AT THE RESTAURANT

• The waiters can be
• Off-hand, sullen, brusque
• Sluggish
• Courteous, go out of their way  to be helpful
• The service is 
• impecable
• Off-putting
• The  portions are  small
• Do you like  seconds / second helpings?
• To have a sweet tooth
• To split  the bill
• To be  wined and  dined every night
• It's on me ( I'm paying the bill)

TYPES OF FOOD

• Wholesome food
• Juicy meat, bone  / gossip
• Free range eggs /chickens /turkeys
• Battery farming
  

• Gluten-free dish /bread /recipe
• Half-baked (plan, scheme, idea)
• Convenience foods (easy to obtain)
• Traffic-light labelled
  

• Fair trade
• Additives

EXPRESSIONS WITH FOOD

• a  recipe for disaster
• All the ingredients for success
• To spice up a party
• A situation  turns a bit sour when...
• To let sb to stew on their own juice
• They are not my cup of tea
• a storm in a teacup
• a half-baked plan, scheme
• He cooked up a story  ( made up- invented)

TALKING ABOUT CULTURE AND BOOKS

• A broad-sheet /paper
• Thought-provoking / intriguing /illuminating /insightful /challenging
• A highbrow (intellectual and difficult to  understand) /lowbrow idea
• Undemanding, dreary (dull, depressed), unstimulating
• Run-of.the mill /ordinary /pedestrian
• lightweight /  trivial
• Dazzling, exquisite
• Breathtaking
• fantastic and  staggering

• A book can be:
• macabre, compelling, lugubrious, moving /poingnant
• With wry humour (ironic)
• enigmatic characters
• If you like  it  very much
• A page-turner
• You  can't put it down
• To become engaged to it
• Compulsive  reading
• It was heavy-going
• I couldn¡'t get on with it / into it
• The readership
• A bed reading book
• Memoirs

PARTIES

• A hen party / a hen do /  a hen night
• A stag party
• A house warming party
• A fancy. dress party
• A wedding reception  (a wedding  party  is teh bride , the groom and  other people  acoompaning them)
• A formal  occasion / a black /white tie occasion
• A  leaving  do 
• Todo some  clubbing
• A party animal
• He is the life and the soul of the party
• A feast
• A get-together ( a family party)
• To take the pot-luck (you are  invited, but  the meal is  already ready...)

SPEAKING ON THE PHONE

• IT'S ME /It's  Diana
• I'll text you the details
• I didn't have your number saved
• He is not available right now
• Is anything else I can do for you?
• You're welcome
• Thanks for calling
• The sound is very low
• Can you  speak up  a bit
• Can you speak bit loudly?
• The  signal is not so good
• I don't have  much  signal
• There  is not much reception  in here
• My battery is about  to die
• You've run out of  battery
• You have to recharge it
• Would you like to  leave him a  message?
• Could you pass on a  message for me
• Let him know that
• Please make sure hegets  it.
• It's urgent
• Let him know when  he's free

JOB INTERVIEWS

• What are your stregths and weaknesses?
• Coming back to strengths...
• It's a strength of mine
• Where do you see yourself five years from now?

• How do you  think your values fit for our company culture?
• I'm ready for a new challenge
• I like to be moving forward in my career
• Create a good atmosphere
• I can keep a cool head in stressful situations
• I'm very approachable
• To keep an eye on things
• Great communication skills
• 
  

• Do you  want to come  along  to the  cinema?
• I'm dying for a cup of tea
• To run out of sth
• To pop out to buy some coffee
• Head off = leave
• I think  it'sgetting  late, I'm  heading off
• Pick up = collect
• To look for= seek
• To put in= install (a washing machine but not software)
• To fill in = complete
• To take off=  remove
• To cut down on how much coffee I drink
• Send out / give out / hand out (the idea of many)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Subjects
• Chemistry
• Genetics
• Area of reseach
• Current scientific advances
• a breakthrough
• A natural source
• A science related job
• Technology
• Advances in technology
• A gadget, a device, an appliance, a tool
• To swithc on /off  / to turn on  / off
• to plug in  sth
• To turn up / down  volume
• the alarm  goes off
• A back-up
• To back your  work up
• to replay, to play  it back
• To zoom in  (enlarge) and out ( less detail)
• State-of-art technology
• a save-labour device
• Astronomical research
• Spacecraft (more formal than spaceship)
• a probe / to probe (una sonda)
• Orbit / orbital
• In orbit things are weithless
• free-fall, gravity
• a shuttle
• sace-station
• atmospheric pressure
• A spacecraft flies at  17 mph
• a nearby star
• Alien civilisation (sivilaiseishen)
• Expressions
• It is not rocket science
• Prices are rocketing
• To be spaced out
• I feel  as if  I'm from another planet
• Thats any moons ago
• Once in a blue moon

