Too old to learn English?

Am I able to learn English properly? Will I ever be? Maybe another life. It is too late, way too late. Just read this to understand my current pessimism:

„Before puberty, certain maturation changes happen in your brain that makes it more difficult to learn language, makes it sort of almost impossible to get, to acquire the language to the point where you have no accent, but even difficulty in understanding the grammatical structures and acquiring vocabulary. And, as I say, this happens sometimes before puberty, different ages for different people, but maybe nine, ten, eleven isn't such a bad number.“

(from an interview called „How a Child's Ability to Learn Language Figures Into the Immigration Issue“, VOA pages)

I am afraid my puberty sort of vanished a long long time ago. So the only hope for improving my English could be my occasional immature behavior which could by an advantage in this case. Yep, it is late but on the other hand they say better late then never.

* * *
IDIOM for today:

take with a pinch (grain) of salt = brát s rezervou

Oh girl, you're so naive! Don't believe everythink he tells you. Just take what he says with a pinch of salt. He surely doesn't have any yacht!

Should life be taken seriously or with a pinch of salt ? - I say, take life with a pinch (or grain) of salt, but remember that salt in your eye burns like crazy.

But be aware of cases when the expression "a pinch of salt" (špetka soli) has its real meaning:

These eggs have a strong flavour, and are best eaten hard boiled with a pinch of salt.

Mystery of Carol's stuffed lamb

My US friend Carol revealed the identity of her “baby”: Baby B is my stuffed animal…, she wrote in her last entry. To be more exact – her baby is a stuffed lamb (or a sheep).If she said something like that in the UK she would probably be considered kind of weird or barbaric. Because in the UK, the first thing that occurs when hearing words “stuffed animal” is a dead animal that was filled with some stuff in order to look alive. Once I said to a British friend of mine that I still have a small stuffed monkey from my chilldhood that used to be with me in my bed every night. The friend looked confused. Stuffed monkey in your bed? It took a while to make this misunderstanding clear.

Oxford Dixtionary says that one of the meanings of the verb “to stuff” is to fill the dead body of an animal with material and preserve it, so that it keeps its original shape and appearance. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says the same: to fill the body of a dead animal with special material so that it looks as if it is still alive.

But this is not a case of Carol's baby or my small monkey. These toys only look like animals and are cute, cuddly, fluffy, soft… Oh yes, SOFT, “soft toy” – that's the British equivalent for American "stuffed animal".

Oxford Dixtionary: soft toy = a toy in the shape of an animal, made of fabric and filled with a soft substance. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary = a toy animal made from cloth and filled with a soft material so that it is pleasant to hold.

That's just one of many differences between British and US English (apart from Australian or South African English). Carol didn't know (she did now) a British word “a fortnight”. And my British friend never heard idiom “be a Monday morning quarterback”. He uses “be wise after the event” instead (obé znamná totéž - být generál po bitvě).

Btw. the term “stuffed animal” can also have completaly different meaning. Just try and google Carol's “stuffed lamb”.

You'll get something like that


Or something like that


"to stuff" also means to fill a vegetable, chicken, etc. with another type of food, prostě "nadívat". Takže "stuffed" = "nadívaný".
Carol mentioned the other day, that her stuffed beef rolls fell apart. What fell appart? Nadívané hovězí rolky? No jistě - prostě se jí rozpadly španělské ptáčky.

That was the last straw for her

Jussi is a nickname of a woman from Sydney, Australia. As she wrote in her blog a few days ago her daugter Blaise started being ill. After a week she hasn't got any better so she must have seen a doctor again.

Blaise had a bad week, the tonsils got worse, they looked disgusting. I can't understand how Doctors can think that something that looks that disgusting should be allowed to remain in your body. However, none of them looked terribly surprised, so I followed their lead and remained nonplussed in front of her. We saw our family Dr on wednesday after the emergency GP on Sunday. Blaise wasn't getting any better, so a change of antibiotics, a shot of penicillin in the bum, and a blood test were called for, and that was the last straw for Blaise.

“Blaise had a bad week, the tonsils got worse, they looked disgusting.” Blaise měla špatný týden, ty krční mandle se zhoršily, vypadaly ohavně (lépe česky - hrozně).

tonsil = either of the two small organs at the sides of the throat, near the base of the tongue = krční mandle

“I can't understand how Doctors can think that something that looks that disgusting should be allowed to remain in your body.” Nedokážu pochopit, jak si doktoři mohou myslet, že něčemu, co vypadá tak ohavně, by mělo být umožněno, aby zůstalo v těle.

Well, there's nothing specific to talk about this sentence. Except it's a complex, consisting of four basic sentences:

I can't understand
how Doctors can think
that something that looks that disgusting
should be allowed to remain in your body.

This way it doesn't look so complicated, does it?

“However, none of them looked terribly surprised, so I followed their lead and remained nonplussed in front of her.” Nicméně, nikdo z nich nevypadal hrozně (lépe česky – nijak zásadně) překvapen, takže jsem následovala jejich příkladu a zůstala před ní zaražená (ve smyslu - nedohadovala se s nimi).

follow someone's lead = an example or action for people to copy = následovat něčího příkladu
If one bank raises interest rates, all the others will follow their lead. Pokud jedna banka zvýší úrokové sazby, všechny ostatní budou následovat jejího příkladu.
Many people accept Jesus as their Savior, but they fail to follow his lead and his commandments. Mnozí lidé přijímají Ježíše jako svého spasitele, ale ochabují při následování jeho příkladu a jeho příkázaní.

nonplussed = so surprised and confused that you do not know what to do or say = ohromený, zmatený, zaražený
He was nonplussed when I explained to him that we hunt rats and eat them fried for breakfast. Byl ohromený, když jsem mu vysvětlil, že lovíme krysy a jíme je smažené k snídani.

