English Vocabulary and Idioms
UNIT 1
Creativity
1. boost → Levantar
2. daydream → Fantasía
3. dream up → Inventarse
4. emerge → Salir
5. explore → Explorar
6. follow through → Acabar lo que se empieza
7. get inspiration → Tener inspiración
8. get stuck → Quedarse atrapado
9. stick with → Seguir a rajatabla
10. stimulate → Animar
Idioms Connected with Ideas
1. a flash of inspiration → Un destello de inspiración
2. capture people’s imagination → Capturar la imaginación de la gente
3. follow a train of thought → Seguir una línea de pensamiento
4. think on your feet → Piénsalo como si fueras tú mismo
5. think out loud → Pensar en voz alta
6. think outside the box → Pensar fuera de la caja
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. auction → Subastar
2. bring about → Provocar
3. bring up → Mencionar
4. check out → Comprobar
5. intrigued → Intriga
6. on a par with portrait → A la par del retrato
7. primitive → Antiguo
8. sophisticated → Sofisticado / Complejo
9. species → Especies
Copying
1. actual → Actual
2. counterfeit → Falso
3. genuine → Auténtico
4. original → Original
5. pretend → Fingir
6. replica → Replica
7. resemble → Parecerse
8. similarity → Similar
UNIT 2
Scientific Research
1. adopt an approach to → Adoptar un enfoque para
2. analyse → Analizar
3. conduct → Dirigir
4. demonstrate the possibility that → Demostrar la posibilidad de
5. field of study → Área de estudio
6. major breakthrough, observe → Observar
7. procedure → Método
8. process data → Procesar datos
9. provide evidence → Proporcionar evidencia
10. test a theory → Probar una teoría
11. variety of sources → Variedad de fuentes
Scientific Research Verbs and Nouns
1. approach → Acercarse
2. process → Proceso
3. research → Investigación
4. study → Estudiar
5. test → Examen
Science Expressions
1. guinea pig → Conejo de indias
2. light years ahead → Años luz por delante
3. quantum leap → Gran salto
4. rocket science → Ingeniería aeroespacial
5. side effects → Efectos secundarios
6. trial and error → Prueba y error
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. come about → Suceder
2. come to light discomfort → Salir a la luz malestar
3. distinguish → Diferenciar
4. make out → Fingir
5. mutation → Mutación
6. personal hygiene → Olor personal
7. pick up → Recoger a
8. treatment → Tratamiento
9. widespread → Extendido
Transitive Phrasal Verbs
1. bring up → Sacar el tema de
2. go over → Caer
3. hook up → Conectar
4. look at → Fijarse
5. plug in → Conectar
6. rely on → Depender de
7. show off → Presumir
8. take after → Parecerse a
9. take away → Quitar
10. take in → Agarrar
UNIT 3
Change
1. influence (influencia) → Have an effect on someone’s decisions, opinions or behaviour
2. inspire (inspirar) → Give someone the enthusiasm to do or make something
3. make advances in (Hacer avances en) → Make progress in science, technology, human knowledge…
4. make improvements to (Hacer mejoras a) → Make changes to make something better
5. make the world of difference (Hacer muchas diferencias) → Have an extremely important and beneficial effect on something
6. overcome difficulties (Superar dificultades) → Succeed in dealing with or controlling problems
7. remarkable achievement (Logro notable) → Very surprising or impressive accomplishment
8. seek ways to improve (Buscar formas de mejorar) → Try to find methods to make something better
9. transform (Transformar) → Make someone or something completely different, usually better
10. turning point (Punto de retorno) → Time when an important change takes place in a situation
Aim Higher: Collocations with Change
1. considerable change → Large and noticeable change
2. dramatic change → Sudden and surprising change
3. far-reaching change → Change that affects many people in an important way
4. refreshing change → Different and exciting change
5. subtle change (Cambio sutil) → Change people would hardly notice
6. unexpected change → Change we did not expect
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. city-dwelling (Habitante) → Person or animal that lives in an urban setting
2. complex (Complicado)→ Complicated or difficult to understand
3. doorstep (Peldaño) → Small step outside a house or building
4. expand (Expandir) → Become larger in size and fill more space
5. go through (Pasar por) → Search something carefully
6. move into (Mover hacia) → Start living in a place
7. surroundings (Alrededores) → Things and conditions that are around a thing or person
8. take over (Encargarse de) → Take control of something
9. thrive (Desarrollarse) → Become very successful, happy or healthy
