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How do you say…?
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Angela Hartley
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Fulbright English Teaching Assistant

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April-November, 2012

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Lillian Von Specht
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Lengua 4
Instituto Superior Antonio Ruiz de Montoya
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Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………2

Students and Teacher’s Questions and Explanations………………………………………………….4

Answers and Additional Useful Terms………………………………………………………………...18

Beauty Products……………………………………………………………………………………....18

The Body……………………………………………………………………………………………...20

Businesses/Occupations…………………………………………………………………………....22

Clothes………………………………………………………………………………………………..24

Education…………………………………………………………………………………………….25

The Environment……………………………………………………………………………………32

Food………………………………………………………………………………………………….33

Holidays……………………………………………………………………………………………..38

Politics………………………………………………………………………………………………39

Popular Slang Words……………………………………………………………………………….40

Regionalisms……………………………………………………………………………………….46

Relationships……………………………………………………………………………………….49

School/Classroom Supplies………………………………………………………………………….51

Sports/Games……………………………………………………………………………………….52

Technology…………………………………………………………………………………………53

Cell Phones …………………………………………………………………………………..54

Common Texting Slang…………………………………………………….………………..55

Facebook. ………………………………………………………………………………..…..55

Twitter………………………………………………………………………………………..56

Computers…………………………………………………………………………………....57

Miscellaneous………………………………………………………………………..………………..58

Conclusion………………..……………………………………………………………………………..65

1
Introduction
Language is not stagnant. Words, phrases, and pronunciation evolve with time, reflecting not only
changes in language but also changes in culture, advancements in technology, and the assimilation of
ideas. Therefore, one never finishes learning a language- there will always be more to know. More
phrases, more colloquial terms, more innuendos – the list goes on and on.

Even after studying a language for years, reading thousands of texts, there are still more words to learn.
Sometimes, the little things that we use with most frequency are the things we never learn how to say. It
is out of this idea that the project “How do you say…” was born.

In April of 2012, the 4th year students as well as professors of the English Teacher Training College,
began writing down the questions that popped into their minds throughout the day, relating to U.S.
English vocabulary, phrases, and idioms. With these questions, as well as other observations that have
occurred to me while being in a land outside of my own native tongue, I compiled a dictionary to
supplement the information taught in a language text book.

As vocabulary changes, so does the formally accepted dictionary. New words are added yearly. In a
recent interview with The Atlantic Wire, Sokolowski, an editor for the Merriam-Webster Collegiate
Dictionary explains: “When a word is added, the process begins with looking for words in ‘their natural
habitat for real evidence of the language in use,’ and select them for entry based on new meanings and
frequency of use” (Doll). He adds, “The lesson is that words are mutable, traveling through history as
humans put different meanings on them. As Sokolowski says, ‘That's actually the whole story, told over
and over and over again. Only dead languages are static’” (Doll).

In the following pages you will find the questions that students and teachers asked, followed by
explanations in both English and Spanish as to why someone from Argentina would think to ask that
question. After each question you will see the page number referring to where in the document you can
find the corresponding answer. Following these questions, you will find the comprehensive list of
vocabulary as well as definitions, examples, and cultural explanations of the uses of words in the United
States. I have added many additions besides just the questions asked, which are listed below the
questions in each topic. The words are organized by topic, and the page numbers for each topic can be
found in the Table of Contents.

I hope this project inspires you to be curious, to ask questions, and to seek answers. As long as we are
living, let’s keep learning!

Angela Hartley

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant

Works Cited:

Doll, Jen. August 14, 2012. “Meet the Dictionary's New Words: F-Bomb, Sexting, Bucket List”.
<http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/08/meet-dictionarys-new-words-f-bomb-sexting-bucket-list/55745/>

2
“How do you say …?” is one of the most frequently asked questions in any foreign language class,
together with “What’s the meaning of…?”. This year we have been blessed with the presence of a
delightful young lady who has captivated us all with her knowledge of the world, her country and her
language. She has asked those questions herself as well trying to understand a whole new language, a
whole new culture. English and Spanish became one in her mind and ours.

Although we did not mean to, Angela Hartley, our Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, little by little
became a “walking dictionary” in our Language IV classes –equipped with a wide smile, open-mindness,
serious commitment and an enormous heart. There were so many gaps we had in our everyday foreign
language that she came right in time for fixing our needs. The idea of a project where students and
teachers from the Teacher Training College could participate sounded just perfect. “How do you
say…?”was born this way.

In order to get ourselves organized, Angie became a high-tech magician and a fully-devoted leader,
sorting themes out into categories and helping students get organized with their own questions. In the
meantime, she needed our help so as to clarify our questions. That’s exactly when we saw the differences
that exist between the American and the Argentinian cultures. We needed to give her a hand in return, and
decided to explain our questions both in English and Spanish.

Much has been learned and accomplished thanks to this project. This work shows how together, many
people can deepen their understanding of language in use through curiosity, open dialogue, organized
team work, responsibility and respect. I know it will be useful for many generations ahead. Hopefully,
sometime in the future, a new version or a second issue will be released. Angie has taught us how to get
started. We are all profoundly thankful for her help. Her outstanding academic background together with
her open heart have led us into a new bright path.

Thank you so much, dearest Angie!

Lilian von Specht

Language IV

3
Students and Teacher’s Questions and Explanations
How do you say “milanesas”? Answer: Food pg.33

Las milanesas son bifes finos de carne blanca o roja rebozados con huevo y pan rallado, pueden ser
fritas o al horno (más saludable). En Argentina es una comida típica que se sirve como plato principal,
suele servirse en sándwich o al plato acompañado por guarniciones. Su bajo costo y simple preparación
hacen de las milanesas una comida muy popular.

Milanesas are thin slices of beef, chicken, veal, or sometimes pork, and even eggplant or soya. Each slice
is dipped into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt and other condiments according to the cook’s tastes. Each
slice is then dipped in bread crumbs (breaded) and shallow-fried in oil, one at the time. They can also be
baked as a healthier alternative. Its low cost and easy preparation make the milanesas a very popular
meal.

How do you say “Dulce de leche”? (since many people tend to confuse it with “caramel”)
Answer: Food page 34

El dulce de leche es un producto de origen argentino, aunque Chile, Perú y Uruguay también se disputan
la invención de este producto, el cual es una pasta caramelizada elaborada a base de leche, azúcar y
esencia de vainilla. En la actualidad es producido y consumido en masa en sus diferentes variedades
clásico, repostero y heladero. El dulce de leche es ampliamente utilizado en postres como los alfajores,
helados, pasteles o tortas.

Dulce de leche is a product from Argentina, but Chile, Peru and Uruguay also claim to be its inventors.
This product is a paste produced from caramelized milk, sugar and vanilla essence. Today it is mass
produced and consumed in its different varieties: as a spread on toast or bread, in pastry and in the
flavoring or filling of assorted desserts or candy (ice cream, alfajores, etc.). Dulce de leche gets different
names in Latin American countries.

In Spanish we can classify certain fruits as “Frutos secos” and others as “Frutas secas”(or “frutos
pasos”); the first ones refer to all kinds of nuts (walnuts, cashew nuts, pistachio, almonds, etc,) and
the latter name all those fruits such as grapes, bananas, plums, figs, etc. that have gone through a
process of drying or dehydration... What would you call each group? Answer: Food page 35

La fruta seca, frutos pasos o frutas desecadas son frutas tales como higo, dátil, pasa, calabaza, ciruela
pasa, banana, durazno etc. que han pasado por un proceso de secado llamado deshidratación donde al
reducir el contenido de humedad en dichas frutas llega a un 20% de su peso. Las frutas secas pueden ser
utilizadas como simple aperitivo o también en platos elaborados.

Los frutos secos tales como anacardos, avellanas, castañas, maníes, almendra, nuez o el pistacho entre
otros son frutas que en su composición natural vienen rodeados por una cáscara dura, además tienen
menos de un 50% de agua que otras frutas. Las semillas de otras frutas también son consideradas en este
grupo como por ejemplo, semillas de calabaza, semillas de girasol, sésamo o ajo entre otras.
Generalmente estos frutos secos se utilizan en la elaboración de comidas saladas así como también en
postres o tortas.

“Frutas secas”: figs, dates, raisins, pumpkins, prunes, bananas, peaches, grapes, plums, etc. that have gone
under a dehydration process. The moisture content is reduced up to 20% its weight. These fruits are
highly consumed as a simple snacks or in dishes.
“Frutos secos”: Fruits such as cashews, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, walnuts or pistachios and
others are the fruits that come in their natural composition surrounded by a hard shell and apart from that

4
they have less than 50% water than other fruits. The seeds of other fruits are also considered in this group
such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame or garlic among others.

How do you say “morcilla”, “chorizo” and “chinchulín”? Answer: Food page 35
Estos tres alimentos son un componente muy típico del asado argentino. Es muy común encontrarlos
como parte de los asados familiares o con amigos.

La morcilla es un embutido negro o rojo de forma cilíndrica que consiste en una tripa de cerdo o tripa
artificial rellena principalmente con grasa y sangre coagulada de cerdo. Este relleno es condimentado
principalmente con pimentón y cebolla, la sangre rara vez puede ser de vaca o caballo. Este alimento
puede ser cocinado al horno, frito o a la parrilla.

El chorizo es un embutido elaborado con carne picada y grasa de vaca, pollo, cabra o cerdo,
condimentado con diferentes especias. En su preparación y cocción es similar a la morcilla a diferencia
que presenta variedades en cuanto a su forma de curado que puede secado o ahumado.

El chinchulín es preparado con el intestino delgado del ganado vacuno, en forma de trenzas. La cocción
de este alimento es variada puede ser asado a la parrilla o en diferentes platos en forma de cazuela.

A “morcilla” or black pudding is a type of sausage made of pork or artificial gut filled with cooked or
dried blood and fat from pork. This filling is seasoned with paprika and onion. It can be baked, fried or
grilled.
A “chorizo” is a sausage made of ground beef, chicken, goat or pork It is seasoned with different spices.
Its preparation and cooking is similar to the morcilla’s and may be dried or smoked.

A “chinchulines” are a typical component of the Argentine “asado”. They are prepared with the small
intestine of cows, in a braided shape. They can be cooked on a charcoal grill or in different stewed dishes.

¿Los “fiambres en general” son “cold cuts”? ¿Y la parte de un negocio que venda fiambres? (also
known as “embutidos”) Answer: Food page 35

En alimentación se denomina embutido a una pieza de carne picada y condimentada con hierbas y
especias que es introducida en piel de tripas de cerdo artificial comestible. Existen diferentes tipos de
embutidos dependiendo de su curación e ingredientes utilizados, los más comunes son: salchichón,
mortadela, jamón serrano, morcilla, pavo cocido entre otros. Se los pueden comprar cortados en rodajas
y en paquetes sellados, o se puede solicitar que los corten a pedido en la sección de embutidos de un
supermercado. Los fiambres se suelen usar como un simple relleno para sándwiches y también son una
opción fácil de servir en fiestas y reuniones familiares.

“Fiambres” consist of any of various sausages or molded loaf meats sliced and served cold. There are
different types of fiambres depending on the way they are made and the ingredients used. The most
common ones are ham, salami, roast turkey, spiced sausage among others. You can buy them already
sliced in vacuum packs, or have them sliced to order at a deli counter. Fiambres are often used as
sandwich filling and also easy-to-serve snacks at parties and family gatherings.

Is there any word for “canelones”? Answer : Food page 36

Los canelos son un plato de origen italiano, elaborados con masas de pasta fina, de forma cuadrada o
redonda (también conocidos como panqueques). Una vez cocinados en una sartén, se los rellena y
enrolla en forma de tubo. Este relleno puede ser de verduras (acelga o espinaca), pollo, ricota, jamón o

5
carne, etc, Luego se los cocina al horno con una cobertura de salga blanca o portuguesa. En argentina,
los canelones son una comida muy popular.

“Cannelloni” is an Italian dish made out of small boiled tubes of pasta filled with vegetables -like chard or
spinach-, chicken, cottage cheese, cheese or meat. Then, they are covered in tomato or cheese sauce and
baked. Cannelloni is served as a dish in Argentina.

How do you say “carozo de aceituna”? Answer: Food page 36

El carozo de la aceituna es la semilla que se encuentra en el interior de la fruta que proviene de la planta
Oliva. Hay dos tipos, negras o verdes.

Las aceitunas son un componente característico de las pizzas. Éstas son una comida fácil de preparar y a
la vez una de las más accesibles. Es por esto que las pizzas y las aceitunas son muy populares en el
momento de elegir el menú en una reunión familiar o de amigos.

It is the hard seed inside the olives. Olives are a kind of fruit that come from the olive tree and are very
popular in Argentina since we normally eat them in pizzas and also inside our empanadas. There are two
types of olives, green olives and black olives.

How do you say “la persona que lava los platos en un restaurant? Answer: Food page 37

En Argentina utilizamos el término "lavacopas" para referirnos a la persona que trabaja en un

restaurante lavando la vajilla. En nuestro país, como en muchos otros, ésta es una tarea mal
remunerada y la persona q lo realiza tiene q pasar largas horas haciendo lo mismo. No es un trabajo
prestigioso, por lo que generalmente es llevado q cabo por personas jóvenes o extranjeros,
especialmente de Paraguay o Bolivia.

In Argentina we use the word “lavaplatos” to refer to the person who works in a restaurant washing the
plates, glasses, forks, knives, etc. In our country, as well as in many others, the person who does the job is
not usually well paid, and he or she has to work long hours doing the same thing. It is not a prestigious
job, which is why it is performed mainly by young people or foreigners, especially Paraguayans and
Bolivians.

How do you say “tarta de verduras”? Answer: Food page 37

El término " tarta de verduras" es usado para referirse a una tarta salada rellena de verduras. Se
prepara colocando una fina capa de masa sobre una bandeja, agregando vegetales cortados en pequeños
trozos y cubriéndolos con otra fina capa de masa. Pueden ser utilizadas diferentes verduras para el
relleno, tales como espinaca, zanahorias o calabaza entre otras. Algunos optan por agregarle huevos o
queso para hacerla más sabrosa. En Argentina es una comida muy común debido a su bajo costo y
calidad alimenticia. Se cocina al horno y puede ser servida como plato principal o guarnición, fría o
caliente.

The term "tarta de verduras" refers to a pie filled with vegetables. It is prepared by putting some thin
dough at the bottom of a tray, adding chopped vegetables and covering that with some more thin dough.
Many different vegetables can be added, such as spinach, carrot or pumpkin among others. Also, some
people include eggs and cheese. In Argentina, it is really common due to its low cost and many nutrients.
It can be served as a main or side course, hot or cold.

6
Which is the correct preposition to use before certain holidays like “Christmas”? “At Christmas”
or “on Christmas”? Answer: Holidays page 38

En Argentina decimos “en Navidad”, “en el día de Navidad”, “en Noche Buena”.

Which preposition is used before “Christmas holidays”, “Christmas Eve”, and “Christmas”? “At”, “on”?

Should we say “at the weekend / at weekends” or “on the weekend / on weekends”?
Answer: Holidays page 38

Con respecto a los fines de semana decimos “el fin de semana”, “este fin de semana”, “en el fin de
semana” o “durante el fin de semana”.

Es una frase que se utiliza principalmente entre amigos o familiares para hacer planes y encontrarse en
esos días. Comúnmente se pregunta: ¿Qué haces este fin de semana? ¿Haces algo durante el fin de
semana? ¿Salimos el fin de semana? ¿Qué onda este finde?

Which preposition is used with “weekend”? “On the…”/ “at the”…?

Is there a word for “amiguismo”, i.e. getting favors thanks to friends? Answer: Relationships page 49

En Argentina utilizamos el término "amiguismo" para referirnos a la tendencia y práctica de

favorecer con cargos, puestos o premios a los amigos o conocidos, sin tener en cuenta merecimientos,
capacidad, etc.

In Argentina we use the term "amiguismo" to refer to the trend of providing favors such as jobs or prizes
to friends or acquaintances, regardless of merit, qualifications, etc.

¿“Trucho” (aparte de “fake” o “phony”)? Answer: Miscellaneous page 58

En Argentina utilizamos el término "trucho" para referirnos a algo falso. En nuestro país, las personas
de clase media suelen comprar o adquirir prendas de vestir, así como artefactos electrónicos que en su
paquete o envoltura suelen indicar que el producto es de determinada marca. Los productos en realidad
son una imitación de la marca indicada que se evidencia en la calidad y el bajo costo de los mismos.

In Argentina we use the term "trucho" to refer to something fake. Middle class people tend to purchase
items of clothing and electronics from a particular brand, but these products are actually an imitation of a
well-known trade mark or brand name. You can tell by their low quality and low cost.

¿Golpe de Estado? Answer: Politics page 39

A lo largo de la historia de nuestropaís , hubieron varios Golpes de Estado, en donde muchas personas
murieron y otras tantas están desaparecidas. En la actualidad, se pueden ver secuelas del último golpe
de estado en donde hubo niños robados a quienes se les cambió la identidad. Muchos de ellos la están
recuperando después de más de 30 años.

Many times along the history of Argentina this event took place and many people died or are still missing.
We can still see the consequences of the last “coup d'État”. Many children were kidnapped and had their
identity changed. Many of them are now recovering their identity after more than 30 years.

7
¿How do you say “desencontrarse”? Para el desencuentro de llamadas telefónicas es “phone tag”
¿Y para una visita personal? Answer: Cell Phones page 54

Creemos que es una palabra que usamos comúnmente ya que suele pasarnos cuando queremos o
planeamos encontrarnos con alguien y no se lleva a cabo.

This is an expression we generally use when we want to meet someone and we plan to do so, but it
doesn’t happen . For example, “Paula and I decided to meet at the shopping center. I went there, but
couldn’t find her. Later on she told me had gone there, but spent most of the time inside the stores. That’s
why we couldn’t see each other”.

How do you say “Necesito cargar crédito a mi celular” o “Me quedé sin crédito”? Answer : Cell
Phones page 54

Creemos que es una frase diaria ya que la mayoría de las personas tiene celular y con el sistema de
recargarlo con crédito.

We need to buy “credit” or a phone card when we can no longer make phone calls or text (cell phone). So
these are very common phrases.

¿Por qué nosotros en Argentina usamos el término “pendrive”? En USA es “flashmemory”?

Answer: Computers page 57

Creemos que la persona que escribió la pregunta escuchó la palabra “flashmemory” en algún lugar o de
alguna persona de USA y pensó que usábamos el término “pendrive” incorrectamente.

We think that the person who wrote/ asked the question heard the word “flashmemory” in some place or
said by someone from the US and thought that we use the word “Pendrive” in the wrong way.