„We saw our family Dr on wednesday after the emergency GP on Sunday.” Navštívili jsme ve středu našeho rodinného lékaře, po návštěvě lékaře na pohotovosti v neděli.

GP = general practitioner = praktický lékař

“Blaise wasn't getting any better, so a change of antibiotics, a shot of penicillin in the bum, and a blood test were called for, and that was the last straw for Blaise.” Blaise se nijak nelepšila, takže si to vyžádalo změnu antibiotik, injekci penicilinu do zadku a krevní testy a tohle byla pro Blaise poslední kapka.

bum = the part of the body that you sit on = zadek

call for = volat po (6. p.), požádat o (co), vyžadovat (co)
The situation is getting a bit urgent and calls for prompt action. Situace začíná být trochu naléhavá a žádá si okamžitou akci.

the last straw (the straw that breaks the camel's back) = the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer = poslední kapka (opravdu krásný anglický idiom – poslední stéblo, které zlomilo velbloudův hřbet)

„…a shot of penicillin and a blood test were called for.” – a nice example of using PASSIVE FORM. Zatímco čeština obecně preferuje spíše aktivní formu “vyžádalo si to injekci penicilinu a krevní testy”, angličtina dává v řadě případů přednost pasivum “byla žádána injekce penicilinu a krevní testy”. Když v češtině použijeme zvratné zájmeno “se” podle vzoru něco se dělá, není jiná možnost.
This job needs to be done, like it or not. Ta práce se musí udělat, ať se ti to líbí, nebo nelíbí.
Some rumors are being spread that they've called their wedding off. Šíří se nějaké pověsti, že odvolali svou svatbu.
Wash your hands, lunch is being served. Umyj si ruce, podává se oběd.

So, that was the last straw for tonight, it's time to have a shower. And yes, my teeth need to be brushed.

English is tricky per se…

Some girl (http://journals.aol.com/jackiebenice/blah/) who keeps her identity secret was complaining yesterday:

I need to go shopping. New shoes, new shirts, new pants. Nothing girly persay, just new stuff. Since I got my job, I haven't went clothes shopping. Which is odd, because before I got a job, all I thought about was ' Omg when I get a job I can buy all the clothes I want!!" However, because of the job, all I do wear is work clothes, or PJS and I don't have time to go buy anything.

I guess it is quite easy. But one word looks really strange. Have a look at the second sentence: „Nothing girly persay, just new stuff.“ What the heck is that word „persay“? I couldn't find it. Luckily, there's one amazing web site called Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com/). I opened it and it didn't fail:

persay = an incorrect spelling of “per se”, something you say at the end of a sentence to sound intelligent.

per se = samo sebou, samo o sobě (from Latin, used meaning 'by itself' to show that you are referring to sth on its own, rather than in connection with other things)

The problem is that “per se” is pronounced the same way like “per say” and if someone doesn't know anything about its Latin origin then they spell it wrong.

English is tricky per se, and when some of native speakers can't spell properly one gets pretty confused.

Do you still miss the Czech translation? OK, here you are:

Musím jít nakupovat. Nové boty, nové sukně, nové kalhoty. Nic holčičího, samo sebou, prostě nové věci. Od té doby, co jsem dostala práci, jsem nebyla (nešla) nakupovat oblečení. Což je zvláštní, protože před tím, než jsem práci dostala, jediné, nač jsem myslela, bylo “O, můj Bože, když dostanu práci, budu si moct koupit všechny ty šaty, které chci!” Nicméně, kvůli té práci jediné, co opravdu nosím, jsou pracovní šaty nebo pyžamo, a nemám čas jít si cokoliv koupit.

He definitely puts up with a lot of my shit

Zoe Trope (http://zoe-trope.livejournal.com) from Porltland, Oregon, is probably my most popular blogger (except for one), this is the third time I'm going to borrow one paragraph of her last entry.

She wrote:
I'm just hoping Matt can handle all of this excitement. He's been really tired lately (non-stop days of work, working out, and band practice) and I don't think I help things by acting like a child when we go to bed, giggling and poking him for a full 45 minutes before letting him pass out, exhausted. Things will be better once I start my art classes next week.

One of her readers made this remark:
I totally read the first sentence in the third paragraph as "I'm just hoping Matt can handle all of this excrement."

And Zoe promptly answered:
That's correct, too -- he definitely puts up with a lot of my shit.

So let's try to observe some grammar.

“I'm just hoping Matt can handle all of this excitement.“ – Jen doufám, že se Matt dokáže vypořádat se vším tím rozruchem.

handle - this word has many many meanings, in this case = vypořádat se s

„He's been really tired lately (non-stop days of work, working out, and band practice) and I don't think I help things by acting like a child when we go to bed, giggling and poking him for a full 45 minutes before letting him pass out, exhausted.“ Poslední dobou je opravdu unavený (nonstop dny práce, vyčerpávající, a zkoušení se skupinou) a já nemyslím, že věcem pomáhám tím, že se chovám jako dítě, když jdeme do postele, že se hihňám a popichuju ho celých 45 minut, než ho nechám omdlít, vyčerpaného. (Uf… Měl bych pro větší přesnost používat přechodníky „giggling and poking him“, ale kdo tak dneska mluví?)

