Category Archives: Aprende con GNP

World Cup – Nationality Adjectives

The World Cup is back! This means that summer is officially here and for the next month, whether you like it or not, you are about to hear a lot of conversations about football.  Even if you don’t really like ‘the beautiful game‘, now is the time to embrace it. If your team usually leave the competition early (something England fans are used to), try choosing an obscure team to follow and that can keep the tournament exciting. For example, Iceland, who surprised everyone during the 2016 Euro Cup by getting through to the quarter-finals. They are now the smallest populated country to ever qualify for a World Cup, and they could make for a fun team to support.

So, if you’re going to be talking a lot about countries and football teams, now is a good time to refresh your country nouns and adjectives. Each country has a noun (for example: Spain), an adjective form (Spanish), and also a noun to refer to a person from that country (Spaniard).  Often, the adjective form is the same word to refer to someone from that country (German, a German). Here are the country nouns, adjectives and person nouns for the teams that have qualified for the 2018 World Cup:

Normally, you just use the country noun to refer to the team, for example: ‘tonight it is France vs. Germany’. However, if you use the word ‘team’ then you need to describe which team you are talking about, so you use the nationality adjective: ‘the English team are the youngest team in the tournament’.

Away from football, we also use nationality adjectives to describe the culture (art, music), food and language from that country. For example, ‘Japanese art is very popular at the moment.  Spanish food is delicious. I’m trying to learn Polish, but it is very difficult’.

Lastly, and hopefully something you’ve noticed while reading this article, it’s important to always remember that in English we use a capital letter whenever we write a country or nationality adjective.

Wedding Vocabulary for the Royal Wedding

The wedding of the year is taking place this month when Prince Harry will marry Meghan Markle in the town of Windsor, England.  Around 600 guests will be invited to the ceremony and reception, while potentially millions more will be able to watch it on TV.  So in preparation, let’s have a look at some essential wedding vocabulary…

1) To pop the question: to ask someone to marry you. Example: Meghan revealed that Harry popped the question while they were cooking a roast chicken.

2) Fiancé / Fiancée: a man engaged to be married / a woman engaged to be married. Example:  Harry and Meghan are currently the most famous fiancé and fiancée in the world.

3) Stag party / Hen party: the parties that take place before a wedding. The stag party (or Bachelor party in the U.S.A.) is for the man and his friends and the hen party (or bachelorette) is for the woman and her friends.  Example: The boys went to Barcelona on the stag party while the girls went for a spa weekend on the hen party.

4) To get married: Although marry can be used as a verb, we usually use the verb ‘get’ and then the adjective ‘married’. Example: Meghan and Harry will get married on Saturday 19th May 2018.

5) Bride: the woman who gets married. Example: Meghan Markle is sure to make a beautiful bride.

6) Bridesmaids and the maid of honour: friends of the bride involved in the wedding party and there to help her on the day, with the maid of honour being the one in charge. Example: The bride had four bridesmaids and her sister was her maid of honour.

7) Groom: the man who gets married. Example: The groom waited at the church for the bride to arrive.

8) Groomsmen and the best man: friends of the groom involved in the wedding party and there to help on the day, with the best man being the one in charge. Example: People were excited to hear that Prince Harry had chosen his older brother Prince William to be his best man.

9) A toast / to toast: at the end of a speech when people are asked to drink together in honour of someone. Example: the best man toasted the couple at the end of his speech.

10) Newlyweds and honeymoon: the term newlyweds describes a recently married couple and the honeymoon is the holiday they go on directly after the wedding. Example: The newlyweds jetted off to Mauritius on honeymoon the day after the wedding.

Dog eat dog – 10 expresiones para el año del perro

While we are already in the second month of the new year, China are just gearing up to celebrate theirs.  The Chinese New Year begins on Friday the 16th of February and the celebrations last for two weeks.  The Chinese New Year is based on a 12 year rotation of celebrated animals, and this year’s animal is… the year of the dog.  So in honour of man’s best friend let’s take a look at 10 English idioms based on the dog…

1)Working like a dog: working very hard. Example: September is our busiest month and we all have to work like dogs.

 2) Let sleeping dogs lie: to leave disagreements in the past, or to not say something that might start up an argument again. Example: We don’t agree on that point but we’ve decided to let sleeping dogs lie and we’re not going to discuss the matter any further.

 3) Hair of the dog: an alcoholic drink to help cure a hangover. Example: A mimosa with brunch will help you feel better: hair of the dog.  

 4) Dog eat dog: a competitive situation where people will do anything to succeed, even if it means harming others. Example: I heard what’s going to be in the exam but I’m not going to tell anyone, it’s dog eat dog.

5) Dog days: the summer months when the days are the hottest/a period of inactivity and stagnation. Example: I will start to look  for a job in September, once the dog days are over.

6) (Someone’s) bark is worse than (their) bite: Someone appears scarier than they actually are. Example: Don’t be afraid to ask Mr Smith for help with the homework, his bark is worse than his bite.

