Champions!

Ingls
Entertainment and information: Champions!

Gold Medals
Imagen en Flickr de Quite Adept bajo CC

1 de 28

1. Champions!

En este tema vamos a hablar

sobre:
Deportes y campeones
del deporte.
La complementacin
de verbos y los verbos
frasales.
Multi-word verbs.
La complicacin de este tema
reside en estos ltimos verbos
frasales, ya que no existe
nada parecido en espaol.
Esperamos que encontris
tanto las explicaciones claras,
como los textos interesantes.

Imagen en Flickr de Chip_2904 bajo CC

Para empezar vamos a ver vocabulario deportivo . Para ello aqu tienes unos enlaces que te
remiten a listados de vocabulario, que te sern tiles, sobre:

Deportes

Juegos
Olmpicos

Baloncesto

Ftbol

El ttulo de este tema es Champions ( Campeones ). Pues bien vamos a trabajar unos
textos, que vamos a traducir, sobre esa idea, empezando por el origen de esa palabra
para luego pasar a comentar historias de grandes atletas con algunos problemas.

CHAMPIONS
Etymologically, a champion is someone who fought in the campus or arena. Latin
campus meant, among other things, field of battle, both a full-scale military battlefield
and an area for staged battles between gladiators. Those who fought in such battles,
the gladiators, were called campiones in medieval Latin. The word passed into English
via Old French as champion. The modern meaning, winner, did not develop until the
early 19th century.
Nowadays, a champion, according to the definition given by the Collins Cobuild
Dictionary, is a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of
competitions, so as to hold first place. In a world addicted to superlatives, sports
winners are elevated to the status of heroes and enjoy praise, honours and prestige.

2 de 28

They aren't perfect, just humans who excel in a sport or athletic discipline, but they
become models for the society. They are even sometimes given the status of demigods,
that is the reason why when a champion falls or doesnt fulfill the expectations, people
feel they have been cheated or disappointed and they are quickly despised. Recovering
from that fall is a hard task to do.

Recuerda que la literalidad no tiene siempre sentido al traducir ya que puede que en espaol no
suene bien lo que se supone que es la traduccin de lo que te encuentras en ingls. Te ejemplificamos
esto:
Those who fought in such battles, the gladiators, were called campiones in medieval Latin.
Hemos traducido esta frase del texto por:
A los que luchaban en estas batallas, los gladiadores, se les llamaba campiones en latn medieval.
En ingls la oracin esta en pasiva, pero en espaol la pasiva no se usa tanto como en ingls. As la
hemos traducido con una forma impersonal activa. Ten en cuenta esto en todas tus traducciones.

Palabras latinas en ingls

Las palabras arena , via y status que aparecen en el texto son tres palabras inglesas de origen
latino. Como esas, hay muchsimas otras que durante el proceso de evolucin del ingls pasaron del
latn directamente al ingls o indirectamenta a travs del francs. Algunas de esas palabras al pasar
al ingls fueron cambiadas, otras se mantuvieron exactamente como eran en latn incluso con la
forma plural latina. Aqu tienes algunas y estamos seguros de que muchas de ellas te sonarn:
Versus , verbatim ( literalmente , palabra por palabra) , via , in memoriam , memorandum ,
agenda , etc. (et cetera (y otros) ), pro and con (pros y contras) , a.m. (ante meridiem) , p.m.
(post meridiem) , ultra , P.S. (post scriptum) , quasi , census , veto , per , sponsor , A.D.
(Anno Domine) , cadaver (CAro Data VERmibus)...
Y aqu tienes algunas palabras con su plural latino y que se usa en ingls, aunque en algunos casos
tambin existe la forma regular inglesa:
alumna/alumnae
(graduada
universitaria) ,
alumnus/alumni ,
datum/data
(dato) ,
medium/media
(medios
de
comunicacin) ,
appendix/appendices ,
formula/formulae ,
encyclopedia/encyclopediae , index/ndices , axis/axes (eje) , crisis/crises , criterion/criteria ,
phenomenon/phenomena , memorandum/memoranda , cactus/cacti , fungus/fungi (hongo) ...

Imagen en Flickr de Andrew Barclay bajo CC

3 de 28

1.1.

Fallen

Champion

and

Redeemed

Champion

Actividad de lectura

Lee el siguiente texto para saber un poco de la accidentada trayectoria olmpica del
corredor Liu Xiang.

A FALLEN CHAMPION
Liu Xiang won the 110-meter hurdles
gold medal in Athens 2004 and became
a symbol for Chinese people. However,
he couldnt imagine what fate had in
store for him.

Imagen en Flickr de Nick Leonard bajo

All eyes in China were on Liu at the

London Olympics, as he sought to
redeem himself after not qualifying in
his first-round heat at the Beijing 2008
Olympics. However, he didnt qualify
for the semifinals either. Fortunately,
this time he got a sympathetic
response, a stark contrast to the public
outcry over his withdrawal from the

CC

Beijing 2008 Games.