„…non-stop days of work, working out…" - work out also has many many different meanings. I just think it is an adjective in this case associated with the previous noun „work“. I hope I'm right.

work out = vypracovat, vyřešit, vypočítat, vyčerpat (prací), vycházet (o sumě), razit si cestu z, cvičit, dopadnout, dostat, mít úspěch, pochopit, rozhodnout, rozhodovat, sportovat, uspět, vydařit se, vyjít, vymyslet, vyndat ven

giggle = hihňání, legrace, chichtot, chichtat se

poke = strkat (4. p.), šťourat se, dloubnout, rýpnout, hrabat, prohrabat, štulec

„…before letting him pass out…“ – after „before“ (preposition) must be –ing form and after „to let“ the following verb must be so called bare infinitive (infinitive without „to“) Let me tell you…, Let´s go… Let me see… etc.

pass out = lose consciousness = hovorově omdlít
He was so drunk that he passed out on the couch with his shoes and all on. Byl tak opilý, že omdlel na gauči s botama a se vším, co měl na sobě.
The pain was so terrible that I thought I was gonna pass out. Ta bolest byla tak hrozná, že jsem myslel, že omdlím.

“Things will be better once I start my art classes next week.“ – Věci se zlepší, jakmile příští týden začnu kurzy umění.
Have you notice that in Czech translation only future tenses were used while in English original there is future simple first and then present simple? This sentence is just a nice example how to use present simple for the future.
Když popisujeme budoucí děje souvětím, je třeba použít budoucí čas je jednou, neboť po spojkách jako as if, when, before , as soon as, until, once, while atd. následuje čas přítomný. For instance:
I will probably there at the same time as you are. Budu tam pravděpodobně ve stejném čase jako tam budeš ty.
I will enjoy the day off whether the sun is shining or whether it is raining. Budu si užívat volna z práce, ať bude svítit slunce, nebo jestli bude pršet.

"I totally read the first sentence as "I'm just hoping Matt can handle all of this excrement."" – Kompletně jsem tu první větu četl jako „Jen doufám, že se Matt dokáže vypořádat se všemi těmi výkaly."

„That's correct, too -- he definitely puts up with a lot of my shit.“ To je taky správné – on určítě snese spoustu mého – shit???

put up with = snášet něco nebo někoho, nechat si líbit
How can you put up with his sulk? Jak dokážeš snášet jeho trucování?
They treat me so badly and I don't want to put up with them any longer. Jednají se mnou tak špatně a už je déle nechci snášet.

shit = hovno, lejno, sračka, kecy, srát, vysrat se, posrat se, kecat, sraní. Nothing of this doesn't seem to match. According to Oxford dictionary “shit” also means:
- stupid remarks or writing; nonsense
- an unpleasant person who treats other people badly
- criticism or unfair treatment

Just make your own choice, I think the third one is correct. It's a play on words, of course.

Have a nice day.

Impossible love

I stumbled across this entry the other day. It was written by a girl who depicted her feelings in a very simple yet tender confession. I could analyse every one sentence because each of them is interesting for some grammar rule. She uses different tenses, phrasal verbs, plenty of conditionals, some idioms and yet her vocabulary is not difficult. But I won´t. It would be a pity to cut it. Just read and try to detect as much grammar as you can. I myself have detected more then the grammar rules. Some of you probably know what I am talking about.

Today I opened the box I filled with the love letters Sean gave me and a few momentos of him. I know I shouldn't have opened it, but I did. I read through the letters, taking in every word of every paragraph. He wrote them with so much love and intent of what is to come. As I read further, I was imagining what it would've been like to be with him like he had said. It would've been amazing I think. He is such a good person and whoever ends up with will be the luckiest girl in the world, and I will be totally jealous of her.
Anyway I think being with him like that would be like pure happiness, the kind you only read about or see in the movies. I just wish I had told him that when it mattered. Since now it doesn't. I messed up royally.
If only I could turn back time... but then everyone probably wishes for that. I mean who wouldn't want to do that? It would make making decisions a lot easier, since you would know what is a better choice. If only, right?
Also in the box were pictures of him and I in New York. It was so much fun going there with him. I even thought of going with him in the winter to ride one of those horse carridges through Central Park. That would've been so romantic...
Next to the pictures was his class ring, that I forgot to give back to him. I still remember him giving it to me while walking me to my car. We weren't even dating then, but I assure you there was major flirting going on at the time.
Looking at all of the stuff does hurt, but it's good to look back on things, you know? It's a good refresher. I mean I would'nt have changed anything we did. I would have still told him that I liked him, even though I had a boyfriend. I would have still kissed him in that parking lot, not knowing my boyfriend was waiting at my house. And I still would have said yes to him asking me out the next day. I wouldn't have waited, because I knew how much I felt for him. Hell, I still get the butterflies when I think about him, even though we aren't together and we barely talk. I don't know why I still feel this way, even after so long. It seems as though most people get over their ex's rather quickly, but why not me? Why do I still hang on to a reality that I know won't become real? Do I love him that much to not let him go?
Before we dated, he siad that he'd wait for me and he chased after me. But now when I say that I wait for him or chase after him, it doesn't seem to have the same affect on him as it did on me. I wonder why. He really must have moved on and I am still behind him waiting in his dust. Will I ever make it to the finish line, or will I always wait, always in second?
I am not crying nor am I about to. I guess I am just confused. And I just really miss him. However I think I have gotten better. I won't say I am jumping off the walls happy, but I am happy enough not to cry or feel sad.
Even if he wants to move on and stuff, that is ok. I hope he is happy, because that is all I want for him. Maybe I may even be happy one day. However if there is ever a chance that he may love me again, I hope he tells me, because in an instant I would be with him.

Sister help !

