EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

Soon-to-be renamed James BALD There is not one word to use as there is one in English. Simply put the HAIRLINE is that section where the forehead ends and the outgrowth line of the hair begins. Facial skin changes texture in that area and becomes thicker forming a new layer which is called Scalp (Cuero Cabelludo in Spanish). Now the Hairline is an important part for many people, especially men, since it has this annoying habit of "receding". That means that as we men grow older our hairline silently and stubbornly begins moving upward so our forehead all of a sudden looks "wider". And it is not that we are becoming more intelligent, we are just getting older. As we grow old, our scalps lose consistency and as a result also lose width and thus the hairline seems to be receding no matter what we do or attempt to do. It is only at great cost of time and money that very few men have managed to actually keep their hairlines from moving upward. In any case, if ...

Te"Careful. On my mark, ready... SPUNK is defined as an informal way to say COURAGE or METTLE. In standard Spanish SPUNK is then VALOR,or CORAJE.  If we say something like someone has a lot of SPUNK  what we mean is that person is showing COURAGE.                  The word SPUNK may have a connotation which explains why is not used as often as other words with a similar meaning. That secondary definition is used to refer to the liquid resulting after a male ejaculation and it is the British apparently who adopted this custom long ago.  

I feel sorry about the guy who had to go that far. Well, the first thing to know is who is the object of this feeling, a man or a woman. In both cases the expression is I FEEL SORRY ABOUT HIM / HER. The only difference is in the object then. In Spanish the same clarification is unnecessary since we use only the context to determine the gender of an object: the word LE in LE TENGO PENA is a neutral pronoun so it lends itself easily to be interpreted as masculine or feminine. If we say I FEEL PITY ON HIM / HER is similar in meaning but not quite the same. When you use these words you actually mean it. When you say I FEEL SORRY ABOUT HIM / HER you are perhaps being sarcastic which is also the case in Spanish. Quite often in Spanish we use those words but we do not mean what we say.  It's just mere sarcasm. 

I wonder if the late Tutankamon was ever late. LATE is commonly known among English learners as the equivalent of TARDE, but it´s not the only meaning it has. This word if used with a different function acquires a new meaning. As an adjective, LATE is a synonym of DECEASED; in other words, it is the translation of DIFUNTO as when someone says in Spanish “mi DIFUNTO padre” (my LATE father). Saying something like: “The LATE James Jones left an immense fortune” would be “El DIFUNTO James Jones dejó una inmensa fortuna”. The sole difference, if any, lies in the fact that the term LATE can only function as either an adjective or an adverb but never as a noun. DIFUNTO in Spanish is not an adverb, but an adjective and also a noun. To say something like: “¿Dónde está el DIFUNTO?” would not make sense in English. They would say: “Where’s the body?”

Was one like him in Noah's Ark? Probably not. BREEDING in its simpler definition means producing offspring, but it's in a different context a term a bit difficult to explain but one that most people involved in the BREEDING activity understand easily. In Spanish it would be the same as Raising only with the additional idea that it is done with a purpose other than raising animals per se and thus the translation would be CRIANZA DE ANIMALES.  It refers to the raising of animals with the sole purpose of improving the presence of certain characteristics of that animal, diminishing others or both things at the same time. Horses and dogs are a clear example of this.  Man has been tampering with the natural development of these species by selecting individuals that have the characteristics he considered “desirable” and relegating the rest to other tasks but not BREEDING. Horses that are better trotters, dogs with elongated bodies and cows that produce abysmal amounts o...

Concerned companies working for the future They are essentially the same thing so how we use them is what sets them apart. You POLLUTE the environment in general: water sources, the land, and the air. You can also say CONTAMINATE in these cases, though it is rarely used in this context and some even consider it a bit archaic. You CONTAMINATE when you make something impure as when you introduce a foreign element into something else that has remained untouched up to that point. Therefore, the scope of CONTAMINATION is not as large as that of POLLUTION and is often used to refer to small environments such as labs or kitchens where there are products so susceptible of losing purity that even with a small quantity they would be rendered useless.   This query was suggested by Fernando Toala, a colleague of mine. Thanks, Fernando!

