EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

"¿Cuál? ¿cuál?"     Si usted ha tomado la decisión de aprender inglés sin duda se ha  planteado la posibilidad de ir a algún centro de idiomas donde pueda captar el idioma. Es posible que haya muchas opciones en el lugar donde vive sobre todo si es una ciudad densamente poblada. Generalmente los institutos de idiomas tienen la tendencia a concentrarse en lugares con mayor población, pero también ciudades pequeñas pueden contar con excelentes academias. De no ser así, podría considerar la posibilidad de aprender el inglés mediante el uso de algún servicio online. Antes de elegir una academia de inglés averigue si esta tiene un prestigio bien ganado. ¿Hay testimonios de personas que han estudiado ahí, se han graduado y luego han usado con éxito lo que aprendieron? Si es así entonces ese podría ser el lugar que está buscando. Claro que hay otras consideraciones que hacer como cuánto usted puede pagar por ejemplo.  -No es necesario pagar demasiado para aprender inglés, pero tampo

Well, it's not Netflix, but something is STREAMING.   STREAMING refers to a transmission of information   in     the form of videos, images, listening tracks or plain text.   In meaning it is similar to Flowing since originally the   term referred to how current water moved from its source   to its final destination, hence the analogy that gave it a   new meaning.  In Spanish the term would be TRANSMISIÓN, but for some reason many prefer and keep the English term and say Streaming. Quite often some of them even mispronounce the word and add an extra vowel before the initial S of the word which is the same vowel sound as in the word pen. 

"No...we're not here to enforce the CURFEW. We lost some money. Have you seen it?" When people have to remain off the streets for a number of hours (usually at night) we call that TOQUE DE QUEDA. This law is usually temporary in nature and is issued during times of civil unrest or some other reason of an equal status. This entry, for example, was written shortly after. the Coronavirus outbreak in Ecuador which led to a TOQUE DE QUEDA. Unlike Spanish, in English to say TOQUE DE QUEDA you only need one word: CURFEW.

"Wait! I''m a Gringa. I'm not supposed to be in this MINGA. Uh! Never mind...." A MINGA DE LIMPIEZA is basically community work to clean or improve the surroundings of the place where you live. It is not mandatory to participate though you are expected to do so. MINGAS play a social role in the community. They strenghen the habit of sharing and give a stronger sense of purpose to the community. Practiced in several Latin american countries, they usually end up with food for all those who pitched in. There is no direct translation for this word in English, FREE FARM LABOR or COMMUNITY WORK are closest in meaning.

"And how would they pronounce ALICATE in English? Aleekeit?" The word PLAYO doesn't really exist, at least not in standard Spanish.  It is a term mostly Ecuadorians use to refer to a tool that is known as ALICATE. Therefore, the title of this entry should be: "How do you say ALICATE in English?" I used the word PLAYO because it is an interesting example of a Barbarism, a word that is taken from one language and used in another keeping the original pronunciation, but oftentimes not the same spelling. ALICATE or PLAYO is PLIERS in English.

"This should be called Benchclicking and not BENCHMARKING." BENCHMARKING is a strategy mostly used in business to evaluate the performance of a company by comparing it with how another company, usually a more successful one, is doing. This other company then becomes the standard to be surpassed. BENCHMARKING is not only used in business but pretty much in every field where some improvement is needed. As such, BENCHMARKING cannot be put into one word in Spanish and the closest term in meaning would be something like EVALUACION COMPARATIVA. Perhaps the lack of a better term would explain why several Spanish-speaking businesspeople are also using the word in English to refer to this procedure.

As you can see, Nike now sells cellphones that MATCH your sneakers. MATCH is the most appropriate word. So if you want to say:  "Esa corbata HACE JUEGO CON tu camisa"  You could say:  "That tie MATCHES your shirt." Another option is: "That tie GOES WELL with your shirt." Notice that MATCH here is used as a verb and not a noun. When that is the case the meaning is different.

"Yes, we're SCAVENGERS, and we have a battle cry of our own: SCAVENGERS, assemble!" In Guayaquil, a CHAMBERO is usually an unemployed person who searches in landfills or dumpsters for items or materials to sell later. Due to the high levels of poverty, there are many people who dedicate themselves to this activity. However,  Guayaquil is not the only place in the world where you can find CHAMBEROS, and they receive different names in other countries. In English, they are commonly called SCAVENGERS.