Sisterhood of Yay-Yay Sister-Friends (http://sister-friends.blogspot.com/) is a common blog for women. In their Statement they remind one of their tenets: “Supporting each other through any crisis that may come our way & rejoicing with every triumph.” One of the Sister-Friends seems to have really tough time as her old father has become ill. Looking for some advice and experience she wrote yesterday:

Hello..is this thing on..Sister help please
The believe that my 85 year old dad has Parkinson's.
Do any of you have personal experience w/ Parkinson's..
From 85 until his natural death what would progression be?
Right now he's maily shuffling his feet, does it always progress to the tremors?
Does the medication reverse the symptoms??
I'd appeciate any feedback. And Yes..I already looked at the medical websites but was looking for personal experience.
Thanks!!
posted by Mary Pat

Apart from her worries about her father, which makes me feel sorry for him and her, let´s have a look for same basic grammar rule – asking questions? It looks so simple, yet many sometimes fail, including me.

“The believe that my 85 year old dad has Parkinson's.” – Does it make any sence? I suppose this lady was a bit nervous and made some mistakes. I guess the first word should have been “They”. And then the translantion is: Předpokládá se, že můj 85 letý otec má Parkinsonovu chorobu.

The expression “they believe” (or they suppose etc.) is common in English but can have two another forms with the same meaning:

a) they believe that… – They belived that the fire started last night.

b) it is believed that… – It is belieaved that the fire started last night.

c) someone or something is believed to do something - The fire is belived to have started last night. (this form always uses present perfect when the past is being described)

Parkinson's = Parkinson's disease

“Do any of you have personal experience w/ Parkinson's…” Má někdo z vás osobní zkušenost s Parkinsonem… I am feeling confused a little as I would say Does any of you have… What do you think?

“From 85 until his natural death what would progression be?” – Od 85 do jeho přirozené smrti, jaký by mohl být průběh?

“Right now he's maily shuffling his feet, does it always progress to the tremors?” – Nyní hlavně šourá nohama, vyvíjí se to vždy k třesení?
”… he's maily shuffling…” – I guess maily is a spelling mistake, it was meant mainly

“Does the medication reverse the symptoms??” - Zvrátí léčba symptomy?

“I'd appeciate any feedback. And Yes..I already looked at the medical websites but was looking for personal experience.” – Ocenila bych jakoukoliv odezvu. A ano… Už jsem se dívala na lékařské webové stránky, ale hledala jsem osobní zkušenost.
"I already looked at..." - the time was not mentioned so according to the grammar rules I'd suppose present perfect and not past simple - "I have already looked at..."

“I'd appeciate…” – spelling mistake = appreciate. And “I'd appreciate” of course is “I would appreciate”

P.S.
What do you say to the weather nowadays? We are surely having the same heatwave as Carol is used to having in Texas.

I remember waking up that morning...

The blog called „bathtubjunkie“ (bathtub = vana, junkie = narkoman) (http://bathtubjunkie.net/) belongs to a woman who characterizes herself with words: „Lisanne. 30 years old. Living in upstate New York [but originally from Indiana]. Married to Jeff for six years. Mom to Lucas, born 3.22.05. Our daughter is due on Halloween!“
She really had a reason to upadate her blog on Saturday.

At 4:53 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2000, Jeff and I officially became husband and wife. I remember waking up that morning and looking out my bedroom window at my parents’ house to see what the weather was like. I looked at my wedding gown hanging over my closet doors and wondered how our big day would come together, after months and months of planning and dreaming. I couldn’t believe that June 17 had finally arrived! I also tried to imagine how I would feel as I walked down the aisle and saw Jeff and all of our family and close friends. Surprisingly, I didn’t cry at all. I felt like I was on top of the world, like I - and we - could do anything. It just felt right … and it still does.

"At 4:53 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2000, Jeff and I officially became husband and wife.“ …Jeff a já jsme se oficiálně stali mužem a ženou (tedy otrocky přeloženo – manželem a manželkou).

“I remember waking up that morning and looking out my bedroom window at my parents' house to see what the weather was like.“ Vzpomínám si, jak jsem se toho rána vzbudila a podívala se ven z ložnice na dům mých rodičů, abych se podívala, jaké je počasí.

“I remember waking up that morning and looking…” – the verb TO REMEMBER is tricky because it has two different meanings in Czech – “pamatovat si” a “vzpomenout si”. English distinguishes both menanings too.
When “remember” is followed by -ing form, we look backwards and it means having a memory. For instance:
What is the last dream you remember having? = Jaký je poslední sen, na který si vzpomínáš?
I remember having nightmares of a tornado. = Vzpomínám si na noční můry z tornáda.
I remember waiting for her for ages. = Vzpomínám si, že jsem na ni čekal věky.

But when “remember” is followed by infinitive form, we look forward and then it means not to forget. For instance:
I hope I remember to do this. = Doufám, že to nezapomenu udělat.
Did I remember to lock the door? = Nezapomněl jsem zamknout dveře?
Remember to be very careful! = Nezapomeň být velmi opatrný!

…to see what the weather was like.” – another very tricky thing for many. It is a proof that we just can´t simply translate from Czech to English. Když se ptáme, jaké něco bylo, je či bude, nikdy, opravdu nikdy se nesmí začít zájmenem How… How the weather was… FUJ! FUJ!
Anglická konstrukce je složitější, ale nijak obtížná: What + subject + verb + like
I wonder what the weather is going to be like tomorrow. = Zajímalo by mě, jaké bude zítra počasí.
I can´t imagine what it must be like to share my flat with another five people. = Nedokážu si představit, jaké to musí být sdílet byt s dalšími pěti lidmi.
I have really sore knees. This make me worry about what I will be like whem I am older. = Mám opravdu nemocná kolena. To mě nutí dělat si starosti s tím, jaký budu, až budu starší.

I think, that´s enough for today, I guess reading the rest about this wedding anniversary is a piece of cake.

wedding gown = svatební šaty.
walk down the aisle = jít uličkou (v kostele)

Nice week and take care.