The word CORPS is used to refer to a military unit within one of the armed forces like the Submarine Corps within the Navy or just another unit that is not necessarily part of the three armed forces but a complement such as the U.S. Marine Corps. For some reason the word CORPS lost its military-status-only and some public organizations adopted the term. Thus, now we have the famous Peace Corps, which is funded by the United States and promotes understanding between that nation and others, or the Salvation Army which is religious in nature. The problem here is that we do not have something like that in Spanish. The concept is a bit odd to us so the translation is completely literal and provides little to the understanding of the right significance of this term in English: CUERPOS. To say that one is "miembro de los Cuerpos de Paz" holds little meaning in those Spanish-speaking countries where the Peace Corps has little or no presence at all for example.

Less offensive pic of a groin I could find. Though they say it's better not to talk or refer to certain things, here is the most common way to say ENTREPIERNA in English: GROIN. Less informal terms such as CROTCH or FORKING can also be found. Defined as the general region where the thigh joins the abdomen, this is one word that most EFL texts often do not include because they consider it material that can be potentially offensive. One thing is for certain though, ENTREPIERNA in English is definitely not Between Legs. P.S.: Thanks  +Miriam Tutiven  (from Guayaquil, Ecuador and Toronto, Canada)! She reminded me of yet another possible translation for ENTREPIERNA: INNER THIGHS. 

"Why you and not Charlie?" Another non-standard Hollywood production, this is really a nice film to be seen when you want to get away of the paraphernalia that Hollywood wants us to swallow every now and then. Martin Sheen stars in this 2010 film as Thomas Avery, an ophthalmologist that loses his son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez, his son in real life and also the writer, director and producer of this very personal project). Daniel dies during a storm in the Pyrenees in France while attempting to follow the route known as Camino de Santiago (Saint James' Way in English). After being informed, Tom travels to France to retrieve his son's body but instead he decides to cremate the body, takes the ashes in a metal box and begins to walk Camino de Santiago with the ashes and therefore complete his son's final adventure. The Camino de Santiago crosses the northern part of Spain. It's a pilgrimage route that is around 800 kilometers long and that has been used for...

Vegeta: "Stand aside, you fools. The remote is all mine today!" Well, now after all is said and done I can say this is not necessarily the movie I was waiting for, but still it is one that it's worth anybody's time.  Birus, the god of destruction of this reality, has been awakened by Uis, his apparent servant, who after Birus's awakening informs him that Freeza has been defeated by a Sayan called Son Goku. Birus has been prophesied that after his awakening he would fight a being called Super Sayan God. Wondering if Goku is that being he decides to travel along Uis to challenge Goku to a battle with the fate of the Earth pending on the outcome of this confrontation. It was good to see all those wonderful characters that we had not seen for quite a while . This is  a film that is not only based on violence but also has a lot of the humor the original series had and also that feeling of optimism that permeated the original series, in fact in this film no one...

The little brown dots  on top look suspicious, don´t they? Well, as you can see CUSTARD is what we call in Spanish NATILLA. A CUSTARD is made of eggs, milk with sugar added to the whole mix. Then this mixture is either baked, boiled or frozen.  Also flavorings can be added to this mixture so it can acquire different flavors (such as vanilla) to make it even more delicious. If you vary the consistency then it can also be served as a sweet sauce.

This is what I call dignity! Well, there is not one word for CANAS in English, so instead we have to use two: GRAY HAIR or WHITE HAIR are the two ways we use to refer to the hair when our scalps lose their ability to create "colored" hair, an event that does not only occur to those who are really old but also to younger people though in that case the circumstances that cause the situation are varied. This Graying of our hair, which in Spanish would be called Encanecimiento, may occur as early as in puberty and it seems it pretty much depends on genetics and also the kind of life we lead. It is been said that some races tend to show Gray Hair more commonly and earlier than other races. In other words, a sixty year old Mexican is less likely to show gray hair as early as individuals of the white race. In the end it does not matter how much money you possess but how you face what life has in store for us. Whatever it may be it depends on our will to face reality and ...

