EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

" Well, I'm a real CATFISH and I'm not in the Internet. In fact, I hate all kinds of nets, especially fish nets!" CATFISH means PEZ GATO or more specifically BAGRE. These days, nevertheless, the term CATFISH has recently acquired a new meaning. A person who creates a fake identity to perhaps troll others. or with even more sinister purposes, is now commonly called a CATFISH and the action of doing such thing is known as CATFISHING.  There is no term for that in Spanish so perhaps using the term PEZ GATO or BAGRE to refer to those people will be the option to use.

"CALL IT A DAY? Why not call it a morning?" TO CALL IT A DAY means finishing what you are doing because you feel tired of it. It is a common expression in English, but that has no equivalent in Spanish. LLAMARLO UN DÍA is the direct translation, but it makes no sense in Spanish. We could say TERMINEMOS CON ESTO, or TERMINEMOS YA, but none of those is considered an expression.

"Yes, I FEEL LAZY TODAY, but then again I feel the same way all the time!" Sometimes when we translate into English we get to notice how practical English is when compared to Spanish and perhaps other languages as well. NO TENGO GANAS DE HACER NADA HOY is made up by seven words, but the same can be said in English with only four: I FEEL LAZY TODAY.  Of course, there are other options, and we could also say I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TODAY, but it's not necessarily the same.

"Oh yeah, I'm a troll n' the rest of the time I'm some guy living in Belgium." Trolling has several translations in Spanish: PESCAR, RONDAR, MERODEAR. However, if it means to make or leave provocative and offensive posts, then it has no translation. Being that the situation, many Spanish speakers are already using the English term for that annoying action, and have adapted it to Spanish. Thus, the verb TROLEAR is being used at the moment, but so far it has not been declared an official term.

"Sorry, what? No, not everything I wear is made of Denim.  My underwear for example..." When in Ecuadorian Spanish we use the term JEAN we refer to either the trousers everyone calls JEANS or the material such trousers are made of.  In other words, when we refer to pieces made of the same material as the trousers made famous by Levi's company so long ago. The correct term in Spanish for such material is MEZCLILLA which in English is DENIM. Then the right way to translate "CHAQUETA JEAN" is not really Jean Jacket but DENIM JACKET. 

"I'm Stan Lee, current King of Cameos. Even this is a cameo,. Right, girls?" UNA BREVE APARICION can indeed be translated as A BRIEF APPEARANCE, but that is not its most common use. A CAMEO APPEARANCE  or just A CAMEO refers to people appearing unexpectedly in a movie or TV production as themselves or playing a very short role. Sometimes their names are included in the list of credits at the end, and sometimes they are not.  The term CAMEO does not only involve the situations described above, but it may also extend to other instances as well such as regular books, comic strips and of course comic books where CAMEOS happen all the time.

"Hello, I'm a BACHELOR, and these are for you. You're a girl, right?"   If you think the word in Spanish is BACHILLER, you are right and not. The problem with this term is not the translation but the meaning it has, different in either language.  In English, a BACHELOR (female BACHELORETTE) is a young single man who has never been married. Also, a person with an undergraduate degree from a university is known as a BACHELOR. In Spanish, a BACHILLER is someone who has finished high school and nothing but. Usually, in Ecuador at least, after completing secondary studies a person receives a "Bachelor's Degree" that is really a certificate with no great value for job recruiters.  

Latinos be like ... If only for the direct translation, ¿MANDE? is COMMAND ME or TELL ME, but that is not the real meaning. In Ecuador, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is customary to respond ¿MANDE? when someone of a higher rank, or one of your parents, calls you. Any other response is considered disrespectful, and though as of recent there are people questioning this old tradition, still it will be years before it disappears. In English MANDE? would be YES?   

"Am I being COY? But, of course. Can you not tell?" COY is one of those words that have more than one meaning, and for some mysterious reason, those meanings may seem disconnected.  The most common meaning associated with this word is Flirtatious. The idea is looking reserved, shy or vulnerable, but in a way that reveals is being done on purpose. Then, the right translation is COQUETA. COY also indicates there is a reluctance to show or accept something. You can be COY about sensitive information such as your age. In this case, COY would be RESERVADO in Spanish.

