In addition to producing podcasts and providing other information to help Spanish speakers improve their English, from time to time I shall point out items that I think may be particularly useful or interesting to the readers of my blog.
I found a wonderful site the other day that I want to bring to your attention. You can click here to see it http://www.rojasspanish.com Luis Rojas is the owner of the site. Luis is Peruvian, and there are a number of interesting things on his site, primarily related to Peru and other countries in South America. However, what interested me most was the series of podcasts that Luis has produced to help English speakers improve their Spanish. They are all aimed at the intermediate to advanced student, and are totally in Spanish. What is so wonderful about them is the topics that they cover, and the enthusiasm and knowledge that Luis brings to them. I was fascinated by the histroy of the pisco sour, a discussion of the harp in Andean music, and an extremely interesting discussion of popular music in Latin America during the early 1960s. Even if Spanish is your mother tongue, you should check out Luis's podcasts. Take a break from learning English, relax, and just enjoy. You'll be glad that you did!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Podcast 2
Baseball Idioms
Hello and welcome to English for Spanish speakers. My name is Frank.
It’s April now, and although the weather in northern New Jersey is still cool, the baseball season has officially begun. Baseball is more than just the national pastime in the U.S. It is the source of many English idioms. An idiom is a term that is not obvious from simply looking at the words that compose it, and English has many idioms.
Without getting too involved, let’s briefly describe how baseball is played. The game is played in a stadium called a “ballpark.” Each team has nine players. A player from the team “at bat” uses a “baseball bat” to try to hit the ball that the opponent’s “pitcher” throws at him. If he can hit the ball without the other team catching it, he tries to run and touch as many of the four bases that he can. The game is actually much more involved than that, and for anybody who would like a more detailed explanation of how to play the game, there is an excellent article, in Spanish, at the web site shown in my blog http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9isbol
But it doesn’t matter whether you understand the game or whether you have any interest in the game, references to baseball permeate American English. If you are hoping to learn English so as to be able to speak with people from the United States, you are going to have to come to grips with idioms from the sport of baseball. Below I have listed a few of the more common expressions that you are likely to come across if you visit the United States.
When you hear somebody say “He hit that one out of the park!” it means that somebody was very successful at what he did. It derives from the situation in baseball where a batter hits the ball so hard that it goes completely out of the stadium and the batter scores for his team.
However, if somebody is very unsuccessful at something you may hear “He didn’t get to first base.” A player who cannot get to first base is an unsuccessful player. (Be careful in using that phrase because it can also have sexual connotations.)
Business people will frequently hear the phrase “That number’s not even in the ballpark.” It means that the estimate or offer is not acceptable. However, if someone offers to give you a “ballpark figure” he or she is offering to give you an estimate, not an exact number.
If somebody has done a very good job, or has gotten everything correct you may hear “He’s batting a thousand.” The saying is referring to a baseball statistic that is kept on each player, with one thousand being the highest possible.
If somebody wants to “touch base with you” it means that the person wants to confer with you. Players who score a run in baseball must physically touch all four bases when they run.
One of farthest points from the player at bat is usually an area called “left field.” If somebody says to you that something “came out of left field” he means that it came as a surprise, that it was unexpected.
Children or other amateurs often play a form of baseball called “softball.” The ball used is larger, and softer than the “hardball” that is used in professional baseball. If someone uses the expression “They’re playing hardball” it means that they are being very aggressive and unyielding.
That’s all we have time for in this podcast. For those of you who want to learn more American idioms related to baseball, you can check out another site shown in my blog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseball
Modismos de Béisbol
Hola y bienvenido a Inglés Para Hispanohablantes. Me llamo Frank.
Ahora es Abril, y aunque todavía hace fresco en Nueva Jersey, la temporada de béisbol ha empezado oficialmente. Béisbol es más que el pasatiempo nacional en EEUU. Es la fuente de muchos modismos en inglés. Un modismo es un término que no se puede entender por saber las palabras que lo componen, e inglés tiene muchos modismos.
Sin involucrarnos demasiado, describamos como se juega béisbol. Se juega en un estadio que se llama un “ballpark.” Cada equipo tiene nueve jugadores. Un jugador del equipo que tiene el turno al bate, usa un bate (palo) e intenta golpear la pelota que el lanzador del otro equipo le tira. Si el puede golpear la pelota sin que la cache (agarrar) el otro equipo, él intenta correr y tocar tantas bases posible. El juego es mucho más complejo y si alguien quiere más información de como jugar, hay un artículo excelente, en español, en el sitio indicado en mi blog http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9isbol
No importa si comprendes el juego o si tienes interés en el juego, términos con sus origines en béisbol se extienden por inglés Americano. Si esperas aprender inglés con el fin de hablar con gente de los Estados Unidos, tienes que entender modismos que se refieren a béisbol. Abajo, he apuntado algunos que es probable que encuentres si visitas los Estados Unidos.