"It seems Spiderman is out of fluid web again!" In English, Red Tape is an expression of Bureaucracy.  When they say in English that "there's a lot of red tape to cut" that means that a lot of bureaucratic procedures are involved. The best thing to do is then to be extremely patient. Apparently the term comes all the way from the XVII or XVIII century when in Europe documents were customarily bound with red tape. Most of those documents were obviously bureaucratic in nature. Curiously, in Spanish we don't have such expression, or something similar, we don't talk about any CINTA ROJA. We don't talk about having to cut any red tape unless it is time to inaugurate some place.  It is not that we do not have Bureaucracy. It exists also here and is, like in any other place, relentless, remorseless and omnipresent.

Darn! I wonder if there's a Make Up exam for this Make up exam! I remember that long ago I asked my distinguished and knowledgeable colleagues of that time to enlighten me and tell me the right English word for what we know in Ecuador as EXAMEN SUPLETORIO or EXAMEN DE RECUPERACION.  After hearing Recovery exam or Supplemenary test and even Supletory exam, I was not convinced so I decided to go to a higher authority and looked up one of those encyclopedic dictionaries from Oxford or Cambridge university (these were the pre-browser times) and found the right expression is MAKE UP EXAM which is taken when an exam has been missed or when a student needs to change one score with a more favorable one. The British say RECUPERATION EXAM which is perhaps more practical since to some people the term Make Up is confusing. Make-up is the word for the wearing of cosmetics. There are Make-up tests which are oriented to future Make-up artists.

Looks like they don't trust each other.  Side Effects is a psychological thriller that in some ways reminds me of another one: Basic Instinct.  The film stars Channing Tatum as Martin Taylor who prior the events of the movie had been sent to prison for inside trading. After being released he finds his wife, Emily (Rooney Mara) has developed psychological problems. To treat her her psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), contacts Emily's previous doctor since Emily is not showing any recovery. That doctor, Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones), advises to administer Emily a new drug that apparently works with only sleepwalking episodes as side effects. One day, on arriving home Martin finds Emily sleepwalking again and when he tries to talk her out of that he stabs him. He dies as she quietly returns to bed.    Of course there is more going on in this movie than meets the eye. The plot is very consistent and the acting performances are not disappointing eit...

"I'm not a curator. I'm only standing here." The word CURATOR has absolutely no relation with the Spanish word Curar (Heal).  A CURATOR is a person in charge of a museum (especially an art museum). As such a CURATOR is also in charge of selecting material for a presentation or what is going to be displayed in this or that exhibit. They are experts with instruction on Aesthetics and Art History so they can value an archaeological or art piece, and are even trained in preservation techniques. A CURATOR then is not a Doctor. The closest translation in Spanish is CONSERVADOR ARTISTICO. There is also the term COMISARIO ARTISTICO and these days we can also simply say CURADOR.

Where's the fireplace?...eh...ooops...!  Another false friend or false cognate. This word has nothing to do with our definition of Mantel in Spanish (which is said Tablecloth). A MANTELPIECE is this framing usually made of stone or wood that is built around the opening of a fireplace (Chimenea).  The framing of course includes the upper shelf and any other possible decoration added the framing. There is not one word in Spanish to define what a MANTELPIECE is REPISA DE CHIMENEA though it is still incomplete because it only refers to the shelf but not necessarily to the rest of the structure. 

Faster! Or the IRS guys will catch up with us! The best translation is ARREMETIDA.  An ONSLAUGHT is a physical attack, a quick one. The violence of this attack is truly more a strategy than anything, one that can tip off the balance of a battle to favor one side over the other. Another possible translation is EMBESTIDA,  though this one is better left for attacks by animals for example an attack by a bull. In other words, LA EMBESTIDA DE UN TORO  is a BULL'S ONSLAUGHT.