Liu knocked over the first hurdle, injuring his right ankle and aggravating an Achilles
tendon injury. Liu then hopped on his left foot down the remainder of the track in a
symbolic completion of the race, pausing to kiss the final hurdle. This gesture surprised
everyone at the stadium positively since in Beijing 2008 his abrupt withdrawal brought
his coach, fans, and reporters literally to tears in the stadium. Chinese fans denounced
him as a "coward" who should have finished the race before quitting.
As Liu is already 29, he is not expected to compete in another Olympics but he still
holds the world's second-fastest record after Cuba's Dayron Robles. This time only fate
has been cruel to the great Chinese champion.

Antes de traducir el texto nos gustara hacer unas aclaraciones sobre expresiones que
aparecen en el texto.
What fate had in store for him . Esta es una expresin hecha que viene a ser lo
que en espaol queremos decir cuando decimos Lo que el futuro le tena guardado o le
deparara.
Heat

tiene muchos significados, pero aqu significa prueba eliminatoria .

A stark contrast :
evidente.
Outcry

stark suele ir con contrast para indicar que hay un contraste

es protesta pero aqu suena mejor decir clamor.

He is not expected to compete... Esto es una forma pasiva muy peculiar que
significa No se espera que l compita ...

Una vez hechas estas aclaraciones, traduce el texto.

4 de 28

Actividad de lectura

Aqu tienes un texto sobre el campen olmpico de altura de Londres 2012. (Por cierto,
al final se casaron y tienen una nia. Cuando leas y traduzcas el texto entenders este
comentario).

A REDEEMED CHAMPION
A Russian high jumper sprang to prominence when his drunken appearance at a
meeting in Lausanne in September 2008 became a YouTube sensation receiving more
than a million visits. He was seen having difficulty removing his tracksuit and pushing
aside a track official. He then ambled towards the bar, attempted a half-hearted jump
much too soon, fell under the bar and flopped on to the bed. He later apologised and
reimbursed the meeting organisers, blaming his drunken state on too much vodka and
Red Bull after having a fight with his girlfriend.
That same athlete made the headlines for the right reasons with victories in the high
jump in several competitions after Lausanne and, specially, at the London Olympics.
The Russian sportsman is Ivan Ukhov, gold medal winner.
In the London rain he had one failed attempt at 2.40 to try to better American Charles
Austin's 1996 Olympic record of 2.39, before the presence of photographers eager to
get snapping prompted him to take off his shoes and start the celebrations.

Imagen en Flickr de James Kneale bajo CC

5 de 28

1.2. A Stripped Champion and a Near-Perfect

Champion

Actividad de lectura

Este texto habla sobre el caso ms grave de dopaje que se ha dado en los pasados JJ.
OO. de Londres y que le cost la medalla de oro a la atleta implicada. Afortunadamente
han habido muy pocos casos.

A STRIPPED CHAMPION
The Belarusian shot putter
Nadzeya Ostapchuk, 31,
was competing in her third
Olympic Games at London
2012. She finished fourth in
Athens in 2004 and won
the bronze medal in Beijing
four years ago. She threw
21.36m with her third
attempt
to
comfortably
beat Adams, who threw
20.70. As all gold medal
winners, she celebrated her
triumph with joy.
That moment the shot put
champion couldnt imagine
that she would test positive
for a banned substance in
the two samples that she
was
taken
during
the
Imagen en Flickr de Marc bajo
CC
Games. As a consequence,
the International Olympic
Committee disqualified, withdrew the medal from, and excluded Ostapchuk from the
Games.
The IOC had said London 2012 would be its most extensive Olympic anti-doping
programme. Almost 6,000 urine and blood samples were taken, including no-notice
tests of athletes competing. Fortunately, until this latest turn of events, London 2012
was set to end with medal standings in all 302 events unaltered by doping scandals.

Antes de comprobar tu traduccin, vamos a hacer una pequea reflexin. Si tienes que
traducir siglas y no sabes su equivalencia al espaol, debes mantener las siglas
inglesas, pero sera ideal que usars las del espaol. En cualquier caso siempre puedes
explicar a qu se refieren las siglas para cualquier aclaracin que fuera necesaria hacer.
Aqu aparece el IOC (International Olympic Committee)
Olmpico Internacional) . Te comentamos algunas otras.

que es el COI

(Comit

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Symdrome ) es el SIDA (Sndrome de

InmunoDeficiencia Adquirido) , NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organsation ) es la OTAN,
EU (European Union) es la UE... pero ten en cuenta que hay otras que no tendra
mucho sentido traducirlas. Por ejemplo FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation ) en

6 de 28

inglesas.
Si tienes alguna duda sobre lo que significa alguna sigla en ingls, pincha
tendrs acceso a un diccionario de siglas, acrnimos y abreviaturas.

aqu

Actividad de lectura

Este texto cuenta un pequeo accidente aislado que le cost muy caro al "Tiburn de
Baltimore", como le llaman en algunos medios, el mejor atleta olmpico de todos los
tiempos, Michael Phelps, por si hace falta decir su nombre.