 7) A lapdog: a person or thing controlled by, or in service to, someone else. Example: That newspaper is the government’s lapdog, everything they publish is biased.

 8) Like a dog with a bone: stubborn and persistent. Example: She keeps asking me what her birthday present is, she’s like a dog with a bone.

 9) You can’t teach an old dog new tricks: it’s difficult to change someone’s behaviour or character. Example: I keep telling my dad to whatsapp me instead of calling me but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

10) Raining cats and dogs: raining very heavily. Example: Let’s wait to go to the shop, it’s raining cats and dogs out there.

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year in Mandarin) from everyone at GNP!

Vocabulario de interés

(verb) to gear up: to prepare for

(idiom) man’s best friend: dogs

(phrasal verb) to start up: to begin

Once in a blue moon – 7 expresiones para hablar sobre el espacio

On the last day of this month we will be treated to another ‘supermoon’, a full moon which is also at the closest proximity to the earth’s orbit, and so appears bigger and brighter than normal.  It’ll be the last one of the supermoon trilogy which started on the 3rd of December 2017, continued with the following full moon on the 1st of January 2018,  and will finish on the 31st.  The fact that this full (and super) moon will be the second full moon in a month will also make it a blue moon, nothing to do with its colour, but a name applied to when two full moons fall in the same month.  This is so unusual that the term ‘blue moon’ has now become part of our general vocabulary to apply to any situation that happens rarely.  For example: Our teacher only lets us watch a film in class once in a blue moon.’

 Let’s take a look at some other space inspired idioms…

1) Many moons ago: a long time ago.  Example: I used to work as a magician many moons ago.

2) (To be) over the moon: to be delighted.  Example: I was over the moon to find out I had been chosen to be on the TV show.

3) Head in the clouds: a person who is unaware of what’s going on around them.  Example: He never helps to tidy up the office, he has his head in the clouds and thinks the office is tidied by magic.

4) Come back down to earth: return to reality after daydreaming or becoming excited.  Example: I thought for a second that I had the winning lottery ticket, but when I realised I didn’t I soon came back down to earth.

5) Be on another planet: to not give attention to what’s happening around you and to think differently to other people.  Example: If you think global warming is a myth then you’re on another planet.

6) Make hay while the sun shines: to act while an opportunity exists.  Example: This shop is having a half-price sale today, let’s go and make hay while the sun shines.

So make sure you keep your eyes peeled on the 31st for the super blue moon, and let’s hope for a clear night!

Vocabulario de interés

(verb) to fall: the date something will happen

(adverb) rarely: hardly ever

(phrasal verb) to find out: to discover

(verb) to daydream: to think imaginary or wishful thoughts

(idiom) to keep your eyes peeled: to stay alert and watchful

10 expresiones para el «Black Friday»

This week we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving at GNP.  We’ll also look at the significance of the weekend following Thanksgiving, which has now been adopted by many places outside of North American, including Spain: Black Friday and the steadily growing in popularity, Cyber Monday.

Black Friday has announced the start of the Christmas shopping period in the States since 1952.  Shops reduce prices on the last Friday of November (the day after Thanksgiving), which is many workers’ payday, so you can shop and stay ‘in the black’ (in credit), rather than going into ‘the red’ (in debt).  Shops open very early in the morning and people have been known to camp overnight in order to get in the shop first and get the best deals.  However, if you miss any deals on Black Friday, there is now Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday when you can buy items at reduced prices online.

So, if you’re planning on hitting the Spanish high street this Friday, or the internet on Monday, have a look at these useful expressions for sales shopping:

1) Cut prices: Prices that are lower than usual.  Example: Shops are full of cut prices on Black Friday.

 2) What a bargain!: A good deal.  Example:  They’re selling wide-screen TVs for under £100, what a bargain!

 3) It’s a steal!: A price so good that it’s almost like stealing the product because it’s so cheap.  Example: This perfume which is normally £60 is only £20 today. It’s a steal, I’m buying it.

 4) 2-4-1: Buy two prices for (4) the price of one.  Example: It’s 2-4-1 on all hamburgers this weekend.

 5) get a good deal (on something): to buy something at a good price.  Example: I got a good deal on a new games console in the Black Friday sales.

6) to be on offer: when there is a special price on something or something is on sale. Example: Bikes are on offer this weekend for our shop’s 20th anniversary.

7) a rip-off: something over-priced. The opposite of a bargain or a steal. Example:  In my opinion, designer labels are a rip-off,, they’re just normal clothes with a name on them.

  8) heavily discounted: if something is reduced a lot in price we say it is heavily discounted. Example: Products will be heavily discounted on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

9) to sell like hotcakes: to sell very quickly. Example: You need to get to the shops early on Black Friday because the best deals will sell like hotcakes.

 10) to sell out: when a shop sells all of a product and there are none left to buy. Example: I tried to buy the new computer game on Black Friday, but every shop I went to was sold out.