ROUTINES

• A day-to-day life
• On a daily basis
• A daily life
• The equilibrium
• A steady situation
• The normality
• to get used / acoustumed to
• Quotidian
• to be commonplace ( es moneda corriente)
• banal, trivial
• Humdrum
• Tiresome, dreary,  tedious

DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

• Pain, disconfort
• painless, painful
• uncortable
• to be in pain
• to moan about

• different  words
• The grief
• Uneasiness
• Umpleasantness
• Despair
• A plight ( situación grave)
• An ordeal  (suplicio)
• Hardships (privaciones)
• Misfortune
• A dog's life
• Catastrophe
• Harassment
• Starvation
• Ruthless (despiadado) / merciful 
• Hoplessness
• distress
• To cry

• To whine
• Complain, lament, moan
• To mourn
• To whimper
• To weep
• to sob
• Burst into tears
• The eyes watered
• Eyes welled up
• Shed tears

PLACES WHERE YOU GO

• On the horizon
• In the distance
• Into  the far distance
• Far behind
• It is nowhere to be found
• Landscape
• A rundown town
• Littered  with rubish
• A place tucked away
• The best beaches in the  world are to be found there
• Woods  stretched away to the horizon 
• Woods were spread out
• to stay on a ranch
• Th wilderness

HOW DO YOU SLEEP?

• To be awaken
• wakefulness
• Into a state  of  wakefulness
• To get up
• To rouse / arouse
• To stay up late at night
• To yawn

• Bedtime
• Lights  out
• To sleep
• To get asleep
• To get to sleep
• To doze= to snooze (  to sleep  shortly and lightly)
• To nod off (cabecear)
• To nap (short during  the day)
• To drift off (gradually)
• To drop off
• To sleep through a film
• To crash out (to sleep quickl  because you are tired)
• To fall fast  asleep
• Quantity of sleep
• To sleep in ( dormir tarde por la mañana)
• To sleep over (fuera de casa)  =  to stay  over
• to overleep the alarm-clock
• Manners  of sleep
• To sleep rough ( dormirde cualquier manera)
• To sleep  heavily
• sleep tight
• A light sleeper
• A  heavy sleeper
• tosleep like a dog
• Not to sleep
• To be fully awake / asleep
• To lose  sleep  over  sth
• To sleep  on  it  (  to  thing it over)
• Physiologie
• An internal  body clock
• A repair and restore cycle
• Sleep disorders
• Sleep complaints
• Sleep deprived bodies
• Problems  with  blind people, shift workers,  long-distance air travellers
• To put  an  animal  to sleep  (  to die)
• Bedding clothing
• Bedding linen
• A Springy mattress
• A sleepy  town

TO TALK ABOUT SPORTS

• I'm not very sporty
• I'm not that into sport,  to be honest
• I'm not a fanatic
• I find swimming very  relaxing / weirdly facinating

SHOPPING FOR CLOTHING

• The shop assistant
• I'm just browsing
• Let me know if you need any help
• Do you have this in another size / colour?
• This dress comes in blue and red
• Can I try this on?
• The changing room
• An special  offer
• Buy one, get one free
• I'll take it
• I'sreally  cheap
• It's a bargain
• cash or card?
• Could I have a receipt?