Qué diferencia hay entre un “jacuzzi” y un “hot tub”? Answer: Miscellaneous 58

Creemos que preguntaron esto para saber la diferencia entre ambos elementos para el baño, porque en
español nosotros solo usamos la palabra “Jacuzzi”. No tenemos otra palabra para referirnos a eso.

In Spanish we only use the word “Jacuzzi”, we don’t have another word for it.

¿Cable de alimentación? Answer: Computers 57

Creemos que preguntaron cómo se dice esta palabra porque es un accesorio comúnmente usado en el
campo de la informática/ computación.

It must be some kind of wire that provides energy to the computer, some kind of plug (?).

What’s the plural form or “mouse”? (not the animal, but the computer device) Answer: Computers
page 57

Creemos que preguntaron esto ya que en español nosotros usamos el termino mouse para referirnos a la
pieza de la computadora, pero es muy raro que se use el plural de la misma, y en caso de hacerlo, no se
modifica la palabra (el plural de mouse seria para nosotros mouse), en cambio en ingles, el plural de
mouse (animal) es mice.

In Spanish we also use the English word “mouse” to name the device that helps us move on the computer
screen . What’s its plural form? “Mice” or “mouses”? .

8
Un negocio que vende productos para el cuerpo (lociones, cremas, jabones,etc). Algo parecido al
negocio “Bath n Body Works”? Answer: Businesses/Occupations page 22

We think that they asked this question because in Posadas there are shops which sell beauty products for
the body (soap, creams, lotions, etc), but are called by their brand name. “Marta Harff” store is an
example, but we don’t know the name to define this kind of shop.

How do you say “escribano (público)”? (lawyer’s clerk? notary?) Answer: Businesses/Occupations
page 23

Creemos que hicieron esta pregunta ya que muchos adolescentes al terminar la secundaria eligen esta
carrera para estudiar. Es una profesión muy común en nuestro país. Sin embargo, el nombre de esta
profesión es casi nunca enseñada en clases de inglés.

Many students start studying this “career” (studies) when they finish high school. This is a very common
profession in our country. However, its name is hardly ever taught in English classes.

¿Director técnico? (soccer/football). Notice that it is different from “coach” since he does not train
the players physically, but he teaches match strategies, positions, etc. Answer: Sports/Games page 52

Director técnico es una profesión muy común en nuestro país, ya que el futbol es nuestro deporte más
importante. En todo equipo de fútbol esta la persona que los dirige, y que les enseña estrategias, es una
persona que está a cargo del equipo de fútbol pero no es el encargado de entrenar físicamente a los
jugadores.

This is a very common job in our country, as football is the most important sport in Argentina. In every
football team, there is always someone who guides the players, who teaches them strategies, and this
person is in charge of the football team. Nevertheless, he/she is not in charge of the physical training of
the players.

“Maestra particular”? Answer: Education page 26

En nuestro país, cuando los alumnos no se eximen en una materia de la escuela, los padres tienden a
contratar una maestra particular que los enseñe. Por lo general, esta maestra va a la casa de los
alumnos, o viceversa. La misma recibe dinero de parte de los padres y ayuda a los alumnos a pasar un
exámen.

In our country, when students are doing rather poorly at school, parents hire a special teacher to help their
children improve. Generally, this teacher goes to the student’s house or vice versa. This teacher earns
money for doing this and helps students to improve and pass exams.

What do you call a person who works in a sawmill? Answer: Business/Occupations page 23

En nuestra provincia, sobre todo en el interior de la misma, muchas personas se dedican a trabajar en
aserraderos, pero en español no tienen un nombre especial. Creemos que hicieron esta pregunta ya que
los aserraderos son una fuente importante de dinero en muchas familias del interior del país.

In our province, mainly in the interior of the province, many people work in sawmills doing different jobs
related to timber, such as cutting and slicing. Is there a word for their jobs? We don’t even know it in
Spanish.

9
What do you call those people who travel around the world in order to visit different places? In
Spanish we would say “trotamundos” Answer: Business/Occupations page 23

Creemos que la persona que hizo la pregunta quizás le gustaría viajar mucho y conocer diferentes
lugares algún día en un futuro cercano. Esta persona quizás quiere saber cómo decir esta palabra en
inglés en caso de que su sueño se vuelva realidad.

We think that the person who asked this question would like to travel a lot and see different places some
day in a near future. He/she may want to know how to call a world traveler in English in case his/her
dream becomes true.

What ‘s the word for “pelotero”. Is ‘indoor castle’ commonly used? Or is there another word?
Answer: Miscellanous page 59

En Argentina (y en algunos países vecinos) cuando se trata de cumpleaños infantiles, es muy común que
se lo festeje en un pelotero. En este lugar se pueden encontrar tanto castillos, toboganes, escaladores y
hasta canchas de futbol inflables, como circuitos con obstáculos que conducen a un tobogán el cual
desemboca en una pileta con pequeñas pelotas de plástico de colores. Por lo general este servicio se
ofrece en un local exclusivo donde los juegos ya están instalados, aunque también existe la posibilidad de
alquilar los inflables a domicilio.

In Argentina (and also in some neighboring countries) it is very common to celebrate children’s birthday
parties at “Peloteros”. In such places there are all kinds of inflatable toys, from football pitches to castles,
slides, and even climbing areas with big slides that end in a pool full of small colorful plastic balls. Most
of the times, this service is offered inside a special building where the toys and games are built-in, but
there is also the possibility to rent the inflatables to take home (only for the time the party lasts).

How do you say “peluche” even if it doesn’t resemble a bear? For example, “conejo de peluche”?
Answer: Miscellaneous page 59

En nuestro país los peluches son muy comunes como regalo de cumpleaños, aniversario, día de los
enamorados o cualquier ocasión especial. Sin embargo, no siempre se trata de OSOS de peluche, sino
que la mayoría de las veces (y cada vez más) se trata de cualquier animalito u otro objeto hecho con
dicho material. Es importante para nosotros saberlo porque siempre buscamos ser muy específicos a la
hora de describir algo, y esto se ve claramente cuando enseñamos a nuestros alumnos la palabra “teddy
bear” y ellos en realidad lo que tienen no es un BEAR, sino un conejo, un delfín o una flor y les urge
explicar concreta y específicamente eso que tienen.

We think that this question has to do mainly with the fact that nowadays we find all sorts of animal-
shaped stuffed toys, not exclusively the classic “teddy bear”. Our students try to be very specific, so they
want to know the exact word for a stuffed animal that is not a bear.

How do you say “dígalo con mímicas”? Answer: Sports/ Games page 52

‘Dígalo con Mímicas’ es un juego muy usual en reuniones con amigos, o en las clases de inglés. En la
clase se lo puede utilizar como una forma de reforzar conocimientos jugando. ‘Dígalo con Mímicas’
consiste en usar gesto y mímicas para representar palabras o frases, que pueden hacer referencia a
películas, títulos de libros, o en caso de que se juegue en la clase de inglés, por lo general se usan frases
verbales, vocabulario nuevo o historias dadas en clase.

This is a very popular game, not only in Argentina, but also around the world. It is very much played in
get-togethers with friends, where a person has to tell the name of a movie, for example, without speaking,
using gestures only.”Dígalo con Mímicas” has been widely used as a teaching technique for revising

10
different topics in the EFL class. This has to do with the wide range of possibilities the game offers, as
you can mime vocabulary, verb phrases, names of movies, etc.

How do you call the game “rayuela”? How do you call the game “tejo”? Answer: Sports/Games page
52

La rayuela o tejo es un juego que se juega principalmente en la niñez, durante los recreos escolares o
durante las tardes de juego en el vecindario. Por lo general se usan tizas de colores para dibujar el juego
en el piso, es por ello que en el patio de una escuela primaria siempre habrá una rayuela o tejo pintada.

También se usa la palabra ‘tejo’ para denominar a un juego popular en Argentina y Uruguay,
comúnmente practicado en la playa, sobre la arena. Se puede practicar con un jugador y hasta 3 por
bando.

La cancha es de aproximadamente 12 metros de largo, por 2 ½ metros de ancho, con una línea que
delimita la mitad de la cancha, tal que queden dos zonas de juego de 6 × 2,5 mts aproximadamente.

Es muy parecido al juego de bochas, y puede aceptarse que se origina en él. A diferencia de éste, se
juega con 6 discos de madera por cada uno de los dos bandos, y uno más pequeño denominado "bochín".
Para iniciar el juego, suele realizarse un tiro de aproximación a la línea de fondo de la cancha: el bando
que más "arrime" un tejo a dicha línea, sin salirse de la cancha, es el que "sale", es decir, lanza el
"bochín". Los lanzamientos, tanto del bochín como de los tejos, se realizan desde detrás de alguna de las
líneas que marcan los anchos de la cancha, y se consideran válidos si quedan dentro de la mitad de la
cancha, opuesta a la zona de lanzamiento.

Una vez lanzado el bochín, el juego consiste en lograr acercar la mayor cantidad de tejos al "bochín".
Cada bando debe lanzar hasta que uno de sus tejos, quede más cerca del bochín, que el tejo más cercano
del contrario, o que se acaben sus 6 tejos. Al finalizar el lance, se contabiliza un punto por cada tejo
cercano del equipo ganador al bochín, más cercano al mismo que el mejor tiro del perdedor.

“Rayuela” or “Tejo” is a game commonly played by children, during school breaks or around the
neighborhood. Children generally use colored chalk to draw a pattern on the floor and then hop and skip
on it.

The word “Tejo” is also used to call a popular beach game played in Argentina and Uruguay. It is very
much like “boules”, but instead of the common heavy balls, Tejo uses wooden discs. There must be two
teams, ranging from one to three members each.

The pitch is approximately 12meters long by 2 ½ meters wide. The aim of the game it to throw the
wooden discs as near as possible to a small target discs, called “bochín”. The game starts when the bochín
is thrown and both teams take turns to make an approach. The team that throws the nearest disc continues
throwing trying to get as closer to the bochín as possible. Then it is the opposite team’s turn to throw.
When there are no discs left to be thrown, the team that has more discs the closest to the bochín wins.

Me gustaría saber cómo te enseñaron la letra Ñ en el curso de español que hiciste en tu país, ya que
ustedes no la tienen en su alfabeto. Answer: Miscellaneous page 62

Los hispanohablantes tenemos varios apellidos que llevan esa letra y considero que es importante
enseñarle a los alumnos cómo describirla. En nuestro país, así como también en muchos otros de
Latinoamérica y otras partes del mundo, existe en nuestro alfabeto la letra ñ. La misma aparece en
algunos nombres de animales, comidas, apellidos y otras clases de palabras. Por ello consideramos
importante saber de que manera la aprenden en los países donde no la tienen en su alfabeto y como la
nombran.

11
The letter “ñ” is part of the Spanish alphabet. It is important to teach our students how to learn it in
English. What do you call it? We know you do not have it in your alphabet.

How do you say “mi mamá me mima?” or any other phrase referring to your mother giving love to
you. A student of mine asked me that and I didn’t know, so now I want to know it too! Answer:
Education page 25

En los primeros años de enseñanza primaria, los niños deben aprender a leer y escribir. Para esto, la
docente les enseña las consonantes y las vocales unidas en frases coherentes. “Mi mamá me
mima”encierra una de las primeras consonantes que se deben aprender en combinación con las vocales.

During the first years of Primary or Elementary School, children learn how to read and write. In order to
do this, the teacher teaches some consonants and vowels that make up coherent phrases. “Mi mama me
mima”covers one of the first consonants they need to learn plus the vowels: M / m + vowels.

¿Sillón de lona? Answer: Sports/Games page 53

El ‘sillón de lona’ es un sillón que esta hecho de lona. Este es un sillón plegable, muy práctico y fácil de
carrear.

A ‘sillón de lona’ is a comfortable and light folding chair made of canvas. It is very easy to transport.

Is there a different word for a chair with the table together? Or is it just chair? Answer: Education
page 26

En las aulas del todo país podemos encontrar básicamente dos tipos de asiento: los pupitres
tradicionales, es decir, una mesa y una silla por separado; y los pupitres unidos, que son una especie de
sillas de las cuales se despliega un pequeño cuadrado en la parte frontal, de modo tal que cuando el
alumno se sienta pueda apoyar sus libros y escribir sobre este apoyo.

In our classrooms we can find basically two types of seats: a traditional desk and chair (separated), and
one that incorporates both in one piece of furniture. This question is as regards the name for the second
kind of piece of furniture.

How do you say “previa”? (when you meet with your friends or other people and do another thing
before going dancing) Answer: Miscellaneous page 62

En Argentina, y tal vez en algunos países vecinos, los jóvenes suelen reunirse en casas, departamentos o
lugares públicos con amigos para comer y tomar algo antes de salir a bailar. Eso es lo que llamamos
“previa”, el tiempo antes de que la fiesta en sí comience.

In Argentina, and maybe in other countries, friends meet in a house or in a public place in order to eat and
drink something before going to the disco. This is what we call “previa”, the time before the actual party
starts.

How do you say “desamor”? Answer: Relationships page 49

Esta palabra es empleada cuando queremos expresar un sentimiento de falta de amor hacia alguna
persona. Esto comúnmente ocurre cuando una persona no demuestra afecto o cariño por un ser querido.

We use this word in order to express a feeling of not liking or not loving somebody. This occurs when a
person does not show any affection for a lover or relative.

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How do you say “se me hizo tarde/ se me fue la hora”? Answer: Miscellanous page 60

Solemos usar estas expresiones cuando hablamos de manera informal con amigos o conocidos para
indicar que el tiempo no ha sido suficiente para realizar una actividad. También utilizamos las mismas
cuando llegamos tarde a un lugar, reunión o evento en particular.

Here, we tend to use these phrases whenever we are late for a meeting, a class or a particular event. They
are frequently used to explain that time has gone fast and that you have not realized about it (informal
style).

Is there a name for “compadre”/ “comadre”? (When a child is baptized, the Godfather and the
Godmother become “compadre”/ “comadre” towards the child’s parents) Answer: Relationships
page 50

Nosotros usamos el término “comadre” para nombrar la relación que una persona tiene con la madrina
de su hijo/a que ha sido bautizado/a. Al mismo tiempo utilizamos la palabra “compadre” para describir
la misma relación pero con el padrino del bautizado/a. “Comadre” es usado para referirse a las mujeres
y “compadre” para los hombres.

We say “comadre” to name the relationship between a child’s godmother and his/her mother or father. On
the other hand, we use the term “compadre” to describe the relationship between a child’s godfather and
his/her mother or father. “Comadre” is female and “Compadre” is male.

How do you say “burbujero”? Answer: Miscellaneous page 62

En Argentina, utilizamos la palabra “burbujero” para describir a un juguete que consiste en una especie
de cilindro con agua y detergente mezclados. Cuando se introduce dentro de este contenedor, un palito
con un círculo al final y se sopla a través de él, se desprenden burbujas por doquier. Este juguete es muy
utilizado por los chicos debido a que los diferentes colores de las burbujas son llamativos para ellos. Los
burbujeros, por lo general, se entregan como sorpresita en fiestas infantiles o se encuentran en
jugueterías, aunque también pueden ser hechos en casa.

In our country we use the word “burbujero” to name a toy which consists of a container that holds mixed
water and detergent. When a stick with a circled end is introduced into this container and blown through,
it spreads bubbles all around. It is commonly used by children because of the colorful bubbles.
“Burbujeros” are usually given away as children’s party favors or bought at toyshops, but they can also be
made at home.

Is there an informal name for “old-fashioned people”? (here we say “chapado a la antigua”).
Answer: Miscellaneous page 63

Utilizamos el término “chapado a la antigua” de manera informal para describir a una persona cuyos
pensamientos, creencias y modales son característicos de una época pasada. Una persona “chapada a la
antigua” no muestra modales o formas de expresarse características de la época actual en la que se vive.

When describing someone who is “old-fashioned”, we use the informal term “chapado a la antigua”. This
person keeps the same old beliefs, behavior, thoughts and manners from past times.

How do you say “llaga” (la herida que suele salir en la boca por lo general debido al mal
estómago)? Answer: Miscellaneous 62

Llamamos llaga a un tipo de úlcera que aparece adentro de la boca como consecuencia de fiebre
estomacal.

13
We call “Llaga” to a kind of mouth ulcer which appears inside the mouth as a result of an upset stomach.

How do you say “pecera”? Answer: Miscellaneous page 61

Usamos esta palabra para referirnos a un pequeño bowl o tanque de agua donde solemos tener pececitos
de colores dentro de nuestras casas. Estos tanques usualmente son redondos o cuadrados.

This word refers to a type of glass bowl or tank where we keep fish inside houses. These bowls are
frequently round or square shaped.

Is there a name for “carnaval carioca”? Answer: Holidays page 39

En nuestro país, es muy común que en celebraciones como bodas y cumpleaños haya un momento donde
todos los presentes bailan a ritmo de carnaval usando ornamentos de cotillón como ser sombreros,
máscaras, guirnaldas, instrumentos musicales y espuma en aerosol.

At big parties, such as weddings and birthdays, it is common to dance wearing colorful hats, foam
ornaments, masks, Hawaiian-style wreaths of flowers, use rattles and spray silly string. We call this
special moment of the party “carnaval carioca”.

How do you say “iluminación” ( es lo que las mujeres , y a veces hombres, se hacen en la cabeza..
como reflejos) Answer: Beauty Products page 18

Muchas mujeres y varones cambian el color de algunos mechones de cabello. Los mechones pueden ser
más claros o más oscuros que el color de base. Para ello, los mechones son expuestos a una sustancia
que le quita la pigmentación hasta cierto grado. Luego los mismos mechones son teñidos con un color
distinto. En español lo llamamos “iluminación” o “reflejos”. ¿Se dice “highlighted hair” en inglés?

Many women and men have some locks of hair dyed or colored in a different color, usually in a lighter
shade. The locks are exposed to a substance that deprives the hair of its pigment to a certain degree. Then
the same locks are dyed with a different color. In Spanish we call this “iluminación” or “reflejos”. Do you
say “highlighted hair” in English?

How do you say “guampudo”? (a very informal word to describe someone who was cheated on by
his girlfriend) Answer: Relationships page 49

En español es común escuchar la palabra “guampudo” o “guampuda” para referirse a un varón o mujer
cuya pareja le es infiel con otra persona. Es un término coloquial, muy informal y generalmente usado
entre amigos o parientes.¿ Cómo dices esta palabra en inglés? ¿Un “cuckold”? ¿Es para referirse sólo
a varones? ¿Qué palabra se refiere a las mujeres, o a ambos sexos?

In Spanish, it’s common to hear the word “guampudo” or “guampuda” to mean a man or woman whose
girlfriend or boyfriend, wife or husband is cheating on them. It is a colloquial and very informal word,
and generally used among friends and relatives. How do you say this word in English? a cuckold? Is it
used to refer to men only? Which word refers to women, or both sexes?