So short article and eight phrasal verbs…

The following part was chosen from the blog called “Random Acts Of Reality”. (http://randomreality.blogware.com/blog) It´s been written by a man who works for London Ambulance Service. He usually writes about his daily experience. I chose it partly because I found if interesting, partly for using some of phrasal verbs.
Oh, phrasal verbs… Many native speakers tried to avoid using them when they speak to foreigners. Surprisingly, we understand them (sometimes). But then they start to speak with other natives, using a lot of phrasal verbs and idioms, and we only can stare and just gues what is going on…

I was sent to a 'little old lady' who had fallen over, she had been found by her next door neighbour who looked after her.
My little old lady was White British, while the family who looked in after her were Bangladeshi Muslim.
For a number of years they had helped her and her husband, checking in with them to make sure that everything was alright, the son of the neighbours would help out around the house.
When my patients husband had died, the family only stepped up the amount of help they gave her.
So it was the neighbours son who had found her and called us. It took us some time to deal with the patient – she had an obviously broken hip and we needed to give her a large amount of painkillers before we could move her.
When the patient's real son turned up he appeared more concerned about the inconvenience that his mothers fall was causing him. The neighbour's son was more concerned with her health.

At first, notice all the tenses, especially PAST PERFECT. The first sentence is an excellent example.

“I was sent to a 'little old lady' who had fallen over, she had been found by her next door neighbour who looked after her.” Byl jsem poslán k 'drobné staré dámě', která se svalila (prostě upadla), (a která) byla nalezena sousedem od vedle, který se o ni stará.

fall over = převrhnout se, překotit se, složit se, svalit se

look after = starat se o (4. p.), pečovat o (4. p.), postarat se, dozírat, obstarat, opatrovat

“My little old lady was White British, while the family who looked in after her were Bangladeshi Muslim.” Moje malá stará dáma byla bílá Britka, zatímco rodina, která se o ni u ní doma stará, byli bangladéšští muslimové.

“…who looked in after her…” – there is a phrazal verb “look after” with another preposition “in” in between, which I think indicates that they looked after her in her flat but I am not sure.

“For a number of years they had helped her and her husband, checking in with them to make sure that everything was alright, the son of the neighbours would help out around the house.” Po mnoho let pomáhali jí a jejímu manželovi, ohlášovali se u nich, aby se ujistili, že všechno bylo v pořádku, sousedovic syn vypomáhal kolem domu.

check in = zapsat se (např. v hotelu), registrovat se, začínat práci, hlásit příchod, zapsat, ubytovat s

help out = vypomáhat, vypomoct

“When my patients husband had died, the family only stepped up the amount of help they gave her.” Když manžel mé pacientky zemřel, ona rodina jen vystupňovala míru pomoci, kterou jí věnovali.

“…my patients husband…” – the apostrophe is missing - “patient's husband”

step up = urychlit, vystoupit, jít nahoru, přijít, upevnit, usadit, vykráčet, vystoupat, zasadit, vystupňovat, být povýšen

“So it was the neighbours son who had found her and called us.” Takže to byl sousedčin syn, který ji nalezl a zavolal nám.

“…neighbours son…” – the apostrophe is missing - “neighbour's son”

“It took us some time to deal with the patient – she had an obviously broken hip and we needed to give her a large amount of painkillers before we could move her.” Trvalo nám nějakou dobu se s pacientem vypořádat (což zní hrozně, takže lépe česky třeba – věnovali jsme se pacientce delší dobu), měla očividně zlomený kyčel (neboli krček) a museli jsme jí dát velké množství léků proti bolesti, než jsme s ní mohli pohybovat.

deal with = jednat s (7. p.), zacházet s (7. p.), zabývat se (7. p.), zmáhat, vypořádat se, projednávat, pojednávat o, obchodovat, mít co činit s

painkiller = lék proti bolesti, prášek nebo injekce na bolest

“When the patient's real son turned up he appeared more concerned about the inconvenience that his mothers fall was causing him.“ Když se nečekaně objevil skutečný syn, vypadal, že je víc znepokojen potížemi, které mu pád jeho matky působily.

“…his mothers fall…” the apostrophe is missing - “his mothers's fall”

turn up = převrátit, objevit se (náhle), nastat (stát se), obrátit vzhůru (též kartu), vyhrnout, vyorat, stát se (nastat), zvedat žaludek, jít nahoru, najít, narazit, natrefit

concern about = starat se o, týkat se (2. p.), plést se do, zajímat se o, znepokojovat se čím

“The neighbour's son was more concerned with her health.” Sousedovic syn byl jejím zdravím znepokojen víc.

So short article and eight phrasal verbs… There´s no other way then try and study them.

Have a nice weekend.

The Americans played poorly against a team that was as good as expected

I've just found what the US media and bloggers had written about the soccer game Czech v. the US team yesterday.

We had a lot of guys who were in their first games and were a little bit nervous. But there's no more excuses, we have to play better than that.

The Czechs had 4 good chances and scored on 3. That's called punishing the other side's mistakes.

Both teams were under pressure. The first goal changed everything. The Czechs are very confident players. For us it was very tough. We have to get better quickly.

There is no excuse for not being ready to play. These guys have had 4 years to be ready. If we have that talent it did not show up today.

Bottom line, the US looked as good as they always have... just this time they were playing against a real team as opposed to Guatemala or Panama.

The Americans played poorly against a team that was as good as expected.

Routed 3-0 by the Czech Republic on Monday night, the United States might have a very short tournament stay this year.

I miss being able to text. Miss it like crazy. I feel so left out.

