The Present Perfect tense; the Argentinian problem
When I arrived in Argentina, my Spanish was already quite advanced, as I had lived in Spain for a year, and studied the language quite a lot. Of course, I noticed a lot...
Category: Grammar
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...
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...
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...
8 English words with native American origins
The English language has a very long history. Like most European languages, it is part of the huge Indo-European language family, which began thousands of years ago in central Asia. Around the 16th...
Subtle differences in meaning
Some differences in word-choice are very small and subtle. Why do we say that we use an ‘electric oven‘, but power comes from an ‘electrical power station‘? Why do we say that London...
How to start with Adult Beginners
It can be daunting for adults to learn a new language. Perhaps they are learning for the first time in their lives, or for the first time in thirty years. Perhaps they are...
Specially or Especially? No or not?
Even advanced English learners sometimes put ‘not’ or ‘no’ in the wrong place. And just what is the difference between ‘Specially’ and ‘Especially’? Here are explanations of two common mistakes that advanced...
Should I learn British or American English?
As an English teacher, one question I often hear is “Should I learn British English or American English?” This question is very common, despite there being many other types of English that exist...