A NEAR-PERFECT CHAMPION
At the age of 15, Michael Phelps became the youngest American male swimmer at an
Olympic Games in 68 years. Although he didn't win a medal at the 2000 Summer
Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he would soon become a major force in competitive
swimming.
Phelps has won 22 Olympic medals, six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, eight
gold at Beijing in 2008, and four gold and two silver at London in 2012. Phelps holds
the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympics (Beijing, 2008), and set a
new record for most Olympic medals in 2012, beating gymnast Larisa Latynina's prior
record of 18.
However, he appeared in the media for a very different reason just weeks following his
triumph in Athens. Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in
Salisbury, Maryland, after cruising through a stop sign. He pleaded guilty to driving
while impaired, was sentenced to 18 months probation, fined $250, ordered to speak
against drinking and driving to high school students, and ordered to attend a Mothers
Against Drunk Driving meeting. Michael called it an "isolated incident," but admitted to
letting himself and his family down.

Imagen en Flickr de marcopako bajo CC

7 de 28

2. Infinitives and gerunds: Introduction

Tanto en espaol como en ingls, las formas no personales del verbo, Infinitivo,
Gerundio y Participio, tienen valores aparte del propiamente verbal. Cuando decimos:
Lleg a casa
fumando , ese fumando es un gerundio con valor modal, indica cmo
se realiza la accin de llegar, o cuando decimos Meditar ayuda a tomar las decisiones
acertadas , ese infinitivo en negrita es el sujeto de la oracin.
Pues bien, en ingls ocurre exactamente igual solo que los valores que tienen son
diferentes. Aqu vamos a centrarnos especialmente en el gerundio y el infinitivo.
Antes de entrar en matizaciones vamos a recordar cmo reconocer estas formas
visualmente. El infinitivo lo reconocemos fcilmente porque se forma con el verbo en s,
sin ningn tipo de terminacin. Eso s, lo podemos encontrar con la partcula to
antepuesta o sin ella.
El gerundio es el verbo con la terminacin -ing y no se utiliza para formar tiempos
verbales. (A la forma verbal en -ing que usamos para los tiempos continuos se le
llama participio de presente). Al aadir dicha terminacin a los verbos se pueden
producir cambios en su escritura que aqu no vamos a recordar, basta con echar un
vistazo al tema 1 de la unidad 1.
As pues, entramos en materia.

Actividad de lectura

Como primera actividad vamos a traducir las siguientes oraciones prestando especial
atencin a que aparecen infinitivos y gerundios con muy diferentes valores. Localiza
esas formas verbales y di que funcin realizan en cada una de ellas.
1. Marcos has decided to buy a new printing machine.

2. Exercising every day helps to keep fit.

3. My brother insisted on finishing the tennis match in spite of the rain.

4. Maria couldn't train yesterday due to the doctor's instructions although she
really wanted to do it.

5. This sentence is easy to translate.

6. I advise you to apply for the job even if you don't feel like working as a

8 de 28

7. He insisted on helping me although I hadn't asked him to do it.

8. Working in Andalucia in the afternoons in July should be prohibited by the

health authorities.

9 de 28

2.1. Gerunds

Imagen en Flickr de ggrosseck bajo CC

EL GERUNDIO
Las funciones bsicas del gerundio son las siguientes:
1. Como sujeto de la oracin cuando hablamos de acciones o hechos en general.
Taking up a new sport is not easy .
(Empezar a practicar un nuevo deporte no es fcil.)
2. Como complemento directo de algunos verbos como:
Admit, avoid (evitar), consider, continue, discuss (debatir), dislike, deny (negar),
detest, enjoy (disfrutar), finish (terminar), give up (dejar de), go + activities, hate
(odiar), keep on (continuar), love (encantar), mind (importar), miss (echar de
menos), postpone, practice, prefer, put off (posponer), quit, stop (=quit),
recommend, resist, suggest (sugerir), think about (pensar en)...
I admitted being responsible for the misunderstanding .
(Admit ser responsable del malentendido.)
3. Detrs de preposicin .
He is afraid of not playing well in front of the audience.
(Teme o tiene miedo de no tocar bien ante el pblico.)
4. Detrs de algunas formas verbales o expresiones como:
Be used to/get used to (estar acostumbrado a/acostumbrarse a), can't help (no poder
evitar), can't stand (no soportar), don't mind/wouldn't mind (no me importa/no me
importara), feel like (tener ganas de), it's no use (es intil, de nada sirve), look
foward to (tener ganas de, esperar algo con ganas), etc.
She said that she wouldn't mind helping me solve all my doubts.

10 de 28

Traduce las siguientes oraciones atendiendo a lo explicado en el apartado anterior.