How do you say “poner los pies en el agua” sin necesidad de nadar o zambullirse. Answer:
Miscellaneous page 61

“Poner los pies en el agua” es una frase que se usa para referirse a la actividad de poner los pies de uno
en el agua y no el cuerpo entero. Es como cuando una va a la playa y no quiere nadar pero sólo sentir el
agua fresca en los pies. O cuando nos sentamos en el borde de la piscina y dejamos sólo los pies en
contacto con el agua.

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“Poner los pies en el agua” is a phrase used to refer to the action of dipping our feet in water and not the
entire body, as in a swimming pool. It’s like when you go to the beach and you don’t want to swim, but
just feel your feet soaked in nice fresh water. Likewise, when we sit on the edge of the swimming pool
and let only the feet hang in contact with the water.

How do you say “promocionar un exámen” in English? Answer: Education page 27

Creemos que esta pregunta fue hecha porque en el Instituto Superior Antonio Ruiz de Montoya
los estudiantes pueden promocionar una materia. Esto significa que están exentos de rendir un examen
final o una parte del mismo. Para hacerlo hay ciertos requerimientos que se deben cumplir. Si los
estudiantes obtienen un 7 (siete) o una nota más alta en cada una de las evaluaciones, promocionan la
materia. [Teniendo en cuenta que 1(uno) es el puntaje más bajo] Luego, dependiendo de las
regulaciones de cada materia, los estudiantes aprueban la materia directamente o solamente rinden la
parte oral. Además, los estudiantes deben tener el 75% de asistencias a clases.

I believe this question is asked because in our college students can “promocionar” a subject. That
is to say, they are exempt from the final exam or part of it. Of course, there are certain requirements they
must meet. For example, students need to have passed all of the tests or practical works which are
compulsory during the year. If a student gets 7 (seven) or a higher mark ( 1 being the lowest grade, and 10
the highest) in each of the tests or practical works during the year, he has the right to skip the final oral
exam. Depending on the school’s regulations, students may pass the subject at once or they need to take
the written final exam. Also, students must meet the 75% attendance rule.

¿Cómo se dice “está de penitencia?” ¿Es lo mismo que “detention?”Answer: Education page 26

Suponemos que la razón de esta pregunta es que en nuestro país el régimen institucional es
diferente de lo que observamos en las películas estadounidenses. En las películas, lo que podemos ver es
que los estudiantes que se portan mal, deben quedarse después de clases haciendo actividades extras. Sin
embargo, en Argentina los estudiantes que tienen un mal comportamiento cumplen su castigo durante las
horas escolares. Los estudiantes son enviados a la esquina del salón de clases, o deben ir a la dirección a
explicar al rector o director lo que han hecho. Luego de esto, el director/rector decide que castigo o
castigos recibirá el estudiante.

I suppose that this question is asked because here the institutional regime is different from what
can we see in US films. In movies, we can observe that students who misbehave stay after class doing
homework. However, here in Argentina students who behave badly are under detention during school
hours. The students are sent to be alone in the corner of the classroom, or they are asked to go to the
principal's room to explain the headmaster what she or he has done. After this, the headmaster decides the
penalty or penalties for the student.

¿Qué es exactamente un “major”? ¿Existe el “minor”? Answer: Education page 27

La educación superior en Argentina es diferente a la de los Estados Unidos. Creemos que

preguntaron esto porque la gente que estudia inglés en nuestro país escucha frecuentemente estas
palabras en películas o las encuentran en libros. De hecho, no entendemos que significa “major” o
“minor”. En Argentina elegimos “carreras” y las clases están estrictamente arregladas de modo que no
podemos elegir un área adicional para estudiar como lo hacen los estudiantes estadounidenses. (Minor)

The Argentinian and American higher education systems are very different. These words are
heard in films or found in books. In fact, we do not understand what is meant by “major” or “minor”. In

15
Argentina we choose “Carreras”. Here the classes are strictly laid out and we do not choose a second or
additional area to study as US students may do.

¿Existen las materias correlativas en tu universidad? Answer: Education page 27

Esto pudo haber sido preguntado porque en el instituto Montoya tenemos muchas materias que
son “correlativas”. Es importante que los estudiantes sepan que materias son de este tipo porque hay
materias que pueden terminar reteniéndolos si no las pasan. En Argentina, las materias correlativas son
aquellas que están cercanamente relacionadas a otras materias. El régimen de nuestro instituto establece
que para rendir una materia es necesario haber pasado la materia que está conectada o es correlativa a
la misma. No obstante, para cursar una materia tienen que haber regularizado la materia anterior del
año anterior. Esto quiere decir que los estudiantes deben pasar el 80% de los trabajos prácticos y
evaluaciones además de tener el 75% de asistencias a clases. Por ejemplo, para rendir Lengua II, los
alumnos deben haber pasado Lengua I. Por otro lado, si se regulariza Lengua I, se puede cursar Lengua
II, pero no se puede rendirla hasta que se haya pasado Lengua I.

At the Montoya Institute, we have many subjects which are “correlativas”. They are closely
connected to other subjects from the upcoming years of study. That is to say, in order to be able to sit for
a final exam of a certain subject, students must have passed the one which was from the previous year of
classes. At the same time, they are compelled to have passed 80% of the practical works and tests and
also meet the 75% attendance rule. For example, to take the finals for Language II, students are supposed
to have passed Language I. In case they have only passed the practical works and tests but not the final
exams belonging to Language I, they are allowed to attend Language II, but they cannot sit for it until
they pass Language I.

It is very important for students to know which subjects are “correlativas”, otherwise they could
end up help up in their studies.

Is there any word for “clases particulares”? Answer: Education page 26

Consideramos que preguntaron esto debido a que en nuestro país los estudiantes acostumbran a
tomar clases particulares para no atrasarse en sus estudios. Son muy útiles ya que les ofrecen guía y
apoyo con las materias de la escuela. Particularmente, en Argentina, los alumnos asisten a clases
particulares de Inglés porque es una materia muy difícil para ellos.

In our country, students take private lessons which help them not to fall behind in their studies.
They are very useful as they offer students guidance and support for their subjects at school. Particularly
here in Argentina, students attend private English lessons because it is a very difficult subject for them.

Is there any word for “horas libres”? Hora sandwich? Answer: Education page 26

Asumimos que la razón de este interrogante es que en todos los niveles educativos los educandos
tienen usualmente horas libres u horas sandwich. Las horas libres generalmente se deben a la ausencia
de un profesor. Por ejemplo, cuando los estudiantes tienen clases desde las 7 hasta los 8 de la mañana,
luego tienen una hora libre, y luego tienen clases nuevamente. En el tiempo libre, los estudiantes van al
patio o a la biblioteca pero no pueden irse a sus casas. A esto es lo que llamamos “hora sándwich”
porque se encuentra en el medio de la jornada escolar. En algunas situaciones los profesores están
ausentes, por lo tanto los alumnos no tienen clases. A esta última circunstancia se la denomina “hora
libre”.

16
In all educational levels students usually have a free period or “hora sandwich” (informal style). It usually
occurs due to the teacher’s absence. For example, students have classes from 7 to 8 in the morning, then,
they have a free period, and after this, they have classes again. In their free time students usually go to the
playground or to the library, but they can’t go home. Here we call it “hora sandwich” because it is in the
middle of the school day, but sometimes the teacher of the last period does not come to classes and
students can go home. The last situation is not “hora sandwich” but only a free period

When talking about buses, how do you say coche cama o semi-cama? Answer: Miscellaneous page 61

Esta pregunta pudo haber sido formulada porque el medio de transporte más común en
Argentina es el colectivo, ya que es más barato que viajar en avión. Incluso para largas distancias las
personas eligen viajar en colectivo porque las tarifas de los aviones son muy elevadas y las compañías de
colectivos ofrecen muy buenos servicios. En Argentina, podemos encontrar coches semi-cama en los
cuales los asientos que pueden ser reclinados a casi 140 grados. Por otro lado, los “coche-cama”
pueden ser reclinados completamente. Es importante mencionar que los colectivos “semi-cama” tienen
aproximadamente 41 asientos mientras que los “coche-cama” tienen 21 asientos, por lo tanto las
personas tienen más espacio para moverse y caminar.

In Argentina people travel a lot by bus since it is less expensive than traveling by plane. Even for
long distances, people choose to travel by bus because planes’ fares are really expensive and bus
companies offer excellent services for a pleasant trip. In Argentina, we have “semi-cama buses”, whose
seats can be reclined almost 140 degrees. The 4-seat rows are separated by an aisle; two seats on each
side. On the other hand, “coches cama total” offer seats that end up folding like a bed, completely
reclined. There are three seats per row divided by an aisle, so there are two seats on one side and one seat
on the other. It is important to say that “semi-cama buses” have approximately 41 seats and “cama buses”
only 21, so people have more space to stretch and walk a little.

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 Answers and Additional Useful Terms
Beauty Products
How do you say “iluminación” ( es lo que las mujeres , y a veces hombres, se hacen en la cabeza..
como reflejos)

The correct term for “iluminación” is highlights. Both men and women may highlight their hair. To talk
about the action of getting highlights, the Word “highlight” is used as a verb. For example “I highlight my
hair every three months so that it stays looking bright and fresh”. The actual hair that is highlighted, the
noun, is called “highlights”. For example “I have blonde highlights in my hair”.

After Shave (noun): a fragrant liquid that men put on after shaving or before going out.

Note: After shave is only for men. The equivalent for women is perfume.

Example: When he walked by I could smell his after shave, he must have put a lot on this
morning.

Bags under the eyes (noun): a phrase used to describe the skin around the eyes when it is swollen or
darker than it normally is, usually resulting from a lack of sleep.

Synonym: dark circles (when the skin is darker than usual)

Example: I woke up with huge bags under my eyes. I definitely need to start getting more sleep!

Barrette (noun): a bar shaped clip for hair where the actual clip is covered with a decoration, usually
jewels, in order to hide the clip and add ornamentation to hair

Example: I am going to clip my hair back with a pearl barrette

for the wedding.

Bobby Pin (noun): small pins used to keep pieces of hair in place and are usually meant to blend in with
one’s hair. Bobby pin is the singular form, referring to one bobby pin. To refer to
several, the plural form bobby pins is used.

Example: It is really windy today, I am going to need to use a lot of bobby pins to keep
my hair in place.

Bronzer (noun): liquid or powder make-up that is applied to the face in order to make one’s skin appear
to be tan

Example: In order to make pale skin look brighter, apply a small amount of bronzer to the nose and
cheeks. You’ll look tanner in just a few minutes!

Cellulite (noun): Fat causing dimpling of the skin, especially on women's hips and thighs. It often looks
like small, uneven lumps.

Slang terms for cellulite: orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin

Example: Wearing a bathing suit makes me self-conscious because I know that everyone will see the
cellulite on my thighs. I wish there was a way to get rid of it so that my skin looked even and toned!

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Chap stick/Lip Gloss/Lip Stick (noun): The name Chap Stick originally was created as a trademark
used for a medicinal prevention or treatment of chapped lips. It is
now used as a general term for any product that is applied to one’s
lips in order for them to be moisturized, to prevent sunburn, or to
improve softness, regardless of the brand. Chap stick is not meant
to give color or shine to lips.

Example: “Do you have any chap stick? My lips are dry and
starting to hurt.”

“No, sorry, all I have is lip gloss. Will that work?”

In general, lip gloss is meant to make your lips shiny, and is usually not medicated to treat chapped lips.
Lip gloss may be clear or have a slight tint to it. Sometimes it is applied alone, other times it is applied
overtop chap stick or lip stick to give one’s lips extra attention.

Lip stick, however, is always tinted. Lip stick’s purpose is to add color to one’s lips, often to draw
attention to them and to make them appear more attractive.

Claw Clip: The name for any size of hair clip that holds hair in place by two
sides, resembling a claw of an animal, and that is opened by squeezing the clip in
the middle. Claw clips may be tiny, intending to hold a small piece of hair, or
large, intending to hold one’s entire hair.

Cover-Up/Concealer (tapa ojeras) (noun): makeup that is a little thicker in

consistency and more opaque than simple foundation that is intended to hide flaws, including dark circles
under the eyes, acne, scars, and other marks on the face.

Cover-up and concealer are synonyms and can be used interchangeably. Both words are popular and used
with frequency.

Example: The stress of studying for finals has caused me to get a lot of zits on my face! I need to buy
cover-up to hide all of the redness.

Curlers: a roller or clasp around which hair is wrapped in order to curl it. Curlers are usually put in wet
hair in the evening and then slept in. In the morning, the curlers are removed and the
hair is left with curls.

Example: When I was younger my mom used to always put curlers in my hair the night
before my birthday. This way I always had beautiful, curly hair for my birthday party.

Diffuser (noun): The attachment that is connected to the end of a hair dryer in order
to dry naturally curly hair. A diffuser spreads the air out so that it comes out in
several places and has small knobs which curls can be wrapped around. This way,
curly hair can be dried without becoming straight or frizzy. Pictured left is a diffuser
attached to a hair dryer.

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Primer: is a liquid or lotion formula designed to prepare the skin surface before makeup application.
Primers most often contain waxes, polymers or silicone all of which smooth fine lines helping the surface
of the skin appear temporarily even. Foundation applied over primer goes on more smoothly, as do blush,
eye shadow, and many other cosmetic products.

The Body
Love handles (noun): excess fat around the waist. This term can be applied to men or women.

Example: I am trying to do a lot of abdominal exercises because I want to lose my love handles!

Synonyms: Spare Tire (noun): Literally, a spare tire is the extra tire kept in a car in case of an
emergency and a new tire is needed. So, on a person, it is considered extra fat stored around the belly.

Example: After all of the food I ate during summer vacation, I now have a spare tire. Time to hit
the gym!

Beer Belly (noun): an expression to describe men who have excessive fat in just their stomach region. A
beer belly is usually larger than love handles or a spare tire. Because beer is high in calories, it is thought
to make men fat who drink it often. However, the term is applied in general to overweight men and does
not have to necessarily mean that all of their fat comes from beer. Beer belly is not a synonym for an
alcoholic.

Example: My dad definitely has a beer belly. He is starting to look like he is pregnant!

Synonym: Pot Belly (noun): another phrase used to describe a man’s large stomach. Pot belly is
used less often than beer belly, but may be a more appropriate phrase to use if you know that somebody
doesn’t drink beer.

Muffin top (noun): A negative slang term used to describe the phenomenon of fat when it hangs over the
waistline of pants or skirts in a manner that resembles the top of a muffin spilling over its paper casing.

Example: These pants are too tight; they are causing me to have a muffin top!

Cankles (noun): A negative slang term for someone overweight who does not have defined ankles. A
person’s leg continues to their feet without a clear change to their ankles due to excess fat. Cankles are
usually present in obese people, not in people who are just slightly overweight.

Example: I need to go on a diet! I am starting to get cankles and I am embarrassed to wear shorts. I don’t
want anybody to see my ankles.

Chubby Cheeks (noun): an expression for a person with large cheeks or a round face. Somebody with
chubby cheeks is not necessarily fat in other areas of their body.

Example: When I smile I look like a chipmunk- I hate having chubby cheeks!

Choppers (noun): teeth. The word choppers can be substituted any time for the word teeth. However,
because it is a slang word, it is only appropriate to substitute in conversation or informal writing.
Choppers is not a synonym to use for teeth in formal writing, medical explanations, or formal
conversation.

Examples:

Original sentence: I have a dentist appointment tomorrow; time to get my teeth cleaned!

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Informal sentence: I have a dentist appointment tomorrow; time to get my choppers cleaned!

Original sentence: That girl must have had braces before; she has a nice set of teeth.

Informal sentence: That girl must have had braces before; she has a nice set of choppers.

Braces (noun): Braces are metal wires, brackets and bands that are put on teeth in order to correct and
straighten them. In Argentina, I have often heard them referred to as “brackets”. However, in the United
States, they are referred to as “braces”.

Retainer (noun): A retainer is another devise used to correct or straighten teeth, as well as fix other
dental problems. There are many types of retainers. A retainer may be removable or it may be permanent,
some people only have to use them at night, etc. Below are examples of different types of retainers:

Grill (noun): Grill, as a noun, can be used in various forms. Grill is a relatively new word and is
considered a word off of the streets. Rappers, gangsters, or young people who want to be considered
tough often use the word. However, it is not offensive or negative.

1) Teeth: Grill can be substituted anytime for teeth. However, grill is considered to be singular,
describing all of the teeth as one entity. So, when referring to teeth, one must say “a grill”
rather than just “grill”. For Example:

Original sentence: That girl is cute but she has bad teeth.

Correct, informal sentence: That girl is cute but she has a bad grill.

Incorrect usage: That girl is cute but she has bad grill.

2) Mouth

Example: That girl’s grill never stops moving; I swear she could talk for an entire day without
stopping.

3) One’s face or personal space. Usually this connotation is used in the phrase “up in my/one’s
grill”, which means to be too physically close to another person. The phrase may be used in
conversation between friends, or may be used when two people are fighting.

Examples:
Friendly usage: Do you mind taking a step back? You’re up in my grill and I can smell the
garlic on your breath from the pizza we had at lunch!

Angry usage: If you don’t get out of my grill in five seconds I am going to punch you.

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Grill has several other meanings. Grill can be used as a noun for other words, including a BBQ. The word
grill can also be used as a verb, without any connection to a body part. Alternate uses of grill are as
follows:

1) To interrogate.

Example: She grilled me until I told her the truth.

2) To stare at someone

Example: That boy is grilling me up and down.

3) To cook something on a BBQ

Example: Tonight I am grilling chicken and vegetables, it should be delicious!

Honker (noun): a nose. In general, honker is used when talking about a large or very distinctive nose,
usually in a negative sense. However, large is not implied by just using the word honker, so it is
appropriate to include an adjective to describe the nose. For example: a large honker, a crooked honker,
etc. Examples:

Original sentence: My nose hurts; a tennis ball hit me directly in the face yesterday during the match.

Informal sentence: My honker hurts; a tennis ball hit me directly in the face yesterday during the match.

Original sentence: That woman would be much prettier if she didn’t have such a large nose!

Informal sentence: That woman would be much prettier if she didn’t have such a large honker!

Noggin (noun): head. Noggin can be used to refer to someone’s physical head, or to refer to someone’s
brain and intelligence level.

Example of physical head: My child fell down and hit his noggin on the edge of the table. I am going to
take him to the doctor to make sure everything is ok.

Example of intelligence: That girl has an impressive noggin, she always knows the answers to the
teacher’s questions.

Buns: the rear end; buttocks. Buns is an inoffensive and nice way to refer to somebody’s bottom.

