English in Madrid

‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty Half a million migrants will be ‘regularised’ under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing parties Not everyone has been enthused by the Spanish government’s decision this week to buck European political trends by announcing plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to boost “economic growth and social cohesion”. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative People’s party (PP), described the move as a reward for “illegality” that would bring more people into the country and “overwhelm our public services”. Santiago Abascal, who leads the far-right Vox party, attacked the measure as a nefarious effort to facilitate an “invasion” designed to replace Spaniards with foreigners. But for the young Bangladeshi man sitting in a cramped NGO office in central Madrid on a rainy Thursday, the announcement was nothing short of a miracle. For him, the decree raises...

1️⃣   GIVE UP ➡️ To stop trying to do something before you have finished, usually because it is too difficult or you no longer want to continue ➡️ to stop doing a habit or activity permanently ➡️ to surrender or yield to someone/something. 🌞 Never give up. - Nunca te rindas. 🌞 I gave up try ing to fix the printer after it jammed for the fourth time. ( preposition + verb-ing ) → Dejé de intentar arreglar la impresora después de que se atascara por cuarta vez. 🌞 She gave up her career to take care of her family. - Abandonó su carrera para cuidar de su familia. 🌞 He gave up his seat for the elderly passenger. → Cedió su asiento a la pasajera mayor 🌞 I’m not going to give up on you . → No voy a rendirme contigo / perder la fe en ti . 🌞 Please don’t give up hope — things will get better. → Por favor, no pierdas la esperanza — las cosas mejorarán. 🌞 Don 't give up the day job - Used humorously to tell someone they are not very good at something and should not try ...

 6️⃣  RULES AND REGULATIONS 🌞 Refers to the  laws, guidelines, or instructions  that control how people should behave in a place or situation. 🌞 It’s a fixed binomial often used in  formal contexts  (workplace, government, school, organisations). 🌞 Style: Slightly redundant (rules = general principles, regulations = official rules), but the phrase is conventional and  emphasises strictness . Every workplace has  its own rules and regulations . The government  introduced new rules and regulations  on recycling. The club has  strict rules and regulations  about dress code. Breaking the rules and regulations  can lead to a fine. 🌞  What rules and regulations do you have in your workplace? 🌞 Can you name a country with very strict rules and regulations? 🌞 Do you think all rules and regulations are necessary? Why or why not? 🌞 Do you prefer places with lots of rules and regulations, or more freedom? Anytime you thi...

Climber Alex Honnold scales 101-floor skyscraper without safety gear American climber Alex Honnold has successfully scaled a Taiwan skyscraper without a rope , harness or safety equipment. The building, named Taipei 101 for the number of its floors, is 508m (1,667ft) tall, made of steel , glass and concrete and is designed to resemble a stick of bamboo. Honnold is renowned for being the first person to climb El Capitan without ropes or safety gear. The 915m (3,000 foot) granite cliff is in California's Yosemite national park. The climb was originally set to take place on Saturday but was delayed by wet weather. His ascent in Taiwan's capital was streamed live on Netflix, which said there was a delay on the live feed should the worst happen . "We'll cut away ," Netflix executive Jeff Gaspin told Variety magazine in the run-up to the event. "Nobody expects or wants to see anything like that to happen." Honnold completed the climb in one hour...

Image created with Chat GPT 1️⃣ BRIGHT AND EARLY 🌞 The phrase “bright and early” means very early in the morning , usually when the sun has just risen , and suggests energy, enthusiasm, and readiness . ( bien temprano , first thing = a primera hora) 🚅 We have to leave bright and early if we want to catch the train. 🏃‍♀️ She wakes up bright and early to go jogging every day. 🤝 The meeting starts bright and early at 7 a.m. 🏢 He got to the office bright and early to finish his project. 🛣️ We’ll start our road trip bright and early tomorrow.  🏖️ If you want a good spot at the beach, you need to get there bright and early . 🌞 Give me one activity you would like to do bright and early. 🌞 Do you think waking up bright and early is better than staying up late? Why? Rescue Success! This mom and kitten duo have been struggling on the Bronx streets for too long. Our amazing volunteer got them bright and early this morning. They’ll be at the vet for a few days and then need a p...

Singer Julio Iglesias faces Spanish inquiry into sexual assault allegations Two women have accused the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias of sexually assaulting them while they were working for him and allege that he "normalised abuse" in a coercive , threatening and violent environment. The allegations, made in reports by Spanish news site elDiario.es and US outlet Univision, are being investigated by Spain's judiciary. The singer employed the two women at his properties in Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, and Lyford Cay, in the Bahamas. According to their testimonies, the sexual assaults took place in 2021. Iglesias, who is 82, has been a household name in Spain since the 1960s and has sold millions of records worldwide . According to elDiario.es and Univision, Iglesias and his lawyer did not respond to repeated requests for a response to the allegations ahead of their publication. However, a woman identified as a manager of one of the singer's Caribbean pro...

  Image created with Chat GPT What do you remember about  the Concordia ? Was El Corte Inglés' week of discounts on cruises a last minute MARKETING PLOY to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF the big news story? — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 23, 2012 Can you think of any other marketing ploys ? Do you remember the difference between "take advantage of sth" and  "make the most of sth" ? Have you ever BEEN ON A CRUISE? What was it like? Would you GO ON A CRUISE after what has happened? Where would you go? — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 23, 2012 Didn't REALIZE that the Concordia tragedy happened on Friday 13th... And the bottle of champagne used to LAUNCH it, didn't break... — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 23, 2012 Are you superstitious?  Seville goes green   Seville goes green: http://t.co/OEvnXDQO Travel guide SINGS THE PRAISES OF Seville. Do you agree with the description? — English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 9, 2012 Have y...