Cuando alguien dice que “El la bateó (paleó) tan fuerte que fue afuera del estadio.” significa que alguien tuvo mucho éxito. El origen es la situación en béisbol cuando un bateador batea la pelota tan fuerte que la pelota vuela afuera del estadio y el bateador anota (ganar un punto).
Pero, si alguien no tiene éxito, puedes oír “No llegó a la primera base.” Un jugador que no consigue llegar a la primera base es un jugador que no tiene éxito. (Ten cuidado con este modismo porque puede tener connotaciones sexuales.)
Gente de negocios frecuentemente oyen la frase “Ese número ni está en el estadio.” Significa que el número o oferta es inaceptable. Pero, si alguien te ofrece un “número del estadio” él o ella te está ofreciendo una estimación, no un número exacto.
Si alguien ha hecho buen trabajo, o siempre da en el clavo, quizás oigas “El batea un mil.” Este dicho se refiere a una estadística de béisbol que mantienen sobre cada jugador. Mil es lo mejor posible.
Si alguien quiere “tocar la base contigo” significa que quiere consultar contigo. Jugadores que anotan tienen que tocar las cuatro bases cuando corren.
En el terreno de juego, uno de los lugares más lejos del bateador es generalmente un área llamada “jardín izquierdo.” Si alguien dice que “eso vino del jardín izquierdo” quiere decir que fue imprevisto, lo pilló desprevenido.
Niños o otros aficionados frecuentemente juegan un tipo de béisbol que se llama “softbol.” La pelota es más grande y menos dura que la pelota que usan en las grandes ligas. Si alguien usa el modismo “ellos juegan con pelota dura” significa que ellos son muy agresivos y inflexibles.
Ya se nos terminó el tiempo. Si quieres aprender otros modismos ingleses relacionados con béisbol, puedes revisar otro sitio que anoto en mi blog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseball
Hello and welcome to English for Spanish speakers. My name is Frank.
It’s April now, and although the weather in northern New Jersey is still cool, the baseball season has officially begun. Baseball is more than just the national pastime in the U.S. It is the source of many English idioms. An idiom is a term that is not obvious from simply looking at the words that compose it, and English has many idioms.
Without getting too involved, let’s briefly describe how baseball is played. The game is played in a stadium called a “ballpark.” Each team has nine players. A player from the team “at bat” uses a “baseball bat” to try to hit the ball that the opponent’s “pitcher” throws at him. If he can hit the ball without the other team catching it, he tries to run and touch as many of the four bases that he can. The game is actually much more involved than that, and for anybody who would like a more detailed explanation of how to play the game, there is an excellent article, in Spanish, at the web site shown in my blog http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9isbol
But it doesn’t matter whether you understand the game or whether you have any interest in the game, references to baseball permeate American English. If you are hoping to learn English so as to be able to speak with people from the United States, you are going to have to come to grips with idioms from the sport of baseball. Below I have listed a few of the more common expressions that you are likely to come across if you visit the United States.
When you hear somebody say “He hit that one out of the park!” it means that somebody was very successful at what he did. It derives from the situation in baseball where a batter hits the ball so hard that it goes completely out of the stadium and the batter scores for his team.
However, if somebody is very unsuccessful at something you may hear “He didn’t get to first base.” A player who cannot get to first base is an unsuccessful player. (Be careful in using that phrase because it can also have sexual connotations.)
Business people will frequently hear the phrase “That number’s not even in the ballpark.” It means that the estimate or offer is not acceptable. However, if someone offers to give you a “ballpark figure” he or she is offering to give you an estimate, not an exact number.
If somebody has done a very good job, or has gotten everything correct you may hear “He’s batting a thousand.” The saying is referring to a baseball statistic that is kept on each player, with one thousand being the highest possible.
If somebody wants to “touch base with you” it means that the person wants to confer with you. Players who score a run in baseball must physically touch all four bases when they run.
One of farthest points from the player at bat is usually an area called “left field.” If somebody says to you that something “came out of left field” he means that it came as a surprise, that it was unexpected.
Children or other amateurs often play a form of baseball called “softball.” The ball used is larger, and softer than the “hardball” that is used in professional baseball. If someone uses the expression “They’re playing hardball” it means that they are being very aggressive and unyielding.
