ESL with Cereza

Yo trabajo muy duro (1) POR mis hijos. Trabajo (2) PARA Amazon y trabajo muchas horas (3) PARA darles un mejor futuro.

Now let's look at how it would be said in English.
(1) I work very hard FOR [because of] my children.
(2) I work FOR Amazon, and I work a lot of [many] hours
(3) [in order] TO give them a better future.

What questions do you have for me regarding this lesson?
Shoot!
Go for it!
Tell me!

If you like it, give it A THUMBS UP.
If you don't like it, give it A THUMBS DOWN.

Si les gustaría aprender más inglés conmigo, por medio de lecciones bilingües y de manera gratis, únense al grupo de estudio privado USA English with Cereza Study Group, solamente para hispanohablantes.

Si es hispanohablante que está estudiando inglés,
le convendría unirse a mi página de estudio de Facebook, la que se llama USA English with Cereza... a study group for Spanish speakers. Es un grupo privado y hay que responder las tres preguntas, pero no es difícil ya que se puede contestar o en inglés o en español.

¡Espero que nos veamos allí!

AT THE DROP OF A HAT - English Idiom #1

sin titubeos - without hesitation
sin pensárselo - without thinking about it/without much consideration

Si quieren ver más lecciones igual que esta, únense con la página de Facebook «USA English with Cereza STUDY GROUP» un grupo privado únicamente para hispanohablantes. ¡Nos vemos allí!

Here are some phrases that are similar to «estar pendiente de». A similar phrase is TO KEEP AN EYE ON (someone/something), which means «observar/vigilar de cerca».

COMMON MISTAKE #1 - desaparecer algo

Let's look at the sentence, «El mago desapareció al conejo.»

A direct translation would be "The magician DISAPPEARED the rabbit." However, we never say it that way. Instead, the way we say it would be closer to a direct translation of «El mago hizo desaparecer al conejo.»

"The magician MADE (the) ____ DISAPPEAR."
"The magician MADE the rabbit DISAPPEAR."

To take this concept further, (ir más allá con este concepto), we also talk about a "mob boss" or a criminal who "makes someone disappear". We might say that someone "has made the evidence disappear", or "The surgeon made my scars disappear."

What do you wish someone would make disappear?
Have you ever been very surprised when you watched a magician who made something disappear?

Esta es la primera en un série de lecciones sobre los errores más comunes que comitan los hispanohablantes mientras aprendiendo inglés. Para aprovechar las demás de las lecciones, únase con el grupo privado ESL with Cereza Study Group, lo que existe solamente para los hispanoblantes. ¡Nos conocemos allí!

HOW TO SAY ¿CÓMO ES/ESTÁ? in English

¿Cómo ES?
WHAT is it LIKE? Describe it to me. Tell me about it.

¿Cómo ES él? / ¿Cómo ES ella?
What is he like? / What is she like?

You ask this when you want someone to DESCRIBE something or someone, just like in Spanish.

But what if you have made a painting, or written a poem, or done a project, and you want to know what your friend thinks about it?

¿Cómo ESTÁ?
HOW is it?

Is it satisfactory? Do you like the way I did it? What do you think? ¿Qué te parece?

Of course, talking about people is a little different, in which case you are asking about someone's health or WELL-BEING (su bienestar).

¿Cómo ESTÁ él? / ¿Cómo ESTÁ ella?
How is he? / How is she?

You have just read a sample of the kinds of lessons I post in my study group for Spanish speakers who are learning English. If you liked the lesson and want to come study with us, just let me know!

Un sueño hecho realidad - A DREAM COME TRUE

For many of you, it would be A DREAM COME TRUE if you were able to become fluent in English, wouldn't it?

The day of the test, everyone else was very stressed, but Justin was COOL AS A CUCUMBER.

The less experienced detectives sometimes seem a little unsure of themselves, but that one is always COOL AS A CUCUMBER.

confident, unafraid, not anxious or nervous; very calm

If you like this lesson, if you are a NATIVE SPANISH-SPEAKER, and if you want to see more lessons like this, join my study group ESL with Cereza Study Group.

NO HATS IN THE THEATER!
¡Se prohiben los sombreros en la cine!

I heard a really funny story the other day. I don't know IF THERE IS ANY TRUTH TO IT or if it was completely MADE UP, but I thought it was so funny that I wanted to share it with you all here.

THE STORY GOES THAT, back in the early days of movie theaters, people GREW TIRED OF not being able to see the movie SCREEN because of all the women WHO WORE large hats. The theater finally decided to put up signs about the hats. This is what it said: LADIES, please REMOVE your hats during this movie. Thank you. (THIS DOES NOT APPLY to old women.)