1. He admitted not being motivated to continue working for them.

2. It's no use regretting events from the past. They can't be changed.

3. I miss talking to my grandfather while watching a football match on tv.

4. He loves chatting with his friends after playing a basketball match sitting on a
bar.

5. Practising every day is the key to improve your results and to succeed.

6. As Elvis sings in the song, I can't help falling in love with you.

7. He always says that he is used to giving more than to receiving.

8. They postponed taking a decision about your project.

9. Keep on working. I am sure that it will be worth the effort.

10. I avoided giving my opinion until I read the report carefully.

11. They are keen on travelling but spending their money on travelling is a
luxury they can't afford now.

12. I suggested spending our holidays in a spa to forget all the stress of our daily
life.

13. I detest not being able to relax in my spare time.

14. He denied causing any disturbance during the demonstration.

15. I am looking forward to seeing you again.

11 de 28

12 de 28

2.2. Infinitives

EL INFINITIVO
Es la forma verbal precedida de to y se emplea en estos casos:
1. Como sujeto , hablando de un hecho concreto.
To inform her about her husband's accident was very difficult for the doctor .
(Informarla a ella sobre el accidente de su marido fue muy difcil para el mdico.)
2. Detrs de verbos como:
Agree (acordar), appear (parecer), choose (elegir), decide, hope (tener esperanzas),
learn (aprender), plan (planear), promise (prometer), refuse (negarse a), seem
(parecer), want (querer), wish (desear)...
We agreed to go running together.
(Acordamos/quedamos en ir a correr juntos.)
3. Detrs de algunos adjetivos y adverbios .
I think that what he said is hard to believe.
(Creo que lo que dijo es difcil de creer.)
4. Detrs del complemento indirecto de verbos como:
Advise (aconsejar), allow (permitir),
command (ordenar), convince, encourage
(animar), force (obligar), hire (contratar), invite, order, permit,
persuade
(convencer), remind (recordarle algo a alguien), require (requerir, exigir), teach
(ensear), tell, urge (instar, exhortar), warn (advertir)... Ese complemento indirecto
funciona como sujeto del verbo en infinitivo.
After her pregnancy, I advised her to start doing Pilates.
(Despus de su embarazo, le aconsej que empezara a practicar Pilates.)
El infinitivo sin to se utiliza con algunos verbos de percepcin ( hear, feel, see... ),
con make y let . Con help el infinitivo puede aparecer con o sin to .
His ankle injury made Liu Xiang think of retiring from professional athletics.
(Su lesin de tobillo hizo que Liu Xiang pensara en retirarse del atletismo profesional.)
I saw the car stop at the traffic lights.
(Vi al coche pararse en el semforo.)

Para explicar un poco ms en profundidad lo anterior vamos a analizar el verbo want

desear) y su complementacin a travs de unos ejemplos y su traduccin.
1. He wants a pay increase .
l quiere un aumento de sueldo. (querer algo)

2. He wants to get a pay increase .

Quiere recibir un aumento de sueldo. (querer hacer algo)

3. He wants his boss to increase his salary .

Quiere que su jefe le suba el sueldo . (querer que alguien haga algo)

13 de 28

(querer o

En los ejemplos 2 y 3 vemos que el complemento del verbo want es un verbo en infinitivo con to ,
la diferencia est en que en el ejemplo 3 aparece un complemento indirecto que funciona como
sujeto del infinitivo.
En cuanto a la negacin de esta estructura, se puede negar tanto el verbo want como el verbo en
infinitivo.
4. His boss doesn't want him to work overtime.
Su jefe no quiere que l trabaje horas extras.

5. His boss wants him not to work overtime.

Su jefe quiere que l no trabaje horas extras.
En el ejemplo 5 vemos que para negar el verbo en infinitivo colocamos not delante del to .

De acuerdo con la explicacin anterior, traduce las siguientes oraciones.

1. Federer never seems to be nervous before a final match.

2. I encouraged my nephew to play basketball and I promised to teach him how

to play.

3. The government warned Spanish citizens not to travel to countries in armed

conflict.

4. He was so angry that he refused to accept my apologies.

5. The candidate promised not to raise taxes during the campaign.

6. He wished to have a country house one day to live a quiet life.

7. She reminded her father to pick her up after her training.

8. The coach urged the team to play the final quarter more sensibly.

9. A recurrent injury forced him to retire from professional football when he was
only 24.

14 de 28

10. He told his friends not to wait for him. He would join them later.

11. They hired a PE student to watch children swim in the pool.

12. I always advise my students to read carefully the instructions before

answering the questions in the exam.

13. The company requires all his employees to be ready to travel abroad when
necessary.

14. The referee allowed the player to return to the match with a bandage on his
head.

15. The manager persuaded him to work for them because he promised to hire
his wife when they needed a new physiotherapist.

