A blessing in disguise
The phrase ‘A Blessing in Disguise’ refers to something that at first appears to be bad or unlucky but is actually good.
Example of Use: “My car broke down again, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise; I’ve been wasting too much time driving around anyway.”
Vocabulary for Negotiations:
Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:
‘Condition‘ A stipulation or requirement which must be fulfilled.
‘Counter-offer‘ offer made in response to an offer by the other party.
‘Counter-productive‘ has the opposite effect to that intended.
‘Deal‘ A business transaction.
‘Discount‘ Reduction in price.
English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English
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Translate the Text into English: Übersetzen:
Faten, Rico, Heike, Simone and Frank.
Ich mag diesen Schuh.
Ist es etwas anderes?
Ich schreibe dieses Buch.
Ich lese eine andere Zeitung.
Mögt ihr diesen Bahnhof?
Sie kennen uns.
Wir sehen unsere Bücher.
Ich kenne ihn.
Er hat unseren Hund.
Ich habe ihn.
Wir trinken seine Milch.
Wir essen seine Bananen.
Die Katze trinkt eure Milch.
Merkel braucht uns.
Alle mögen ihn.
Sie mag jede Zeitung.
Wir sehen jedes Ei.
Ich kenne euch nicht.
Nein, es ist jemand anderes.
English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English – English
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Word of the day: Wort des Tages:
This way of speaking in English is very common = “Grub up!” (meaning the food is ready) The word “Grub” means ‘food‘.
Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:
The question is a “no-brainer” (this is not British English, but American English) = this is when someone is asked a question that you do not have to think about.
For example:
“In my right hand is 1,000,000 million dollars and in my left hand is an apple, which one do you want, the 1 million dollars or the apple?” This question is a no-brainer!
Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:
“A blessing in disguise” – a good thing that seemed bad at first.
A blessing in disguise = Glück im Unglück haben To be lucky in adversity.
British (B.E.) / American (A.E.) Vocabulary:
Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:
‘Aubergine‘ B.E. / ‘Eggplant‘ A.E.
Why do the Americans have to use completely different words for something in English that has been a word for hundreds and hundreds of years!? Actually, to be honest the word Aubergine is not an English word, it is French. However, I cannot see that an Aubergine looks anything like an egg! Plants do not lay eggs.
Special Grammar tip of the week:
Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:
‘i’ before ‘e‘ except after ‘c’ = grammar/spelling tip. For example, receive/conceive, but ‘ie‘ in other words like believe.
Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:
Where and were = are pronounced the same.
There and their = are pronounced the same.
False Friends Tip of the Week: Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:
‘Aktuell‘ means ‘current‘; ‘topical‘ and ‘actual‘ means ‘wirklich‘ / ‘tatsächlich‘.
Wit, wit, wit:
Witz, Witz, Witz:
“He was probably our greatest living painter – until he died.”
Quote by Will Rogers.
Slang word of the day:
Slangwort des Tages:
“It’s no big deal” means “it’s not a problem.”
Colloquial / Colloquialisms:
Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:
The ‘Loo‘ (noun)
This is probably the British English slang word you’ll hear the most if you come to the UK, this is because it’s the word we use to say we’re going to the toilet without saying the word toilet.
E.g. “Can we stop at a cafe? I need to go to the loo.”
Another example is the ‘LAV‘ meaning the lavatory. This is another word for the WC.
Cockney rhyming slang:
Cockney Reimender Slang:
“Apples and pears” (stairs)
To the Cockney (a person born in a certain area in London), the phrase “steps and stairs” describes the idea of gradation. Every good costermonger has skill in displaying the front of his stall. The selected samples of fruit and vegetables are expertly graded in “steps and stairs“. “Apples and pears”, when in season, are common on each barrow and, when polished, create an arresting display.
Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:
“Holding a grudge is like allowing someone to live rent-free in your head.”
Nicky Gumbel, the creator of the ALPHA Course.
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