English in Madrid

Image created with Chat GPT I hear the word buddy more and more . It is an informal American term for a friend that has become widely used in British English. I wouldn't mind so much if we didn't have slang terms for friends already. Mate seems to have been overtaken by buddy. People sometimes use buddy when talking to complete strangers so it can sound insincere and perhaps patronising.             (in the gym)           - Hey buddy! How many sets do you have left ?           - I've just started but we can take turns if you like .               (in the pub)           - Hi there! Can I have two pints of lager please?           - Sure buddy. That'll be £8.50.           - How ya doin', bud? Not seen you in ages. Mate is the UK equivalent of buddy and it is still very common to hear. It'...

Image source:  Brandee Taylor en Unsplash The Andy Warhol painting that put him at odds with Donald Trump has a new owner   In 1981, the tycoon commissioned the artist to do a series of works inspired by Trump Tower, but he did not like the result and did not pay for it. Four decades later, ‘New York Skyscrapers ’ has been auctioned for almost $1 million  In 1981, six years before his death, Andy Warhol devoted the spring to a limited series of paintings commissioned by Donald Trump. The American tycoon, then 34 years old, asked the artist for paintings inspired by Trump Tower, which was still under construction, to adorn the atrium of his first architectural project, located at 725 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. “New York Skyscrapers stands as a testament to Warhol’s ability to encapsulate the spirit of an era characterised by excess, and it remains a powerful commentary on the pursuit of the American Dream as seen through the lens of one of the 20th century’s most ic...

Nude landlord no excuse for holding back rent, rules German court Frankfurt judges said people would have to lean far out of window to see naked sunbathing in courtyard A German court has said that a landlord sunbathing naked in the courtyard of his building was not a reason for his tenants to reduce their rental payments. The case involved a building in an upmarket residential district of Frankfurt, which included an office floor rented by a human resources company. The company withheld rent because it objected , among other things, to the landlord’s naked sunbathing. In response, the landlord * sued . The Frankfurt state court on Wednesday rejected the company’s reasoning , finding that “the usability of the rented property was not impaired by the plaintiff sunning himself naked in the courtyard”. It said in a statement that it couldn’t see an “inadmissible, deliberately improper effect on the property”. Judges were ruling on an appeal against a lower court decision th...

Source: Wikipedia (Brianboru100) Things got very feisty during 823rd Atherstone Ball Game To most people in the UK, Shrove Tuesday means a lovely pile of warm pancakes for breakfast, saturated with lemon juice or maple syrup. But in the town of Atherstone in Warwickshire, the only ‘ batter ’ locals worry about is battering the opposing team in a brutal game of medieval football. The traditional Atherstone Ball Game, which has now been running for more than eight centuries, involves hundreds of people brawling for possession of a large ball. Unsurprisingly , it has a tendency to turn violent, as pictures from this year’s event – the 823rd – demonstrate. Shopfronts around the small town are boarded up in preparation for the Ball Game, and it is clear to see why. Things may start off relatively calm when the ball is first tossed down to the crowd at 3pm, but as the clock ticks towards the end of the game at 5pm, it gets a bit feisty. Luckily for the participants, one of the few s...

Source: George Pagan III on Unsplash   profit  (n) - money that you get from selling goods or services for more than they cost to produce or provide ( beneficio(s), ganancia(s) ) e.g. He sold the property at a huge profit . e,g, Company profits are down from last year's figures. e.g. It's very hard for a new business to make a profit in its first year. to profit from sth - to earn money from something or to get an advantage from sth ( beneficarse de algo, sacar provecho de algo ) e.g. The company will profit from the merger. e.g. I profited enormously from working with them. @Augus171717 English in Madrid: Dishonest Brits profit from holidays in Spain https://t.co/Xn5ZfbAHqV — Graham Mad Teacher (@madteacher72) May 21, 2020   renovate = repair and decorate a building that is old and in bad condition e.g. He renovated the house and sold it at a profit. renovar un doumento = renew revision = repaso e.g. I need to do some revision for my exam. un revisión (médica) =...