15 de 28

2.3. Infinitive and gerunds

Como ya hemos visto, hay verbos que, cuando son complementados por otros, rigen el
uso del infinitivo o del gerundio. Sin embargo, a veces podemos utilizar ambos, el
infinitivo o el gerundio, sin un cambio sustancial de significado. Con otros verbos lo que
ocurre es que se pueden utilizar ambas formas pero el uso de una u otra implica
cambios de significado.
1. Infinitivo y gerundio.
1.1. El uso de una u otra forma no cambia el significado del verbo, como begin,
forbid, intend, propose o start .
They intended to attend/attending the lecture.
(Ellos tenan la intencin de asistir a la conferencia.)
1.2. El uso de una u otra forma no cambia el significado del verbo sustancialmente.
Los verbos love, like, prefer y hate pueden ir seguidos tanto de gerundio como de
infinitivo, pero con el gerundio el significado es general.
She hates getting up early.
(Ella odia levantarse temprano.)
Con el infinitivo se refiere a una situacin o un tiempo en particular.
I hate to share our flat with Ann. She is so untidy.
(Odio compartir el piso con Ann. Es muy desordenada.)
2. Infinitivo o gerundio. El uso de una u otra forma tiene un significado diferente.
Aqu tienes algunos ejemplos:
2.1.
Forget + gerundio se emplea para indicar que se ha olvidado o no algo
ocurrido en el pasado.
He will never forget winning the gold medal.
(Nunca olvidar haber ganado la medalla de oro.)
Forget + infinitivo significa olvidarse de hacer algo.
He easily forgets to lock his car.
(Olvida fcilmente cerrar el coche con llave.)
2.2.

Remember

+ gerundio significa recordar algo que se hizo en el pasado.

I remember paying my order by credit card.

(Recuerdo haber pagado mi pedido con tarjeta.)
Remember + infinitivo significa acordarse de hacer algo.
Remember to give him my regards.
(Recuerda darle a l recuerdos de mi parte.)
2.3.

Regret

+ gerundio significa lamentar haber hecho algo en el pasado.

He regrets leaving school at 16.
(Se arrepiente de haber dejado el colegio a Ios 16.)

Regret + infinitivo significa lamentar lo que se va a decir a continuacin.

I regret to inform you that you have to resit your driving test.
(Lamento informarte de que tienes que volver apresentarte a tu examen de conducir.)

16 de 28

I stopped smoking four years ago.

(Dej de fumar hace cuatro aos.)
Stop + infinitivo significa dejar de hacer algo para hacer otra cosa, cambiar una
actividad.
Can we stop (working) to smoke?
(Podemos parar (de trabajar) para fumar?)
2.5.

Try

+ infinitivo significa esforzarse por hacer algo, intentarlo.

We tried to explain her the situation but she refused to listen.

(Intentamos explicarle la situacin pero ella se neg a escuchar.)
Try + gerundio significa probar hacer algo a modo de experimento.
His mobile was off so we tried phoning his wife to talk to him.
(Su mvil estaba apagado as que probamos llamar a su mujer para hablar con l.)

De acuerdo con la explicacin anterior sobre los verbos en el apartado anterior, traduce
las siguientes oraciones.
1. On our way to the beach, we stopped to lunch in Jerez.

2. The bank manager said that he regretted to tell me that they couldn't give me
a loan.

3. He regrets not taking our basketball training more seriously. The coach
decided to leave him out of the initial five.

4. The teacher stopped explaining and sat down because the students weren't
paying attention.

5. I forgot to tell you that I have a new phone number.

6. My mobile wasn't working properly so I tried switching it off and on again to

see if it improved.

7. They remembered to switch off the water heater before going out.

17 de 28

9. The witnesses will never forget seeing the car crash into the cinema queue.

10. I remember buying an art magazine and a couple of books last week but I
can't find the magazine.

11. He intended phoning you after dinner last night but he fell asleep on the sofa
early. He will call you today.

12. I love walking for a while in the evening and talk but I hate to walk for three
hours without talking as we have done today.

13. She tried starting a conversation to know how he felt but he refused to say a
word.

14. I stopped playing basketball when my son was born. I hope to start playing
again soon.

15. He remembered meeting me before but he had forgotten my name.

18 de 28

3. Multi-word verbs

Cuando en ingls hablamos de Multi-Word Verbs , tambin llamados Phrasal Verbs , o,

verbos frasales, nos encontramos con el problema de que en espaol no existe nada
parecido. Estamos refirindonos a verbos formados por dos o ms palabras, siendo la
primera un verbo y las siguientes preposicin o adverbio, y cuyo significado como
conjunto no es la suma del significado de sus partes. Valga como ejemplo look after ,
look significa parecer o mirar y after significa despus o detrs , sin embargo
el grupo look after significa cuidar . Debemos asociar el significado al conjunto. As, la
oracin A babysitter looks after my baby when I am at work , se traduce por Una
canguro cuida de mi beb cuando estoy en el trabajo .
No debemos confundirlos con verbos preposicionales, que ya vimos en el tema anterior.
Los verbos preposicionales son verbos que rigen una preposicin (lo que sera en
espaol un suplemento) como
insist
que rige la preposicin
on , pero su
significado es la suma de sus partes, no adquiere un significado diferente. As She
insisted on explaining her point of view , es Ella insisti en explicar su punto de vista .
A efectos prcticos no tiene mucho sentido profundizar en exceso en clasificaciones o
peculiaridades de este tipo de verbos. Solo hacer tres puntualizaciones:

