English is an “international” language not only because it’s an official language of many countries, but because it is one of the most widely used languages to communicate with others all over the globe doing business, making friends, asking for help, legislating on matters of international law, or simply and most gratifyingly sharing music, literature, recipes and other cultural wealth among nations.
There are, of course, loads of (1) different reasons for a person to learn a foreign language (English in particular), but there also are a great deal of ways to do so which makes the task easier and a lot more fun.
Speaking English makes it a lot easier to travel and make friends and I practice and I practice and I practice every day in order to maintain my spoken level and be able to communicate with my friends all over the world. Speaking of which, having a native English speaker as a friend makes you learn faster and enjoy the process. There are different ways to make international friends: from pen pal and face-to-face or Skype conversation partners to everyone’s favourite conversation exchange meetings at local pubs. Find your cup of tea (2) and drink it!
And meanwhile (3), if you’ve reached your upper-intermediate level and need to practice it I strongly encourage you to start with an entertaining and enjoyable TV show. It is important for you to pick an easy to understand one in order to make the best of (4) the experience.
My choice is an obvious one for a number of reasons, and I’m going to take you through the pilot episode taking note of every new word, phrasal verb, well-laid joke or useful expression that I find interesting. Try to watch it in original first (using English subtitles if necessary) and then read a couple of times my notes that follow in order to try and remember the new stuff. Pay attention to how natives say certain things and try to remember their way of saying it.
So, as The Beatles would say, with a little help from my F.R.I.E.N.D.S. … J
F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Season 1: Ep. 1 The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate (Pilot)
“Two people going out to dinner […].” (Monica)
Note: not “for dinner”.
“I just feel like someone reached down my throat, grabbed my small intestine, pulled it out my mouth and tied it around my neck”. (Ross)
Note: reach down something, tie something around something else.
“Stop cleansing my aura.” (Ross)
Clean vs. cleanse, check
“Why does everyone keep fixating on that?” (Ross)
“Did I say that out loud?” (Chendler)
English people say things out loud = en voz alta.
“You’re hurting.” (Joey)
In English you can both hurt other people (Example: You hurt me every day) and experience pain yourself (Example: I am hurting). Also, things and especially parts of our bodies can give us pain (Examples: My elbow hurts; It [a break up] hurts so much; Doctor: Where does it hurt?)
“[…] when all of a sudden […]” (Rachel)
De repente.
“And that’s when it hit me.” (Rachel)
When it hit me = Cuando me di cuenta; cuando se me ocurrió.
“I always knew he looked familiar.” (Rachel)
Me resultaba familiar.
“You and I have drifted apart.” (Rachel)
Nos hemos distanciado.
“I say push her down the stairs.” (Joey)
Empújala por las escaleras.
En español está claro en qué dirección va a empujarla, en inglés recalcan:
“escaleras abajo”= “down the stairs”.
“This is probably for the best.” (Monica)
“Joey, stop hitting on her!” (Monica)
Deja de tirarle los tejos.
“Buzz him in.” (Monica)
Abrir a alguien por el telefonillo. Dejarle entrar usando por el telefonillo.
“What are you up to tonight?” (Ross)
¿Qué planes tienes esta noche?
“Ever since she walked out on me […].” (Paul, the Wine Guy)
Walk out on = dejar, abandonar.
“While you’re on a roll…” (Joey)
To be on a roll = Estar en racha; Estar de buena racha; Tener buena suerte.
“You can’t live off your parents your whole life.” (Monica)
No puedes vivir de tus padres (económicamente) toda tu vida.
I am going to finish this article with a favourite one:
“Welcome to the real world! It sucks! You’re going to love it! (Monica)
A little extra help from this particular friend here:
(1) Loads of = montón(es) de
Also: a lot of, lots of, a great deal of, tons of, heaps of, etc.
Loads of time = montón de tiempo; Loads of people = un montón de gente
(2) Your cup of tea = Literalmente: Tu taza de té. Como metáfora: se utiliza para expresar que algo es/no es de nuestro gusto, agrado, nuestra preferencia o fuerte.
Como curiosidad, esta expresión se utiliza sobre todo en negativo, para señalar que algo no nos gusta. Es la forma educada y respetuosa de los británicos de decir que algo no le gusta sin ofender o avergonzar a los que sí les gusta la cosa en cuestión.
- Do you like opera?
- It’s not my cup of tea! (Un británico no va a decirte que odia la ópera o que le parece basura para no ofender a los que sí les gusta la ópera; se considera de buena educación explicarte siempre con fórmulas políticamente correctas).
(3) Meanwhile = mientras tanto, entretanto, mientras
(4) To make the best of something = Aprovechar algo major, sacarle el major provecho
To make the best of the situation = Aprovechar al máximo la situación; Obtener el mayor resultado de la situación.
