Put off

Put off is one of those tricky phrasal verbs that has several meanings. As usual, context is vital.

E.g.

1- Postpone 

Stop putting off the meeting with your boss- Deja de posponer la reunión con tu jefe

2- Discourage

I was set on going to university, but my dad put me off the idea- Estaba decidido a ir a la universidad, pero mi padre me desanimó 

3-Cause to dislike

Seeing that dead pig has put me off ham- Ver ese cerdo muerto me ha quitado las ganas de comer jamón

3- Distract

I´m trying to concentrate, but that noise is putting me off-  Estoy intentando concentrarme, pero ese ruido me está distrayendo

5- Switch off

Put that bloody television off!- Apaga esa puñetera televisión!

 Gonna, Wanna, Gotta

In spoken English, native speakers tend to slur their words. It is extremely common and sounds natural to do so. However, these words are rarely written and should be avoided in formal situations.

E.g.

I wanna get high- Quiero colocarme

He's gonna freak out when he sees you- Él va a flipar cuando te vea

You gotta work your arse off if you wanna make it in this life- Tienes que currar como un burro si quieres triunfar en esta vida

The word because is often shortened to 'cause or cos in spoken English, but it should be avoided in writing.

How + adverb/adjective

To ask "to what degree?" we can use how+adverb/adjective. In Spanish the phrase may have to be reworded to include the noun with qué.

When it's an affirmitive sentence we can use lo+ adverb/adjective

E.g.

How fast is your new scooter? — ¿A qué velocidad puede ir tu moto nueva?

How good are you at golf? — ¿Cómo se te da el golf?

How hot was it? — ¿Cuánto calor hacía?

How wide is the road? — ¿Qué anchura tiene la carretera?

You don't understand how hard it is living with him — No entiendes lo difícil que es vivir con él

May well

After the auxiliary verbs may, might or could, we sometimes add the adverb well to emphasise that something is possible or even likely.

E.g.

He may recover from the accident — Puede que se recupere del accidente

He may well recover from the accident — Es muy posible que se recupere del accidente

It could be a cause for concern — Podría ser motivo para preocuparse

It could well be a cause for concern —Bien podría ser motivo para preocuparse

Make a difference

The expression "make a difference" is very common in English and is used in several different contexts. Its translation often has to be reworded.

It has two meanings:

1. to change a situation or have an effect on something (usually a positive one)

2. to matter or be important to

E.g.

We changed the voltage and it made a big difference — Cambiamos el voltaje y se produjo un cambio importante

Training in this area doesn't seem to make a difference — Parece que entrenarse en este ámbito no influye en el resultado

Which time do you prefer?- It makes no difference to me — ¿A qué hora prefieres? - A mí me da igual

By volunteering you can make a difference — Haciendo voluntariado puedes causar un impacto positivo

Your help could make the difference — Tu ayuda podría marcar la diferencia 

In DualTexts Articles

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 Fall for

The phrasal verb fall for has two meanings: 

1. To fall in love with

2. To be deceived by 

E.g.

I fell for you the first time I met you — Me enamoré de ti la pimera vez que te vi

John fell for the trick — John se dejó engañar por la trampa

I told him I was a doctor, and he fell for it! — Le dije que yo era médico, ¡y se lo tragó!

The world has fallen for Kawaii — El mundo ha caído rendido ante el Kawaii (se lo han creído sin cuestionarlo)