10. turn out (Acudir) → Have a particular result
11. under the radar (Desapercibido) → Keep a low profile, remain unnoticed
Multi-word Phrasal Verbs: Change
1. come up against (problems) → Encounter, run into, meet
2. get on with (work) → go ahead, continue, go on
3. look back on → Remember, recall, remind
4. miss out on → Lose, miss, waste
5. keep up with (the news/developments) → Keep pace with, not lag behind
6. stand up for → Defend, advocate, uphold
Phrasal Nouns
1. breakthrough (Avance) → Discovery or achievement after hard work
2. changeover (Cambio) → Change from one method, system or activity to another
3. downfall (Ruina) → Sudden loss of power, status or success
4. drop-off (Caer) → Place where passengers are let out of vehicles
5. setback (Contratiempo) → Problem that delays or stops progress or makes a situation worse
6. upbringing (Educación) → Way children are looked after and taught to behave
UNIT 4
Society
1. ageing population (Población vieja) → People living in a particular area who are becoming old
2. a tiny minority (Minoría pequeña) → Small number of people that are part of a large group but different
3. be made homeless (Quedarse sin hogar) → Find yourself in a situation in which you are without a place to live
4. end poverty (Acabar con la pobreza) → Stop a situation when people don’t have enough money to pay for basic needs
5. individual privacy (Privacidad individual)→ Personal freedom to do things without other people knowing
6. life expectancy (Tiempo de vida)→ Length of time that someone is likely to live
7. own your own property (Tener tu propia propiedad) →Possess land and buildings on it
8. population growth (Crecimiento de la población) → Increase in the number of people living in a particular area
9. protect your identity (Proteger tu identidad) → Keep who you are and name safe from harm or loss
10. senior citizens (Personas mayores) → People who are more than 65 years old
Aim Higher: Expressions with Live
1. live and learn → Discover something surprising all the time
2. live and let live (Vivir y dejar vivir) → Accept other people’s beliefs and way of life, even though they’re very different
3. live for the moment → Enjoy the present time
4. live happily ever after → Have happy lives forever
5. live in the past → Still think and talk about sth that has happened
6. live the dream → Lead an ideal life
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. date back to (Remontar a) → Be made or begun at a particular time in the past
2. essential (Esencial) → Basic, fundamental
3. infinite (Infinito) → Endless, unlimited
4. instantly (Instantaneamente) → Immediately, right away
5. join in (Participar) → Do an activity with people who are already doing it
6. joy (Alegría)→ Happiness, delight
7. line up (formar una fila) → Form a row
8. remote (Apartado) → Half a world away from, very distant
9. truly (De verdad) → Really, definitely
10. unfamiliar (Extraño) → Strange, unacquainted
Positive Adjectives
1. affordable (Económico) → Cheap for ordinary people
2. appealing (Atractivo) → Attractive, interesting
3. convenient (Conveniente) → Easy to use and suitable for a specific purpose
4. efficient (Eficiente) → Working well and with good results
5. effortless (Sin esfuerzo) → Do well without hard work
6. first-rate (Excelente) → Of the highest quality
7. standard (Estándar) → Normal quality
8. unbeatable (Invencible) → Best among the same type
9. well-established (Solidamente establecido) → Existed and accepted or successful for a long time
10. worthwhile (Que vale la pena) → Worth the time, money, effort…
UNIT 5
Money
1. allowance (Prestación) → an amount of money you receive regularly to buy the things you need
2. balance (Balance) → the amount of money you have in your bank account
3. begging (Pedir limosna) → asking people for money or food, usually because you are very poor
4. debit card (tarjeta de crédito) → a plastic card given by a bank that you use for paying for things
5. donate (Donar) → give money or goods to an organisation, especially a charity
6. fortune (Fortuna) → a very large amount of money
7. income (Sueldo) → money that you receive, usually from working
8. live on (Mantenerse) → have enough money to buy the things that you need to live
9. repay debt (Pagar la deuda) → give someone money that you have borrowed from them
10. savings (Ahorros) → money that you have kept so that you can use it later
11. small change (Cambio pequeño) → coins of low value
12. wealthy (Rico) → having a large amount of money, land and other valuable things
