Blog engleskog jezika - ENGLISH ONLINE

15-нов-2014

Engleski idiomi, Break the ice

Idioms: Break the ice

Meaning – To say or do something that helps people relax and begin talking at a meeting, party, or in a first lesson!
Example – It was an awkward first lesson until the teacher broke the ice by introducing all the students.

Fig. to attempt to become friends with someone – He tried to break the ice, but she was a little cold. A nice smile does a lot to break the ice.
to make people who have not met before feel more relaxed with each other – We played a couple of party games to break the ice.
to start a conversation with someone you have not met before – I never know how to break the ice with someone I’ve just met at a party.

Did you know?

The phrase originated from old ships known as ice-breakers which were used to break through ice to move to new areas. It was later applied socially to get strangers acquainted with one another.

How do you break the ice with someone you’ve just met? Leave a comment.

13-нов-201413-нов-2014

Fraze u britanskom engleskom koje većina Amerikanaca neće razumeti

British phrases most Americans don’t understand

Everyone knows that for the Brits an elevator is a “lift,” an apartment is a “flat,” and those chips you’re snacking on are actually called “crisps.” But British people also say some other really weird, confusing things.

To celebrate the launch of its UK website, Business Insider compiled 12 British phrases that will leave Americans utterly flummoxed.

“They lost the plot.”

When someone has “lost the plot,” it means they have lost their cool. The phrase is particularly common in English football, where it is generally used when a player or coach gets in a fight or performs poorly during the game.

“I haven’t seen that in donkey’s years.”

“Donkey’s years” translates to “a really long time,” mainly because “donkey’s ears” kind of sounded like “donkey’s years” and became a rhyming slang term.

The phrase was underscored by the belief that donkeys live a long time (which can be true) and have very long ears (definitely true).

“Quit your whinging!”

When someone is “whinging,” it means they’re whining or crying. The next time your coworker is complaining about something, feel free to call him a whinger.

“He’s such a chav.”

This is a pejorative epithet in Britain that’s used to describe a specific kind of stereotype: a working-class person who is loud or brash and wears (usually fake) designer clothes — especially the classic Burberry check.

It is essentially the British version of “white trash” and should be used sparingly.

“You’ve thrown a spanner in the works.”

When you put or throw a spanner in the works, it means you’ve ruined a plan. A spanner is the word for a wrench in England, so it’s the British equivalent of “throwing a wrench in the plan.”

“Let’s have a chinwag.”

Though fairly self-explanatory, having a “chinwag” (sometimes “chin-wag“) means that you’re having a chat with someone, usually associated with gossip. Just imagine a chin wagging up and down, and you’ll get the idea.

“I’m chuffed to bits.”

If you’re “chuffed to bits” you’re really happy or thrilled about something. It’s also acceptable to say “chuffed” all on its own: “I’ve just scored free tickets to the Beyoncé concert, and I’m well chuffed!”

“That’s manky.”

Something that is manky is unpleasantly dirty or disgusting. Its slang usage dates to the 1950s and was probably a combination of “mank” (meaning mutilated or maimed), the Old French word “manqué” (to fail), and the Latin “mancus” (maimed).

You can also feel “manky” if you’re under the weather.

“My cat? She’s a moggy.”

A “moggy” or “moggie” refers to an alley cat or a cat without a pedigree, but it is often used interchangeably as another word for cat.

10. “This was an absolute doddle to do.”

A “doddle” is a task or activity that is extremely easy. Though the origin is unknown, it dates to the 1930s and is still common.

11. “You’re taking the piss.”

When you take the piss with someone, you’re being unreasonable or taking liberties. For example, if a cashier overcharges you on something, he is taking the piss. It can also be a stand-in phrase for when you’re mocking or teasing someone, though this is more commonly said as “taking the piss out of” someone or something. For example: “They’re always taking the piss out of John because he likes Taylor Swift.”

12. “I’ve dropped a clanger.”

When someone makes an embarrassing gaffe that upsets someone else, that person has “dropped a clanger.”

For example, if you offer your seat to a pregnant woman on the subway and she tells you she’s not actually pregnant, you may have dropped a clanger.

Know of other great British idioms that we missed? Add them in the comments!

11-нов-2014

Onlajn engleski – Idioms, smell a rat

Idioms: Smell a rat

Meaning: When we feel that something someone says, or something we read, is not honest, we smell a rat.

to suspect that something is wrong; to sense that someone has caused something wrong – I don’t think this was an accident. I smell a rat. Bob had something to do with this. The minute I came in, I smelled a rat. Sure enough, I had been robbed.
to start to believe that something is wrong about a situation, especially that someone is being dishonest – She smelled a rat when she phoned him at the office where he was supposed to be working late and he wasn’t there.
to believe something is wrong – When my husband started working late three or four times a week, I smelled a rat.