IN A HOTEL

• To make a reservation fort the third of november
• To check in
• A double room / a single room / a twin room / a triple room / a suite
• There are no rooms available on that date
• We are almost fully booked
• I don't have a reservation UNDER this name
• Enjoy your stay
• Hotel facilities
• An airport shuttles
• I would like a wake-up call,  if possible
• I wanted to ask...
• To pay
• to check out
• I'd like to pay cash
• Can you put it on my credit card
• The total seems higher than expected
• Problems
• I  have a few problems with my room
• There is an issue with the sink in the bathroom
• My room hasn't been cleaned properly
• I haveto say  it is unacceptable
• The least I should be able to expect is
• This sort of things shouldn't happen

TALK ABOUT FOOD

• Veggie options
• A slap-up dinner
• To go casual and get some fast food or street food
• Tastes and textures
• It's very spicy / salty/ sour / acidic / sweet
• crunchy and  crispy  (chips) (crujiente)
• Too chewy
• Tough (overcooked)
• It melts in your mouth
• Good food
• Delicious,  tasty
• Yummy (childish)
• mouth-watering
• Decadent =  rich (for food with a lot of butter)
• It's tender / juicy  (for meat )/dry
• Fresh vegetables
• Negative opinions
• Terrible
• Disgusting,  revolting
• It turns your stomach
• bland =  tasteless
• It's underdone
• The staeak is overdone / the  pizza  is burned / it's oily - fatty- greasy

QUANTITIES

• A lot
• Most of them / most people
• The majority of students
• A great deal of dammage ( uncountable)
• A large amount of money  (uncountable)
• An  awful lot of people / Many students / a large number
• Many think  ( formal)
• Loads  of / a load of
• Masses of
• Buckets  of
• Plenty  of..
• Umpteen
• I tried to phone her umpteen  times
• All over the place
• All shapes  and sizes
• Much  remains to be done
• The whole day
• Evey other day
• To be crowded
• To be crammed
• To pack in

• Little
• To be a drop  in  the ocean
• Very  little + uncountable
• At small doses
• Abit of
• Atouch  of
• 
  
• Hardly  any  of the rioters...
• None of them

MOVING

• Slowly
• At slow pace
• to crawl
• to creep
• A sleepy town
• Quick
• At full steam
• To race
• Todash
• To rush
• shot
• Snap
• a bustling city
• In secret
• To seneak
• To siddle ( adog with sth  stolen)
• Hide and  seek
• without  an aim
• To wander
• To drift off
• To  flow  (water)
• A state of flux
• Change house
• To move  in
• To move on  (change topic) / progress

LIES AND DECEPTIONS

• to fool / cheat / deceive / to mislead
• To cdehat on ( poner los cuernos)
• Sth deceptive  ( una imagen falsa, engañosa)
• You can't fool me
• To  fool  yourself  (engañarse)
• To deceive yourself
• Don't let yourselves taken in
• To trick the inspector  (embaucar)
• To trick sb out ofhis money
• The apparences are misleading
• to tease
• don't be fake  (falso)
• To pull your leg
• Are you kidding me?To fall for... ( caer en latrampa)
• To scam (timar)
• To bush sth up  (silenciar un asunto)
• To lie
• To  tell lies
• To tell tales
• To fake out  (fingir)
• To cover up

CHANGING

• Proverbs
• You can't teach an old dog new tricks
• The leopart can't change its spots
• A change  is as good as a rest
• moving  shildren is life changing
• Chop and change ( a false start, e.g. at university)
• For a change
• That makes a change  (qué cambio!!)
• Change your mind
• A change of  heart
• A shift
• To take risks / to put something at risk

ARE YOU SURE?

• Doubts
• To be IN two minds
• To be a fence sitter
• To be caught in the middle
• I dont know which  way to turn to
• Not  to know
• Let me think
• I've never given it a lot of thoughtç
• That's a good  question..
• That's a tough one to answer
• To give it the benefit of the doubt

• To have to make your mind up
• Certainty
• It is beyond any doubt
• It is without doubt
• I am pretty certain that
• Believe it or not
• Do not hesitate to contact us

INTENTIONS AND PROPOSALS AND DECISIONS

• Intentions
• I intend to
• My purpose is
• What I  want to do in  this proposal
• I would suggest the following plan...
• The principal objective of...
• To aim  at / for
• A goal
• to have your  heart set on...
• Decisions
• To make up your mind
• The lesser of two evils
• If I was in your shoes...
• I don't know  which way to turn to
• By hook or by crook
• One way  or another
• Take it or leave it
• To play the devil's advocate
• To take the  bull by the horns
• To take the plunge
• Solutions
• To put into action
• To put into place
• To sort out
• To come up with
• Given  the  problem
• In view of the concerns raised...
• It's clearly vital  that
• If the center is to develop, it's...
• A low-cost option  would  be...
• a recipe for disaster
• It's clear that our customers...
• There have been some requests for...
• It's a  means to an end
• GIVE  IT A TRY / A GO/ A  SHOT / A CHANCE
• Results
• Some people go from strength to strength
• To get dessilusioned and let yourdream  go

