Summertime cocktails

Summertime means holidays, parties and spending a lot of time outside on the terrace or the beach. For this season you want food that is simple and fresh with contrasting flavours.(sabores) To go with the food you can simply drink cold beer or chilled (fresquito) white wine. But why not be a bit more adventurous this summer and make your own (tus propios) cocktails? These will make any summer evening pass in a more pleasant way.

 

The Noble Sangria

Sangria has a bad reputation because of its association with British and German tourists that drink litres of it with their paella. However, it is a versatile drink that goes well (combina bien) with a lot of different food. There are many variations but the basic ingredients are red wine, pieces of fruit (usually oranges and lemons), sugar, carbonated water and ice cubes.(cubitos de hielo) You can also add a little brandy or triple sec, and substitute cava for sparkling water.(agua con gas) You do not need to use expensive wine. A decent bottle of table wine will suffice.(será suficiente)

Champagne Cocktails

Champagne or cava is a good base for many different types of cocktails. A classic combination is champagne and fresh orange juice which is called a Buck’s Fizz (named after Buck’s Club in London, where it was invented). Italians like to add peach juice (zumo de melocotón) to make a Bellini, which originated in Harry’s Bar in Venice. You can experiment with different combinations of fruit blended (mezclada) together, using strawberries (fresas) or blackcurrants (moras) to give intense flavours and colours.

   

Mojitos

One cocktail that is always a success (éxito) is the Mojito. The classic Mojito originates from Cuba, where its principal ingredients – rum and sugar – are grown. Its sweet, citrusy, (con sabor cítrico) minty (con sabor a menta) flavour comes from gently mashing (moliendo) mint leaves (hojas de menta) with sugar and lime juice. When the flavours are infused together add the rum and stir,(remueve) and then add some carbonated water and ice cubes. The traditional way to prepare this drink is with sugar cane juice, which gives the drink a more intense flavour.

Cocktail Equipment

It is fun to set up (montar) a cocktail table when you have a party and let the guests (invitados) make their own cocktails. Apart from the different spirits (licores) and drinks, you will need some basic equipment: a cocktail shaker (coctelera) and strainer,(colador) measuring cups,(jarras graduadas) a whisk (batidora) and some cocktail glasses. You can give guest some ideas for drinks by printing some cocktail recipes from the Internet and leaving them on the table. You can have a cocktail making competition to see who can make the best drink!

   

Nibbles (cosas para picar)

The danger with drinking cocktails is that you do not know exactly how much alcohol is in them, and you can easily get drunk (emborracharse) quickly. One way to avoid (evitar) this is to ensure (asegurarse) you eat snacks and nibbles with your drinks. Savoury (salado) snacks can be olives, nuts pieces of cheese and ham, or wedges (tacos) of omelette.(tortilla) For something sweet try fruit kebabs made with grapes (uvas) and strawberries and pieces of melon and peach. Enjoy the party!

 

Diary of an Idiom User

An idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning  that is different from the meanings of each word on its own . Read the following diary entry and find out the meaning of the idioms used .

"...jumping for joy ! "

Friday 17th of July

Hooray¹! Today was the last day of school! Now I have 6 weeks of summer holidays: no school, no teachers, and best of all- no boring work! I’m so happy, I’m walking on air²! I did feel a little down in the dumps³ saying goodbye to all my mates⁴, but as soon as I left the school gates I saw the sunny side of things⁵ again. And now I’m positively jumping for joy⁶! I’m as free as a bird⁷! I’ll see my best friends anyway because most of them live just a stone’s throw away⁸ from me.

Tomorrow, I’m going to celebrate my first day of freedom by having a nice, long lie-in⁹, and then I’ll watch cartoons all morning. Maybe in the afternoon, if it’s sunny, I’ll call round Jamie’s gaff¹⁰ and see if he wants to take the ball to the park for a knock around¹¹. And then I’ll do the same the next day, and the next day, and the next day...! Hooray for the holidays!

Glossary

1. Hooray es una interjección y su usa como ‘¡hurra!’ en español.
2. I’m walking on air – esta frase, traducida literalmente, significa ‘estoy caminando sobre el aire’. Se usa para decir que estás en las nubes, es decir, muy feliz.
3. To be down in the dumps es sentirse triste o deprimido.
4. Mate es una palabra coloquial que significa ‘amigo’.
5. To see the sunny side es ver el lado bueno de algo.
6. To jump for joy – dar saltos de alegría
7. Free as a bird es una frase idiomática muy común. Significa ‘libre como un pájaro’.
8. Stone es piedra y throw es tirar, así que la frase literalmente significa ‘a tiro de piedra’. Se usa para decir ‘a dos pasos de…’.
9. To have a lie-in es una frase coloquial en el inglés británico que significa ‘levantarse tarde’.
10. Gaff es otra palabra coloquial del inglés británico. Significa ‘casa’. Hay que tener cuidado de no confundirla con la palabra gaffe que significa ‘metida de pata’.
11. Cuando se habla del futbol, to knock around es jugar de una manera muy casual.

