English in Madrid

Barcelona struggles with rising tide of tourists Tourists are vital to Barcelona's economy, but the 27 million people who visit each year have become a headache for the new mayor as she battles to save the iconic Spanish Mediterranean port from becoming a bland theme park. "Tourists go home" is frequently found painted on the walls of buildings in the centre of Spain's second-largest city, which is struggling to cope with a surge in tourism that started when it hosted the Olympics in 1992. Source: France 24 Vocabulary : to struggle - to rise - a tide - a mayor - a theme park - to cope (with stg) - a surge - to host (v,n) - according to - to highlight - a (snaking) queue - to jam - narrow (adj) - room (unc n) - to lay down - to be at a crossroad - such as - tree-lined - to heave with (people) - to throng (a place) - to found (a business) - huge (adj) - a banner - a vendor - to complain - gaw...

Source: Wikipedia (Ich)   I like the word "cheers". It's what we say when we are having a drink with friends and raise our glasses before we take the first sip . Nowadays however, many people have replaced "thanks" with "cheers". I find it quite annoying. A: Here's the newspaper. I've finished reading it.     B: Cheers! A: You can sit here if you like.    B: Cheers *mate! *Mate is an informal word for friend. What is even more annoying is when people call someone they hardly know, or even complete strangers,  mate. Having said that, flatmates, classmates and workmates (colleagues) may not be your mates either.

Source: Wikipedia (Luis Garcia)   Greenpeace kicks off protests before ‘gag law’ is passed tomorrow GREENPEACE activists have kicked off the anti-gag law protest by draping a yellow banner which proclaims ‘protesting is a right’ off a crane near Spain’s parliament. The Public Security Law ‘ley mordaza’ comes into effect tomorrow, July 1, and human rights groups and campaigners are set to protest up until midnight in Madrid. It has generated widespread controversy, international criticism and raised issues over the freedom of expression. "This law lacks justification, as there are no great problems of citizen security in Spain" said Miguel Ángel Soto, Greenpeace spokesman. "The law is there to silence the voices that criticise the government's leadership." The law will make many types of public gatherings and demonstrations illegal and protestors will not be allowed to assemble outside Congress. It will also permit the expulsion of migrants caught entering S...

Young Spanish royal Don Froilan accused of racial abuse at theme park after trying to jump queue The nephew of King Felipe is alleged to have said: 'I'm fourth in line to the Spanish throne' A young member of the Spanish royal family has been accused of racially abusing a staff member at a theme park in Madrid, after being told that he was not allowed to jump the queue for a ride. A nephew of King Felipe, 16-year-old Don Froilán, apparently lost his temper at the Parque de Atracciones last week, when he attempted to jump a long queue. After being challenged by a schoolteacher, Froilán is alleged to have said: “I’m fourth in line to the Spanish throne.” According to El Economista newspaper, an attendant at the park then told the teenager that he would have wait his turn for the ride, at which point, Froilán shouted: “You shut up, you f***ing chino.” “Chino” is used in Spain to describe a person of Chinese origin. It is not the first time Froilán – or Felipe Juan...

 Choose a preposition to complete the following sentences. I'm not good ___ remember ing names.     - / FOR / AT Too much caffeine is bad ___ you.     TO / FOR / ON Are you afraid ___ heights?     OF / IN / TO     Who is he married ___?     WITH / TO / - Our boss is going to marry ___ his personal assistant.     WITH / TO / - She's worried ___ her financial situation.     FOR / ABOUT / IN He didn't look pleased ___ see me.     TO / FOR / AT I was shocked ___ what I saw.     IN / BY / FOR What are you looking ___?     TO / - / AT What do you think ___ our new colleague?     TO / OF / IN Have you ever thought ___ mov ing house?     ABOUT / TO / IN He arrived ___ work half an hour late.     - / AT / TO My ...

Source: Kira auf der Heide en Unsplash Match the following expressions to their definitions. Then make some examples of your own with them. I can't face go ing to work tomorrow. The boss has called a meeting for first thing in the morning. I stayed out all night drinking with my friends. When I got home, I had to face the music from my wife. Let's face it , we both know that this relationship is going nowhere. He was going to change career but he got cold feet . She eventually found a job with an international firm. She always manages to land on her feet . I've put my foot in it again. I asked Sarah where her husband was. I didn't realize that they had broken up. You should put your foot down otherwise your boss will think that he can call you whenever he wants. I knew there was something wrong but I couldn't put my finger on what it was . I was all fingers and thumbs and I dropped the ipad. At the end of a difficult week she went out wi...

Complete the following text with a suitable word. Inequality between rich and poor has hit record highs, OECD warns In Spain, 18% of the population lives below poverty line, twice as many as before the crisis Inequality between the rich and the poor has reached  (1) highest level in certain countries since the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) began keeping records 30 years ago. The crisis has widened this gap in economies  (2) as Spain’s,  (3) to, among other factors, higher taxation and social spending cuts. A new report entitled In It Together: Why Less Inequality Benefits All shows that “wealth is even more concentrated at the top  (4) income, exacerbating the overall disadvantage of low-income households.” The study is based (5)  data from the 34 countries that  (6) up the OECD, which is an international economic organization aimed  (7) stimulating economic progress and world trade. Among the 34 members...

Here are some more animals to add to the list of expressions. See also A - D . elephant      Source: Wikipedia (Thomas Breuer)   If there was an elephant in the room , then it'd be difficult to go unnoticed. An elephant in the room is an important and obvious problem, which everyone present is aware of, but isn't discussed, as such discussion is uncomfortable.  The elephant in the room between many couples is what to do with aging parents. Many people admired his courage in addressing  the elephant in the room . A white elephant , like in Spanish, is something that requires a lot of care and money and that gives little profit or enjoyment. In Spain, there are countless examples of white elephants such as The City of Arts and Sciences . Do you say "como un elefante en una cacharrería" in Spanish ?? We say that someone acted like a bull in a china shop  if they are very careless in the way that they...

Source: Pexels (Thirdman ) The following are linking expressions that we use to give reasons for why something has occurred. Because / because of The difference between these two words is that because is followed by a subject + verb , and because of is followed by a noun : I like Madrileños because they are fun. I like Madrileños because of their fun-loving nature . The flight was cancelled  because the air-traffic controllers were on strike. The flight was cancelled because of the air-traffic controllers' strike . People in 20s more likely to be out of work because of poor mental health than those in early 40s https://t.co/5FFbReEFfU — The Guardian (@guardian) February 26, 2024 Be careful with it ! I chose this school because is near where I work.😡 I chose this school because it is near where I work.😍 Due to / owing to Both due to (= because of) and owing to are followed by a noun . They are quite formal. Emergency services were overwhelme...

Complete the following sentences with suitable words: Why do you want to visit there? It's such a d_ _ _. It must be one of the ugliest towns in the country. I think Italy has the lowest birth r _ _ _ in the whole of Europe. So many parents just have one child.  Rich? They are one of the w_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ families in Madrid. They own properties all over Spain. I doubt that was a very w_ _ _ decision. I think he risks losing all his money. Most footballers aren't good r _ _ _ m_ _ _ _ _ for children though sport stars are usually a good example for them. You should get r _ _  of these clothes if you never wear them. I wish you wouldn't be so m _ _ _ _. Go and tidy up your room. I got these shoes for half price. Did you find any b_ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the sale? She is English but she was b_ _ _ _ _ _ up in France. She went back to England as an adult. Someone must have seen the accident but the police...