Imagen en Flickr de ethan bajo CC

1. Cuando tenemos que buscar un verbo de este tipo en el diccionario,

primero debemos buscar el verbo, y despus nos iremos al final de su
entrada. Nos encontraremos todos los verbos frasales que tenga el verbo
ordenados alfabticamente segn su partcula o partculas. Look tiene
combinaciones con after, ahead, around, at, back, down on, for, forward to,
in, into, on, out, out for, over, round, through, to, up, upon, up to .
Afortunadamente no todos los verbos tienen este tipo de estructuras ni los
que las tienen tienen tantas combinaciones como el verbo look .

19 de 28

1. De lo anterior se deduce que existen dos tipos al menos de

combinaciones: Verbo + Partcula ( Look up that word , que es Busca esa
palabra en el diccionario ) y Verbo + Partcula + Partcula ( I have always
looked up to my older brother ,que es Siempre he admirado a mi
hermano mayor ).

1. La unidad de significado entre verbo y partcula o partculas no impide que

puedan aparecer complementos entre ellos. A veces nos encontramos oraciones
como la siguiente The teacher told his students off for being late , que la
traducimos por El profesor ri a los estudiantes por llegar tarde . El orden The
teacher told off his studentsfor being late tambin es posible.

Con la ayuda de un diccionario y el listado de verbos que aparece ms abajo traduce las
siguientes oraciones. En todas ellas hay al menos un verbo frasal, antes de buscarlos
intenta deducir su significado por el contexto. Has acertado alguno de ellos?
1. I always get up early, even on holidays.

2. My neighbour will look after my pets while I am in Amsterdam.

3. When she is in a foreign country, she always asks for directions to practise her
English.

4. My father gave up smoking before the doctor told him to do it.

5. My teacher found out who cheated in the exam.

6. Many people have run out of hope due to their money problems.

7. We checked in the hotel and went down to the restaurant to have lunch.

8. We are going to call on our friends from Granada next week.

9. When the fairy touched the flower, it turned into a butterfly and flew away.

20 de 28

10. She always holds my hand when the plane takes off.

11. He easily got rid of the last defender and scored the winning goal.

12. I can't believe how much my son has grown up in six months.

13. You can count on me to help you whenever you need it.

14. She was really brought up by her grandparents because her parents had to
move to Germany to work without her.

15. His message finishes with ASAP. Do you know what ASAP stands for?

16. Ive heard that they have blown down an old bomb from World War II in
Munich.

Aqu tienes cuatro fragmentos en los que aparecen varios verbos frasales. El verbo de
base en cada uno de ellos es el mismo y est indicado al principio de cada uno.
Tradcelos prestando especial atencin a los verbos indicados.
1. Take . When he took over the company, he had to take on more staff since
sales seemed to be taking off.

2. Bring . The government promised to bring down taxes but they have actually
raised them. People's discontent may bring about a change in the hope that the
new one brings the lost prosperity back.

3. Get . She refused to get down although she did't know how she would get
through her bankruptcy. The first thing that she had to assume was that she
would have to get by with much less than she was used to.

21 de 28

22 de 28

4. Apndice
En esta seccin trataremos temas de tipo cultural y curiosidades. Ser tambin una seccin para
ampliar conocimientos que seguro te sern de utilidad.

Fotografa en Flickr de mdezemery bajo CC

23 de 28

4.1. Curiosidades

Pre-conocimiento

Los Juegos Olmpicos no solo han sido un acontecimento deportivo, son tambin un
acontecimiento social, econmico y poltico, ya que en muchas ocasiones se han
utilizado como instrumento de propaganda poltico. Lee el siguiente texto y quizs te
sorprendas de la trascendencia de este evento en la poltica internacional:
The Olympic Games have been used as a
platform to promote political ideologies almost
from its beginning. Nazi Germany wished to
portray the National Socialist Party as
benevolent and peace-loving when they
hosted the 1936 Games, though they used the
Games to display Aryan superiority. Germany
was the most successful nation at the Games,
which did much to support their allegations of
Aryan supremacy, but notable victories by
African American Jesse Owens, who won four
gold medals, and Hungarian Jew Ibolya Csk,
blunted the message.
The Soviet Union did not participate until the
1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Instead,
starting in 1928, the Soviets organized an
international sports event called Spartakiads.
During the interwar period of the 1920s and
1930s, communist and socialist organizations
in several countries, including the United
States, attempted to counter what they called
Imagen modificada en Flickr
the "bourgeois" Olympics with the Workers
de @jpwack bajo CC
Olympics. It was not until the 1956 Summer
Games that the Soviets emerged as a sporting
superpower and, in doing so, took full advantage of the publicity that came with
winning at the Olympics.
Individual athletes have also used the Olympic stage to promote their own political
agenda. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, two American track and field
athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who finished first and third in the 200 meters,
performed the Black Power salute on the victory stand. The second place finisher, Peter
Norman of Australia, wore an Olympic Project for human rights badge in support of
Smith and Carlos. In response to the protest, IOC president Avery Brundage told the
United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to either send the two athletes home or
withdraw the track and field team. The USOC opted for the former.
Currently, the government of Iran has taken steps to avoid any competition between
its athletes and those from Israel. An Iranian judoka, Arash Miresmaeili, did not
compete in a match against an Israeli during the 2004 Summer Olympics. Although he
was officially disqualified for being overweight, Miresmaeli was awarded US$125,000 in
prize money by the Iranian government, an amount paid to all Iranian gold medal
winners.
Texto extrado de Wikipedia