Example: "You’ve got nice buns, you must go to the gym a lot!"

Hickey: a love bite on the skin, often on somebody’s neck.

"Wow! Is that a hickey on your neck? You should try to cover that up before your mom sees it…"

Businesses/Occupations
Un negocio que vende productos para el cuerpo (lociones, cremas, jabones,etc). Algo parecido al
negocio “Bath n Body Works”?

The best way to talk about a story like Bath & Body Works is the term Bath and Beauty store. A bath
and beauty store is a store that sells lotions, bath salts, perfumes, make-up and other specialty items for
women. They may include novelty clothes items, decorations, candles, and other things that women

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typically enjoy. Two very popular bath and beauty stores in the U.S. are Bath & Body Works and Bed,
Bath, and Beyond. Typically, it is more common to use the name of the store rather than the phrase “bath
and beauty store”, although this is the correct classification for this type of store. This industry is very
popular in the U.S. (there are over 1,600 Bath & Body Works stores alone in the U.S.!)

Example: I need to get a birthday gift for my mom but I am not sure what she wants. I will go to a bath
and beauty store and pick out something; I always find great gifts there!

How do you say “escribano (público)”? (lawyer’s clerk? notary?)

A notary public (escribano público) (or simply notary or public notary) is a public officer who deals
with matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international
business. A notary is not a lawyer and has limited responsibilities.

A notary who has qualifications of a lawyer is called a notary-at-law or a lawyer notary. This
classification of notaries holds higher responsibility than a notary public and can give legal advice and
work within the court system.

Example: Tomorrow I am going to see a notary public because I need to have my rental agreement
verified and notarized.

OR

I need to meet with a notary-at-law because I need to have my divorce papers notarized. I also need legal
advice about what to do in court. Therefore, I will meet with a notary-at-law and not a notary public.

*Note: the difference is that the notary-at-law has the power to give legal advice and additional help that a
public notary cannot give.

What do you call a person who works in a sawmill?

A person who operates a mill, a machine to grind grains to make flour, is called a miller.

Example: This fresh wheat is not very useful for cooking. Thankfully my uncle is a miller; he can grind
this wheat into flour so we can use it to make bread!

A person saws wood or concrete for an occupation is called a sawyer. The term is still widely used in
the logging industry, wildfire suppression, trail construction and related work. In the construction
industry, the term is applied to the operator of a concrete saw.

Example: My father is a sawyer. He has worked in the Sawmill cutting logs into boards since he was 18
years old.

How do you call those people who travel around the world in order to visit different places? in Spanish
we would say “trotamundos”

The term for trotamundos in English is a globetrotter. A globetrotter is someone who travels around the
world often and who has visited several countries. A globetrotter may travel for pleasure or for business.

Someone who travels purely for pleasure may also be called a jet setter. This term is no longer very
commonly used, but refers to someone who is part of the very rich, upper class of society who travels
from one popular place to another, purely because they have the time and money to spend. The activities
that jet setters participate in are usually considered unattainable to most people.

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Example: When I first started studying medicine, I never dreamed I would turn into such a globetrotter!
After several years of working I have had the opportunity to work in hospitals in Haiti, Kenya, Costa
Rica, Mexico, Nigeria, India, China, and more!

OR

Today I woke up with a craving to eat croissants in Paris. So, I decided to fly to Paris this afternoon just
so I could at Parisian food for the weekend. Next weekend I am going to Rome- I love Italian food! It is
great to be a jet setter.

Clothes
Booties (noun): a soft shoe for babies, they are typically knitted. The word booties is typically used in the
plural, referring to a pair of booties. However, bootie can be used in the singular form if referring to only
one. The use is similar to shoe and shoes.

Example: My sister hasn’t given birth to her baby yet, but I am already working on knitting booties for
her baby!

OR

Have you seen a bootie anywhere in the house? I can only find the bootie for Suzy’s left foot, but not her
right foot.

Onesie (noun): An item of clothing which covers the top and bottom half of one’s body. The plural form
of onesie is onesies. For babies, onesies are very popular and are usually a shirt that also closes at the
bottom so that it is not necessary for the baby to wear pants and which
make changing diapers easier (see picture).

However, onsesies may also be worn by older children and adults, in the
form of pajamas. When referring to a onesie for someone other than a
baby, it is implied that it is a type of pajamas that covers the entire body,
including the feet. A onesie has a zipper usually from one knee all the way
to the neck, to allow an adult to easily put it
on. Onesies for adults are generally made of
fleece or flannel, and are worn to stay warm
in the winter. Onesies are considered a
humorous form of fashion. It is common to
see a teenager or college student wearing a onesie as some form of joke.
Many college students host “onesies parties” where all guests must come in a
onesie. Onesies for adults may also be called footed pajamas.

Snuggie (noun): a body-length blanket with sleeves usually made of fleece . It is similar in design to a
bathrobe that is meant to be worn backwards (i.e., with the opening in the back). A snuggie is meant to
make activities like reading, using a TV remote, and studying more comfortable in
the winter by allowing your arms to remain in the blanket but still being able to use
your hands.

Example: In the winter months, I wear my snuggie when doing anything in the
house! I wear it while watching TV, cooking dinner, reading, and more! It keeps
me very warm and cozy, and I never have to worry about it falling off.

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Education
How do you say “mi mamá me mima?” or any other phrase referring to your mother giving love to
you. A student of mine asked me that and I didn’t know, so now I want to know it too!

It was brought to my attention that the phrase “mi mamá me mima?” is a common phrase said in schools
in order to practice pronunciation of various sounds. There is no direct translation for mi mamá me mima
or an equivalent phrase, as it is unique to Spanish pronunciation and learning strategies in Argentina.

Children in schools in the United States learn to read and to pronounce words through studying phonics.
Phonics is the study of sounds and the sounds made by combinations of vowels and consonants. Using
phonics to teach reading involves teaching the beginner the sounds associated with the letters of the
alphabet before introducing written words. The beginner learns to analyze words by comparing the letters
in them to the sounds they represent. Phonics differs from phonetics in that its content is simpler and is
less advanced than learning phonetics. For example, students do not learn phonetic symbols when
learning phonics.

A very common song to practice vowel sounds in elementary schools is called “Apples and Bananas”. It
is a traditional song that plays with the vowels of words. To listen to the tune of the song, simply search
on the internet “I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas” and you will find several examples. The
first verse usually begins unaltered:

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.

The following verses replace most or all vowels with one given vowel sound, usually each of the long
vowels sounds of ⟨a⟩ (/eɪ/), ⟨e⟩ (/iː/), ⟨i⟩ (/aɪ/), ⟨o⟩ (/oʊ/), and ⟨u⟩ (/uː/), although potentially any English
vowel can be used. For example:

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas

Now change the vowel sound to A:

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays

I like to ate, ate, ate ay-ples and ba-nay-nays

Now change the vowel sound to E:

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees

I like to eat, eat, eat ee-ples and bee-nee-nees

Now change the vowel sound to I:

I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and bi-ni-nis

I like to ite, ite, ite i-ples and bi-ni-nis

Now change the vowel sound to O:

like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos

I like to ote, ote, ote oh-ples and bo-no-nos

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Is there a different word for a chair with the table together? Or is it just chair?

In general, the word desk is always used for the individual tables found in classrooms. There is no
specific word for a desk that has a chair attached to it. Instead, it is just called a “desk with the chair
attached” or “desk with attached chair”. However, if you do not want to say so many words, it is ok to
be less specific and refer to it only as a desk. In general, the word desk is used for this type of object and
not chair, as a chair generally implies that it is a singular item and not connected to anything. This type of
desk can be found in any level of school- from Elementary School to Universities.

¿Cómo se dice “está de penitencia?” ¿Es lo mismo que “detention?”

Detention is one of the most common punishments in schools in the United States. It requires the pupil to
go to a certain area of the school during a specified time on a school day (either during a break or after
school), but also may require a student to attend school at a certain time on a non-school day, for example
"Saturday detention". Students can do work, stand against the wall or just sit at the desk in a convenient
and quiet manner. Detentions usually last from as short as 20 minutes or less to as long as 5 hours or
more, depending on the severity of the student’s misbehavior. If one misses detention, more time is added
or the student gets a more serious punishment.

When students are punished at home, it is called being grounded. Every parent decides what punishment
to give their child when they are grounded, and for how long the grounding will last. The severity of the
punishment depends on the severity of the misbehavior of the child. Some say that their children may not
leave home except for school and may not have friends visit them at home for a certain period of time.
Other parents take away certain rights, such as the right to watch TV, the right to drive, the right to use a
cell phone, the right to play computer or video games, etc. Each parent decides based on what will most
affect their child and cause them to repent of their actions. Grounding may be as short as one day, a week,
or as long as a month or several months.

“Maestra particular”? Is there any word for “clases particulares”?

Maestra particular can be described either as a Tutor or a Private Teacher. Both a tutor and private
teacher are people who give lessons to one or two students privately, usually in one specific subject. The
lessons are not necessarily given at a school; they often are given in the teacher or in the student’s home.
However, there is a slight difference between the use of tutor and private teacher:

A tutor is someone who teaches something that the student is also studying in a separate class. For
example, if a student is struggling in their math class in school, they may also meet with a tutor once a
week in order to have additional math instruction and help in understanding the subject. A tutor provides
additional help based on a separate course.

A private teacher, however, is often teaching the material for the first time to the student. For example, if
a foreign language is not taught in a student’s school, they may meet with a private teacher once a week
for Spanish lessons. In this case, the student would be learning the material for the first time with the
private teacher. Classes given by a private teacher are called private classes (clases particulares).

The student of a tutor or private teacher is called, in both cases, a private student or simply a student.

Is there any word for “horas libres”? Hora sandwich?

Horas libres are best translated as “free periods”. In general, each set of time for a class is considered a
period. Therefore, when a student has hours free during the day with no class, they are considered “free
periods”.

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To my knowledge, there is not an equivalent phrase for “hora sandwich”. If a student had one class with a
break before the next class, the same term, “free period”, would be used.

¿Qué es exactamente un “major”? ¿Existe el “minor”?

An academic major or major concentration (commonly called a major) is the academic discipline to
which an undergraduate student formally commits. To receive a major students are required to complete
courses not only in a specialized discipline, but also in other subjects. An academic major typically
comprises a core curriculum of prescribed courses, a liberal arts curriculum, and several elective courses.
Some students choose a major when first enrolling as an undergraduate at a school; others choose one
after beginning their studies. Some schools forbid students from declaring a major until the end of their
second academic year.

A student who declares two academic majors is said to have a double major.

Minors exist as well as majors. An academic minor is a college or university student's declared
secondary field of study or specialization during his or her undergraduate studies.
The college or university in question lays out a framework of required classes or class types a student
must complete to earn the minor.

Some students will prepare for their intended career with their major, while pursuing personal interests
with a minor. For example, some students may major in Civil Engineering and minor in a foreign
language.

Other students may pursue a minor to provide specific specialization and thus make themselves more
attractive to employers. It is not infrequent for a physics major to minor in computer science or an
economics major to minor in mathematics.

¿Existen las materias correlativas en tu universidad?

A materia correlativa is best translated as a pre-requisite. Pre-requisites exist both in High School and in
colleges, and existed in my college as well. A pre-requisite is a course that must be completed prior to
completing another course. For example, Algebra 1 is a pre-requisite for taking Algebra 2. So, if a student
has not passed Algebra 1, they are not allowed to take Algebra 2. A course with a pre-requisite goes in
depth into one subject without explaining the basics, because it is assumed that the basics of the subject
were learned in the previous course.

Because of a difference in the exam system, the possibility to just attend a course (but not take the exam)
without previously passing the pre-requisite class does not exist. You must completely pass the pre-
requisite course to both attend the correlating class the following year and to take the exams.

How do you say “promocionar un exámen” in English?

To be exempt from the final exam is the term that is most similar to “promocionar un exámen”. To be
exempt from a final exam occurs when a student is not required to take the final exam in order to pass the
course. This does not happen very often, but certain teachers may decide that students who have an A in
the class at the end of the year may be exempt from the final exam and therefore do not have to take the
test to pass the class.

This occurs because the grading system works differently in the United States. Because attendance,
homework, quizzes, and test grades all count towards a student’s final grade, a teacher may see a student
that has a very high grade before taking the final exam and reward them by not requiring them to take the
final exam. In general, the final exam is only worth between 15-20% of a student’s final grade in a class.

27
Example: I was hoping to be exempt from the final, but unfortunately my grade is not high enough and I
will have to take the final exam.

General Overview of the Education System in the United States:

U.S. educators frequently use the terms K-12 education, and sometimes PK-12 education, to refer to all
primary and secondary education from pre-school prior to the first year or grade through secondary
graduation. Students follow one of two systems, depending on which state they live in:

-Elementary school (K-5), middle school (6-8), high school (9-12); or

-Elementary school (K-6), junior high school (7-9), senior high school (10-12)

The majority of U.S. children begin their education prior to entering regular school. Parents who send
their children to pre-schools/nursery schools (age 2-4) and kindergartens (age 5-6) have to finance these
institutions privately.

Elementary School: U.S. children enter formal schooling around age 6. Elementary students are typically
in one classroom with the same teacher most of the day, moving as a class to a different classroom once a
day for a special subject (Art, Physical Education , Music, Library, etc)

Middle School: After elementary school, students proceed to middle school, where they usually move
from class to class each period, with a new teacher and a new mixture of students in every class. Students
can select from a wide range of academic classes and elective classes.

Student Body: All students currently enrolled in a school. This term is used in middle schools, high
schools, and universities.

High School: In high school, there is an even greater variety of subjects than before. Students must earn
a certain number of credits (which they get for a successfully completed course) in order to graduate and
be awarded with a High School Diploma – there is no final examination like in many other countries.

Freshman: first year student in either high school or college

Sophomore: second year student in either high school or college

Junior: third year student in either high school or college

Senior: fourth year student in either high school or college

SAT (noun): is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The test is intended to
assess a student's readiness for college. It was first introduced in 1926, and its name and scoring have
changed several times. It was first called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, but now SAT does not stand for
anything, and is often called the SAT Reasoning Test.

The exam takes three hours and forty-five minutes to finish, and costs $50. Possible scores range from
600 to 2400, combining test results from three 800-point sections (Mathematics, Critical Reading, and
Writing).

ACT(noun): is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United
States as an alternative to the SAT Reasoning Test. ACT stands for American College Testing. The ACT
consists of five tests: English, Mathematics, Reading, Science Reasoning, and Writing. All four-year
colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases on

28
preference between the SAT and ACT. The tests are scored individually on a scale of 1–36, and a
Composite score is provided which is the whole number average of the five scores.

GPA (noun): GPA stands for Grade Point Average. It is the average of all grades received by a student
compared to the total number of courses taken. It is considered the strongest indicator of a student’s
performance in school. GPA’s are used beginning in Middle School all the way through graduate school.

College vs. University: In the US, there is very little difference academically between a "college" and a
"university." Universities are usually larger and often contain multiple "colleges" within them. However,
some of the top-ranked schools in the US have a name including "college" (e.g., Dartmouth College).

The word “college” can refer to any school in the higher ed universe, from a large university to a two-year
community college. In general, people always use the word college over university when discussing
higher education.

Example: “When I was in college…” “I can’t wait to go to college!” While it’s true that there are many
U.S. universities that are much larger than colleges, it’s not always the size that matters. What does matter
are the resources and programs the school has to offer. The differences in the name are often based on
small differences in the curriculum offered.

In general, colleges are made up of different academic departments, while universities are made up of
different colleges or schools that are separate entities from each other. For example, if you go off to a
college, you might declare a major in the Business department. But if you go to a university, when you
declare your major you will become a part of one of the 10 smaller colleges on campus, like the College
of Liberal Arts or the College of Science.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA is a university, but
since there already is a Boston University, the name remains.

In general, the differences are so small that people do not differentiate between the two, and it is not
considered more prestigious to go to a university rather than a college. For speaking purposes, it is best to
always use the word college even if describing a university, as that is the most common terminology.

University Housing: a term to describe houses or apartments that are owned by the University, but that
are not directly on campus. A student pays the university to live in these houses rather than having an
outside landlord.

Dorms/Dormitories: A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, is a residence hall consisting of rooms for
large numbers of students. A typical dorm consists of bedrooms designed for two people, however there
are other options that include single rooms, triples (one room for three people), or suites (multiple double
rooms connected to a shared lounge and possibly kitchen).

Academic Advisor: Every college student has a personal Academic Advisor, who is one of the professors
in the department in which they are studying. An Academic Advisor meets individually with the student
twice a year to discuss how the student is doing in their classes, to give them advice for the future, and to
ensure that they are completing the necessary coursework in order to graduate.

Freshman 15: When students first go to college, it is common for them to gain weight because they have
unlimited amounts of food available to them in the cafeteria. The weight that first year college students
gain is referred to as “the freshman 15”, referring to 15 pounds gained.

Roommates: Roommates refer to the people with whom you live. It may be someone who you literally
share a room with, or it could be used for people you share a house or apartment with, even if you do not

29
share the same room. The word roommates is often shortened to a slang term: roomies. The singular
form, the substitute for roommate, is roomie. It is more often to hear the word “roomies” or “roomie” in a
conversation on a college campus than “roommates” or “roommate”.

Examples: “My roomie and I are going out to dinner tonight; would you like to join us?”

“Jenny, Jessica, Sara and I are moving into a house together. We are going to be roomies!”

Intramurals: Recreational sports organized among students at a university. Groups of friends form teams
for various sports, including basketball, volleyball, frisbee, soccer, tennis, and more. Each team registers
with the Intramural Captain (usually a paid student job on campus) who then organizes games between
the teams. The games are refereed by other students who are paid by the university to be intramural
referees. Intramural games are almost always only played between students at the same university.

Example: “My friends and I just formed an intramural basketball team. We’re not very good, but we have
fun playing!”

TA: A TA is a Teacher’s Assistant. However, the words “teacher’s assistant” are rarely used, and instead
is always shortened to the letters TA. A TA is a junior or senior (a third or fourth year student) or a
student of the Graduate program working on their Master’s degree. A TA works for a professor in a
specific course that they have previously taken and is usually paid for their work. In rare cases, a TA may
receive academic credit for their work rather than monetary compensation. The duties of TA’s vary
depending on the individual person’s academic level. A TA who is still working on their undergraduate
degree will often assist the professor in grading small homework assignments, rough drafts of essays and
projects, hold study sessions for the students, and give a lesson one or two times during the school year.

A TA who is a graduate student and has already received their undergraduate degree in the subject will
have many more responsibilities. A graduate TA may teach over half of the course, grade essays, help
write questions for exams, and complete other tasks as requested by a professor.