Did you know?

This phrase is said to come from the days when rats were common pests and carriers of disease. Dogs were prized for their ability to smell out and destroy them. A dog which began to sniff around might well have smelt a rat, and this idea was transferred to a person who was suspicious of something.

07-нов-201407-нов-2014

Online učenje engleskog

Približavamo se kraju naše kolekcije jezičkih nedoumica u engleskom jeziku i ujedno verovatno jednom od najkompletnijih online priručnika na datu temu koji sadrži čak 200 primera i objašnjenja. Na kraju teksta nalaze se veze do prethodno objavljenih 170 rečničkih i gramatičkih nedoumica za sve vas koji želite da obnovite gradivo ili možda pogledate šta ste propustili.

171. What is the difference between “precede/proceed”?
Both words are verbs. To precede means to come before (usually in time). To proceed means to go forwards or to continue. For example, “There are previews of future shows that precede the main movie” and “The project needs to proceed so it is finished on time.”

172. “Principal/principle”
Both words are pronounced the same. However they have different meanings. Principal is a noun meaning a person like the principal of a school. It is an adjective that means main or the highest rank or importance. For example, “My mother’s principal complaint is that the music is too loud from the neighboring apartment.” Principal can also be an adverb as in the word principally which means for the most part. An example would be: My father was principally an oil painter.” The word principle means a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right or wrong. This may influence your actions. It can be a basic truth or theory. It may be a law or a fact of nature that explains how something works. Examples would be “You live by a guiding principle to be nice to your neighbors” and “There are principles of motion”.

173. What’s the difference between: “regard/regardless/regards”?
Regard as a verb usually means to have an opinion about something or someone. For example, Oscar Wilde said, “I regard the theater as the greatest of all art forms.” Regard can also mean to look carefully at something or someone. For example, “The children regard the principal with great respect.” Regardless as an adverb means not being affected by something as in “I took the driving test regardless of my limited practice driving on the highway.” Regards is simply a greeting. For example, “Please give my regards to your parents” would mean to say “hello” to them.

174. “Remainder/reminder”
Both words are nouns. A remainder is what is left over like a remainder when you divide something and it does not come out equally. It is a remaining number, item, or group. A reminder is what is told to someone something so they are more apt to remember. There can be written, visual or aural reminders.

175. “Remember/remind”
Both words are verbs. Remember means to have memory of. For example, “My mother remembers growing up on a farm” or “Remember what the weather was like last week”. Remind means to tell someone something so they are more apt to remember.

176. Are these different words: “replay/reply”?
Both words are verbs. Replay means to play again or to play over. You cold replay a game or you could replay a video game. Reply means to answer. You can reply to an invitation or you can reply to a question.

177. Is it “run over/overrun”?
Run over is to collide with, knock down by, or pass over like “The horses will run over the barricade.” The word overrun is to defeat decisively and seize the positions of. For example, “The front line of defense was overrun by the massive enemy attack.”

178. “Said/told”?
These two words have similar meanings, but they are used differently. Said is the past tense and the past participle of say. The difference between said and told is that words are said while told is associated with information being told. Told must have an object. For example, “I couldn’t hear what you said (does not need an object)” and “She told us everything about the plan (needs an object).”

179. “Say/talk”?
Say and talk have slightly different definitions. Say is associated with an actual pronunciation of words or an expression in words. For example, “We always have to say, ‘Good morning’ every morning” or “Say what you are thinking.” Talk is when you say words to someone. For example, “Let’s talk about the plan.”

180. “Scared/scary”?
The verb scared is a condition or a feeling of being afraid. For example, “We were scared at the thunderous sound coming out of the woods.” But, the word scary, an adjective, is the reason for the feeling of being afraid as in “The man with a mask was scary.”

Ako ste propustili neku od naših “epizoda” o najčešćim nedoumicama u engleskom jeziku u nastavku dajemo linkove svih objavljenih tekstova:

Za najbrže (i svakako najzabavnije) učenje engleskog jezika preporučujemo jezička putovanja i akreditovane programe mreže Verbalisti u Londonu, Oksfordu, Bornmutu, Liverpulu, Dablinu, na Malti ili u nekoj od popularnih američkih destinacija. Kliknite ovde za opis programa i cene.

08-окт-201405-дец-2014

Kurs konverzacijski engleski sa Isidorom Bjelicom

Sva mesta za termine časova/sastanaka 23. oktobra u 19:00 i 20:45 su već popunjena. Sledeći slobodni termin za upis na konverzacijski program Verbalizuj se! je 30. oktobar; pogledajte teme sastanaka tog dana ovde. Preporučujemo što raniji upis kako bi na vreme obezbedili svoje mesto na ovom popularnom programu.