That’s all we have time for in this podcast. For those of you who want to learn more American idioms related to baseball, you can check out another site shown in my blog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseball
Modismos de Béisbol
Hola y bienvenido a Inglés Para Hispanohablantes. Me llamo Frank.
Ahora es Abril, y aunque todavía hace fresco en Nueva Jersey, la temporada de béisbol ha empezado oficialmente. Béisbol es más que el pasatiempo nacional en EEUU. Es la fuente de muchos modismos en inglés. Un modismo es un término que no se puede entender por saber las palabras que lo componen, e inglés tiene muchos modismos.
Sin involucrarnos demasiado, describamos como se juega béisbol. Se juega en un estadio que se llama un “ballpark.” Cada equipo tiene nueve jugadores. Un jugador del equipo que tiene el turno al bate, usa un bate (palo) e intenta golpear la pelota que el lanzador del otro equipo le tira. Si el puede golpear la pelota sin que la cache (agarrar) el otro equipo, él intenta correr y tocar tantas bases posible. El juego es mucho más complejo y si alguien quiere más información de como jugar, hay un artículo excelente, en español, en el sitio indicado en mi blog http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9isbol
No importa si comprendes el juego o si tienes interés en el juego, términos con sus origines en béisbol se extienden por inglés Americano. Si esperas aprender inglés con el fin de hablar con gente de los Estados Unidos, tienes que entender modismos que se refieren a béisbol. Abajo, he apuntado algunos que es probable que encuentres si visitas los Estados Unidos.
Cuando alguien dice que “El la bateó (paleó) tan fuerte que fue afuera del estadio.” significa que alguien tuvo mucho éxito. El origen es la situación en béisbol cuando un bateador batea la pelota tan fuerte que la pelota vuela afuera del estadio y el bateador anota (ganar un punto).
Pero, si alguien no tiene éxito, puedes oír “No llegó a la primera base.” Un jugador que no consigue llegar a la primera base es un jugador que no tiene éxito. (Ten cuidado con este modismo porque puede tener connotaciones sexuales.)
Gente de negocios frecuentemente oyen la frase “Ese número ni está en el estadio.” Significa que el número o oferta es inaceptable. Pero, si alguien te ofrece un “número del estadio” él o ella te está ofreciendo una estimación, no un número exacto.
Si alguien ha hecho buen trabajo, o siempre da en el clavo, quizás oigas “El batea un mil.” Este dicho se refiere a una estadística de béisbol que mantienen sobre cada jugador. Mil es lo mejor posible.
Si alguien quiere “tocar la base contigo” significa que quiere consultar contigo. Jugadores que anotan tienen que tocar las cuatro bases cuando corren.
En el terreno de juego, uno de los lugares más lejos del bateador es generalmente un área llamada “jardín izquierdo.” Si alguien dice que “eso vino del jardín izquierdo” quiere decir que fue imprevisto, lo pilló desprevenido.
Niños o otros aficionados frecuentemente juegan un tipo de béisbol que se llama “softbol.” La pelota es más grande y menos dura que la pelota que usan en las grandes ligas. Si alguien usa el modismo “ellos juegan con pelota dura” significa que ellos son muy agresivos y inflexibles.
Ya se nos terminó el tiempo. Si quieres aprender otros modismos ingleses relacionados con béisbol, puedes revisar otro sitio que anoto en mi blog. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language_idioms_derived_from_baseball
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Podcast 1
Hello and Welcome
Hello and welcome to English for Spanish Speakers. My name is Frank.
I am beginning these podcasts to help Spanish speakers improve their English. I shall assume that your English is proficient enough to follow most of what I am saying.
I live in the United States, very close to New York City. My accent and usage are American; however, as I suspect you already know, there are many different accents in the U.S. My accent is a northeastern accent. Accents in the southern part of the United States, and in some of the western parts of my country, sound very different from mine.
In addition to helping you improve your formal English, I want to help you understand some of the slang that we use in America, and to help you understand how culture affects the words we use. Many of our words have been influenced by our common culture of television, movies, politics, sports, government programs, laws, etc. I shall also try to help you with some of the more confusing parts of English grammar, although I know that many students consider all English grammar confusing.
In addition to the podcast, I maintain a blog at http://inglesparahispanohablantes.blogspot.com/ On the blog you will find a transcript of the podcast and a translation into Spanish. The Spanish will be for the most part Mexican Spanish; however, I have learned my Spanish in many different countries and from many different sources, so you may find a mixture of words and terms from many different Spanish speaking countries.