Class: A sum of all of the people you graduate with. Your class is associated with the year in which you
will graduate. For example, a group of students who begin college in 2010 are called “The Class of 2014”
because they will graduate in 2014. Because there are very few students who do not complete the program
in four years, the term is used when students begin studying, assuming that they will all graduate in four
years. For example, when I first went to college in 2007, there were signs and banners saying “Welcome
Class of 2011”, although it was at the time the year 2007.

Class can also be used as a general term for everyone who graduates the same year.

Example: “I graduated from Whitworth University with a class of 500 students”.

Student Teaching: Students studying to be teachers in the United States must complete a student
teaching experience. Student teaching is a college-supervised instructional experience; usually the final
course in a university/college program leading to teacher education and certification. Student teaching is
required for students who are not yet certified to teach.
The student teaching experience lasts about the length of a semester or quarter. It is an unpaid internship.
This experience gives the student an opportunity to teach under the supervision of an experienced teacher.
The student teacher essentially shadows the cooperating teacher for about one week, eventually gaining
more responsibility in teaching the class as the days and weeks progress. Eventually, the student teacher
will assume most of the teaching responsibilities for the class including class management, lesson
planning, assessment, and grading. Thus, the student teacher is able to more fully experience the role of
the teacher as the classroom teacher takes on the observation role in the class.

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The supervisor, as well as cooperating teacher, are to monitor the progress of the student teacher
throughout the experience, ensuring it’s satisfactory. A grade of Pass or Fail in student teaching, as well
as satisfactory completion of a school's education program, is an indication as to whether the college
recommends the student for certification to teach.

Graduate school: Graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees (i.e. master's
degrees and Ph.D. degrees) with the general requirement that students must have earned a
previous undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
Many universities award graduate degrees; a graduate school is not necessarily a separate institution from
an undergraduate institution. Those attending graduate schools are called "graduate students" Degrees
awarded to graduate students include master's degrees, doctoral degrees, and other postgraduate
qualifications such as graduate certificates and professional degrees.
Producing original research is often a significant component of graduate studies, including the writing and
defense of a thesis or dissertation.
Unlike in undergraduate programs, it is rare for graduate students to take coursework outside their
specific field of study at graduate or graduate entry level. At the Ph.D. level, though, it is quite common
to take courses from a wider range of study, for which some fixed portion of coursework, sometimes
known as a residency, is typically required to be taken from outside the department and college of the
degree-seeking candidate, to broaden the research abilities of the student.
Required tests for entrance into higher education institutions:
GRE: Graduate Record Exam: The GRE is an entrance exam required for all Social Sciences,
Humanities, and certain Hard Sciences for graduate school in order to receive a Master’s degree.
The test consists of six sections. The first section is always the analytical writing section where
the student must write two argumentative essays following the given prompts. The next five
sections consist of two verbal reasoning sections, which cover reading and vocabulary, and
two quantitative reasoning sections, which cover math and number skills, and an experimental or
research section. The scores on the test are an integral part in admission to graduate schools.

GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test : Business schools use the GMAT as a
criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs,
including MBA, Master of Accountancy, and Master of Finance programs.

LSAT: Law School Admission Test: The LSAT is a half-day standardized test for
prospective law school candidates. The LSAT is designed to assess reading
comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning proficiencies. The test is an integral part of the law
school admission process in the United States. An applicant cannot take the LSAT more than
three times within a two-year period.

MCAT: Medical College Admission Test: The MCAT is a computer-based standardized

examination for prospective medical students in the United States. It is designed to assess
problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis, and writing skills in addition to knowledge of
scientific concepts and principles. The test is an integral part of the medical school admission
process.

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The Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): An independent federal agency established to
coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment. The EPA is famous for
setting strict regulations, and therefore is often used as a slang term to describe someone who tries to
make others follow rules.

Example: John: Don’t throw that plastic bag in the trash, you should wash it out and re-use it!

Jane: It is just one bag and it is not worth the time it will take to wash it. What are you, the EPA
or something?

Going Green: A phrase referring to individual action that a person can consciously take to curb harmful
effects on the environment through consumer habits, behavior, and lifestyle.

Example: After reading that book about Global Warming, I have decided that this year I am going green. I
am going to start recycling and only using public transportation rather than my personal car.

Green behavior: actions that support the preservation of the earth. For example: recycling, composting,
and using public transportation

Example: I like shopping at Trader Joe’s because of the store’s green behavior. They are always doing
their best to reduce their waste as a business.

Environmentally Friendly: (also eco-friendly, nature friendly, and green) a term used to refer to goods
and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment.

Example: This cleaning spray is environmentally friendly because it does not contain any harmful toxins.

Greenwashing: Marketing claims that use eco-labels to promote their product

Example: In order to convince people to buy the cleaning spray, the company used greenwashing and
printed in large letters “FREE OF ALL HARMFUL CHEMICALS” on the label of the product.

Tree Hugger: Derogatory term for environmentalists who support restrictions on the logging industry
and the preservation of forests.

Example: In some cases, cutting down certain trees is necessary in order to have lumber to build houses
and other buildings. Unfortunately, the tree huggers are making it almost impossible to cut any down,
causing the cost of lumber to rise very high.

Sustainable: Conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Example: Because the earth’s resources will not last forever, we must learn to live a sustainable life and
try to not waste any natural resources.

Earth Conscious: engage in eco-friendly habits or practices by being more conscious of how you use
resources

Example: I used to drive my car everywhere and not worry about turning off lights or using less water.
After watching a documentary about the importance of taking care of the environment I have become
much more Earth Conscious! Now I try to walk or take the bus when I go places, always turn off the
lights when I leave a room, and try to take short showers to not waste anything.

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Carbon Footprint: A representation of the effect human activities have on the climate in terms of the
total amount of greenhouse gases produced

Example: As I do not have a car, I walk, ride my bike, or take the bus everywhere I go. My sister,
however, has a car and drives everywhere. Because of this, her carbon footprint is much larger than mine.

Upcycle: The process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of
better quality or a higher environmental value.

Example: I had a bunch of empty glass bottles from the party we had last weekend. I was going to throw
them away, but instead I decided to use a little paint and creativity in order to upcycle them into candle
holders. Look how great they look!

Composting: The biological process of breaking up of organic waste such as food waste, manure, leaves,
grass trimmings, paper, worms, and coffee grounds, etc

Example: In order to limit my waste, I try to not throw away any peels from fruits and vegetables. I keep
them in a separate bin where I also put the weeds from my garden. I am practicing composting by putting
all of these materials together and letting them decompose. After several months, I put the mixture back
in my garden and it makes the soil very soft and good for gardening.

Greenie: Slang term for an environmentalist

Example: My sister is a total greenie. She only walks or rides a bicycle for transportation in order to limit
pollution. She spends an hour riding her bike to work every day!

Food
How do you say “milanesas”?

There is not particular, singular direct translation for milanesas. There are many names that people may
use to call meat that is prepared in the same way. Part of the reason that there is not a singular name for
the food is that it is not something that is eaten with frequency as it is in Argentina. People in the United
States may eat meat prepared in this way only a few times a year.

When discussing beef, the most common two names are breaded fried steak or chicken fried steak. The
reason that it is often called “chicken fried steak” is because it is much more common to see chicken
prepared breaded. Therefore, it is called “chicken fried steak” because it is steak that is prepared in a way
common for chicken. The most formal and correct term for milanesa in English is Milanese beef or beef
Milanese. However, these terms are not commonly used and are likely only to be found in upscale
restaurants or high end cooking magazines. The average person from the United States would not know
what Milanese beef meant if they saw it on a menu. Therefore, the term is very rarely used.

Milanesas are also similar to the Austrian dish Wiener Schnitzel, which is veal prepared breaded and then
fried. Therefore, when the meat is veal, it may be seen on a menu as Wiener Schnitzel.

When referring to chicken, it is often called breaded chicken fillets, thin-sliced breaded chicken, or
fried breaded chicken. It is important to note that it is never called simply “fried chicken”, as fried
chicken refers to entire pieces of chicken (the leg, the breast, etc) that are deep fried and then eaten.

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 Breaded Chicken Fillets (Milanesas de pollo) vs. Fried chicken

How do you say “Dulce de leche”? (since many people tend to confuse it with “caramel”)

Regular caramel is made from heating sugar and water until caramel forms, while dulce de leche
undergoes the same process, but with milk.

In the U.S., products similar to dulce de leche are often called Caramelized Milk, Milk Caramel, and
Caramel Dip. There is not a singular name for the dulce de leche. It is not mass produced or eaten with
frequency as it is in Argentina. Many people may not even distinguish the difference between caramels
with a base of milk and with a base of water, and instead call them all caramels.

However, in recent years, the flavor of dulce de Leche has become more well known in the United States.
The main reason for this is because Haagen-Dazs’s, a popular ice cream brand, introduced a
popular Dulce de Leche ice cream flavor. This flavor is credited with introducing dulce de leche to the
general public. Since then, the flavor of dulce de leche has found its way into the middle of Oreo
sandwich cookies and McDonald’s milkshakes. Hershey’s chocolate has introduced a dulce de leche Kiss,
and Smuckers produces a dulce de leche ice cream topping. It is becoming popular to include in mass
produced dessert items. While the flavor is becoming popular, dulce de leche on its own has yet to
become popular.

For example, you will not find jars of dulce de leche in most supermarkets in the United States. A form of
caramelized milk can be found with the ingredients to make cakes and desserts, but not very commonly.
And, it is not common for a family to have caramelized milk ready to eat in their home. Caramelized milk
is most often made at home or, if it can be found in a store, purchased specifically to put on cakes or
special desserts. It is not culturally common to eat with bread or on a daily basis. Instead, it is something
that would be used for a specific recipe that calls for this type of caramel.

The cultural equivalent item to dulce de leche in the United States is peanut butter. Peanut butter is a
paste that is made from grinding peanuts until a smooth, thick paste is formed. Peanut butter usually has a
little bit of sugar added, but on its own is more salty than sweet.

Like dulce de leche in Argentina, a jar of peanut butter can almost always be found in every home in the
United States. It is eaten on toast in the morning, on fruit, in sandwiches combined with jelly (the most
popular lunch for school children is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich), with chocolate, in cakes and
other desserts, and sometimes just alone. Just like in supermarkets in Argentina, in supermarkets in the
United States you will find an aisle full of various brands of peanut butter
to purchase.

Pictured to the left is a piece of bread with peanut butter on it.

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In Spanish we can classify certain fruits as “Frutos secos” and others as “Frutas secas”(or “frutos
pasos”); the first ones refer to all kinds of nuts (walnuts, cashew nuts, pistachio, almonds, etc,) and the
latter name all those fruits such as grapes, bananas, plums, figs, etc. that have gone through a process
of drying or dehydration... What would you call each group?

In English, we use the general term “nuts” to talk about all kinds of nuts (walnuts, cashews, peanuts,
pistachios, almonds, etc). Any kind of fruit that has been dehydrated are categorized by the general term
“dried fruit”. It is common for the two to be sold together or in the same section in the grocery store, and
to talk about the entire group it is common to hear “Dried Fruits and Nuts”. Often, when the two are
mixed and sold together, people refer to the mixture as “granola”. Granola does not have to include dried
fruits and nuts, but most often it does.

How do you say “morcilla”, “chorizo” and “chinchulín”?

Morcilla: In English, Morcilla is called “blood sausage”. Partly because of its unappetizing sounding
name, blood sausage is not commonly eaten in the United States. Most people have never tried it; many
eat it for the first time on vacations to Latin America or Europe, where it is more commonly eaten. Blood
sausage can be found in specialty grocery stores, but is not commonly found in most supermarkets.

Chorizo: Chorizo is best translated as “sausage”. However, as you know, there can be many different
types of sausage. Sausage is not as important culturally in the United States as it is in Argentina and is not
eaten as frequently. Breakfast sausages (made with pork and often seasoned with sage and other
condiments to be slightly sweet) are small and cooked on the stove. This kind of sausage is popular at a
special breakfast or brunch. At a BBQ, it is most common to eat hot dogs, which as you know are
different than sausages. Sausages are served at a BBQ for a special occasion (celebrating a birthday, the
4th of July, etc) but most people do not serve them on a regular basis.

Chinchulín: In general, chinchulín is referred to as beef intestines or cow intestines in the United States.
It is not common for intestines to be eaten or served in the United States. Most people have never eaten
intestines in their life, and may consider the idea gross or unappetizing. It would be very difficult to find
beef intestines on a menu in a restaurant in a majority of the United States or for sale in a supermarket.
Personally, I have never seen it!

If you are going to find intestines in the United States, it will be in the Southeast region of the country.
Southern cooking typically includes more meats and more variety than food commonly eaten in the rest of
the country.

You may here intestines referred to as offal, which refers to the internal organs and entrails of
a butchered animal. The word does not refer to intestines particularly or any other specific organ, but
includes most internal organs other than muscle and bone. As an English mass noun, the term "offal" has
no plural form.

Chitterlings (sometimes spelled as pronounced: chitlins or chittlins) are the intestines of a pig, and are
an African American culinary tradition and a Southern culinary tradition sometimes called "soul food"
cooking. In vernacular terms, chitterlings are often pronounced as chit'lins. Chitterlings sometimes are
battered and fried after the stewing process and commonly are served with cider vinegar and hot sauce as
condiments.

¿Los “fiambres en general” son “cold cuts”? ¿Y la parte de un negocio que venda fiambres? (also
known as “embutidos”)

Fiambres is best translated in English as cold cuts. In the United States, cold cuts are precooked
or cured meat, often sausages or meat loaves, that are sliced and usually served cold on sandwiches or on

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party trays. Just as in Argentina, they can be bought pre-sliced in packs at a supermarket or grocery store,
or they can be purchased at a deli counter, where they might be sliced to order.

Cold cuts also may be known as lunch meats, luncheon meats, sandwich meats, cooked meats, sliced
meats, cold meats and deli meats.

They are most commonly eaten on sandwiches but may be used for appetizers at a party as well. Below
are images of how cold cuts may be served at parties in the United States.

Cold cuts are purchased in the section of the supermarket known as the deli, which is a shortened form of
the German word Delicatessen. In the deli, you can purchase cold cuts, other meats and sausages,
cheeses, olives, dips and prepared food ready to be eaten. For example, the section in California where
you can purchase empanadas, salads, sandwiches, and meats that are hot and ready to be eaten would be a
part of the deli. It is common to find sandwiches, fried chicken, salads, soups, and other ready to be eaten
foods in the deli at a supermarket in the United States.

Is there any word for “canelones”?

In the United States, we refer to Canelones as Cannelloni. The English form of the word is uncountable;
therefore “cannelonis” is not used for a plural form of the word. The stuffing may include ricotta cheese,
spinach, and various kinds of meat. The sauces typically used are tomato or white sauce.

There is no special tradition for eating cannelloni or region where cannelloni is most often eaten. It is
eaten every once depending on each person’s preferences. However, cannelloni is not the most popular
Italian dish in the United States. It is much more common to eat lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccini, and ravioli
than it is cannelloni. These Italian dishes are also more commonly served in restaurants than is cannelloni.

How do you say carozo de aceituna?

Caroza de aceituna is translated as olive pit. However, olives in the United States are frequently sold as
“pitted olives”, which are olives that have had the pit removed. It is not common to find olives served
with the pit in them. For example, on a pizza a restaurant would never serve olives on the pizza with the
pit still inside.

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Olives are not as integral to a pizza in the United States as they are in Argentina. When olives are served
on a pizza, they are generally black olives which are sliced into smaller pieces. Black olives are eaten
with more frequency than green olives.

How do you say “la persona que lava los platos en un restaurant?

In a restaurant, a person who washes dishes is most commonly referred to as a “dishwasher”. A

dishwasher is considered a low-level job that does not require any special training or education to
complete. Just as in Argentina, a majority of dishwashing positions are filled by immigrants or other
marginalized sections of the population. However, it is also common for university students to work as
dishwashers. Nearly all students in the United States work part-time jobs while studying in order to pay
for tuition, books, rent, etc. Dishwashing is a popular job for students because they can go to work at the
end of the day after going to classes and wash the dishes used that day in a restaurant. Dishwashers are
usually paid just slightly above the minimum wage requirement in the United States.

Note: The word “dishwasher” is used both for a person who washes dishes and for the machine that
washes dishes.

How do you say “tarta de verduras”?

Tarta de verduras may be translated both as vegetable tart and vegetable pot pie. Generally, a vegetable
tart has a crust on the bottom but is not covered with another layer of
crust on top, pictured below.

A vegetable pot pie generally has a crust both on the bottom and the top, pictured below.

The filling for a vegetable tart or a vegetable pot pie varies depending
on the preferences of the person cooking the meal. In general they
include a variety of vegetables and sometimes cheese, eggs, or other
condiments for added flavor. Just as in Argentina they may be served
cold or hot.

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In general, a “pot pie” is a meat or vegetable dish baked in a crust in the form of a pie. A “pot pie” differs
from a “pie” in that a pot pie is a savory food served as a meal whereas a pie refers to a sweet food served
for dessert. Thus, when referring to salty or savory foods such as meats and vegetables, the correct
terminology is “pot pie”. For example: chicken pot pie, beef pot pie, vegetable pot pie”, etc. When talking
about desserts, the correct terminology is “pie”. For example: apple pie, peach pie, lemon pie, strawberry
pie, etc.

Grub (noun): a slang synonym for food.

Example: "I’m hungry. Where's the grub?!"

Chocoholic: a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate. Chocoholics are addicted to
chocolate and any desserts with chocolate in them, and have a hard time restraining themselves from
eating them when they are present.

Example: I ate an entire box of chocolates in an hour; my sister says I must be a chocaholic! Maybe she is
right as I did the same thing yesterday…

Munchies (noun): A synonym for snacks. Munchies is an uncountable noun and always used in the
plural. Examples are potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, crackers, etc.

Example: “Let's get some munchies at the baseball game.”

Holidays
Which is the correct preposition to use before certain holidays like “Christmas”? “At Christmas” or
“on Christmas”?

Which preposition to use before Christmas is dependent upon what you are trying to say with the
sentence. Note that the differences, while real, are also minor.

"On": refers to that day: "We got together on Christmas for dinner and a gift exchange." "We went to a
movie on Christmas because everything else was closed."

“At”: refers to the general time of Christmas (the month of December, the days surrounding the Holiday,
etc): “At Christmastime, I like to decorate my house with red and green decorations”. “I will see you at
Christmas when I come home for the holidays” (in this sentence the speaker is referring to several days
around Christmas, not solely December 25).

"Over": refers to a period of time including that day; "He went home from college for a week over
Christmas." Note that “at” and “over” are used similarly.

