name that is given to special agents also known as 007. That would justify to have Sean Connery, George Lazemby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig all in the same film. Is money the problem? Perhaps not. Quite often Connery has been cited manifesting disdain for the character that made him famous and he has gone as far as to reject the possibility to ever be Bond again. You cannot make an "all-Bonds" movie without Connery, still the quintessential Bond. A pity, really. None of them is getting any younger (especially Moore and Connery) and this would have been the right time to make such film since  it is in this year, 2012, that the franchise turns 50. Besides (spoiler ahead) in  Skyfall it is revealed that 007 has indeed h...

Probably not. Stephenie Meyer, the author, has clearly stated that she is not planning to write any more novels about her vampires or her werewolves; so no more Bella or Edward or Jacob. It is not a matter or money, Meyer has been offered a good deal but that is not enough to convince her. Perhaps what happens to her is that as a writer she has grown beyond her characters and is ready to try something else. Understandable. After writing Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn and The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (a companion story of the other four), she is probably a bit fed up of her own success and wants something else, just like J.K.Rowling probably after Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was published. Can Meyer grow as a writer beyond her successful vampires? That depends on what she still has to offer. If she has more interesting stories to tell then I for one wants to know what she has to offer . If she wants to become a "serious" writer, she is goi...

In Spanish a group of birds (despite the birds) is called BANDADA which in English is FLOCK. This word is not only a noun but it can also act as a verb. e.g. Birds of a feather flock together. A group of insects (despite the insects) is called ENJAMBRE. That in English is called a SWARM. A group of fish is a BANCO but in English is a SHOAL.  Groups of large quadruped mammals are called REBAÑOS in Spanish whereas in English they are called HERDS. Groups of small quadrupeds are  JAURIAS in Spanish and in English they are PACKS (as in a pack of wolves). Groups of other mammals and animals in general are just called GRUPOS so a group of dolphins is just that a GRUPO DE DELFINES. English is different from Spanish because it has names for groups of specific animals so a group of lions is just a GRUPO DE LEONES in Spanish but in English not necessarily. Some of those names are quite unusual but that is English. Animal             ...

Yes, another vampire movie though this one is a bit different. There is romance, but don't expect the kind of romance offered in the Twilight saga. This one is far from the fancy atmosphere surrounding The Cullens. In fact this story happens in a quiet neighborhood in New Mexico where one day a young girl and "her father" arrive and from then on Owen's life                                                                      changes forever. Owen is a hard luck boy whose parents are divorcing and who is constantly bullied at school. Soon Owen will begin a friendship with his new neighbor, the girl who is quiet, pretty but with a malevolent secret. I know that there is an older version of this movie, Swedish if I am not mistaken, and perhaps is better than the American production. Still that doesn't make this o...