"And that partner of yours in Ecuador, Noboa, is he AFFLUENT?" AFFLUENT is another way to say rich, wealthy, prosperous. When you say that someone has no problems with money, in other words, he or she is rich and prosperous, we say in Spanish that someone has a POSICION ECONMICA HOLGADA. Of course, it's a long expression and saying AFFLUENT may not be enough. TO BE AFFLUENT is a more precise term to express the same idea in English.

I had to say it: I wrote this short entry AT ONCE                                                                                 In Ecuadorian Spanish, we say DE UNA to indicate that something happened really quickly or that there was not any preliminary routine in an event, it just began. That would be Immediately or AT ONCE.  AT ONCE also means Simultaneously, but that is one meaning that DE UNA does not have. Besides, there is a slight connotation in the use of DE UNA since it is considered vulgar or uneducated, not necessarily the same thing in English.

"Hey, you know that guy Ant-man? I'm his daughter!" To BELITTLE means you are being mean to others by saying they are not important or making them feel that way. The way we say BELITTLE in Spanish is MENOSPRECIAR and just as in English is really a bad thing to do. The difference is though that in Spanish we can not "play" with the word and say that those who BELITTLE are being little, but perhaps we could say that "aquellos que MENOSPRECIAN a los demás en realidad a sí mismos se aprecian aún menos." 

"No customers again! Maybe we should relocate at that Bahía place in Ecuador." THRIFT STORES or CHARITY STORES are places where you can buy used clothes at very convenient prices. Usually, though not always, the purpose of THRIFT STORES is to raise money for charity.   THRIFT STORES are not FLEA MARKETS. The idea of a THRIFT STORE is to sell clothes only, whereas FLEA MARKETS sell all kinds of goods, including clothes, also at low prices. There is not a synonym for THRIFT STORE in Spanish. The closest in meaning is TIENDA DE ROPA USADA, though these are not necessarily meant to raise money for charitable purposes.

  MICHU MICHU? No human, that's not how you call a Gringo cat! Wait. Is that tuna? ¡Ya voy! MICHU MICHU, which is not even real Spanish, is the way people call their cats in Ecuador. It is also the way they call cats in Italy, so perhaps there is a connection. In other Spanish-speaking countries the formula is slightly different, a truth that also applies to English-speaking countries since in the United Kingdom, for instance, they say PUSS-PUSS, but in the United States, they say KITTY-KITTY-KITTY.

"Yes, I study in this COLLEGE to be a dentist. How did you know?"  Yes, they are, and no, they're not. A COLLEGE is by definition a UNIVERSITY, but a UNIVERSITY is not a COLLEGE.  COLLEGES are small universities that commonly receive fewer students and offer undergraduate degrees, that are the very first degrees you can obtain after finishing high school. COLLEGES also tend to be more "focused" and have fewer degree programs that are often related. Typically they do not offer graduate programs or programs leading to master's degrees or Ph D's. Places specialized in training or giving knowledge in one area are also called COLLEGES. There are secretarial colleges or law colleges, for example. UNIVERSITIES are larger institutions, with a lot more students and a more diverse offer of degree programs that can grant you undergraduate and graduate degrees. Because UNIVERSITIES tend to be large and diverse they are divided into faculties, but there ...

(In the middle of a class) Me: Well, in English there are also the Phrasal verbs Student A: Phrasal verbs? What’s that, Mister? Me: See, in Spanish we only have one way to express an action: with one word. In English there are those, but you can also express actions with two words. For instance, RETURNAR. In English you can say RETURN and also COME BACK, a phrasal verb. See? Two possible ways to say the same, in Spanish, we can only say RETORNAR. Student B: Oiga, Mister, pero también se puede decir REGRESAR. ( you can also say REGRESAR ) Me: Yes, well that’s a synonym… Student C: And you can also say VOLVER. Ya son dos ( that makes two ). Me: Yes, class, but remember: there are more options in English… Student D: And let’s not forget ESTAR DE VUELTA! Student E: ¡Y para ese usamos tres palabras! ( and for that we use three words!) Student F: O sea que con ese le ganamos al inglés! ( so, with that one we beat English! ) All students: Yeah! Bien!

"This is how I make all my errands. Spiderman would be jealous." When we say in Ecuadorian Spanish that we have to HACER UNA DILIGENCIA, that means we have something to do somewhere. It is usually a small thing: something to buy, a check to cash, or just a bill to pay. The English term for that is TO RUN AN ERRAND, though you may also say TO DO AN ERRAND or TO GO ON AN ERRAND.  