Prepositions with Pay
1. pay (for something) with (a credit card / cash)
2. pay by (card)
3. pay (a bill)
4. pay for (lunch)
5. pay in (euros)
Aim Higher: Money Phrasal Verbs
1. break into (asaltar) → start to use an amount of money
2. come into (entrar)→ receive money when someone dies
3. get by (sobrevivir con) → manage to pay for the things you need
4. put aside (poner a un lado) → save some money to pay for something later
5. run up (venir corriendo) → get into debt and allow the amount to increase
6. take out (salir con) → get some money from a bank
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. astonishment (asombroso) → amazement, shock; -opposite: calmness, expectation
2. bizarre (raro) → strange, weird, extraordinary; -opposite: normal, ordinary
3. call out (llamar a) → Shout something to get someone’s attention
4. clan → family, tribe; -opposite: individual
5. come up (Salir) → Be mentioned in a conversation
6. haunted (encantado) → worried, troubled; -opposite: comforted
7. hold back (Sujetar) → Not do or say something
8. incredulous (incrédulo) → suspicious, doubtful; -opposite: sure
9. overwhelmed (agobiado) → affected, moved; -opposite: calm, unaffected
10. pull my leg (tirar de) → tell me something that is not true
Time
1. timing (Momento justo) → the date or time when something happens or is planned to happen
2. buy (some) time → do something that allows you to have more time to finish something
3. deadline (Fecha límite) → a specific time or date by which you have to do something
4. get down to (Empezar con) → start doing something seriously or with a lot of effort
5. held up (Sujetar) → late or delayed
6. on hold (En espera) → stopped from happening now; postponed until later
7. on schedule (A tiempo) → not early or late; on time
8. overdue (Atrasado) → later than planned; delayed
9. put off (postpone) → change the time or date of something so that it happens later than planned
10. queue (Fila) → wait for something in a queue
11. reschedule (Reprogramar) → change the time when something is planned to happen
12. lateness (Tardanza) → arriving or happening after the planned time
UNIT 6: DECISIONS
Making Choices
1. a wise decision → A sensible choice
2. be faced with → Have to deal with
3. feel uncertain about → Be not sure about
4. give priority to → Pay most attention to
5. have the freedom to choose → Be allowed to choose
6. lose out → Not get the benefit that someone else is getting
7. reach a decision → Make up your mind
8. settle on → Decide to choose
9. struggle → Find it difficult
10. take (his) advice → Follow his suggestion
11. think over → Carefully consider
12. weigh up → consider
Aim Higher: Homonyms
1. be fired (work) → Make someone leave a job
2. fire → Shoot a weapon
3. board (of a company) → Group of people responsible for the management of a company
4. (chopping) board → A thin piece of wood used for cutting things on
5. fold (a company) → When a business closes as it can´t make enough money
6. fold (paper) → Bend a piece of paper and press one side onto the other
7. lead (a team / a meeting) → Be in charge of
8. lead (winning a race) → Win or be in the first position
9. point (reason) → reason
10. set (a record) → Establish, achieve
11. set (the table) → Put things in position
Reading Text Vocabulary
1. account → Report or description
2. current → At the present time
3. get a foot in the door → Start work in an organization or business, especially when this will give you more opportunities in the future
4. hands-on → Involve doing something rather than watching others doing it
5. invest → Use money, time, effort… for a particular purpose
6. on the look-out → Watch carefully in order to find something or someone
7. pick up → Learn something new
8. put off → Make someone not want to do something
9. result in → Cause or produce something
10. suit → Be appropriate for someone
Employment
1. a career path → Direction of professional development
2. a growing industry → An increasingly important sector
3. a pension plan → Savings account for retirement
4. a reference letter → Written recommendation
5. a starting salary → Annual pay when you join a company
6. a vacant position → Job opportunity
7. be made redundant → Lose your job because your employer no longer needs you
8. be self-employed → Freelance worker
9. get a promotion → Achieve a higher or more important position or rank
10. health insurance → Private medical care cover
11. perks of the job → Benefits of working
12. work overtime → Spend more hours working after the usual ones