Chicxs! The ease of gender-neutral language in English compared to Spanish
Disclaimer: I am not a gender specialist – I am an English teacher who was asked by some students to address this popular issue. So here I go. The first thing that comes...
Category: English learning
Monday to domingo; naming the days of the week
The seven-day week is so completely accepted by us that it is easy to forget that it is a human invention. It is thought that people began to use a set of...
“Alfajores de dulce de leche” and other untranslatable words
Somewhere in Western India, I bought some fried food from a man on the street. He spoke enough English to have a basic conversation. As I was going to pay him, he said...
Spring around the world
In Chaco, in the North of Argentina, Spring has arrived with force. On the very first day of Spring, the temperature reached 40’C. In most places in the world, the jump from Winter...
Differences between having English and Spanish as your mother tongue
Maybe you are thinking “How can someone compare having two different mother tongues?” After all, people have only one mother tongue, right? Well, there are some people, like my father, who grew up...
Spain, Thailand, India and Argentina: Differences in teaching English in 4 countries
I have to admit that my analysis is not completely impartial. In Spain and Thailand I taught in primary schools, in India in a secondary school and in Argentina, various ages in various...
Ice Breakers! How to talk to people for the first time.
Have you thought about going to some English-speaking events, but don’t know how to start a conversation? Maybe you get stuck when you are talking to foreigners for the first time? Don’t panic!...
Essential 21st Century Travel Lingo
Learning expressions to use when travelling has always been one of the first things to learn in another language. But the times have changed! Today, suitcases have wheels, postcards have been replaced by...
Using the conditional tense to be gentle
Would you like to read with me? Perhaps you have noticed that in English it is possible to use the conditional tense in a special way; to say what you want, but gently....
How to make the most of your English Class
Many teachers, including myself, are always telling their students that it is important to study, or at least have a bit of contact, with the language you are learning, every day. You...