Living in an English Speaking Country (2)

English Friends

Your choice of accommodation can affect your progress in perfecting your English. Many people fall into the trap (caer en la trampa) of living with people from their own country. This is very tempting as they speak your language and share (compartir) your cultural values. However, you will be missing out (perderse) on the golden opportunity (una oportunidad de oro) of practicing your language skills with people who normally speak English. One option is having English friends who already have a room or know someone with a spare room (cuarto para las visitas) or flat to rent. Of course our lucky readers with a girlfriend or boyfriend from an English speaking country have the wonderful opportunity to practise English during the day and with some pillow talk (conversación íntima) during the night.

Rented Accommodation

Most of us, however, do not have the advantage of an English speaking boyfriend or girlfriend. Don’t despair (desesperes) – it is not the end of the world! A more common way is looking for rented accommodation. Maybe this is difficult at first as you may have to temporarily stay in cheap bed and breakfasts or youth hostels.(albergues) This gives you time to look for a room or flat to share with English speaking people who have similar interests. Where can you find rented accommodation? Well, the best places have traditionally been advertisements in a local newspaper, library or shop window.(escaparate) Alternatively you can log on (acceder) the following web sites for rented accommodation: www.roomsforlet.co.uk (for the UK), www.prorentusa.com (for USA) and www.rentaustralia.com (for Australia). 
      

 

Socialising and Getting Involved In Society

Apart from work and chatting to your flatmates,(compañeros de piso) there are other opportunities to improve (mejorar) your English. One easy way is taking advantage of the different kinds of media around you. For example, regularly listening to radio programmes at certain times of the day like while you cook your meals or get up in the morning etc, going to the library to read specialist magazines related to your interests, or reading the local newspapers that give valuable information on the activities happening in your neighbourhood.(vecindario) Watching television programmes is another good way to help your English.

In every English speaking country will also be numerous clubs and societies that do activities you like. It is therefore (por lo tanto) a great idea to join a sports club, the amateur dramatics society, the local rambling (excursionismo) club, and so on. Another option worth (que vale la pena) investigating are organisations with links (vinculadas) to Spain. In the UK, this type of society is likely to have the words Anglo-Spanish in its description. These organisations will have English people who are generally interested in your culture, and there will probably be a notice board (tablón de anuncios) with people who are looking for somebody to do a language exchange with. Get in touch (ponerse en contacto) with them, because it a great chance to talk to English speakers, speaking in English for half of the time and in your own language for the other half. Apart from this you can put your own advertisement on the notice board, in a free ads newspaper, a local internet website or the local library. I’m sure by the end of the week you will have received many emails and phone calls from people eager (ansiosos) to meet you.

       

Other people who you could talk to are those with free time. These include people waiting for a bus, walking their dog in the park or having a pint in the local pub. Obviously, it is important to be cautious when meeting strangers (desconocidos) and only choose those who appear to be open and receptive. If you don’t know what to talk about, here are some suggestions:

1. Reasons why you came to the city
2. The weather
3. Something in today’s local newspaper
4. Popular television programmes or personalities
5. Traditions from your country
6. A description of the place where you live at the moment
7. Plans for the future
8. Language you have heard that you don’t understand, such as jargon and slang (argot)

Well, if you decide to live in an English speaking country to perfect your English, even for a short time, good luck! It is time well spent and it will probably be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

 

French Words In English.Pronunciation.

 The -et ending in " ballet " is pronounced with a Spanish /ei/sound 

Pronunciation of French words varies a great deal , depending on when and where the word was introduced into English. Words brought to English by intellectuals usually keep the correct French pronunciation. Words used by less educated people have become distorted and are often mispronounced but , even so (aún así) , people usually know that French words ending in -et are pronounced with a Spanish /ei/ sound (ballet, parquet, filled, bidet) and that French words ending in -au , -aux, -eau, -ault, -aud, -auld, and -ot are pronounced with a Spanish /o/ sound ( Bordeaux,Rimbaud, beaud, nouveau, Renault, Perrot, argot ) These are just two examples of how the pronunciation is affected.

Watch the video below and practice  a few  more  !

Learn to include French words in your English. It's chic  !