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In this episode: Bare and Bear, So and such, A new section (weekly wind-ups), and your feedback

Feedback:

Yolanda: Hi again!,

I couldn’t bring you Vinaros fish (I don’t remember the English name for orange famous fish from Vinaros).

I tried to send you a voice message by mobile, but I think it didn’t want to send, or I did something wrong. Excuse me if I repeat more once time the same

(I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself)
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can send us a voice message, but you need to download the free app from the app store. SpeakPipe

Otherwise, you need to send us a message from your PC or laptop from our homepage at inglespodcast.com (Use an external microphone for better sound quality)

I’d like you (to) explain when we can use because of; I know the meaning, “a causa de / por…“, but I don’t know when I have to write it, over all (especially) in a formal text!

Thanks a lot.

Best regards, Yolanda.

The football match was cancelled because of the bad weather.

The football match was cancelled because the weather was bad.

I didn’t go to the football match because I had to visit my grandmother.

Because of Craig’s complaining, Reza has stopped mentioning Mickey Mouse.
Voicemail: Mara from Valencia: Than you for the wonderful Swiss chocolate!

To improve your speaking, we recommend going to language exchange meet-ups in your local area. Also try websites like italki and Verbling.
Voicemail: Alejandra from Mexico

Grammar: so and such – the difference

We use so and such to give emphasis

It’s cold today – It’s SO cold today.

It’s a nice day – It’s SUCH a nice day.
SO – before adjectives or adverbs when there’s no noun

She’s so pretty. – Ella es tan guapa/linda. (so + adjective)

He speaks so quickly. – habla tan rápidamente. (so + adverb)

We can also use so with words like: much, little, few etc:

You shouldn’t smoke so much. – No debe fumar tanto.

There’s so little time

There are so few hours in the day
SUCH – before single countable nouns with an adjective:

He’s got such a nice car.

She’s such a pretty girl.

Also use SUCH before uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns:

We’re having such bad weather. – Estamos teniendo un tiempo tan malo (such + countable noun – sustantivo incontable)

They always buy such expensive presents. – Siempre compran esos regalos tan caros. (such + adjective + plural noun – sustantivo en plural)
so + adjective or adverb (adjetivo o adverbio)

such + noun (sustantivo) ( with or without adjective – con o sin adjetivo)

We’ve been moved by such kindness from our listeners.

For example:

His car is so nice.
It’s such a nice car.

She’s so pretty/gorgeous.
She’s such a pretty/gorgeous woman.

It’s so hot.
It’s such a hot day.

We can use SO and SUCH with THAT to show extremes that end in a result. In this case THAT is optional not compulsory:

He did such a good job on the software design (that) they gave him a full-time job with the company. – Hizo un trabajo tan bueno en el diseño de software que le dieron un puesto fijo con la empresa.

Valencia is so noisy in Fallas…..that we tend to go away for the week.

Reza spoke so much about Mickey Mouse….that I banned speaking about mickey Mouse on the podcast.

Our listeners are so faithful to us that…..it’s a real pleasure to do this podcast for them!
Vocabulary: bear (noun), to bare and to bear

There are three words here. The easy one is the big growly creature (or Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington, Baloo – who’s your favourite bear?). Baloo is Craig’s favourite bear. Reza likes Paddington Bear.

Don’t confuse the pronunciation of ‘bear’ with ‘beer’

The problem is the other two, ‘to bear’ and ‘to bare’.

Porters (maleteros / mozos de estación, de cuerda) bear heavy sacks and burdens (cargas) on their backs and mothers bear children.

Both mean “carry” – In episode 42 (infinitives) Reza spoke about mothers bearing children and using the infinitive passive “to be born”.

Mothers bear babies in their bodies for 9 months before birth.

Strippers bare their bodies—sometimes bare-naked. I was ‘bare-naked’ means not wearing any clothes.

“Bear with me,” the standard expression, is asking the listener for patience – to keep listening.

“Bear with me for a minute”. ¡OJO! – If I said “Bare with me” that would be an invitation to undress.

“Bare” is also used as an adjective: “The illegal loggers cut down so many trees that they stripped the forest bare.”

The adjective bare means uncovered, naked or exposed (without cover or clothing)

Examples:

Have you run on the beach with bare feet?

Craig made lunch with his bare hands. (not Xbear handsX)

The bare truth.

Who will bear the responsibility for this podcast?

Who do you bear a resemblance to in your family?

Reza bears a resemlance to his older brother.

Does this document bear your signature? – Do it have your signature?

I can’t bear the heat in Valencia in August. – To endure or to tolerate (sufrir, aguantar, tolerar)

To maintain a direction.

Bear left after the traffic lights.

“It is very easy to endure the difficulties of one’s enemies. It is the successes of one’s friends that are hard to bear.” (Oscar Wilde)

Weekly wind-ups

to wind up = annoy, irritate, bother: fastidiar, disgustar, molestar

‘A pet hate’, or ‘a pet peeve’is something that annoys you very much (it doesn’t mean that you hate pets!)

What winds Reza up? – Queue-jumpers – people who jump the queue really drive Reza crazy.

Craig hates it when people hold up the queue while they’re taking out their money.

What winds Craig up? – Spitting on the street (to spit = escupir) / clearing your throat in public
Send us an email, or a sound file (mensaje de voz en mp3) with a comment or question to [email protected] or [email protected].

Tell us what winds you up, gets on your nerves, gets your goat, bothers you, disturbs you. What makes you angry? What makes you want to tear out your hair and scream ‘stop! Don’t do that! I hate you!?
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’