Emily (26) (http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=emylibef) lives in Mississippi. She has two kids who probably left for the last weekend so she felt a bit lonely and unhappy. You can read her emotions between her lines. She opened her blog on Saturday and wrote only this:

Things that are my life...
My friends are great.
I hate being here alone on Saturdays.
Urg, I want a job. I know there's one there for me somewhere, but...I shouldn't be so impatient. It's a fault.
I miss being able to text. Miss it like crazy. I feel so left out.
Maybe I will go for a bike ride.
Kate Winslet is so pretty. I wish I had her eyebrows.

„I hate being here alone on Saturdays.” Nesnáším být tady o sobotách samotná.
„I hate being…” – verbs like, love or hate can be followed by -ing form as well as infinitive, it depends on the country. “I love reading books” can use both British and American English, “I love to read book” is usually more common in American English. So we can hear “I hate to hear criticism, especially if it's true.” as well as “I hate using public bathrooms.”
BUT after “would like” the infinitive is always used. (I would like not to have to borrow one dollar. – Byl bych rád, kdybych si nemusel vypůjčit ani dolar.)

“I want a job. I know there's one there for me somewhere, but...I shouldn't be so impatient. It's a fault.” Chci práci. Vím, že tam někde pro mě jedna (nějaká) je, ale… neměla bych být tak netrpělivá. Je to hřích.

fault = chyba, porucha, vada, kaz, vina, omyl, nedopatření, přestupek, hřích

I think “hřích” is the best choise in this case.

“I miss being able to text. Miss it like crazy. I feel so left out.” Schází mi, abych byla schopná (hezky česky – abych mohla) esemeskovat. Chybí mi to šíleně. Cítím se tak opomíjená.

“I miss being able…” – the verb "to MISS" must be followed by –ing form only.

I found this pargraph in some other blog:
"It’s strange not having much free time. Although I love being very productive, I miss being able to read a book that has nothing to do with my research; I miss surfing the net; I miss chatting with my friends (and strangers) for hours; I miss going to the movies with friends from time to time."

“…able to text.” – "to TEXT" is very old English verb that was almost forgoten and discovered again a few years ago in connection with mobile phones. It got a new meaning – to write and receive short text messages (SMS).

leave out = vynechat, opomenout, neuvažovat, nevšímat si, nezapočítat, opomíjet (Why did you leave out this question? OR Please leave me out of your plan.)

“Maybe I will go for a bike ride.” Možná půjdu jezdit na kole.

This expression “go for + NOUN” has plenty of possibilities:
go for a holiday = jet na dovolenou
go for a smoke = jít si zakouřit
go for a drive = jít se projet autem
go for a walk = jít na procházku
go for a drink = jít si někam sednou a popít
go for a swim = jít si zaplavat
go for a pee = jít se vyčůrat
go for a soldier = dát se na vojnu
etc

“Kate Winslet is so pretty. I wish I had her eyebrows.” Kate Winslet je tak hezká. Kdybych tak měla její obočí. (Kéž bych měla její obočí.)

“I wish I had (was, etc)…" - this expression is used for unreal wishes. Doslova přeloženo: Přeji si, abych měl (byl), což nezní česky, takže se většinou volněji překládá Kdybych tak měl (byl)… NEBO Kéž bych měl (byl)…

Some examples:
I wish I had a car, I wish a had enough money.
I wish I could stay a little bit longer.
It freaking sucks. I wish I didn´t have do deal with it. (Šíleně to otravuje. Kéž bych se tím nemusel zabývat.)
I wish I could be strong and just shrug off the break-up with her. (Kdybych tak dokázal být silný a po rozchodu s ní se prostě mohl oklepat.)

Take care.

So hot in Texas (but Carol is probably used to it)

A woman with a nickname „atrueheart“(http://seniorfriendfinder.com/blog/atrueheart/), living somewhere in Texas, had some trouble with her air-conditioning. And the temperature is getting higher and higher. Which makes me wonder: How are'you doing in this heat wave, dear Carol?

Atrueheart writes:
Had a weird day yesterday. As y'all know Texas is getting 100 + weather and my a.c. conked out on Wednesday night. It was 85 degrees in my and we had a very uncomfortable night. My leasing company doesn't consider a.c. problems to be an emergency so had to wait until after 90 am to get it fixed. The kids and I went down to my daughters apartment while we waited.

„Had a weird day yesterday.“ Měla jsem včera podivný (nebo taky zvláštní nebo příšerný nebo taky kouzelný) den.
It seems like some word is missing – of course, the subject. In theory, every English sentence should have bouth - a subject and a verb. But in spoken English many native speakers sort of forget about the subject. In fact, it is not necessary – everyone knows that the subject is „I“. English, as every other language, wants to be as economic as possible. Just have a look at atrueheart's paragraph. It's really economic.

„As y'all know Texas is getting 100 + weather and my a.c. conked out on Wednesday night.“ Jak všichni víte, Texas dostává (lépe česky – začíná mít) počasí 100 Fahrenheitů a výše a moje klimatizace ve středu v noci vysadila.

„As y'all know…“ = as you all know

„100 + weather“ – tedy 100°F + další stupně navíc. 100°F = 37.8°C
I found this for you:
Occurrence of 100°F Weather in Texas (1899-2004):
Average date of first 100°F: June 30
Average date of last 100°F: August 27
Earliest occurrence: Mar 9, 1911 (100°F)
Latest occurrence: Oct 3, 1951 (106°F)
Earliest last occurrence: 30 May 1928 (101°F)
Latest first occurrence: 23 August 1989 (101°F

a.c. = air-conditioning

conk out = vysadit (motor), zhasnout (motor), chcípnout, vyplivnout, natáhnout bačkory (zemřít), zhebnout

„It was 85 degrees in my and we had a very uncomfortable night.“ Bylo 85 stupňů a v mém bytě jsme měli velmi nepohodlnou (nebo nepříjemou) noc.
It was 85 degrees in my and… - there is something missing again! Of course, It was 85 degrees in my apartment (or flat)…
Incidentally, 85 degrees F = 29.4°C

„My leasing company doesn't consider a.c. problems to be an emergency so had to wait until after 90 am to get it fixed.“ Moje leasingová společnost nepovažuje klimatizaci za (takové) problémy, aby byly (považovány za) nouzové, tak jsem (jsme) musela(y) čekat až po 9 hodině ráno, aby to bylo opraveno.