"For": refers to purpose: "We got together for Christmas" implies that Christmas was the reason (versus
the movie example in “we went to a movie on Christmas”).

These rules can be applied to other Holidays as well (New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve, Easter,
Independence Day, etc.).

Should we say “at the weekend / at weekends” or “on the weekend / on weekends”?

When referring to weekend, in the United States it is always appropriate to use “on the weekend” or “on
the weekends”. “At the weekend” is incorrect.

For example: “I like to sleep in on the weekend” is correct instead of “I like to sleep in at the weekend”.

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When referring to an activity that you will be doing for an entire weekend, you may also use the
preposition “over”.

For example: “We are going to the beach over the weekend”. This implies that you will be going on
vacation and be at the beach for the entire weekend.

However, it is still correct to use the preposition “on” as well, but in this case “on” is less specific than
“over”. “We are going to the beach on the weekend” may mean that you are going one time- for example
Saturday afternoon. However, “we are going to the beach on the weekend” also may mean that you are
going for the entire weekend: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Using “over the weekend” automatically
implies all three days.

Is there a name for “carnaval carioca”?

The tradition of people dancing wearing special hats, foam ornaments, masks, Hawaiian necklaces, rattles
and using artificial snow spray during birthday parties or weddings does not exist in the United States.

Many people would be appalled if somebody began spraying artificial snow during their party! As this
part of an event does not exist in U.S. culture, there is no translation for this type of activity.

Politics
Golpe de estado?

The correct way to discuss a golpe de estado is the term coup d'état, or coup for short. A Coup is the
sudden, illegal deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—
typically the military—to depose the extant government and replace it with another body, civil or military

Coup is commonly used with the verb “to throw” in meaning that a coup took or will take place.

Example: After years of dissatisfaction with the government, the military decided to throw a coup in
order to overtake the government

Synonyms: To oust, to overthrow, to forcibly takeover

A related term to a coup is Impeachment. Impeachment a formal process in which an official is accused
of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that
official from office as well as criminal or civil punishment.

Example: After the President violated federal law, Congress decided to impeach him and remove him
from office, giving power to the Vice President.

*When the president was overthrown in Paraguay in June, 2012 it was technically an impeachment
because it was done through a political process within the existing government. However, some call it
both a coup and an impeachment because not all legal processes were followed in the impeachment
process.

Republican Party: The conservative political party in the United States

Synonyms: the GOP (Grand Old Party), the Right Party, right-winged, rightist, right-leaning

Symbols: an elephant, the color red

Democratic Party: The liberal political party in the United States

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 Synonyms: the Left Party, left-winged, leftist, left-leaning,

Symbols: a donkey, the color blue

Politically Correct (PC): changing or avoiding language that might offend anyone, especially with
respect to gender, race, ethnic, or educational background. It is often abbreviated and said as “PC”.

Examples:

-the use of "gender-neutral" job titles ("firefighter" instead of "fireman," "chairperson" or "chair" instead
of "chairman," etc.),

-the use of the expression “mentally challenged” rather than "retarded"

- the use of "Native American" rather than “Indian”

Usage: The movie probably offended many people, as none of the jokes were PC (politically correct).

The President apologized after not using politically correct language in his speech.

Popular Slang Words

Sketchy:1) When someone or something is uncertain,. 2) Unsafe, creepy, questionable. 3) Someone or
something that gives off a bad feeling

Examples: She told me to meet her here at 6, but I don’t know what we are doing yet. The details are a
little sketchy.

The area around the train station at night can be a little sketchy.

The guy who just walked into the party fidgeting and with red eyes is completely sketchy.

Variations: Sketchball

Example: Make sure you lock the doors to your car, there is a sketchball standing across the street.
(referring to someone who looks untrustworthy).

Awkward: 1. Interjection used in a situation that is slightly uncomfortable. People may saw the word
“awkward” to try to alleviate uncomfortable silence or to suggest changing the subject of a conversation.

2. A situation which is of a significant amount of discomfort, and a subject of hilarity and confusion for
those not involved.

Example: This weekend we had a party at my house. Somebody forgot to invite John, and when I saw
him the next day I realized all of his friends had forgotten about him. It was super awkward!

Rando (noun): An unpredictable, awkward and often creepy individual. Someone that comes out of
nowhere. Rando is short for random.

Example: Jane: How was the party last night? John: Ah, pretty good but there were a bunch of randos
there.

Flaky / a flake: An unreliable person. A procrastinator. A careless or lazy person. Dishonest and doesn't
keep to their word. They'll tell you they're going to do one thing, and never do it. They'll tell you that

40
they'll meet you somewhere, and show up an hour late or don't show up at all. Also spelled "flakey", or
"flake" in the noun form.

Examples: She told me she would send me her pictures, but it's been 3 months and she hasn't sent me
anything. She is such a flake.

TMI, Too Much Information: Way more than you need/want to know about someone.

Example: I love talking to Mary about her boyfriend, but sometimes it’s like, TMI!

Legit (adjective): Real. Not fake. Cool.

Example: I have a job interview tomorrow for a Marketing Agent position. Most of my friends have never
heard of the company, which is strange because it seems totally legit!

Popular phrase: Too legit to quit. This phrase is used for someone who is very good at doing a specific
task, playing a specific sport, etc.

Sweet: An intensive used to express satisfaction, acceptance, pleasure, excellence, exaltation, approval,
awe, or reverence. When used individually, the level of satisfaction expressed is most often directly
proportionate to the duration of the vowel sound.

"Homemade pizza for dinner. Sweet!" – In this example, the speaker is excited about pizza, but at a
normal level.

"I just won a million dollars? SWEEEEEEET!" – In this example, the long duration of “eeeee” expresses
an extreme amount of excitement.

Sweet (adjective): Sweet is a description that is synonymous to cool, impressive, great, or amazing.

For example: Instead of saying “In the last minute, Michael Jordan made an amazing basket to win the
game for the Bulls” you could say ““In the last minute, Michael Jordan made a sweet basket to win the
game for the Bulls”.

Sick (adjective): Crazy, cool, insane. Sick can be substituted for various adjectives all describing the
greatness of something.

Example: Man, that magic trick was sick! I don’t understand how he made that elephant disappear!

That was a sick concert. U2 sounds even better live than they do on their CD’s.

Boss (adjective): excellent; great. Boss is similar to “sick” and “sweet” and can be used in many of the
same contexts.

Example: "The latest Spiderman movie was boss! I loved it so much I am going to watch it again this
weekend."

Boss (noun): a person who is very extraordinarily good at what they do. It may refer to any activity:
academics, sports, work, etc. To describe someone as being amazing, it is said they are “a boss” and not
“the boss”.

Examples: John got a perfect score on his final exam. He is a boss!

I can’t believe Liz was able to run the entire marathon without stopping. She is a boss!

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Total G (noun) - an impressive person. To compliment someone you use "total G." Boss and Total G are
synonyms.

Example: Kevin got all A's in all his classes. He is a total G.

Suck (adjective): 1) to be bad and unacceptable:

Example: "That song really sucks! Please, never play it again."

2) to be incapable of doing something

Example: “I suck at cooking. Every time I try to make something it always ends up burned and tasting
horrible”.

Presh (adjective): short for "precious." If you call something "presh" then it is very special or adorable.

Examples: Her new puppy is so presh.

Did you see the photos of Evan and Shannon at their wedding? They are so presh!

Chillax (verb): Combination of the word "chill" and "relax". Chillax can be used to talk about what
someone is going to do, or can be used to tell someone they should calm down.

Examples: Tonight I am not going anywhere. I am going to stay home, watch a movie, and just chillax.

Don't worry about the exam, just chillax and come to the party tonight.

Destroy (verb) - another slang word that has an opposite meaning. To "destroy" means to do really well
on something.

Example: I barely studied so I definitely didn't expect to destroy that exam. But, I got an A!

Lame (adjective): unexciting, unimpressive, boring. Lame can be used to describe anything - a person,
an object, a place, an event, etc. An ???? can be added before the word to emphasize or exaggerate the
degree of lameness.

Examples: My vacation was super lame. I went to Hawaii with hopes of laying on the beach in the sun all
week. But, from the time we arrived to the time we left, it never stopped raining. We barely even left the
hotel room.

Erin is so lame. I always invite her to come over to my house, to go on a walk, to go to the movies, to go
out to eat, or to do other things and she always says no. She never does anything fun!

Eric: I was so excited to get a new computer, but it turned out to be a disappointment. My new computer
is just as slow as my old one!

Scott: Lame!

Eric: Tell me about it.

Cool (adjective): Used to express a positive aspect of something. Something that is less impressive than
something else is “less cool”, but something that is more impressive than something else is “cooler”.

1) excellent; superb.

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 Example: The new iPhone is way cooler than the old iPhone. There is an application to do anything
you can imagine!

2) interesting, fascinating

Example: The World War II documentary was very cool. I never knew

3) Popular

Example: All of the girls want to go on a date with Johnny; he is so cool!

Crap (noun):

1) something worthless.

Example: My furniture is a bunch of cheap crap. It is already falling apart even though I bought it a
month ago.

To describe something as being worthless, you can use the adjective form of crap, which is “crappy”.

Example: My furniture is crappy. It is already falling apart even though I bought it a month ago.

2) excrement.

Example: Yuck! I stepped in dog crap!

3) falsehood and lies.

Example: I've had enough of your crap. Just tell me the truth.

Edgy (adjective):

1). Tense, nervous, or irritable: "he became edgy and defensive".

Example: When I asked my mom for money to go on a trip, she sharply said “NO” without even
considering it, then stormed away. It is not like her to get so upset easily, but lately she has been really
edgy. She must be under a lot of stress at her job.

2). Having an intense or sharp quality. Applied to books, music, fashion or even haircuts which tend to
challenge societal norms and reveal a darker side of society. Similar to cutting edge.

Example: I would have been too shy to wear that edgy outfit to class, but Laura looked great. I personally
prefer more classic fashion choices.

Clutch (Adjective):

1) Great, Essential, and Potent rolled into a single word. It is often used to describe someone who
comes through when they are needed in a high pressure situation. Clutch is usually used to
describe something that is done, not something that is.

Clutch was used several times during Olympic commentary at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Examples:

Beginning the race with such a fast start was clutch in order for Usane Bolt to win the gold medal.

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(referring to basketball): Did you see that pass? That was clutch!

Other Examples:

The cake almost burned in the oven, I forgot I had put it in the oven. Thankfully my mom remembered
and took the cake out just in time. That was clutch.

Clutch (noun): A ladies handbag that does not have a strap. It must be carried in one’s hand.

Bazillion: an infinite number of something.

Example: "Has Dennis really seen that movie a bazillion times? I doubt it…"

Biggie: something important.

Example: "I was hoping to get my homework completed, but i ran out of time. It's no biggie, i’ll just do it
another day."

Catch some rays: To get some sunshine or to go tanning by laying out in the sun.

Example: "Let's go to the beach and catch some rays."

Cheesy: Something that is unintentionally unpopular or of poor quality. Many things described as
cheesy were popular at some point in the past, but that now seem stupid or uninteresting in retrospect.
Many movies that are predictable or use a lot of clichés are described as cheesy.

Examples: I can't believe you like Ashlee Simpson. Her music is so cheesy.

Hey, look at this picture of dad from 1975! Check out those sideburns and bellbottoms! That's so cheesy!

Dorky: strange; nerdy, or geeky.

Example: "If you keep acting so dorky, you'll never get a girlfriend!"

Fab: A shortened form of the word fabulous.

Example: You look fab today! That dress is incredible on you.

Flaky: To be unpredictable or unreliable.

Example: "I waited four hours for my flaky friend to show up. I should have known she would have
forgotten, you can never count on her!"

Flick: A movie.

Example: "Let's go out tonight and watch a flick."

Freebie: something that does not cost money.

Example: "Because the waiter messed up my order at dinner, he gave me my food as a freebie. I was so
excited to not have to pay for it!"

Goof (1): a silly and foolish person.

Example: "My brother is such a goof ! He can make me laugh at any time of the day."

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Goof (2): to make a mistake.

Example: “I really goofed on the test today. The instructions said to choose the best two answers, but I
only chose one. My grade is going to be horrible!"

Goof off (verb) (1): to waste time.

Example: "Stop goofing off and help me clean the house! You can play your computer games later."

Goof-off (noun) (2): someone who wastes time and isn't serious.

Example: "A goof-off never does well in school because they never pay attention or complete their
assignments, they are too busy making jokes and trying to have fun."

Goof up: make a mistake.

Example: "Oh no! I really goofed up! I completely forgot that yesterday was my mom’s birthday!"

Goofy: silly or comical.

Example: "If you ask children to explain where babies come from, they will surely give you a goofy
answer!"

Grungy: unclean and stinky.

Example: "Before we go to dinner I need to take a shower. I am really grungy after working out at the
gym!"

Hang a left: to make a left turn.

Example: "Hang a left at the next corner."

Hang a right: to make a right turn.

Example: "Hang a right at the next corner."

In: to be fashionable.

Example : "Ray-ban sunglasses are really in now. Everybody is wearing them, including celebrities!."

Knockout: a beautiful woman or a handsome man.

Example : "Benjamin is really a knockout! I bet all of the girls in high school stare at him all day during
class instead of paying attention to the teacher."

Hunk: a handsome or attractive man

Example : Sue thinks that Tom Cruise is a hunk; she loves his body.

Poop out: get tired and quit.

"I got pooped out after running 2 miles and decided to walk the rest of the way home."

Shades: sunglasses.

Example: "The sun is super bright today, I need my shades in order to be able to see."

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Smarts: Intelligence.

Example: "It takes a lot of smarts to become a doctor."

Spunk: energy and boldness; the opposite of a shy person

Example: "She might be small, but she's got a lot of spunk. She seems to never be tired or scared."

Street smart: knowledgeable about city life and every day, useful things; the opposite of knowledge
learned in school (book smart).

Example: "Since Daniel grew up in Los Angeles, he's very street smart. I always feel safe touring the
city with him.”

Book smart: knowledgable about academic subjects; the opposite of knowledge about everyday things
(street smart)

Example: July studied chemistry and biology in college. She is very book smart, but when it comes to
basic things like doing the laundry or changing a light bulb, she hasn’t got a clue.

Umpteen: many; countless.

Example: "i've asked you umpteen times to pay me back for dinner last week. Can you get me the money
today?"

Wacko: a crazy person

Example: Some reporters say that famous pop singer is a wacko. Whenever she responds to interview
questions she gives answers that have nothing to do with the question.

Metrosexual (often shortened to just “metro”): a man who is very concerned with his appearance. He
dresses very fashionable, spends a lot of time doing his hair in the morning, may get manicures for his
fingernails, etc. Being metrosexual does not have to do with sexual orientation. A metrosexual man may
be heterosexual or homosexual.

Example: My friend Jason is definitely metro. He only wears designer clothes and he spends more time
getting ready in the morning than most girls I know. He is the most fashionable person I know.

Regionalisms
Note: these words are used all over the U.S. but originated in a certain part of the country and are often
used most often in a specific region

Wicked: New England slang that adds emphasis. Synonymous with really, very and hella.

Examples: To describe how great something is: "This car is wicked cool!"

To show frustration: "That guy is wicked slow!"

To show amazement: "Wow, that game is wicked awesome!"

To emphasize feelings: "That story made me wicked sad!"

To exaggerate your point: "That took a wicked long time!"

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Hella: Originated from the streets of San Francisco in the Hunters Point neighborhood. It is commonly
used in place of "really" or "very" when describing something.

Examples: It is hella hot outside. After just five minutes of walking I am already cove red in sweat.

That test was hella hard. I doubt I passed it.

Mad: Most predominantly used in the greater New York area, "mad" is an appropriate replacement for
Northern California's "hella" and Boston's "wicked." In the common vernacular, it translates into "a lot"
or "extremely." Can be used almost interchangeably with any of the above listed words.

Examples: That girl has mad problems, her emotions are constantly changing.

I am mad tired. I don’t care that it is only 8:30pm, I am going to sleep now!

Ain’t: a slang word which can mean any of the following:

-am not, are not, is not

-have not, has not

-do not, does not, did not

Ain’t is usually used in Southern states in the U.S. or in rural communities. Ain’t is considered informal
and some consider the use of the word to represent a lack of education. Sentences that contain “ain’t”
often contain other grammatical errors as well.

Examples:

I ain’t going to do my homework tonight. Meaning: I am not going to do my homework tonight.

The movie ain’t finished yet! Meaning: The movie is not finished yet.

She ain’t got a boyfriend. Meaning: She does not have a boyfriend.

All y’all: you all; everybody. All y’all, or often just y’all, is used frequently in Southern states in the
United States when addressing more than one person.

Example: (Addressing the other members of her family) I am thinking about making pizza for dinner
tonight, what do all y’all think?

(Addressing a few friends): Do y’all want to come over to my house tonight to watch a movie?

In the northern states, it is common for someone to refer to a group of people, regardless of gender, as
guys. “Guys” is a rough equivalent to “y’all”. When singular, a guy is always male. When plural, guys
can refer to either gender. For example, a girl may be talking to three other female friends and ask:
“What do you guys think of this dress? Should I wear it to the party?” In the south, it would be said
“What do y’all think of this dress? Should I wear it to the party?”

Pop vs. Soda vs. Coke (gaseosa): The words pop, soda, and coke can all be heard for general terms for
non-alcoholic, carbonated drinks. In general, the use of each word varies by region.

Pop: Pop is most often used in the Northwestern part of the country.

Example: I am thirsty. Let’s stop and get a pop to drink during the drive.

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Soda: most often used in the Northeastern part of the country, and some Southwestern states.

Example: I am thirsty. Let’s stop and get a soda to drink during the drive.

Coke: most often used in Midwestern and Southeastern states. It is used to refer to any type of soft drink,
and does not necessarily refer to Coca Cola.

Example: I am thirsty. Let’s stop and get a coke to drink during the drive. (Referring to any type of soft
drink- it may be Coke, Sprite, Pepsi, etc)

This coke sure is refreshing! (Said by someone drinking Sprite).

Redneck: a slang term originally referring to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from
the southern United States. Historically, people who worked manual labor jobs spent a lot of time outside,
thus receiving a “red neck” from the sun. Today, it refers to people who live in Midwestern states,
especially Texas.

The term may used in a derogatory sense, intended to attack the general way of thinking of many people
who live in the south. However, many Southern whites have reclaimed the word, using it with pride as a
self-identifier to discuss their general way of living, and not their ideological beliefs. Many people are
proud to be called a redneck.

In a derogatory sense, redneck can mean a person who is bigoted, racist, extremely conservative, or
resistant to modern ways. Somebody would not self-identify themselves as a redneck in this meaning.