Seriju edukativnih programa Verbalizuj se! na stranom jeziku otvaramo časovima i diskusijama na engleskom jeziku a već na prvom našem okupljanju imamo gošću kakvu samo poželeti možemo – Isidoru Bjelicu.

Za potpuni ugođaj večeri pobrinuće se jedna od vodećih srpskih vinarija. Ko bude želeo imaće priliku da degustira kvalitetna vina dok se budemo družili u pauzi i nakon časova.

Četvrtak, 23. oktobar – prvi čas/sastanak u klubu jezičke mreže Verbalisti u Beogradu

Termin: 19:00-20:00

Tema za diskusiju: UDVARANJE U MODERNO DOBA

Za temu diskusije našeg prvog sastanka izabrali smo gorući planetarni problem – Kako osvojiti partnera u 21. veku, koji ćemo zajedno s čuvenom “Ljubavnom doktorkom” pokušati da rešimo.

Na drugom sastanku koji počinje u 20:45 razgovaramo u društvu Isidore na temu HRANA, PIĆE I NAŠ IDENTITET (klikni ovde i prijavi se za drugi sastanak)

Pogledajte cene i detaljan opis programa Verbalizuj se! ovde.

Dating is hard. Love stinks, except when it doesn’t.

The world of dating has changed dramatically in the past few decades. The old ideas and rituals of courtship are gone, replaced with new standards of relationships and dating.

Traditional courtship — picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date — required courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of “asynchronous communication,” as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble.

On the other hand, many would argue that today’s communication platforms offer a wider variety of connections, and a wider network seems better than a narrower one. We have cellphones, which facilitate last-minute get-togethers. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook let you connect with a wide variety of people, and you can know someone’s political leanings, interests, and hobbies before you ever meet in person. More options may delay the process of picking one, but it seems to improve the chances of picking the right one, instead of simply settling for what’s in front of you.

“Dating culture has evolved to a cycle of text messages, each one requiring the code-breaking skills of a cold war spy to interpret.” – Alex Williams, The New York Times

“Enough bogus nostalgia for a bygone romantic era. Modern love is not perfect, but women today have choices as never before.” – Jill Filipovic, The Guardian

What would our famous “love doctor” Isidora Bjelica say about courtship and modern dating? What do you think? Do you miss the days when a man opened the car door for his date just because he cared? But, is it not much better that today we can learn much more about someone before we meet that person? Click here now and sign up for this English class and very interesting discussion…after-all, who knows, maybe you will meet the love of your life while verbalizing yourself at this meeting 🙂

>>>> 20:00-20:30 druženje i degustacija vina tokom pauze od 30 minuta

Prijavite se ovde za čas/sastanak koji se održava u četvrtak, 23. oktobra u 19:00 ili za oba sastanka tog dana

Cena jednog časa je 10 evra. Možete prisustvovati samo prvom ili samo drugom času (pogledajte ovde temu drugog sastanka) ili pohađati oba časa. Ukoliko odlučite da pohađate oba časa/sastanka, tada ostvarujete popust i cena je 15 evra za dva vezana časa/sastanka. Kao i uvek, u cenu je uključeno i jedno piće (kafa, sok, čaj…).

Za dodatne informacije možete nam pisati na verbalizujse@verbalisti.com ili pozvati 011/262-3726.

Program Verbalizuj se! koristi neformalnu komunikaciju za učenje engleskog jezika. Na svakom okupljanju verbalista, pored profesora-moderatora, prisutan je i specijalni gost zadužen da „začini“ diskusiju na određenu temu. Program se izvodi u saradnji s jednom od najboljih jezičkih škola u svetu – britanskim KINGS koledžom. Za detaljan opis konverzacijskog kursa engleskog jezika Verbalizuj se! kliknite ovde.

21-сеп-201421-сеп-2014

Englezi na putu za Italiju (very funny!)

Ovi Britanci ne prepuštaju ništa slučaju. Priprema za put je najvažnija a evo kako to rade jedan negativac i jedan pozitivac :))))

16-сеп-201416-сеп-2014

Neverbalna komunikacija i odmeravanje – žene i muškarci

… ono kad se sretnu dve žene i dva muškarca 🙂 klikni na foto za uvećan prikaz

engleska verzija

španska verzija

16-авг-2014

YOLO, you only live once…but do it right

YOLO is an acronym for the phrase ‘You only live once.’ Similar to carpe diem or memento mori, it implies that one should enjoy life, even if that entails taking risks.

It’s grown in popularity over the last few years, gaining particular prominence in youth culture. Some view it as a ‘seize the day” mentality, others as an excuse for reckless behavior.

Категорија: Blog engleskog jezika – ENGLISH ONLINE