"Yes, I'm a RIGGER and a traffic officer" RIGGER is indeed an unusual word that is more in the technical field which probably explains why not everyone knows it. What RIGGERS do is prepare that system of wires and ropes that are generally used to support the structure of the masts in a ship right before it begins sailing. Similar instances, where also wires and ropes are used to allow the performance of some vehicles, are also called RIGGING such as certain airships or hang gliders. There is no word for RIGGER in Spanish and the closest term in meaning is APAREJADOR which is probably called something else from country to country. The word APAREJAMIENTO does exist, but it means something else and it's not a good translation for a RIGGERS do in their labor.

When a LAYOVER becomes a Sleepover A LAYOVER is a stop or tranfer from one plane to the next in your flight itinerary. It's similar to a Stopover, but it's not necessarily the same. LAYOVERS can last thirty minutes or up to five hours. Beyond that the term Stopover is more often used. In Spanish we don't have any specific word for what a LAYOVER is since we make no difference between a LAYOVER and a Stopover. They are the same: one is shorter, the other is longer. For both we use the same word, ESCALA. 

"Oooppss, sorry, that was me" VERRACO in English is BOAR, a wild pig. These animals tend to have a powerful smell, in particular, the males that have reached puberty. Therefore, this old expression refers precisely to people who have the unhealthy habit of not bathing regularly. Literally APESTAR A BERRACO is not TO STINK LIKE A BOAR, it is just STINK or variations that use such word such as: TO STINK TO HIGH HEAVEN (many others are unpublishable).  Another alternative is to say someone has a B.O. (BAD ODOR). A variation of the same expression is OLER A CHIVO (GOAT).

"Hmm, why do I have this nagging feeling that someone is watching me watching?" In Spanish, a MIRADOR is any place that allows a privileged view of the surroundings. In English, a MIRADOR is a VIEWPOINT or a LOOKOUT. Another possible translation is VANTAGE POINT, though in a tourist context this term is a bit less common.

The result of SHORTLISTING all the suitable candidates to become our  next president. A SHORTLIST is that precisely a: short list, one with the names of people who are participating in some sort of competition and have been deemed suitable. It can also been a verb, so you can say things such as "SHORLISTED candidates". In Spanish, we say SELECCION or SELECCIONAR, but it´s not necessarily the same. To say LISTACORTA or LISTACORTAR would not make much sense to us.

"See, Mom? I STUBBED my big toe again. I need to wear shoes!" When you accidentally strike your big toe, or any of your other toes or fingers, against something else that is called MACHUCAR (not to confuse with Machacar). The word in English is TO STUB.  The essential difference is that STUB is a verb and a noun, but as a noun, it has a different meaning: it is the what is left after a cigarette or a pencil after being used. MACHUCAR, the verb, or MACHUCON, the noun, is pretty much the same.

A DISINGENUOUS act indeed. DISINGENUOUS means Not Sincere. Anyone who gives a false appearance of frankness falls into that description.  Easily, DISINGENUOUS could be used to describe what a politician is like, since most of them are exactly that: DISINGENUOUS. In Spanish the word would be FINGIDO, FALSO, DESHONESTO.

Nope, this is not a Flying Saucer. It is a TAMBOURINE! An instrument that is as common as the Piano or the Violin and yet most English learners (in Ecuador, at least) don't know what is called in English. Perhaps, the answer to that lies in the fact that most of the English names for musical instruments are relatively similar in spelling to their Spanish versions so...         ENGLISH       SPANISH         piano              piano         violin             violín         guitar             guitarra         flute               flauta         trumpet          trompeta     In this case, the word we are looking for is TAMBOURINE. Not quite similar to PANDERETA, is it? 

So this is a CHOMPA and without buttons, it would be a JUMPER (or not?). This is an easy one because CHOMPA is actually JUMPER. The difference is that a CHOMPA is much more general in meaning and for instance, a sweater with buttons is a CHOMPA, but a JUMPER does not open in the front. CHOMPA is commonly used only in some English speaking countries such as Ecuador and Peru. 

" 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.