You can only wonder if they ever really need to light those candles on the MANTELPIECE. This is another example of what in English is called a False Cognate or more commonly a False Friend. So, the translation surely is not Mantel. In English, a MANTELPIECE is a ledge, some structure made of wood, stone or sometimes marble that is built over the fireplace. There is not one word in Spanish to serve as the translation of MANTELPIECE, but we can always say REPISA DE LA CHIMENEA.  

"Brave? Well, not right now. I'm mad. I can't find my comb. Darn!" BRAVO is not necessarily the best translation for BRAVE, not at least if you are in Ecuador. Here BRAVO is mad, angry. Un hombre BRAVO is a bad-tempered person. How this came to be is a mystery. Nevertheless, in other Spanish-speaking countries, BRAVO is indeed valiente which is valiant, or BRAVE. So, yes, BRAVE is BRAVO in Spanish, only not in Ecuador

"No WISECRACKS about my hair. At the moment, I am a WISECRACK ." A joke is a WISECRACK, but a joke is not always a WISECRACK. A joke can be a funny story that at the end causes laughter, but it is also a sarcastic and funny remark. If it is a sarcastic remark then it is called a WISECRACK. As such a WISECRACK can be translated as BROMA or CHISTE, but if you want to be more precise then it is neither.  There is not a one-word translation for WISECRACK,  but  we can say SALIDA GRACIOSA or SALIDA INGENIOSA.

"See? It's magic. It was not there ten seconds ago." CASPA is how we call in Spanish that white dust that appears in our shoulders when we have a condition in the scalp. It is particularly annoying because is usually accompanied by itching and sometimes also redness. Different factors may produce the appearance of CASPA and the disappearance of those factors may also mark the end of this problem.  CASPA is commonly an unusual amount of dead scalp cells, Then using shampoo appropriate to our scalp may be the solution. The word used in English is a little bit odd: DANDRUFF.  

"If I bark many times, is that a PET WORD?" A PET WORD or a PET PHRASE is a resource we use when we do not have anything better to say so we keep repeating the same word. It is like having a favorite word, one we use inadvertently one time too many. Well, OK, All right are the most common PET WORDS, but in general any expression used unnecessarily more than two or three times can be considered a PET WORD.  PET WORDS are called MULETILLAS or COLETILLAS in Spanish with Este and Bueno being the most common ones. 

Forests look great during the day, but in the SMALL HOURS... You can't, not at least using one word. MADRUGADA is specifically the time between midnight and sunrise.   Dawn and Sunrise are good alternatives, but they are not necessarily what we know as MADRUGADA in Spanish. A better choice would be EARLY MORNING, or more informally the SMALL HOURS, or the WEE HOURS. 

Einstein was STATELESS from 1896 to 1901. APÁTRIDA is an unusual word in Spanish (but it does exist). It is unusual because the condition it refers to is rarely seen: an APÁTRIDA is someone who lacks of citizenship for one reason or another (there are at least five of them) In English, APATRIDA is STATELESS, This condition is called Statelessness in English and Apatridia in Spanish. Though really Apatridia is even more unusual than APATRIDA in Spanish.

Amazingly, there are people who enjoy eating them. Sad but true. This one refers to a sad thing and that is the illegal trade of wild fauna, specifically African animals. Certainly there is illegal trade of animals from other parts of the world, but for some reason the term BUSHMEAT is  more commonly associated with African fauna. In this specific case wild animals are hunted not for their fur, but for their meat. BUSHMEAT literally means the meat of wild animals. It may also be called Game meat or Wildmeat.  There is not one word for this in Spanish. We only say CARNE DE ANIMALES SILVESTRES.  

"C'mon Batman pick me! I'll become your best Robin ever!" ROBIN in Spanish is PETIRROJO, a small-sized bird mostly found in North America and Europe. It is easily distinguishable because of its red-feathered breast and face. As we know, ROBIN is also the name of Batman's famous sidekick. So, the question is: why do we say in Spanish Batman y ROBIN and not Batman y PETIRROJO? Well, perhaps the answer is that for a hero's name, ROBIN just sounds better than PETIRROJO, even in Spanish. Also, it's easier to remember.  It is the same with Batman: it sounds better than Hombre Murciélago.