However, it is more commonly used to describe someone who lives in a rural setting and who purposely
avoids big city life. They are proud of their pick-up trucks or older cars and stick with them despite rising
gas prices. They typically work industrial or manual labor jobs. The majority do not have anything
beyond a high school education. They depend on the "Good 'Ol Boy" system of advancement. They are
extremely weary of those who do possess the desire to act educated -- these people are perceived as sell-
outs.
Guns used for hunting are a symbol of pride among rednecks. They are often seen wearing hunting attire
even if they do not plan on hunting that day. Dressing up for a fancy occasion may include putting on a
nice pair of jeans and a flannel shirt; a redneck would never wear a formal three piece suit.

Rednecks speak with a Southern accent and avoid using big words. It is not that they do not know big
words, but instead they choose not to use them because within their circle of friends it is considered
socially unacceptable. Using big words is associated with someone trying to be fancy or better than
someone else.

Hillbilly: Hillbilly is a synonym for redneck, but used in a different region. Redneck refers to someone in
the Midwestern states in the United States. Hillbilly refers to a similar group of people who live in the
Appalachia region of the United States (a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from
the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia).

White trash: a pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States who live immoral lives.
The term suggests outcasts from respectable society who are seen as dangerous because they may be
criminal, unpredictable, and without respect for authority whether it be political, legal, or moral. The term
is usually a slur, but may also be used self-referentially by whites to jokingly describe their origins.
Examples of someone who may be called white trash include drug dealers, thieves, prostitutes, and other
marginalized groups of society.

Yankee: Outside of the U.S., people use the term to refer to any person from the U.S.

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However, within the U.S., yankee refers to someone who lives in the Northeastern region of the country.
It usually is referring to descendents of the colonial English settlers. The word is rarely used to describe
somebody and in general is considered to be offensive.

Relationships
Is there a word for “amiguismo”, i.e. getting favors thanks to friends?

In general, getting favors thanks to friends is referred to as “favoritism”. Favoritism is used with the verb
“show” (rather than give). For example: “The boss shows favoritism when he allows his friends to arrive
late to work but gets angry at other employees who arrive late”.

The idea behind favoritism is often expressed through other phrases. For example, people may say
“Getting a good job depends on who you know”. In this case “who you know” refers to the idea that if
you have a friend who works in a certain industry, they may help you get a job and make your
employment search easier.

Networking is a related concept. Networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial

relationship with other people and potential clients and/or customers in order to have success in the
future. For example, as a student studying to be an English teacher, in your last year of your career you
may focus on networking by trying to meet as many English teachers and heads of Institutes as you can.
This way, when you receive your degree and try to apply for a job you have many people who already
know you and may choose to hire you to work with them.

Nepotism is the same as favoritism, except that it occurs between family members. Nepotism occurs
when someone gives you a job or other favors because you are related to them. You can use “favoritism”
to describe these actions as well, but nepotism is more specific in that it clarifies that the favor is due to a
familial relationship and not just a friend relationship.

How do you say “desamor”?

Desamor is literally translated as a “lack of affection”. A lack of affection occurs when somebody does
not like or love somebody, or when they fail to express their feelings for somebody.

There are other phrases that can be used to describe the feeling as well. For example, two people who
used to be in love and no longer love each other are said to “have fallen out of love”. This means that the
feelings that they once had for each other no longer exist.

To describe a situation where two people no longer love each other, you can use the phrase “the love has
died”. This phrase is used when love used to exist between two people, but does not exist anymore.

These phrases are commonly used when couples break up or when people get a divorce.

How do you say “guampudo”? (a very informal word to describe someone who was cheated on by his
girlfriend)

The technical term for a man or a woman who is being cheated on is “cuckold”. However, cuckold is a
very old English word and is almost never used today.

There is not a word that is equivalent to guampudo that is still commonly used. In general, the person who
is being cheated on is described in relation to the act of their partner/spouse. For example “Her husband is
cheating on her,” or, “His wife is an adulterer”, etc. We use the words “cheater” and “adulterer” to talk
about the person who cheats on somebody else.

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Is there a name for “compadre”/ “comadre”? (When a child is baptized, the Godfather and the
Godmother become “compadre”/ “comadre” towards the child’s parents)

There is not a direct translation in English for “compadre” or “comadre”. In general, assigning a
godmother or a godfather to one’s child is not as high of a cultural value in the United States as it is in
Argentina. Many people may not have a formal godmother or godfather. In other cases, all siblings may
be given the same godmother or godfather.

When a child does have a godparent, if they play a large role in the child’s life, the parents might refer to
their children’s godparents as “co-parents”. This signifies that both the parents and the godparents take
part in raising or caring for the child. However, this is not a common term used and does not solely refer
to a godparent.

In general, rather than using a specific term, the relationship would just be described. For example, a
father would say “This man is the godfather of my child”, instead of saying “This man is my co-parent”.

Bestie (noun): A slang term for best-friend.

Example: Daniel and I have been besties since we were kids. We do everything together!

Tight (adjective) : A term used to describe two friends who are very close.

Example: I can always trust Jason with all of my secrets; we are very tight like that.

Bromance - a close male relationship. A "bromance" is used to describe two men who are best friends
and who spend a lot of time together.

Example: Matt and Dave are having a bromance. They are always together!

Frenemy - an enemy that pretends to be a friend. Most of the time both people know that they are not
really friends, but continue to associate with each other anyway.

Example: Veronica and Carly used to be best friends at work, but now they are frenemies. They still talk
do not really like each other.

Doppleganger (noun): a double or exact look-alike of a person. It is said that everyone has a
doppleganger, which means that somewhere in the world there is somebody else who looks just like you.

Example: “I saw your doppleganger yesterday! She looked so much like you that I didn’t realize it wasn’t
you until after I started talking to her and I realized it was a different person.”

“Jennifer Aniston is your celebrity doppleganger; you two look so much alike!”

Roomie (also defined in education): a shortened, slang form for the word roommate. The plural form, the
substitute for roommates, is roomies. It is more often to hear the word “roomies” or “roomie” in a
conversation on a college campus than “roommates” or “roommate”.

Example: “My roomie and I are going out to dinner tonight; would you like to join us?”

To be joined at the hip (carne y uña): two people who are always together. They do not like to be
separated and may arrange their schedules so that they can spend the maximum amount of time together.

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Example: Jessica and Carolyn are joined at the hip. They sit next to each other in every class. They
always eat lunch together in the cafeteria. Jessica decided to join the tennis team because Carolyn is on
the tennis team. It’s like they are one person!

School/Classroom Supplies
Butcher paper (papel afiche): Butcher paper comes in large rolls and is great for murals, posters, and
more. It comes in many colors and is generally very cheap to purchase. Butcher paper can be found in any
craft store.

Cardboard: Cardboard is a material similar to thick, stiff paper, that is made of pressed paper pulp or
pasted sheets of paper. It is used for making cartons and signs, for example.

Chalkboard: A chalkboard (or blackboard) is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are
made with sticks of chalk. Chalkboards used to be very common in school classrooms. However, today
most chalkboards have been replaced with a white board or a smart board.

Whiteboard: A whiteboard (also known as a dry-erase board) is a name for any glossy, usually white
surface for nonpermanent markings. Special whiteboard markers are used to write on the board, and then
can be erased after use.

Smart Board: The Smart Board is an interactive whiteboard that uses touch detection for user input – for
example scrolling, right mouse-click – in the same way normal PC input devices, such as a mouse or
keyboard, detect input. A projector is used to display a computer's video output on the interactive
whiteboard, which then acts as a large touch screen for the teacher. The Smart Board interactive
whiteboard typically comes with four pens, which use digital ink and replace traditional whiteboard
markers. Smart boards have replaced most whiteboards in schools and universities in the U.S.

Construction Paper (papel cartulina): Construction paper is a think, colored paper. The texture is
slightly rough, and the surface is unfinished. It is used for projects or crafts and can be found in any craft
store.

Foam board (Tergopol): Foam board is often used to pin things to on a wall. Foam board is a very
strong, lightweight and easily cut material used for the mounting of photographic prints, in 3D design, in
painting, and other craft or school projects. It consists of three layers — an inner layer of polystyrene clad
with outer layers of sturdy paper.

Graph Paper (hoja cuadriculada): Graph paper is paper printed with a network of small squares to
assist the drawing of graphs or other diagrams. It is often used in math classes, but may also be used in
journals or other notebooks in order to assist organized writing.

Poster board: Poster board is a cardboard suitable for making posters. It is not thick, like foam board, but
it is much stronger than butcher paper. Poster board can be purchased in many different colors and is sold
in the standard size of a poster, 22 by 28 inches (in the metric system: 55.88 cm by 71.12 cm).

Foam sheets: (goma eva): Foam sheets are thin pieces of foam that are used to make crafts and other art
projects. It may be sold in various sizes, colors and patterns.

Title Page (Carátula): The title page of an essay or project is the work's first page. It lists the title of the
work and the name of the author.

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In the case of an academic paper, the title page also lists class information (such as the course name and
number), identification information (such as the student’s name or ID number), the date, name of
the professor, and name of the institution. The title page is not numbered.
Sleeve/Sheet Protector: A sheet protector, or a sleeve protector (both terms are used equivalently), is a
clear, thin plastic casing that papers are put into in order to protect them or make them official. Sheet
protectors have an opening at the top in order to be able to insert the papers, and then are closed on the
other three edges in order to prohibit the papers from falling out. Often times the left side of the sheet
protector has three holes in it so that it can be inserted into a ringed binder if necessary.

Sports/Games
¿Director técnico? (soccer/football). Notice that it is different from “coach” since he does not train the
players physically, but he teaches match strategies, positions, etc

In general, in the United States soccer teams most important coaching positions are the head coach and
the assistant coach.

Head coaches hold the responsibility of instructing their players regarding skills and tactics while
managing teams as a whole to foster an attitude of sportsmanship and competitive drive. The head coach
is ultimately in charge of the team and makes final decisions about players, strategies, etc. The head coach
has many responsibilities besides just working with the players.

Assistant soccer coaches play a similar role, helping head coaches evaluate athletes' strengths and
weaknesses both in practices and in games. An assistant coach may work more individually with players.
To my knowledge, director técnico is best translated as assistant coach. The assistant works to develop
strategies and positions with the players, and provides more individual direction for the players. An
assistant coach must always report to the head coach about the overall performance and any issues that
may require further attention. The assistant coach should also spend some time encouraging individual
players and providing feedback.

However, the exact duties and responsibilities may vary between teams, and depending on the level of the
team. High school soccer teams may only have a head and assistant coach, while professional soccer
teams have many more leadership positions.

How do you say “dígalo con mímicas”?

Dígalo con mímicas is best translated as “Charades”. Charades is a word guessing game in which one
player acts out a word or phrase, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use
physical rather than verbal language to convey the meaning to another party.

Charades is a common game to be played at parties and among other gatherings of friends. It can also be
used in the classroom to practice vocabulary learning.

How do you call the game “rayuela”? How do you call the game “tejo”?

Rayuela is referred to as “hopscotch” in the United States. Just as in Argentina, children play it all
throughout their childhood in the United States. It is played during recess at school, and there is always a
permanent hopscotch painted on the playground at Elementary schools. At home, children also use chalk
to draw the game on the sidewalk in order to play it with their friends.

There is not a direct translation for “tejo” in English, as it is unique to Argentine and Uruguayan culture.

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However, there is a very similar game that is popular in the United States, called Bocce Ball. Bocce Ball
can be played on the beach but also in parks or in people’s backyards at their homes. As in Tejo, people
divide into two teams. A small wooden ball, technically called the pallino, but more commonly called the
jack, is thrown by one of the players. Then, each person takes a turn throwing one of their Bocce Balls.
The balls used in Bocce Ball are very heavy, and about twice the size of a baseball. Therefore, when
thrown, they are often thrown low to the ground or rolled on the ground. The goal of the game is to have
your ball stop as close to the jack as possible. Teams alternate throwing, so that every other turn a ball is
thrown by a different team. Once all of the balls of each team have been thrown, the team with the most
balls nearest the jack wins. Usually points are tallied each round and the game is played several time until
a team reaches a set goal of points, ultimately winning the game.

Below are pictures of Bocce Ball.

¿Sillón de lona?

A sillón de lona may be called several names: canvas chairs, lawn chairs, camping chairs, deck chairs,
or folding chairs.

They are all terms for chairs that are portable and can be folded in order to easily take them places. They
are often made of canvas or a similar, sturdy but lightweight material. The use of each word to describe
them often depends on the function of the chair. If your family uses the chairs when going camping, you
will probably refer to them as “camping chairs”. If your family uses these types of chairs to sit in your
backyard and have a BBQ, you will likely refer to them as “lawn chairs”. In general, people tend to call
them whatever their parents or family members called them while growing up. There is no rule or error in
using any of the above possibilities.

Technology
Blog (weB LOG): A blog is basically a journal that is available only on the internet. The activity of
writing a blog is called “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger”. Blogs may be written
by individuals or by businesses, and about any topic. Very little technological knowledge is needed to
write a blog, and there are several websites (Wordpress, Blogger, etc) that provide free blogging space to
anybody who wishes to have a blog.

Blogs are becoming a popular part of U.S. culture, and it is common for people to have their own personal
blog with they update frequently for their friends and family to see.

Dinosaur: something old fashioned or out of date.

"I'd love to surf the Net, but unfortunately my computer is a dinosaur."

Geek: someone who works with technology, is more intelligent than usual, and is usually slightly
unattractive.

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"Bill Gates is kind of a geek."

Gadget: A gadget is any small, technological device, such as a phone, GPS, watch, etc that has a
particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are sometimes referred to as gizmos.
Gadgets are considered to be fun to use but are not necessary. For example, a watch that has many
additional features such as a compass, thermometer, calculator and more would be considered a gadget as
it is special in comparison to a regular watch that just tells time. Gadgets are often considered good gifts
for most men.

Tablet: A general-purpose computer contained in a single panel. Its distinguishing characteristic is the
use of a touch screen rather than a mouse or a keyboard. A tablet is essentially a mobile computer. An
example of a tablet is an iPad.

Ebook - An ebook is an electronic version of a printed book. However, most ebooks are not actually
available in print (unless you print them). These are typically published in PDF form.

Meme - A meme on the internet is used to describe a thought, idea, joke, or concept to be shared online.
It is typically an image with text above and below it, but can also come in video and link form. A popular
example is the "I Can Has Cheezburger?" cat meme that turned into an entire site of memes.

Cell Phones
¿Cómo se dice “desencontrarse”? ¿Para el desencuentro de llamadas telefónicas es “phone tag? ¿Y
para una visita personal?

The best way to describe “desencontrarse” when referring to telephones is “To be playing phone tag”.
Phone tag occurs when you call someone, and they miss your call. Then, they call back, and you miss
their call. This exchange may occur various times before you actually speak to each other.

Usage: I tried to call Jennifer, but she was asleep. Then she called me back when I was in the shower!
We've been playing phone tag all morning. Hopefully we can actually speak soon!

However, when you are talking about meeting somebody in person, the best phrase to use is “we just
missed each other”. Just missing someone occurs when you were both near each other or in the same
place at almost the same time but you never saw the other person.

For example: “I left the coffee shop at 5pm, and you got there at 5:35pm. We must have just missed each
other!”

If you want to be specific, you can use the exact amount of time that you missed each other instead of the
word “just”. In this case, the example above would say:

“I left the coffee shop at 5pm, and you got there at 5:35pm. We must have missed each other by five
minutes!”

How do you say “Necesito cargar crédito a mi celular” o “Me quedé sin crédito”?

To express that you need credit on your pone, the best term to use is to “re-load credit”. Therefore, you
would say “I need to re-load credit onto my cell”. This phrase applies only to cell phones that operate on
credit, called prepaid phones or to-go phones.

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It is very uncommon for people to use cell phones that operate on credit (saldo virtual). Instead, people
sign a contract and have a monthly plan for how many minutes can be used, how many text messages can
be sent, if internet can be used, etc.

In order to re-load credit onto a prepaid phone or a to-go phone, you must buy more minutes by either
calling a toll-free number and paying with your credit card, or buying a refill card with minutes. These
cards are sold either at large supermarkets and technology stores, or at the stores of the company that sold
you the phone. You cannot re-load credit in person at kiosks or convenient stores in the United States.

The phrase “pay as you go” is often used when talking about to-go phones or pre-paid phones because
you pay as you use minutes.

Smart phone: A type of cell phone that runs on internet (example: iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc)

QR Code – A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) that is scanned by a smart phone
or other tablet with internet connection which then takes them directly to the company’s
website. “QR” is derived from “Quick Response”. QR codes are often placed on
advertisements, posters, and in magazines so that when people see them they can quickly
scan the image and go directly to the companies website. A QR code is pictured to the right.

Common Texting Slang

G2G: Got to go

Lol: laugh out loud

Lmao: laughing my ass off

Btw: By the way

TMI: too much information

Jk: just kidding

Idk: I don’t know

Facebook
Timeline: Your timeline is your page. It contains all your stories, your photos and videos, a list of your
friends, your favorite activities and interests, and what used to be called your Wall. This is where your
friends can leave you messages, and you can update the world with anything you feel like sharing.

Profile picture: Your profile picture is the small photo that represents yourself that is displayed in the top
left corner of your timeline, in front of the cover photo.

Cover photo: Your cover photo is the large picture that is displayed at the top of your timeline.

Status update: The information that you write and publish on your own Facebook timeline for others to
see is called your status update. Status updates are then displayed on the news feed.

News feed: The News Feed is a list of updates on your own Facebook Profile home page. The News Feed
will show updates about those people who are in your friend’s list, organizations that you like, as well as
advertisements.

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Tag: To tag somebody means to identify somebody in a picture or in a post. When somebody is tagged,
the content appears on their timeline as well as your timeline.

Stalk (verb): Stalking is a commonly used word for spending time on Facebook, casually looking at
people’s photos and wall posts.

Example: “I was Facebook stalking the other day and I found out that Suzy is in a new relationship”

Example 2: -Did you know that Brian got a new job and is moving?

-Yes- I stalked that on Facebook!”

Post (verb): Rather than “writing on somebody’s timeline” or “writing a status”, the verb “post” is most
often used with Facebook. People post status updates, post pictures, post comments, post on somebody
else’s timeline, etc.

Social Media - Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created
using highly accessible publishing techniques.

Examples of Social media are Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc.

The act of using social media pages in order to get to know people, especially for professional purposes,
is called social networking (see networking definition on page: 49).

Twitter
Tweet (noun): a tweet is a status update or public post on Twitter

“After his last speech, there have been a lot of tweets about Barack Obama.”

Tweet (verb): to update a status or make a post on Twitter

“The concert was so amazing, I am going to tweet about it”

“Jenny tweeted that she is at the mall with Sharon right now, want to go join them?”

