EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

"Can I be held ACCOUNTABLE for all these lightbulbs?" ACCOUNTABILITY is said to translate as RESPONSABILIDAD, and it is but not completely. For example, Ecuadorian politicians use ploys to avoid ACCOUNTABILITY for their actions . In Spanish: Los políticos ecuatorianos usan tácticas para evitar RESPONSABILIDAD por sus acciones . This translation is only acceptable because it is somewhat lacking. A much better option would be: Los políticos ecuatorianos usan tácticas para evitar HACERSE RESPONSABLES de sus acciones . HACERSE RESPONSABLE DE ALGO, ACEPTAR or ASUMIR RESPONSABILIDAD POR ALGO express more accurately in Spanish the real meaning of this word in English.      

So this  "So, this DIZQUE term is often used when gossiping. Can you believe it?" D IZQUE is an interesting word in Spanish since it is really the contraction of the expression SE DICE QUE (IT'S SAID THAT). DIZQUE can function as an adverb and also an adjective. when it's an adverb, it means SUPPOSEDLY or APPARENTLY. She was sick, APPARENTLY. --> Ella DIZQUE estaba enferma.   The word DIZQUE in this case has a connotation. The speaker could have used the term APPARENTLY, but the fact that DIZQUE was preferred indicates the speaker thinks it's a lie. This is why DIZQUE is more often used when gossiping. When DIZQUE is an adjective, it translates as SO-CALLED. There is that SO-CALLED lawyer, Bryan A. --> Ahí está ese DIZQUE abogado, Bryan A. DIZQUE and DISQUE may have similar sounds, but they are not the same since DISQUE is a verb in imperative form and it means: "DIAL!"      

"GEE! If I get any closer I'll fall down and drown!" GEE is an interjection mostly used in the United States that expresses mild astonishment, and it is little by little becoming archaic because fewer people are using it these days.  In Spanish, there are two interjections that are close in meaning and they are CARAMBA and CARAY. Just like GEE, these two words are becoming archaic in Spanish as well. Though not necessarily the same in meaning, these expressions are also possible: SANTO DIOS or DIOS MÍO. Funny, but also quite rare these days (you will find it only in the funny pages), there is also RECÓRCHOLIS.  

"A real party is when you party all the way till sunrise!" To understand the real meaning of AMANECERSE you need to know that AMANECERSE is not the same as Amanecer (to Dawn). In Spanish, we say: "Bailamos hasta que amaneció" which in English is "We danced until it dawned." But we could also say: " Nos amanecimos bailando." Literally, in Spanish, we say: "We dawned dancing" which does not make any sense in English. AMANECERSE in Spanish means to be engaged in this or that activity all night long until the sun rises.  So, for example if you want to say in English: " Me amanecí trabajando en el proyecto" you say "I worked on the project until sunrise" but not "I dawned working on the project."  

"Hey, where's my crab?" (only Ecuadorians will understand)   First of all, a judge cannot "Declare you guilty" since that is not what they do exactly (though there are cases in which judges must take upon themselves such prerogatives). A judge's role is, among several others, to give a proper sentence to those who have been FOUND GUILTY of some crime. The correct term is that precisely: TO FIND someone GUILTY  because it is the jury, not the judge who makes that decision.  The members of the jury (called jurors) decide on the facts presented and based on the evidence they FIND the defendant GUILTY or NOT GUILTY.

"I'm pregnant, not EMBARRASSED."      This is one of those situations when you must be careful if you are translating. The word EMBARRASSED is quite similar to another one in Spanish: Embarazada.  If one word in a language is spelled similarly to another one in Spanish and the meaning of both is the same, we call that a Cognate.  If the meaning is different, we call that a False Cognate. Embarazada is a False Cognate because it translates as Pregnant, not EMBARRASSED. The correct translation of EMBARRASSED in Spanish is AVERGONZADA or AVERGONZADO.

  "Your CUÑADO? Not anymore! Byeeee!" You can't say CUÑADO (A)  in English, not at least in one word. A CUÑADO is your wife's brother (if you are a man) or your husband's brother (if you are a woman). A CUÑADA is your wife's sister (if you are a man) or your husband's sister (if you are a woman). There are, of course, other ways to call these members of the family in English: CUÑADO is BROTHER-IN-LAW and CUÑADA is SISTER-IN-LAW. There is also a cultural difference since in Spanish we tend to use the terms CUÑADO or CUÑADA quite frequently and also informally. It is possible that in parts of Latin America people welcome you by calling you "CUÑADO (A)" instead of your name if you have created that kind of tie already. The same would be unlikely in an English-speaking country.