„so had to wait…“ The subject is missing again. It can be either „I“ or „we“. Who knows?

„90 am“ – I guess it means 9.00 am

„The kids and I went down to my daughters apartment while we waited.“ Děti a já jsme šly dolů do bytu mé dcery, zatímco jsme čekaly.
Oh Got, there is something missing again! But this time it has nothing to do with the economy, it's just a mistake. An apostrophe is missing. NOT „to my daughters apartment“ BUT „to my daughter's apartment“. We can also write "to my daughters' apartment“, ale to by pak znamenalo „do bytu mých dcer“.

Have a nice sunny week.

I kept kissing her and telling her I loved her

The folowing was written by Hannah (25), living in Columbus, Georgia, USA. She is a mom to Olivia, born in April 11, 2006. (http://teatopia.net/mysite/index.html). Her daughter just got her first experience with doctors.

"We just got back from getting Olivia's 2 month shots. I never knew how hard it would be, as a momma, watching my child feel anything but happiness. Watching her get those shots was more than I could bear. When they first poked her, she looked a bit confused, as if she wasn't sure what had happened, and then she screamed so hard she couldn't catch her breath. I kept kissing her and telling her I loved her, while the evil woman kept poking my precious child. I'm sure she went and told the other nurses what a loser I was. The amount of love I have for this child is insane. If I could've taken 100 needles in place of her 4, I would've. Being a parent is the best job I have ever had…"

“We just got back from getting Olivia's 2 month shots." Právě jsme se vrátili (odkudsi, kde) Olivia dostala své první očkování ve dvou měsících. Čeština věty tohoto typu neumí přeložit doslova. Takže volněji přeloženo: Právě jsme se vrátili, Olivia zrovna dostala první očkování ve dvou měsících.
get back from getting – after a preposition an –ing form must follow

shot – this noun has many different meanings, in this case it means a small amount of a drug that is put into your body using a syringe (injekční stříkačka)

„I never knew how hard it would be, as a momma, watching my child feel anything but happiness.“ Nikdy jsem jako máma nevěděla, jak těžké je dívat se na své dítě, když cítí všechno možné jen ne štěstí.
I never knew… - a special American grammar trick. PAST SIMPLE was used but it should have been used PRESENT PERFECT = I have never known… (from some moment in the past till now). But the Americans often use past simple in cases like this. Some Britons despise them for it a little, saying they are lazy and spoil English. Maybe they are right. Sometimes the Americans use present perfect and sometimes they don´t. Have a look at the last sentence of Hannah´s entry: „Being a parent is the best job I have ever had…“ – it is the same case (from some moment in the past till now) so present perfect is OK. But who knows why she changes both tenses without apparent reason?

„When they first poked her, she looked a bit confused, as if she wasn't sure what had happened…“ Když ji poprvé píchli, vypadala trochu zmateně, jako kdyby si nebyla jistá, co se stalo.
she wasn't sure what had happened – krásný příklad užití PAST PERFECT neboli předminulého času, používaného pro popis minulosti, která se stala před jiným dějem v minulosti. Nebyla si jistá, co se stalo před tím…

„I kept kissing her and telling her I loved her, while the evil woman kept poking my precious child.“ Pořád jsem ji líbala a říkala jí, jak jí mám ráda, ale ta odporná žena mé drahé dítě pořád píchala.

I kept kissing her and telling her… the evil woman kept poking…
keep + -ing form = dělat něco opakovaně, pořád
Ještě sílnìjší dùraz na opakování obsahuje frázové sloveso keep on + -ing form = dělat něco pořád a pořád dokola (It kept on raining. – Pořád jen a jen pršelo. OR She kept on shouting on us all the time. – Celou to dobu na nás pořád dokola křičela.)

„I'm sure she went and told the other nurses what a loser I was." Jsem si jistá, že šla říct ostatním sestrám, co jsem to za ubožáka. (loser se těžko překládá = a person who is regularly unsuccessful, especially when you have a low opinion of them)

„If I could've taken 100 needles in place of her 4, I would've.“ Kdybych mohla příjmout sto jehel místo jejích čtyř, přijala bych (více česky - udělala bych to).
Podmínkové souvětí, které reflektuje minulost, jež se odehrála a nemùže být vzata zpět.
Přeloženo do češtiny se to na první pohled nepozná: Kdybych mohla příjmout sto jehel místo jejich čtyř, udělala bych to – to mùže znamenat jak obecné přání do budoucna, tak povzdech do minula, záleží na kontextu. Angličtina ovšem tyto dva časy striktně rozlišuje buď tzv. druhým kondicionálem, nebo třetím kondicionálem.
Second conditional: If I could take 100 needles in place of her 4, I would. – Kdybych tak jen mohla příjmout 100 jehel místo jejich čtyř, udělala bych to. – vztahuje se na imaginární situace, které nenastaly
Third conditional: If I could've taken 100 needles in place of her 4, I would've. – Kdybych bývala mohla příjmout 100 jehel místo jejich čtyř, udělala bych to. – reaguje na minulost, která se stala

P.S. My son is getting better and better after his surgery, my flat looks like new after rebuilding and I am really enjoying it, and the water-lily in my poud is about to bloom.

