EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

  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.