At least her eyes don't look as intense as before One of the most difficult words to spell, or remember, has to be BLAPHEROPLASTY.   Perhaps the reason is that BLEPHEROPLASTY is the name of a plastic surgery operation the purpose of which is to correct any deformity in a person's eyelids. Another more obvious reason why some people  undergo BLAPHEROPLASTY  is that is a great option to those who want to improve their appearance, especially those who have grown old. It happens that as we grow old our skin tends to form small bags around the eyes and the result is not very appealing. Those bags can easily be removed by performing a BLAPHEROPLASTY and the best thing is it has no side effects.

Today I finished a twenty-hour long workshop especially designed for the the IB students of T.A.O. (Teodoro Alvarado Oléas) high school.  TAO Segundo de Bachillerato IB students The IB (International Baccalaureate) is an international organization that aims to help students from all countries to meet the standards required by the most prestigious universities in the world. Ecuador is is no exception and is now part of that large group of nations preoccupied to upgrade the profile of our pupils and is working hard to include students from the government schools. In order to achieve this purpose teachers, and also students, are given constant training.  TAO Tercero de Bachillerato IB students The I.B. department of T.A.O. brought me in to offer training on how to respond to the prompts in Paper 2 of the IB external evaluation and also on the procedures for the Written Assignment in English B Standard level. We focused on how to write editorials, articles, letter...

T: Hello class, today we'll talk about your next exam, the SPEAK test! S1: The SPEAK test... what is that? T: As the name clearly indicates it's an exam that measures your oral skills. S1: Ah! S2: What is the test date? T: In two weeks. S3: That's little time! T: It's more than enough. S4: No, teacher.We don't want that test. T: It's a requirement. S5: What can you tell us about the SPEAK test? T: Well, it only lasts twenty minutes or so. S6: That's a lot! T: No, it isn't. The test will take place in the Computer lab. S7: Will you be there? T: No, another person will. S8: Yeihhh! T: Excuse me? S8: Nothing, it's nothing! T: Well, as I was saying...you will proceed to the lab. There will be a computer assigned to each one of you with a headset ready to use. S9: A head what? T: A headset... S9: Chanfle! T: Don't interrupt, please. You will hear and answer twelve questions. all you have to do is answer the question that you h...

Don't they look like they lost something? Well, it seems that beyond G.I. Joe there is a future for Tatum Channing as an action figure, I mean, hero. And there is a future for Jamie Foxx as the next president of the U.S. (hey, you never know, look at Ronald Reagan). Tatum Channing is John Cale, a man a bit down in his luck who leads a bittersweet existence because he feels he has not gotten what he deserves and besides he cannot  get his daughter to love and respect him as a father. For all these reasons he wants to become part of the Security team that protects the president (Jamie Foxx), a pacifist who wants to withdraw all Americans thus improve his own self-esteem and his image before his daughter.  The day he goes to the White House with his daughter to attend a person there is an attack by a paramilitary group that is being aided by people from inside in this case by Martin Walker (James Woods) Head of the Presidential Security team. The attack was carefully pla...

It is really very simple. We don't say anything like Citizen Respectful of the Law which would more direct but not very accurate in the end. The right term is LAW- ABIDING CITIZEN. We understand that is the citizen that pays his taxes helps uphold the law, and respects others.

Super is a 2010 film that was written and directed by the same person, James Gunn, which usually means that it is also a low-budget independent film. Nevertheless, it has some interesting names attached to it as Kevin Bacon (as Jacques, the antagonist), Liv Tyler (the protagonist's misguided wife) and Ellen Page (the over energetic sidekick). Rainn Wilson is Frank Darbo, a hard luck man who has had a life of constant rejection but still is in love with justice and believes in what is right. One day, Darbo's wife, who was a recovering drug addict, decides to leave Frank for Jacques a criminal  lord who keeps her constantly stoned. Unable to convince her to return to him, Frank asks God for a revelation and as a result he decides to become The Crimson Bolt, a vigilante with no powers and no more guns than a wrench.  This film is OK if you're looking for a dark esoteric angle to the superhero theme, though really there is a lot of a spiritual quest involved. It can be i...