I expect to produce a podcast about once every two weeks. Sometimes they may be more frequent and at other times less frequent. The style may be a bit different from time to time.
My major inspiration for these podcasts came from Teresa Sanchez in Zamora, Spain. Teresa’s podcasts are for native English speakers such as myself who want to improve their Spanish. Her blog and podcasts can be found at http://ssl4you.blogspot.com/ I like her format very much, and shall copy much of it.
Another inspiration has been Ben Curtis and Marina Diez, a couple in Madrid, Spain, who also produce podcasts to help people improve their Spanish. Their website and podcasts can be found at http://www.notesinspanish.com/
Hello and welcome to English for Spanish Speakers. My name is Frank.
I am beginning these podcasts to help Spanish speakers improve their English. I shall assume that your English is proficient enough to follow most of what I am saying.
I live in the United States, very close to New York City. My accent and usage are American; however, as I suspect you already know, there are many different accents in the U.S. My accent is a northeastern accent. Accents in the southern part of the United States, and in some of the western parts of my country, sound very different from mine.
In addition to helping you improve your formal English, I want to help you understand some of the slang that we use in America, and to help you understand how culture affects the words we use. Many of our words have been influenced by our common culture of television, movies, politics, sports, government programs, laws, etc. I shall also try to help you with some of the more confusing parts of English grammar, although I know that many students consider all English grammar confusing.
In addition to the podcast, I maintain a blog at http://inglesparahispanohablantes.blogspot.com/ On the blog you will find a transcript of the podcast and a translation into Spanish. The Spanish will be for the most part Mexican Spanish; however, I have learned my Spanish in many different countries and from many different sources, so you may find a mixture of words and terms from many different Spanish speaking countries.
I expect to produce a podcast about once every two weeks. Sometimes they may be more frequent and at other times less frequent. The style may be a bit different from time to time.
My major inspiration for these podcasts came from Teresa Sanchez in Zamora, Spain. Teresa’s podcasts are for native English speakers such as myself who want to improve their Spanish. Her blog and podcasts can be found at http://ssl4you.blogspot.com/ I like her format very much, and shall copy much of it.
Another inspiration has been Ben Curtis and Marina Diez, a couple in Madrid, Spain, who also produce podcasts to help people improve their Spanish. Their website and podcasts can be found at http://www.notesinspanish.com/
I’ll end my introduction here, and look forward to being with you again in the near future.
Hola y Bienvenido
Hola y bienvenido a Inglés Para Hispanohablantes. Me llamo Frank.
Empiezo a hacer estos podcasts para ayudar a hispanohablantes a mejorar su inglés. Mi acento y uso son americanos, pero como probablemente ya sabes, hay muchos acentos en los estados unidos. Mi acento es del noreste. Acentos en el sur de los estados unidos y en algunas partes del oeste de mi país suenan muy diferente al mío.
Además de ayudarte a mejorar tu inglés formal, quiero ayudarte a comprender algo de la jerga que empleamos en los Estados Unidos, y ayudarte a entender como la cultura influye a las palabras que hablamos. La cultura que compartimos como televisión, cine, política, deportes, programas del gobierno, leyes, etc. influye a muchas palabras. También, intentaré ayudarte con las partes de la gramática inglesa muy poco claras, pero yo sé que muchos estudiantes piensan que todo de la gramática inglesa es muy poco clara.
Además del podcast, mantengo un blog a http://inglesparahispanohablantes.blogspot.com/ En el blog encontrarás una trascripción del podcast y una traducción en español. El español principalmente será de México, pero he aprendido mi español en muchos países y de muchas fuentes, tal vez encuentres una mezcla de palabras y términos de muchos países de habla español.
Espero hacer un podcast aproximadamente cada dos semanas. Algunas veces saldrán mas frecuentemente y otras veces saldrán menos frecuentemente. Tal vez cambien de estilo de vez en cuando.
Lo que me animó a hacer los podcasts fue Teresa Sanchez, de Zamora, España. Los podcasts de Teresa son para anglohablantes, como yo, que quieren mejorar su español. Puedes encontrar su blog y podcasts a http://ssl4you.blogspot.com/ Me gusta mucho su formato y voy a copiar mucho del formato.
También me animó Ben Curtis y Marina Diez, una pareja en Madrid, España, que también hacen podcasts para ayudar a gente mejorar su español. Su sitio y podcasts se encuentran a http://www.notesinspanish.com/
Termino la introducción ahora, y espero reunirme contigo pronto.
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