Source: Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash Santander heir   gets £44m fine   for trying to smuggle   Picasso painting out of Spain on his yacht A billionaire member of the family that  runs  the Santander banking empire has been  sentenced  to 18 months in jail and fined €52.4 million (£45m) after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle a protected Picasso painting out of Spanish territory on his luxury yacht. The verdict by a Madrid court, which Jamie Botín’s lawyers have said he will appeal , comes almost five years after ‘Head of a Young Woman’ was seized on board the former banker’s schooner off the coast of Corsica. Mr Botín, 83, now a retired banker and uncle of Santander’s executive chairwoman, Ana Botín, denied wish ing to sell the Picasso painting abroad, but he broke the law in taking it outside Spanish jurisdiction after it was listed as a national heritage item. In 2012 Spanish authorities began to monitor Mr Botín’s...

Actual and actually do not refer to time. actual (ESP) ≠ actual (ENG) and actualmente ≠ actually So be careful when translating sentences like the following: La situación política actual genera preocupación The actual political situation is giving cause for concern.  😡  The present political situation is giving cause for concern.  😍  La tasa de desempleo actual es la más alta de la Unión Europea. The actual rate of unemployment is the highest in the European Union.  😡  The current rate of unemployment is the highest in the European Union.  😍  La juventud de hoy tiene más oportunidades que sus padres? Do actual young people have more opportunities than their parents?  😡  Do young people today have more opportunites than their parents?  😍  Source: Marcin Nowak on Unsplash El Parlamento reformará algunas de las leyes actuales. Parliament will reform some ...

Source: Photo by Nick de Partee on Unsplash   What is the difference between these clothes related verbs? Let's start with put on . This verb is always used with an object. I put on my glasses to read the small print. You should put on a jumper . It's getting cold. I took off my black shoes and put the brown ones on . They're much more comfortable. Why aren't you wearing your seat belt? Put it on before the police catches us. You can see from the last example that you have to put something on before you can say you are wearing it. (Does that make sense?) It's the opposite of take off . You could say that put on is to start wearing and take off is to finish wearing something. Both put on and take off are separable phrasal verbs . This means that the object can go between the verb and preposition or come after the preposition . However, if you use a pronoun , it must be in the middle . She forgot to put her earrings on.  😍...

Image source: Wikipedia (Chiltepinster)   Many Spanish students use discuss  when they should actually say argue . If people argue , it suggests they disagree about something and they feel angry about it. What are they arguing about ? (They have raised their voices or are shouting at each other and perhaps look angry) Don't argue with him . It's not worth it . If people discuss something , they talk seriously about the subject. I am worried. The boss wants to meet me to discuss my future . Can we discuss this later? I'm busy at the moment. The plan was discussed in great detail  they agreed on it. Similarly, an argument often involves feelings of anger whereas a discussion is simply a conversation.  He had a huge argument with his girlfriend again. I reckon they'll split up. I don't want to get into an argument with you . I have enough on my plate . I had a very frank discussion with her about her results . The govern...

Source:  Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash Former Spanish presidency favourite resigns after CCTV captures her shoplifting face cream  Cristina Cifuentes had recently faced controversy over allegedly fake Master's degree   The career of one of Spain’s most high-profile conservative politicians was in tatters Wednesday thanks to an alleged seven-year-old shoplifting case involving two 20 euro pots of anti-aging cream. Madrid regional president Cristina Cifuentes, a leading light of Spain’s ruling centre right Partido Popular [PP] party, had once been tipped as a successor to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.  But instead , Ms Cifuentes resigned after a three-minute video was published online of her emptying her handbag of items and handing them to a security guard in a grimy supermarket backroom. The video, published by the OK Diario online site, shows Ms Cifuentes - at the time when she was deputy for the Madrid regional assembly - apparent...

Source: Wikipedia   On This Day 1975: Spanish dictator Franco dies General Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain with an authoritarian hand for 39 years, has died at the age of 82. He had been ill for five weeks and died early this morning at La Paz hospital, Madrid. Doctors said the cause of death was heart failure aggravated by peritonitis. Flags all around the country are at half-mast and the general's body is now lying in state at the El Pardo Palace. Franco, also known as the Generalissimo, will be buried next week at the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum. Forgiveness The Prime Minister, Carlos Arias Navarro, his voice trembling with emotion , announced the death at 1000 local time on radio.  He said that on his deathbed General Franco had asked his enemies to forgive him. "I ask pardon of all my enemies, as I pardon with all my heart all those who declared themselves my enemy, although I did not consider them to be so ," the general had said. ...