Hashtag: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created
by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages

 People use the hashtag symbol # before a relevant keyword or phrase (no spaces) in their Tweet to
categorize those Tweets and help them show more easily in Twitter Search.

 Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at the beginning, middle, or end.

 Hashtagged words that become very popular are often Trending Topics.

The word hashtag has become popular in everyday speech. People use the word “hashtag” in an ironic
way to emphasize the point they are making, and to make fun of how much social media dominates our
lives.

For example: “Want to go lay by the lake, sun bathe, and relax? Hashtag I love summer!”

Trending Topic (noun): This phrase originated with Twitter, and means a word, phrase or topic that is
tagged at a greater rate than other tags. However, it is now used in terms of all online news. A trending
topic is a topic in the news that is most being talked about, read about, and shared on the internet.

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Example: This past week Brad Pitt has been a trending topic with the upcoming debut of his new movie.

Computers
Por qué nosotros en Argentina usamos el término “pendrive”? En USA es “flashmemory”?

In the United States, pen drive is used with just as much frequency as in Argentina. A flash drive and a
pen drive perform the same essential function; however, many people confuse the terms. In every day
conversation, people may refer to a flash drive and pen drive as if they are the same device. This is due to
the fact that all pen drives are a type of flash drives. But, flash drives have usages that extend beyond the
capabilities of a pen drive.

The major difference between a pen drive and flash drive is that a pen drive is generally only used as a
mobile USB storage device, whereas a flash drive has many different uses for data storage. Another
difference is that the pen drive always refers to a drive that can be plugged directly into a USB port. On
the other hand, a flash drive may be accessible by a direct USB connection, a corded USB connection, or
even stored internally inside a cell phone.

The pen drive is a type of flash drive named for its small pen-like appearance. Some people also refer to
pen drives informally as thumb drives because they are about the same size as a person’s thumb.

Cable de alimentación?

The most common term used for cable de alimentación is cable adaptor. Cable adaptors serve various
functions. In general, a cable adaptor is a type of cord that connects two technical devices (two
computers, a computer and a projector, a camera and a computer, a cell phone and a computer, etc) and
allows them to work compatibly with each other. When dealing with computers, cable adaptors often use
a USB port in order to connect the devices.

Cable adaptors are different from the cord used to charge the battery of a device, called a power cord. A
power cord is any cable that charges a battery for an electronic device. For example, you may have a
power cord for your computer, cell phone, camera, etc. The cord connects directly to the device and is
plugged into a power socket in order to charge the battery.

Due to the function of charging the battery, a power cord is more commonly and informally referred to as
a “charger”. As each device requires its own cord, you may have a computer charger, a cell phone
charger, a camera charger, etc.

What’s the plural form or “mouse”? (not the animal, but the computer device)?

There has been a lot of disagreement over which form of the word to use when discussing the plural form
of a computer mouse. The most common way to say more than one mouse is “mice”. The online Oxford
Dictionaries entry for mouse states that the plural form for a computer mouse is either mice or mouses.
However, it states that the more common plural is mice.

The fourth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language endorses both computer
mice and computer mouses as correct plural forms for computer mouse. Some authors of technical
documents may prefer either mouse devices or the more generic pointing devices in order to avoid having
to choose which form to use.

Glitch: flaw.

"There must be a glitch in this software."

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Freeze/Frozen: when a computer, phone, tablet or other device stops working and the mouse does not
move

“My computer froze; I will shut it off with the power button and hope that when it turns back on it is
working again”

Google (verb): used as a synonym for searching something on the internet. “Google it” is often used
instead of saying “look it up”, and is derived from the popularity of the Google search engine. The verb
Google is applied even if the person is using an alternate search engine, such as Yahoo.

Example: Amy: “When was the telephone invented?”

Sam: “I don’t know, google it!”

Avatar - An avatar is an image or username that represents a person online within forums and social
networks. People use avatars as their “alto-egos” in order to hide their real identity online.

Miscellaneous
“Trucho” (aparte de “fake” o “phony”)?

There are multiple ways you can discuss objects that are marketed as being from a certain Brand but that
are really of lesser quality.

As mentioned in the question, fake and phony are two ways of discussing these items.

The formal term for fake items is “counterfeit consumer goods”. Counterfeit products encompass all
products made to closely imitate the appearance of the product of another as to mislead consumers.
Counterfeit clothes, counterfeit shoes, counterfeit watches and counterfeit jewelry are just a few examples
of items that are commonly copied and sold with brand name labels.

A more common, informal way of labeling these items is to use the term “knockoff”. A knockoff is an
item that is made to copy something else and is often sold at a lesser cost than an original. Knockoff is
most commonly used as a noun rather than an adjective, but may be used as a descriptor as well.

For example: “I was so excited when I found an iPhone for sale for only $50! Then, I got home and
discovered that it is a knockoff when it didn’t work quite right. Now I know why it was so cheap!”
(example being used as a noun)

“I bought knockoff sunglasses because I could not afford the brand name prices.” (used as an adjective)

Another way to discuss fake items is through the word “imitation”. Imitation goods is a synonym for
counterfeit goods or knockoff. The word “imitation” can be used as a noun or as an adjective in the same
way as knockoff.

Qué diferencia hay entre un “jacuzzi” y un “hot tub”?

A Jacuzzi is a name brand of hot tub and specialty baths. Because of the brand popularity, many people
use the word “Jacuzzi” to refer to all hot tubs, even if they are made by a different brand.

It is important to note that a hot tub is generally always outside, unless it is within a large, indoor
swimming facility. But, as far as personal hot tubs, they are never inside as a hot tub does not fit within a
normal house.

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However, as a Jacuzzi can be a special bath that is smaller than a hot tub, it is possible to have a Jacuzzi
inside. A Jacuzzi that is inside is a type of bath that has jets and bubbles and other special features.

Above: indoor Jacuzzi vs. an outdoor Jacuzzi/hot tub

How do you say “peluche” even if it doesn’t resemble a bear? For example, “conejo de peluche”?

Any animal that is not a bear can be referred to in general as a “stuffed animal”. However, in order to be
more specific, substitute the name of the animal for the word “animal”. For example, if the animal is a
rabbit, it is a stuffed rabbit. If it is a cat, it is a stuffed cat.

Kids, however, often have personal names and words they use to describe their stuffed animals which
each child makes up. It is not common to hear a young child call their animal a “stuffed cat”. Instead, they
would probably use the word “kitty” or whatever name they decided to name the stuffed animal.

Stuffed animals are popular gifts for children, but for older people in a relationship as well. A boyfriend
might give a stuffed animal to his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day or another special occasion to show his
love.

What ‘s the word for “pelotero”. Is ‘indoor castle’ commonly used? Or is there another word?

In the United States, places similar to pelotero’s in Argentina exist, but there is not one specific word to
describe these places. Part of this reason is because it is not as common to always celebrate a child’s
birthday party in a place like a pelotero. Indoor castle is not a commonly used term in the United States.

In general, places like Argentine pelotero’s are called by the specific businesses name. For example, the
most famous place to celebrate a child’s birthday in the United States is Chuck E. Cheese. Chuck E.
Cheese is a national business that has arcade games, inflatable toys, food, drinks, and prizes and is where
many children celebrate birthdays. However, there is no generic term to describe the place, instead the
name Chuck E. Cheese is always used. The following are images of and inside a Chuck E. Cheese
building.

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There are other companies as well that provide similar services. The toys that are inflatable in these
establishments are called “bounce houses”. However, it is not common to find permanent bounce houses
in companies. Instead, it is more common to rent a bounce house for a special event. The company that
rents bounce houses brings the equipment to the event location for the day. Often times they are set up in
parks, playgrounds, or large backyards. Below are images of a bounce house.

Many restaurants for children (like McDonald’s) have areas to host children’s birthday parties, called a
Play Area, or trademarked at McDonald’s “Play Place”. The Play Area is connected to the restaurant and
includes large toys for children to play on and often include a “ball pit”. A ball pit is a large, rectangular,
padded space filled with small colorful hollow plastic balls. They are popular play areas for children.

Below are images of a Play Place connected to a McDonald’s restaurant.

As you can see, due to cultural differences and different facilities used to host birthday parties, there is not
a direct translation for “pelotero”.

How do you say “se me hizo tarde/ se me fue la hora”?

When talking about arriving late, there are several phrases that you can use.

A common phrase is “I didn’t realize the time”. This phrase is used when a person is busy doing
something else and does not know that time has passed and that they need to be going to their next
activity. This usually happens when a person is concentrated on something and doesn’t think to look at
their watch to know whether or not they need to be going.

A similar phrase is “I lost track of time”. This means the exact same thing as “I didn’t realize the time”.
It simply means that time passed more quickly than you realized so you were not able to arrive on time.

Another phrase you can use is “It [use the exact situation] made me late”. This phrase is used when an
external factor causes you to be late. For example, if you are late because there were many cars on the
roads, you would say “Traffic made me late”.

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When you know you are going to arrive late to an event, a person often notifies a friend who will also be
at the event by saying “I am running late”. I am running late simply means that for some reason you will
not be able to arrive on time, but that you will be there shortly. If you are going to arrive between 5 and
15 minutes late, it would be appropriate to use the phrase “I am running late”. However, in the United
States being on time is very culturally important. If you are going to arrive more than 15 minutes late, you
should not simply use the phrase “I am running late”. Instead, you should apologize and specify exactly
how late you will be arriving. You may offend somebody by only saying “I am running late” and then
make them wait more than 15 minutes for you to arrive if you did not previously warn them how late you
will be.

When talking about buses, how do you say coche cama o semi-cama?

The bus system in Argentina is very much more advanced than the bus system in the United States. It is
much more common for people to travel by plane than by car when travelling between cities. There are
many reasons behind this cultural difference. The first is that the country is much larger and man
distances are too far apart to travel easily by bus. The second is that cars are much more accessible in
price and affordability than in Argentina, and so is the price of fuel. Therefore it is common for people to
choose to go in their own car rather than take a bus for transportation.

Because of this, there is not a direct translation for coche cama and semi-cama because these differences
are not common, every day services. The seats would be described as “fully reclining” (coche cama) for
seats that recline 100% into a bed, and “partially reclining” (semi-cama) for seats that only recline part
of the way. In the description of the bus trip, it would specify which type of seat is available. However, it
is not like in Argentina where you would see “coche cama” or “semi cama” painted on the outside of the
bus. To my knowledge, fully reclining bus seats only exist in private busses that are rented for tour groups
or by other large, organized trips. Busses that sell individual passes for seats (like the kind used to travel
within Argentina) only come equipped with partially reclining seats. There may be exceptions to this in
various parts of the country, but, in general, these terms related to bus travel are unique to bus travel in
Argentina.

How do you say “poner los pies en el agua” sin necesidad de nadar o zambullirse.

When a person wants to enter a river or ocean just part of the way, but not get the rest of their body wet,
this is considered “wading”. When you go wading, you walk into the water but stop when you no longer
want to get wet. Wading always occurs standing up. Wading can be entering water as shallow as your
ankles, or as deep as water that reaches your waste. However, entering water that is deeper than your
waste is then considering swimming and no longer considered wading.

When you are sitting down near the edge of a pool or on a dock over water and you want to put your feet
in the water, this is called “dipping your feet in the water”. It is slightly different than wading in that
you are sitting down and often only your feet get wet, whereas wading can mean going as deep as your
waist.

How do you say “pecera”?

When a fish is kept inside of a bowl or other container that is not connected to
electricity in any way, it is called a fishbowl. Goldfish and other small, freshwater
fish are the most common to be kept in a fishbowl, shown to the right.

However, fish that are kept inside a bigger container that is connected to a light
or a filter system to create bubbles is called a fish tank. Multiple fish may live

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in a fish tank, as well as larger or more complex fish. Fish tanks, pictured to the left, may vary in size
from relatively small to very large, housing many large fish.

How do you say “llaga” (la herida que suele salir en la boca por lo general debido al mal estómago)?

In general, a “llaga” is referred to formally as a mouth ulcer. However, the terms cold sore and canker
sore are much more commonly used. These terms all refer to blister like systems that can be caused
around the lips or in the mouth due to viruses or other illnesses.

Me gustaría saber cómo te enseñaron la letra Ñ en el curso de español que hiciste en tu país, ya que
ustedes no la tienen en su alfabeto.

When students begin studying Spanish, one of the first things that students learn is the alphabet. Spanish
teachers introduce the letter “ñ” as a new letter of the alphabet. The name of the letter “ñ” is pronounced
as “énye” and is referred to by this name in a Spanish classroom.

In order to learn pronunciation, listening exercises are used in order to distinguish the pronunciation of
the letter.

As most students studying Spanish do not learn phonetics or other technical parts of speech, many times
teachers give examples of words in English that have similar pronunciation. For example, the word
“canyon” is often used as an example as the letter “Ñ” is pronounced similarly to “ny” in canyon. Another
word used often as an example is “onion”.

My Spanish teacher had us practice making the sound by putting our tongue on the ridge between the top
teeth and the roof of the mouth and repeating the sound. We were taught that movement to pronounce it is
much like the n except by using the middle-front of the tongue rather than the tip.

Similar techniques are used to teach students about accents and rolling their “r”’s.

How do you say “previa”? (when you meet with your friends or other people and do another thing
before going dancing)

It is common for students to meet together with their friends prior to going out, especially if they are
going to go to a bar or somewhere later in the evening.

If people are going to drink alcohol before going out to a club or bar, this is called either “pre-gaming” or
“pre-funking”. Other people may refer to it as “pre-partying” or having “pre-drinks”. This is especially
popular among college students because it is cheaper to buy alcohol and drink it at home than to purchase
it in a bar, so many people drink at home to save money before going out.

If alcohol is not involved, it would just be considered “getting together” or any other phrase for meeting
with friends.

In the United States, people go out much earlier than in Argentina. Pre-gaming or pre-funking usually
would begin around 8pm and ends by 10pm.

How do you say “burbujero”?

Burbujero refers to a bottle of bubbles. Many times, rather than saying a “bottle of bubbles”, people refer
to the object simply as “bubbles”. The action is called “blowing bubbles”. The stick that is used to
blow bubbles is called a “wand”. The mix of water and detergent that makes bubbles is called “bubble
solution”.

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Blowing bubbles is a common activity for children in the United States. Many times, bubbles are given as
a party favor to all of the children who attend a birthday party or as other small gifts.

Is there an informal name for “old-fashioned people”? (here we say “chapado a la antigua”).

Old-fashioned people are often referred to as being “old-school”. Old-school is usually used approvingly
to refer to something or someone that is old-fashioned or traditional.

For example: “She doesn’t know how to send an email, she still only sends letters! She is so old-school!”

Another adjective that can be used approvingly to describe someone who is old-fashioned is “classic”. A
person who is described as classic often still lives in a similar way to people to people in the past. Classic
refers to a simpler time in history when things weren't flashy, were done by hard work, and that were high
quality.

Words Added to the Dictionary in 2012

aha moment n (1939) : a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or
comprehension [Oprah Winfrey's signature phrase]

brain cramp n (1982) : an instance of temporary mental confusion resulting in an error or lapse of
judgment

bucket list n (2006) : a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying
[popularized by the movie title]

cloud computing n (2006) : the practice of storing regularly used computer data on multiple servers that
can be accessed through the Internet [technology]

copernicium n (2009) : a short-lived artificially produced radioactive element that has 112 protons

craft beer n (1986) : a specialty beer produced in limited quantities : microbrew

earworm n (1802) 1 : corn earworm 2 : a song or melody that keeps repeating in one’s mind ["this
summer's example being the inescapable Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen."]

energy drink n (1904) : a usually carbonated beverage that typically contains caffeine and other
ingredients (as taurine and ginseng) intended to increase the drinker’s energy

e-reader n (1999) : a handheld electronic device designed to be used for reading e-books and similar
material

f-bomb n (1988) : the word fuck — used metaphorically as a euphemism

flexitarian n (1998) : one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish

game changer n (1993) : a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or
activity in a significant way

gassed adj (1919) ... 2 slang : drained of energy : spent, exhausted

gastropub n (1996) : a pub, bar, or tavern that also offers meals of high quality

geocaching n (2000) : a game in which players are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items
which they search for with a GPS device

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life coach n (1986) : an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with
problems

man cave n (1992) : a room or space (as in a basement) designed according to the taste of the man of the
house to be used as his personal area for hobbies and leisure activities

mash-up n (1859) : something created by combining elements from two or more sources: as a : a piece of
music created by digitally overlaying an instrumental track with a vocal track from a different
recording b : a movie or video having characters or situations from other sources c : a Web service or
application that integrates data and functionalities from various online sources ["Whether it's a politician
contradicting him or herself with excerpts from different speeches shown in quick succession or Danger
Mouse's Grey Album, mixing Jay-Z with the Beatles, we've come to expect combined and rearranged
elements that bring new perspectives and new creativity to our culture with mash-ups," says editor
Sokolowski. "It's a recent phenomenon, made possible with digital editing, and it has a fun and
descriptive name."]

obesogenic adj (1986) : promoting excessive weight gain : producing obesity

sexting n (2007) : the sending of sexually explicit messages or images by cell phone

shovel-ready adj (1998) of a construction project or site : ready for the start of work

systemic risk n (1982) : the risk that the failure of one financial institution (as a bank) could cause other
interconnected institutions to fail and harm the economy as a whole [the global financial crisis]

tipping point n (1959) : the critical point in a situation, process, or system beyond which a significant
and often unstoppable effect or change takes place
1
toxic adj (1664) ... 4 : relating to or being an asset that has lost so much value that it cannot be sold on
the market

underwater adj (1672) ... 3 : having, relating to, or being a mortgage loan for which more is owed than
the property securing the loan is worth

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Conclusion

This project began as a way for me, a native English speaker, to share my knowledge with future English
teachers. However, in the end the students taught me many things as well. By explaining the cultural
reasons behind each question that was asked, I learned many insights into culture in Misiones. I learned
more about the education system, about the political system, about regional foods, and more. There were
some questions that were asked that I was not able to understand without knowing the reason behind the
question. Therefore, the students work in explaining their questions was vital for me to be able to answer
according to U.S. culture. I learned vocabulary as well; I discovered many times that I did not know the
word that was being asked to be explained. The process resulted in bilateral learning and a true exchange
of knowledge and culture.

I hope that this project has served to teach you a little bit more about everyday English. Also, I hope that
it inspires you to continue to foster cross-cultural learning in your life and in your classrooms with your
students. Thank you to all of those who participated and who made this project possible. Without the
questions and explanations, I would not have learned nearly as much as I did. Learning is a never-ending
process; thank you for being a part of my learning this special year of my life!

Angela Hartley

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