Traduccin :
Los Juegos Olmpicos se han usado como plataforma para promover ideologas polticas

24 de 28

juegos, lo que apoy sus alegaciones de superioridad aria, pero las notables victorias
del afroamericano Jesse Owens, quin gan cuatro medallas de oro, y el judo hngaro
Ibolya Csk, desvirtuaron el mensaje.
La Unin Sovitica no particp hasta los juegos de verano de 1952 en Helsinki. En su
lugar, empezando en 1928, los soviticos organizaron unos deportes internacionales
llamados las Espartaquiadas. Durante el periodo de entreguerras de 1920-1930,
asociaciones comunistas y socialistas de varios pases, incluyendo los Estados Unidos,
intentaron contraatacar lo que llamaban las olimpiadas burguesas con las Olimpiadas
Trabajadoras. No fue hasta los juegos de verano de 1956 que los soviticos emergieron
como una superpotencia deportiva y , haciendo eso, se aprovecharon de la publicidad
que vino de ganar en las olimpiadas.
Atletas individuales han usado el podio olmpico para promocionar su propia agenda
poltica. En los juegos de verano de 1968 en la ciudad de Mxico, dos atletas
americanos de atletismo, Tommie Smith y John Carlos, quienes terminaron primero y
tercero en los 200 metros, realizaron el saludo del Black Power (Poder negro) en el
podio. El segundo finalista, Peter Norman de Australia, llevaba un escudo del proyecto
olmpico para los derechos humanos en apoyo de Smith y Carlos. En respuesta a la
protesta, el presidente del COI Avery Brundage le dijo al comit olmpico de los Estados
Unidos que mandara a los dos atletas a casa o retirarara el equipo de atletismo. El
USOC opt por lo primero.
Actualmente, el gobierno de Irn ha intentado impedir la competicin entre sus atletas
y los de Israel. Un judoca iran, Arash Miresmaelli, no compiti en un combate contra
una israel durante los juegos del 2004. Aunque fue oficialmente descalificado por tener
sobrepeso, Miresmaeli obtuvo el premio de 125,000 dlares americanos por el gobierno
iran, una cantidad pagada a todos los medallista de oro iranes.

La seleccin espaola de ftbol ha hecho historia. Mundialmente conocida como La

Roja , vive una etapa de reconocimento mundial y ha tocado la gloria deportiva. Pero
ya sabemos que esto no siempre fue as, por eso el mrito sea quizs mayor. Aqu
tienes varios datos de las barreras y rcords que el equipo nacional ha protagonizado:
Given the final victory in the European
Championship in 2012, Spain broke many
barriers and beat several records:
1. Spain became the first team to
win three consecutive titles.
2. Spain became the first team to
make the final as the reigning
European champion since Germany
did in 1976.
3. Spain won a final by the greatest
goal margin ever (40), one goal
better than West Germany's victory
over the Soviet Union in 1972
(30).
4.
Spain became along Germany
the most successful teams in the
European Championships history,
with three titles each.

Imagen en Flickr de Jorge y Pablo Dalmau bajo

25 de 28

CC

world champions.
6. Spain is the country with the best goal difference in a championship
tournament, 121. This is true partly because the Quarterfinals was added to
Euro Cup in 1996, and therefore there were fewer matches. France has the
second best goal difference of 123 in 1984, but with a game in hand.
7. In addition, Vicente del Bosque became the second manager, after Germany
manager Helmut Schn, to lead a national side to a UEFA European Football
Championship and a FIFA World Cup trophy, and the first to have also won the
UEFA Champions League.
Spain also got a complete change in reputation, when "La Roja" by increasing numbers
was seen as the best team, even as far as being called the best team in the history of
football. Spain also got other good references. The French sports daily L'Equipe rewrote
Gary Linekers famous quote and wrote "Football is a sport where you play eleven
against eleven, and eventually in the end Spain wins". The Guardian wrote, "This will
forever be recalled as Spain's golden era, unrivaled by any team.".