I laughed so hard when I heard this! All the women took off their hats after they PUT UP the sign. Tell me, why did the sign work?

IF THERE IS ANY TRUTH TO IT - si es la verdad o no lo es

MADE UP - inventada

THE STORY GOES THAT - se dice que

GREW TIRED OF - se cansaron de

SCREEN - la pantalla

LADIES - señoras y señoritas

REMOVE your hats - Quítense de los sombreros (?)

THIS DOES NOT APPLY - no se aplica

If you are a native Spanish-speaker and you are learning English, don't hesitate to search for my study group page, ESL with Cereza STUDY GROUP, and join! ¡Unése! There you will find many more lessons like this.

PARA – FOR or TO?

(This is a lesson that I posted a few months ago in my study group, ESL with Cereza Study Group. If you are interested, you can join the group. It is ONLY for native Spanish-speakers who are learning English.)

Se puede traducir PARA en TO o FOR.
PARA can be translated into TO or FOR.

Nota: Si se escribe IN ORDER TO, significa lo mismo como TO. En algunos casos suena un poco formal, pero la mayoría del tiempo no hay ninguna diferencia. Decimos, “It’s a matter of taste.” Es decir, como te guste.

FOR
It’s used to indicate the reason that something is done. In this case FOR is always followed by a NOUN, not by a verb. There is a person that does something with/for a purpose.

Se utiliza para indicar la razón que se hace algo. En este caso, FOR va seguido de un SUSTANTIVO siempre, no de un verbo. Hay una persona que hace algo con un propósito.

FOR + NOUN

They decorated their room FOR the party.
Ellos decoraron su habitación PARA (hacer) la fiesta.

They went to the church FOR a wedding.
Fueron a la iglesia PARA (asistir a) una boda.

I went to the store FOR bread and milk.
Fui a la tienda PARA (comprar) pan y leche.

My husband went to the school FOR the children.
Mi esposo fue a la escuela PARA (recoger a) los niños.

He put the food in the dish FOR the dog.
Puso la comida en el plato PARA (dar a comer a) el perro.

He left a message FOR her.
Él dejó un mensaje PARA ella.

FOR
También se utiliza para indicar el propósito o fin de un OBJETO. Es decir, para qué sirve algo. En este caso, el sujeto de la frase es una COSA y FOR va seguido de un verbo acabado en -ing.

FOR
It's also used to indicate the purpose of an OBJECT. That is, what it’s used for. In this case, the subject of the sentence is a THING and FOR is followed by a verb ending with –ing.

FOR + INFINITIVE

This knife is FOR CUTTING meat. (This knife is used to cut meat. – otra opción)
Este cuchillo es PARA CORTAR carne.

This pen is FOR WRITING in my notebook.
Este bolígrafo es PARA ESCRIBIR en mi cuaderno.

This detergent is FOR WASHING the white clothes.
Este detergente es PARA LAVAR la ropa blanca.

This shed is FOR STORING the lawn mower and garden tools.
Este cobertizo es PARA GUARDAR la cortadora de césped y las herramientas de jardín.

TO
It’s used to indicate the intention or goal of a PERSON. That is, what he/she wants to do, what his/her objective is. In this case, the subject of the sentence is a PERSON and TO is followed by a verb in its infinitive form. ALGUIEN + TO + INFINITIVO

TO
Se utiliza para indicar la intención o meta de una PERSONA. Es decir, qué quiere hacer, cuál es su objetivo. En este caso, el sujeto de la oración es una PERSONA y TO va seguido de un verbo en su forma infinitiva.

They decorated their room (IN ORDER) TO HAVE a party. (También se puede decir TO THROW a party”.)
Ellos decoraron su habitación PARA HACER una fiesta.

Joann went home TO REST for a while.
Joanna fue a casa PARA DESCANSAR (A descansar) un rato.

I use this notebook TO WRITE my class notes.
Utilizo este cuaderno PARA ESCRIBIR mis notas escolares.

They went to the church TO ATTEND a wedding.
Fueron a la iglesia PARA ASISTIR A una boda.

I went to the store TO BUY bread and milk.
Fui a la tienda PARA COMPRAR pan y leche.

My husband went to the school TO PICK UP the children.
Mi esposo fui a la escuela PARA RECOGER a los niños.

He put the food in the dish TO FEED the dog.
Puso la comida en el plato PARA DARLE A COMER al perro.

Now it’s your turn! Practice writing some sentences using PARA, and let me know if you need help!