Mi primer artículo: "Actividades dinámicas en el aula de idiomas"

Aprovechando la publicación de mi primer artículo, dejaré en inglés a un lado en esta entrada para compartir con vosotros el artículo que me han publicado en la revista del Colegio de Licenciados de Madrid. Podéis encontarlo en este link, https://www.cdlmadrid.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/042017.pdf, en la página 20, dentro del apartado Apuntes de Lenguas Extranjeras. 
Espero que os guste. 

Maundy Thursday

Want it or not, Easter has arrived in town. If you happen to be in Spain, you will probably have crossed paths with countless processions to honour the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, as I explained in my last year's post about Easter (including videos and exercises related to Easter), Easter is not only a Spanish tradition. 

In this entry I will talk about one important tradition in the United Kingdom : Maundy Thursday. This day is the day before Good Friday, today it is ! On Maundy Thursday, two important events in the Christian religion took place. 

Firstly, it was the Last Supper where Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to love one another. "Maundy" comes from Latin "mandatum" (that is, order or command). That day was the first day of religious communion, so there are special services in churches to commemorate this day.  

Secondly, on this day, Jesus Christ washed the feet of his disciples himself to prove and pass on his humility. This is why still today some bishops and priests organize foot-washing rituals, washing the feet of the poor and some monarchs in the past devoted this day to washing the feet of the poor. Interesting tradition, don't you think ?

However, the tradition of monarchs washing the feet of their poor was lost and it has been replaced by money, indeed !  Nowadays, the Queen of England offers some coins (Maundy money) to men and women (precisely, a number of men and women equal to the age of the current age of the monarch). 

From : http://british-coin-price-guide.homelinux.com/British-Maundy-Money-Coin-Set-Price-Guide_files/Page2019.htm

Last year, 90 people received Maunday money. 

Here you have a video summarizing the traditions of Maunday Thursday : 

And here you have last year's Maunday Thursday ceremony. You can see the Queen handing over the Maundy money to some 90 men and women ! 

Well, As you can see, Easter has its quirky traditions outside Spain. I hope you have liked this post. I'm going to finish with a fast fact about Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) : Unlike Good Friday, Maundy Thursday is not a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Enjoy the rest of the Easter holidays and do not eat too many Easter eggs ! 

The verb 'get', the jack-of-all-trades verb in English: some quirks about its multiple uses

The Easter holidays have just begun and I am using my first day to write a blog entry. I must not be much of a holiday fan myself, he he. Anyway, I feel like devoting this entry to one recurrent verb in the English language, no other than the verb 'get'. My students of Básico I keep asking me what it means. They simply want a Spanish translation for this English verb, something which is just not possible. If you are learning English, the verb 'get' will accompany you during your trip (just like the verb 'have', click on this link if you want to revisit my post about the verb 'have'). Let's begin. The verb 'get has multiple uses in English : 

1. 'Get' as a normal verb :

When you studied irregular verbs at school,  the  teacher probably told you that 'get' is a synonym for 'conseguir' ('achieve') and this can be true : 

- I got 10 in the English exam (=achieve)

However, 'get' has multiple meanings :

- I got an email from my boss (=received).

- We need to get bread for the dinner (=buy).

- John got a taxi to the airport (=take).

- We got a cold after skiing. (=catch).

- You still don't get it. (=understand).

- Now, he gets a lot of money in his new job (=earn).

'Get' can sometimes surprise it because it can work as an auto-antonym :

- I need to get Laura a present for her birthday (=buy).

- I got an awful present from Laura (=receive).

When 'get' is followed by the preposition 'to', it means 'arrive'.

- After ten hours, I finally got to the United States (=arrive).

2. 'Get' + adjectives 

This is a special use of 'get'. In this case 'get' works as a copular verb (followed by a subject complement). This use normally corresponds to reflexive verbs in Spanish (verbs finished in 'se').  In all these cases, 'get' is a synonym for 'become.' Have a look : 

ENGLISH	SPANISH
Get married	Casarse
Get divorced	Divorciarse
Get engaged	Prometerse
Get ready	Prepararse
Get angry	Enfadarse
Get bored	Aburrirse / hartarse
Get tired	Cansarse
Get lost	Perderse

Get dressed

Vestirse

Get naked

Desnudarse

There are other examples where 'get' doesn't correspond with reflexive verbs in Spanish : 

- The cinema is getting more and more expensive (=become).