Traduccin :
Dada la victoria final en la eurocopa de 2012, Espaa rompi muchas barreras y bati
varios rcords:
1. Espaa ha llegado a ser el primer equipo en ganar tres ttulos consecutivos.
2. Espaa lleg a ser el primer equipo en llegar a la final siendo el campen
europeo vigente desde que lo hizo Alemania en 1976.
3. Espaa gan una final con el margen de goles ms amplio nunca (4-0), un gol
ms que la victoria de la Alemania occidental sobre la unin Sovitica en 1972
(3-0).
4. Espaa lleg a ser junto a Alemania el equipo de ms xito en la historia de
los campeonatos de Europa con tres ttulos cada uno.
5. Espaa es el primer equipo nacional en haber ganado la copa del mundo y su
campeonato continental tres veces seguidas. Los nicos competidores no
europeos, Brasil, Uruguay y Argentina, nunca han ganado la Copa Amrica como
campeones mundiales.
6. Espaa es el pas con la mayor diferencia de goles en un torneo de eurocopa,
12-1. Esto es cierto en parte porque cuartos de final se aadi a la eurocopa en
1996, y en consecuencia, hubo menos partidos. Francia tiene la segunda mayor
diferencia de goles con 12-3 en 1984, pero con menos partidos.
7. Adems, Vicente del Bosque lleg a convertirse en el segundo entrenador,
despus del alemn Helmut Schn, en llevar a una seleccin nacional al
campeonato de ftbol europeo de la UEFA y un trofeo de la Copa del mundo de la
FIFA, y el primero en haber ganado la Liga de Campeones de la UEFA.
Espaa tambin tiene una reputacin completamente diferente, cuando "La Roja" fue
considerada por muchos como el mejor equipo, incluso siendo considerada al final el
mejor equipo del mundo de la historia. Espaa tambin tiene otras buenas referencias.
El diario deportivo francs L'Equipe incluy la famosa cita de Gary Linekers diciendo "el
ftbol es un deporte dondes juegas 11 contra 11, y al final gana Espaa". The Guardian
escribi, "esto ser para siempre recordado como la edad de oro espaola, sin rival en
ningn equipo".

26 de 28

4.2. Para saber ms

Objetivos

Habrs visto que en uno de los textos aparece el adjetivo drunken . Probablemente
te haya llamado la atencin porque te resultar ms familiar la forma drunk . Pues
bien eso es algo no muy comn, pero que ocurre con algunos adjetivos que suelen
aparecer antepuestos a los nombres que modifican. Aqu tienes otros muy comunes:
golden (dorado), woollen (de lana), wooden (de madera), olden (variante de
old, viejo) .

Para saber ms

Hay una enorme cantidad de verbos frasales. Hay incluso diccionarios solo de verbos
frasales. Para que tengas una referencia, aqu tienes un listado de algunos de los ms
comunes:
back up : Hacer una copia de seguridad .
Ej.: I am going to back up all the files of my computer .
blow up : Explotar .
Ej.: The construction company used dynamite to blow that old building up .
bring back : Devolver algo.
Ej.: Don't forget to bring my pen back when you finish using it.
bring up : Criar.
Ej.: Lucy's parents brought her up in a positive and creative environment.
burn down : Consumirse por el fuego.
Ej.: The barn burned down before the fire fighters arrived.
fill in : Rellenar.
Ej.: Can you fill in the green application form?
give up : Dejar un hbito.
Ej.: He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up .
hand out : Distribuir, repartir.
Ej.: The teacher handed the exams out at half-past seven.
keep out: Mantenerse alejado de algo.
Ej.: The notice says keep out , so wed better leave.
knock out : Dejar inconsciente.
Ej.: The black boxer knocked the white one out in 14 seconds.
let down : Decepcionar.
Ej.: Im terribly sorry. I know I let you down when you most needed me.
look up: Buscar informacin.
Ej.: Pass me the dictionary. I need to look this word up .
make up : Inventar algo.
Ej.: Judy's story is hard to believe. Im sure she made it up .

27 de 28

put off : Posponer, retrasar.

Ej.: The meeting was put off because of the bad weather.
put on : Ponerse una prenda.
Ej.: You'd better put a sweater on . Its freezing outside.
set up : Establecer(se).
Ej.: The Portuguese were the first to set up overseas commercial routes.
throw away : Tirar a la basura.
Ej.: You shouldn't throw paper away ; its recyclable.
turn down : Rechazar.
Ej.: I thought my proposal would be turned down , but it wasnt.
turn down : Bajar el volumen.
Ej.: Please turn your music down or use your headphones!
turn off : Apagar.
Ej.: Im cold. Do you mind if I turn the air conditioner off ?
turn on : Encender.
Ej.: Its cold in here. I'm going to turn the heater on.
write down : Poner por escrito.
Ej.: Could you write your e-mail down here?

28 de 28