He is not one to worry about where he farts, he just does it

Mary Lou (http://www.whidbeydreamer.blogspot.com/) is a woman (60) living somewhere in the USA. I like her for her common sence and wisdom, for her dry humor, even though her life has been pretty rough sometimes. She wanted to see DaVinci Code during the weekend but things didn´t turn out the way she thought they would. Her friend Bob had other plans and then he got into some trouble with his stomac.

She writes:
Bob started getting a pain in his stomach, and thought he was having gas pains. He is not one to worry about where he farts, he just does it. Burps the same way. Nice guy.

“Bob started getting a pain in his stomach, and thought he was having gas pains.”
“he started getting a pain…” – sloveso, které následuje po START (or BEGIN) může mít dvě formy – infinitive with to OR –ing form and the meaning is always the same. Což je výjimka všech výjimek – jinak v angličtině platí striktní pravidla, jakou podobu musí mít sloveso následující po jiném slovese. So the sentence could also sound “Bob started to get a pain…”
S "begin" je to stejné: "I begin to forget, what she looked like." (Začínám zapomínat, jak vypadala.) "She began writing her own songs." (Začala psát své vlastní písničky.)

stomac = žaludek, ale v tomto kontextu se míní obecně břicho “The way to a man´s heart is through his stomac.” (obdoba našeho Láska prochází žaludkem.) “I have the stomac flu.“ (Mám střevní chřipku.) „He punched him in the stomac.“ (Udeřil ho do břicha.)

gas pains = doslova plynové bolesti, my to ovšem známe jako nadýmání nebo zaražené prdy, přeneseně pak bolení břicha kvůli něčemu. “He suffered such awful gas pains that he became convinced he was going to die and wrote out his will."(Trpěl tak strašným nadýmáním, že nabyl přesvědčení, že umře, a napsal poslední vůli.) „High gas prices are causing gas pains to consumers worldwide.” (Vysoké ceny benzínu působí bolení břicha zákazníkům po celém světě.)

“He is not one to worry about where he farts, he just does it.”
worry about = dělat si starosti s něčím – jedna z tisíců předložek, které si člověk prostě musí zapamatovat, aby neříkal worry with… Fuj, fuj. Prostě WORRY ABOUT. For instance: “Don´t worry about it.” (Nedělej si s tím starosti.) OR “She and I are doing well but I am worry about our future.” (Jí a mně se daří dobře, ale dělám si starosti o naši budoucnost.) OR “I´ve never had to worry about being homeless.” (Nikdy jsem si nemusel dělat starosti s tím, že budu houmlesák. A jistě vám neuniklo, že následuje-li po worry about sloveso, pak je vždy v -ing formě, protože slovesa po předložkách jsou vždycky v -ing formě.)

fart = prd, prdět

“Burps the same way.”

burp = krkat, říhat

“the same way” – stejně, stejným způsobem. “I feel the same way you do.” (Cítím se stejně jako ty.) “If I had the choice to go back and start all over again, I´d do it all the same way.” (Kdybych býval měl tu volbu se vrátit a začít úplně znova, udělal bych to stejným způsobem. – tzv. 3. kondicionál neboli podmínkové souvětí minulé, něco pro Lenku)
podobně se tvoří třeba “in a good way” = v dobrém smyslu slova

“Nice guy.”
nice = hezký, pěkný, ale také milý nebo roztomilý, což je tento případ “The staff at the hotel was really nice.” (Personál v hotelu byl opravdu milý.) “I do consider him a nice person.” (Fakt ho považuju ho za milého člověka.)

guy = kluk, v US angličtině chlap “Can you explain to me why I see beautiful women with average-looking guys?” (Můžeš mi vysvětlit, proč vídám nádherné ženy s průměrně vypadajícími chlapy?)

That´s all for today. Try and read something more about Mary Lou. (http://www.galaxynet.com/~dreamer/100thingsaboutme.htm) and you´ll find out why I like her writing.

I don't enjoy the heat but the biting-to-the-bone-cold is not something I enjoy either

Windspirit (http://www.windspirit.co.za/) is a nicknam of a woman from Cape Town, South Africa. She runs her own business, working at home. I chose one paragraph from her last entry. Remember that the winter is just beginning there, the temperaure was only 13 °C in Cape Town yesterday, and she doesn´t seem to like it.

She writes:
The week has been long and today it has been cold. I don't enjoy the heat but the biting-to-the-bone-cold is not something I enjoy either. I can still be semi-productive when I am hot but I just cannot seem to concentrate when I am ultra cold. Now is the time to bring out the gas heater and make my little home a comfy place to be no matter the time of day.

“The week has been long and today it has been cold.“ – nice examples of using present perfect.

“I don't enjoy the heat but the biting-to-the-bone-cold is not something I enjoy either.” – notice that expresson “the biting-to-the-bone-cold” that was created with hyphens, (literally translated “zima kousající až na kost).

And notice also the last word – either. In this case it means “také ne”, tedy …”zima až na kost je něco, co taky nemám ráda.”) Some other examples: I don´t like him and I don´t think he likes me either. OR I haven´t been to South Africa. – I haven´t either. OR I didn´t see the movie either. As you can see, alll the sentences are negative. When the beginning of a sentence has a positive meanning, EITHER turns to NEITHER. For example: Make sence to you? Me neither. Dává ti to smysl? Mně ne.

“I can still be semi-productive when I am hot…” semi- = polo- (semiautomatic, semi-automatic = poloatomatický, semiannual, semi-annual = pololetní, semifeudal, semi-feudal = polofeduální atd.) Takže: Dokážu být napolovic výkonná, když je mi horko…

comfy = hovorově pohodlně, pohodlný

Have a nice weekend.