"Where is my t-shirt ,...........111 The Argonautica is an ancient story that just like The Illiad or  The Odyssey tells the deeds of the Greek heroes of the mythological era. Led by the intrepid Jason, another son of the god Zeus, a contingent of the great and brightest of the mythological Greece set to recover the magnificent Golden Fleece and thus they sail on board of the strong ship called Argo (which is why they are called the Argonauts). They encounter all sort of challenges until they finally recover the fleece. On  their way back they arrive to the island of Crete guarded by a gigantic man made of metal who walked around the island three times a day in order to guard it  and whenever an enemy stepped on the island shores it murdered the invaders. It was said that in order to kill all trespassers Talos put his chest over fire thus heating up his chest and then he "hugged" his victims instantly killing them as a result. Of course, Jason and the Argonauts mana...

Really, I don't mind receiving one of those. Believe it or not it's not that simple. A student who is  a TEACHER'S PET is the teacher's favorite student. In Spanish there is not really a standard expression for that, but we do say things such as: EL CONSENTIDO DEL PROFESOR or EL FAVORITO DEL PROFESOR.  Now, in order to become a TEACHER'S PET a student should be strong and conscientious but many students, especially primary students, believe they can achieve that status by giving little presents to their teachers like the famous apples or by erasing the board for him or by showing off (rasing their hands, presenting homework first and so on). Students who show that behavior do receive a nickname in Spanish, or at least in Ecuador, and that is LAMBON. In other words, a LAMBON is that student who wants to be the TEACHER'S PET and labors toward that target.  Real teachers do not make pets of their students but instead value them as individuals and work to h...

Cool name in English but dumb name in Spanish WOLVERINE in Spanish is not LOBEZNO (Spanish term  used to refer to wolf cubs), and it is definitely not GUEPARDO (Spanish for Cheetah). The right translation is GLOTÓN. What is the problem with this word? Well, in Spanish a GLOTÓN is also a person than eats more than necessary because it cannot control his or her appetite, a GLUTTON in English. True, it is also used to refer to this stocky, strong and stubborn animal from forests of the northern part of the Michigan state in the U. S. but that is a secondary not a primary meaning in our language.      

Coca Cola owes me money for this free ad! Apparently there is no equivalent in English for this term.  A JABA is a box made of plastic (though it can be pretty much of any other material) that is divided in compartments, usually up to twenty-four. They are especially designed to store and transport beer or soda in glass bottles.  This term is an Americanism, only not from the U.S., but apparently from Cuba. In the United States most people buy and drink soda and beer in cans and rarely they consume those drinks from glass bottles opposite to consumers in the Latin American market.  Why is that? There might be any number of reasons but in the end we are all just different.                                                                                     ...

Though the title is misleading this is really another love story made for the young adult audience. Of course there is a reason for the title and that is that the setting is again another hidden world right under our noses, full of demons, vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and well... you name it (there are no zombies though, phew!) MI: City of Bones is the first of a series of films based on a series of novels written by American writer, Cassandra Claire. It begins with Clary Fray (Lily Collins) a fifteen-year-old girl who ignores is the descendant of a demon-hunter race called the Shadowhunters. The day her powers manifest themselves renegade Shadowhunters attack Clary's home while she is out. These renegades want a precious object Clary's mother has, a magical cup of sorts but Clary's mother drinks a potion that induces her into a coma so the only other person that holds clues to the whereabouts of the cup is Clary though she herself does not remember anything about h...

What meal is there to enjoy? Though it is not necessarily the same, the expression would be ENJOY YOUR MEAL. Now some clarifications are in order. First of all, not everyone says BUEN PROVECHO in Latin America. It is quite common in Guayaquil, my hometown, where it is customary to say those words every time you have been sharing your table with other people you don´t know or you don´t know well. You don´t necessarily say that to your friends or family, in other words. Also unlike ENJOY YOUR MEAL which is said before anyone starts eating, BUEN PROVECHO is always said after the person wishing has to leave while the others are still eating. Another alternative to ENJOY YOUR MEAL is the very French BON APPÉTIT. +