3. 'Get' + prepositions/adverbs

In basic levels, 'get' is associated to means of transport :

We use 'get on' to get on board all the means of transport (the bus, the train, the ship, the plane, the bike, the motorbike...), except the car (or similar). We use 'get off' to descend from the previous means of transport. 

The children are getting on the bus.
From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/0507004ce4bf4eaff5c97d6bcbfa320ca3666a7d/getting-on-the-bus-clipart.html

The children are getting off the bus.
From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/84b97c67db0570d289c34b08697f3677886688d8/get-off-the-bus-clipart.html

The car, however, is different. With the car, van and taxi, we use 'get into' to go onboard, and 'get out of' to descend. 

The man is getting into the car.
From : https://clipartfest.com/categories/view/31da91539baba464590a8e8180955dac49f13e7c/getting-in-the-car-clipart.html

The boy is getting out of the car.
From : https://es.dreamstime.com/stock-de-ilustraci%C3%B3n-el-salir-del-muchacho-del-coche-verde-image70687530

However, this is going to get more complicated. 'Get' is the protagonist of a great deal of phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs and phrasal-prepositional verbs. 

Get up : I get up at six o'clock every day (=stand / sit up).

Get on (well) with : He doesn't get on well with his mother-in-law. They argue all the time (=have a good relationship). 

Get along : They argue all the time. They don't get along (=have a good relationship). 

Get by : I get by with 300 euros a month. / I can't speak Chinese well. I only get by in Chinese (=to survive, or manage to do something)

Get away (with) : He killed him and got away with it (=escape). 

Get across : He managed to get his message across (=communicate).

Get over : After a long week, he finally got over the flu (=recover).

Get around : He likes getting around the city (=travel). 

Get through : I have to get through with a lot of work (=finish).

                          I phoned you but I couldn't get through (=communicate).

Get back : I have to go. I need to get back to work (=return).

4. Get in passive sentences 

In English, the passive is normally formed with the verb 'to be.' However, only when the subject  is a person, we can use 'get' in the passive. Have a look at the examples : 

- In Spain, teachers get paid less than in England. 

- Paul got fired yesterday. 

5.'Get' in causative constructions

In English, we can use the structure 'passive subject' + verb 'get'/'have'+ object + participle, to indicate that someone does something for you. It has passive meaning : 

'I got my hair cut yesterday by the hairdresser.' = The hairdresser cut my hair yesterday.

'I got my car painted last summer.' = A painter painted my house last summer. 

Another possibility is to use the structure 'get + person +participle', for example, 'smoking will get you killed.'

Yet another option is to follow the structure : subject + verb 'get' + person + to-infinitive : 'I got my assistant to look for information about new technologies.' (=force / make) 'I made my assistant look for information about new technologies.'

6. Expressions with 'get'

There are some important expressions with 'get' my favourite being : 'you have to get going' (=get started), or get to know a person (=when you finally really know someone). 

Well, as you know, the verb 'get' in English is pretty complicated. I hope I have shed some light and that know you have got to understand it better, he he. 

See you around.

April Fools' Day : the most amusing hoaxes of the day !

April Fools ! 

Today is April Fools' Day. This day is celebrated around the world and the idea is to pull pranks on your gullible friends or to spread hoaxes. For those who don't know about this day and who haven't read my post about April Fools' Day last year, let me remind you that this day is similar to December, 28th in Spain, and in Italy, for example, is called Pesce d'Aprile. 

Anyway, to commemorate this day, I'll share with you some of the best and most amusing hoaxes that I found online. 

1. English rugby team trains with ostrich eggs to improve their focus and concentration :

2. Amazon has developed the gadget Petlexa which allows animals and pets to communicate with their owners :

3. McDonalds has developed a Whopper toothpaste for hamburger lovers :

4. Groupon develops the Gin-sauna experience : you can let everything go in this sauna powered by gin, while you get a bit drunk, I guess : 

5. Dinosaurs floods London and frighten everyone there including tourists.

6. Are you always late for work ? Fear not ! Thanks to the ejection bed, you'll be on time ! 

From : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2017/03/31/bed-large_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpvXcOWpXibQK7eiTe5mDAtV_lL-GUbbIUWgbqm0VWJk.jpg

Well, hilarious, aren't they ? Anyway to finish this post, I'll share with you a video from The Simpsons somehow illustrating the pulling of pranks on April Fools' Day. You can't miss it !