HOLLIDAYS

• Did you have a good time?
• The countryside
• to go hiking in the hills nearby
• To hang out in the village (in a relax way)
• To do sme sightseeing
• We hit the beaches/ bars (informal)
• A walking tour (you pay for a guide) / to explore by yourself
• We sampled as much ofthe local cuisine
• Surrounded by nice mountain scenery
• a  picturesque and  sleepy ( peaceful / quiet) village
• Some dramatic mountain scenery (impressive)
• Avery cosmopolitan place but a bit overwhelming
• It has stunning beaches
• A fascinating place but it's quite touristy (lost some of its charm)
• the food was out of this world
• Each day was pretty similar
• It is like nowhere I have ever been before
• It's noisy and touristy for my tastes
• I wish it had been less crowded
• It was beautiful in a wild way

TALKING ABOUT YOUR HOUSE

• I live in a  flat in a two story house in the suburbs
• I live on the fourth floor in a fifth storey building
• I live in a two storey terraced house
• A  balcony or a terrace or an  outdoor area
• Spacious
• cosy
• My home is light
• Warm, cool
• It's convenient for the subway
• It's cramped
• noisy even at night
• It's very close to everything
• Do you live in a rented flat / by yourself
• A  quiet neibourhood
• To live
• in the suburbs 
• on the outskirts 
• in the middle of nowhere 
• in the city centre

HOBBIES

I DON'T GET THE CHANCE TO DO it that often
I started playing tennis because I wanted to be healthy/ more flexible /it's really exciting
I really/ absolutely hate going hiking because it's so tiring
My brother got me into it

TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS

• A problem,  
• A trouble
• An issue
• an  ordeal
• An  obstacle
• An impediment
• A pitfall
• A setback
• A snag (unforeseen)

• What's bugging  him?
• What's etaing him?

• to be in dire straits
• I've come up against a brick wall
• I've come up against a stumbling block

• I've been holding the baby
• We are all going to have to face the music
• to be in the same boat

• Situations
• We've been  running up against problems
• to handle / manage / use / utilise
• to  come up with a plan
• to be in a holwe / in a spot / up against it
• One thing led to the other

• to solve problems
• Easier said than done
• to overcome a physical problem
• We solved the problem  at the  eleventh hour by...
• It was all  brushed under the carpet
• It's just a storm in a  teacup
• Is it everything OK with you?
• An amazing determination who has succeded against all the odds
• tobe off the hook ( freed from a difficult situation)
• Give it a go / a shot / a try

• to put a distance between you and the others

• Easy solutions
• things go smoothly
• to wave a magic wand
• It's a piece of cake
• It's child play

SPEAKING ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN

• What's your town famous for? 
• Some landmarks...
• Is it a sleepy or a bustling city?
• What's good of your city? 
• What was your hometown like some years ago?
• It's almost irrecognisable
• It's much more.... than  it used to be
• It's a bit different nowadays
• It's always something interesting going on
• You can meet people from all over the world
• Small towns have a better sense of community
• It's a great place to live
• I quite like living in...
• I suppose I don't mind living in...
• the cost of living is really high
• It's really crowded
• It's a bit cut off  from the wider world
• It's a real 24 hour city
• Air quality  can be an issue
• It's a  unique place
• the surrounding  area  is quite beautiful

VOLUNTEERING

• Some interesting phrases
• To gain  new skills
• Develop  transfereable skills
• To improve  your CV
• Those who volunteer have a better chance  of a  higher salary and to get a promotion
• Most employers value volunteering on a CV
• to venture out in the world of work
• to meet different  people with different beliefs and values
• Unfoortunately ou cannot learn all in a classroom
• to apply you have been learnt in the real work
• To see first hand  waht professionals do
• volunteeering  can bridge that gap  between  thery and  practise
• Become a fulfilling career
• A new professional setting

• To build a sense of confidence
• Achieve a sense of pride
• to look after the elderly
• You  feel  more important
• Things that couldn't have been achieved without your help
• It's  very  rewarding
• To increase your contacts
• to keep yourself occupied
• To do anything constructive with your time
• It keeps you  mentally and  physically occupied in a positive way

YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE