Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Extra Vocabulary for the Speaking Tests

In our speaking tests, we need to fill up a lot of time. So once we have fulfilled the requirements of the assigned task (la consigna, in Spanish), here are some suggestions for making conversation.

Greetings

Hello/Hi/ How's it going?  Good morning/ Good day.

How are things?  I haven't seen you for ages!

How do you do? /  Nice to see you. Pleased to see you.   (Me, too).

How are you?  I am in the pink. Fine, thank you.

Pleasantries

Gosh! That is a beautiful shirt!  Did you get it at a boutique in Triana?

It was a present from my girl friend. She must really love you!

I really like your new hairstyle.  It suits you very well.

How is your family?   How is your dog?  How are your children?

Are they doing well in their studies?  Do they like their new PE teacher?

Small talk

Dreadfulweather we're having!  Yes, it's terrible!   What a pity!


Monday, October 5, 2015

Fruit vocabulary (bilingual)

almond
almendra
apple
manzana
apricot
albaricoque
banana
plátano
blackberry
mora, zarzamora
blueberry
arándano
cherry
cereza
chestnut
castaña
coconut
coco
date
dátil
fig
higo
grape
uva
grapefruit
pomelo, toronja
hazelnut
avellana
lemon
limón
lime
lima
mango
mango
melon
melón
morello cherry
guinda
orange
naranja
peach
durazno, melocotón
peanut
cacahuete, maní
pear
pera
pineapple
ananá, piña
plum
ciruela
raspberry
frambuesa
strawberry
fresa, frutilla
tangerine
mandarina
watermelon
sandía

Veggie vocabulary (Bilingual)

artichoke
alcaucil, alcachofa
aubergine
berenjena
asparagus
espárrago
beans
frijoles, alubias
beetroot
remolacha
broccoli
brócoli
Brussel sprouts
coles de Bruselas
cabbage
col, repollo
carrot
zanahoria
cauliflower
coliflor
celery
apio
corn
maíz
courgette
zapallito, calabacín
cucumber
pepino
eggplant
berenjena
garlic
ajo
leeks
puerros
lentils
lentejas
lettuce
lechuga
mushroom
champiñón
onion
cebolla
peas
arvejas, guisantes
pepper
pimiento
pickle
pepinillo
potato
papa, patata
pumpkin
calabaza
radish
rabanito
rice
arroz
rye
centeno
spinach
espinaca
squash
calabacita
sweet potato
batata
tomato
tomate
turnip
nabo
watercress
berro
wheat
trigo

If you need to contact me, here is my address

Dear Students and Followers of this EOI blog,
A student recently commented that she found it difficult to contact me through the space provided at the bottom of each blog entry. In fact, it could be a hassle for you and me, too. But please do not be disheartened. If you wish to contact me, it is easy. My official (EOI-related) email address is 

davidsshea@gmail.com
Keep in touch!
Best regards,
David 

Friday, October 2, 2015

Is Barça Catalonia?

According to El Pais, Barça is not Catalonia. To read more click here.



General Elections Called for December in Spain

According to El País, Spain's national daily newspaper, there will be a general election before Christmas 2015. You can read the article here.

Sylvia Plath Biography

I just read a biography of American poet Sylvia Plath. Although Plath had a tragic end (she took her own life at age 30), she packed a lot of experience into three decades on earth. She chronicled her life or tried to make sense of it in a substantial corpus of poetry. This book is highly recommended. You may want to watch the one-hour documentary of Sylvia Plath on Youtube ( Documentary. ) before you pick up the book.