"Ready for my SOJOURN! Oooppss, I didn't bring any toilet paper!" SOJOURN and STAY are similar terms with the difference that a SOJOURN is always temporary.  So, you SOJOURN when you stay for a few days in a place. It can be used as both a noun and a verb. The most likely translation in Spanish would be ESTANCIA or ESTADIA if the word is used as a noun. If SOJOURN is used as a verb, the translation is PASAR UNA TEMPORADA.

You  never stop learning a language because languages are like vast ever-changing living ntities.   Once you have achieved a certain English level the worst thing you can do is to attempt to maintain that level. You must never be happy with your English. When you do you stagnate, and when that happens eventually your English "fossilizes" which is the same as going back to basics. That means no English at all. To avoid that you must remember that learning a language is not like learning how to ride a bicycle. If you have achieved an acceptable  level of English you should aim to increase it not maintain it. For that all you need is commitment. Learning English is a life decision, and that is precisely what you have to do: make English part of your life. Thus, you will have the necessity to speak the language on a regular basis, and that will make the difference. 

"Me? I don't do much thinking. I let my muscles do it for me. They're pretty good at it, y`know?" The most common synonym of JOCK is Athlete and as such in Spanish it would be that precisely: ATLETA, especially one who is still in high school or college. The problem is that JOCK is a word that really defines a stereotype, that one about athletes focusing only on their muscles and who do not rank high at any intellectual level, so to speak. So if you know someone who is into developing his body, but not his mind that is certainly a JOCK. I don't really think there is a word for that in Spanish but we do refer to them as QUE SON PURO MUSCULO PERO CON NADA EN EL CEREBRO.

"I wonder where is the rest of this timetable. Now we'll have to make it up!"  Though the expression RECOVERY SCHEDULE  is possible, that is not the same idea as HORARIO DE RECUPERACION when it is used in Spanish. If the situation is someone has been injured and needs to rest, or follow a routine, in order to get better then those hours are usually grouped under the label RECOVERY SCHEDULE.  In Spanish, at least in Ecuador, we use the expression HORARIO DE RECUPERACION in the educational field. If someone has been unable to comply with the regular study hours, still there is this other chance to make up for them. In that case, the most appropriate translation would be MAKE-UP SCHEDULE or MAKE-UP HOURS. 

"NOT QUITE ? Damn! Freaking Sun keeps moving all the time!" NOT QUITE means Almost or Nearly. It is used to indicate that something is about to be complete or finished. In Spanish, the expression closest in meaning would be then CASI. Nevertheless, the connotation is sometimes a bit more negative than usual. Then NI TANTO could be a more accurate translation.

"PANTING? Oh no, I'm not panting. You just look so delicious." PANT and not Pants is the word here. First of all, it is a verb and it means JADEAR. PANTING is what dogs do when they need lo lower their temperature, to cool their bodies. People also do it, but for different reasons and in different circumstances. PANT  can indeed be a noun and then it means PANTALON, but its use in singular form is uncommon and its plural form is more frequently used.

"The restroom...where is the restroom?" Well, it is definitely not Work Ascension. Though in Spanish we say Ascenso de Trabajo, it is not like that in English. The term is PROMOTION. You get a JOB PROMOTION, not a WORK PROMOTION. And you are PROMOTED to another position. True you are "ascending" or "going up", but still those are not the words to be used. As usual, you have to know not only the language but the culture as well. 

Not a movie yet, but Hollywood can have the lousiest ideas. Part of the Catholic tradition, AHIJADO is GODSON in English.  A GODSON, or GODDAUGHTER (AHIJADA) is a child who at the moment of being baptized in the Catholic rite is sponsored by someone. Usually, that sponsor is a close friend of the child's parents, and there are usually two of those, a Godfather and a Godmother. In the past, Godparents were supposed to be responsible for their Godchild if his or her parents met their demise before time. That part of the Godparents' role is long gone, therefore, these days Godparents have lost their purpose greatly and are merely reduced to decorational figures, friends who are given a burden that is only ecclesiatical but not real. In some commuities, a Godfather's role is a bit sinister and different since the moniker is given to this person with power who does favors  in exchange of your working for him participating or supporting criminal activity.