I DIG ENGLISH - just a cool blog about English

I hope you enjoy reading this blog
half as much as I enjoy writing it for you.
Because I have a ball.


Karola

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Story of My Life: My Big Three-Oh





Hi guys!

I turned 30 last Sunday. (I can’t believe it either :D ) and to celebrate this huge milestone I wanted to share with you a few lessons that life has taught me over these 30 years.

I thought that a list of 30 would have a nice ring to it… Compiling it turned out harder than I expected it to be, so I improvised a little ;)

It’s by no means a comprehensive list, but maybe some of these points will resonate with you.
(I take credit for only a few of these. Most of them were read or heard and remembered by me.)


EITHER – też (too)

a MILESTONE –  an important event in the development or history of something or in someone's life

to HAVE A NICE RING TO IT – dobrze, odpowiednio brzmieć (be pleasant to hear/listen to)

to COMPILE A LIST – tworzyć listę (to make a list)

to TURN OUT – okazać się (to be known or discovered finally and surprisingly)

to IMPROVISE – improwizować (  to invent or make something, such as a speech or a device, at the time when it is needed without already having planned)

BY NO MEANS – wcale, w żadnym wypadku (not at all)

COMPREHENSIVE – wyczerpująca (complete)

IT RESONATES WITH ME. – utożsamiam się z tym, myślę podobnie (I can relate to it. I feel the same way about it.

TO TAKE CREDIT FOR SOMETHING – przypisywać sobie coś (to say that something is/was your idea)




1.If you don’t smoke cigarettes, it’s ok to splurge on takeaway coffee instead. 

2.Smile as often as you can. It makes your life easier.

3.Learn to love your body. 

4.Even in a bad day you can always find something good, something optimistic, something you can hold onto when everything else seems to suck.

5.Work is about making money just as much as it is about loving what you do and having a passion for it.


TO SPLURGE ON – zaszaleć, wykosztować się (to spend a lot of money on)

TAKEAWAY – na wynos (made and bought at a shop or restaurant but taken somewhere else, often home)

to HOLD ONTO – here: to think about something, to remember about something

TO SUCK – być do bani (to be bad, lousy)


6.Don’t let the society dictate what you do or how you think. Keep an open mind.

7.Every person you meet in your life can teach you something valuable

8.A new hobby is a new you. Make sure you try out new things from time to time. You might like them.

9.People are there to use you, but once in a while you will meet someone who genuinely wants to help you and asks for nothing in exchange.

10.Music is the spice of life.



VALUABLE – cenny (worth a lot, precious)

ONCE IN A WHILE – raz na jakiś czas (sometimes but not often

GENUINELY – szczerze (really, honestly)

IN EXCHANGE   w zamian (when you give something to someone and they give you something else)



11.Everyone has insecurities. Some people are just better at concealing them.

12.Change doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient.

13.Things you don’t like about yourself might be the things others most love about you. 

14.Find ways to express yourself.

15.Don’t take yourself too seriously.



AN INSECURITY – kompleks (a complex, a weakness)

to CONCEAL – ukrywać (to hide)

OVERNIGHT – dnia na dzień (suddenly, at once)

to EXPRESS YOURSELF – wyrazić (to show who you 
are, what you believe in, etc.)



16.Do your work well. That will make you feel good.

17.Introverts are just as cool as extroverts.

18.There are moments in your life when you need a pet more than a human.

19.Doing things on your own in fun. Love your own company.

20.You are only as old as you feel.



an INTROVERT – introwertyk (someone who is shy, quiet and unable to make friends easily)

an EXTROVERT – ekstrawertyk (an energetic, happy person who enjoys being with other people)

ON YOUR OWN – samemu (alone)

SOMEBODY’S COMPANY – towarzystwo (people who are with you)



21.Take care of your mental and physical health. 

22.Pale is the new tan. Unless you like sunbathing. Then sunbathe as much as you wish :P

23.You don’t have to like everybody and not everybody is going to like you.

24.If it feels the right thing to do, you should do it. 

25.Listen to other people’s advice and then do what you wanted to do in the first place :)



PALE – blady (not brown, with white skin)

TAN – opalony (with brown skin)

UNLESS – chyba, że (except if)

to SUNBATHE – opalać się (to stay in the sun in order to get a tan/ get brown)

IN THE FIRST PLACE – na początku (in the beginning)



26.Everybody needs a day off sometimes.

27.Numbers are not everything in life. There are good things in life that you can’t measure in digits.

28.Other people make mistakes. Let them know how you feel about those mistakes and then try to forgive them for making them.

29.If something doesn’t work out the way you wanted, it’s not the end of the world.

30.Rules are meant to be broken.



A DAY OFF – wolny dzień (a lazy day, a one-day vacation)

to MEASURE – zmierzyć (to see how big, long, heavy etc. something is)

DIGITS – cyfry (numbers from 0 to 9)

RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN. – Zasady są po to, żeby je łamać.


Wednesday, August 6, 2014

HOW-TO: Scrambled Eggs








Hi guys!

Do you like funny cooking videos? 

If yes, I’ve got a treat for you.

Here’s a vid of Gordon Ramsay, the famous British f-word chef, teaching Jimmy Kimmel, the American talk show host, how to make scrambled eggs.

And oh boy, it’s an uphill battle for Jimmy.

Below you will find some of the expressions said by Gordon and Jimmy I’ve decided to translate for you. 

Enjoy!

Karola

a TREAT – uczta, prezent (a gift, a surprise)

F-WORD – fuck

a TV HOST – gospodarz programu (the person who interviews cguests)

SCRAMBLED EGGS – jajecznica (see the vid)

an UPHILL BATTLE – trudne zmagania (something that is very difficult, often because other people are causing problems for you




to CRACK EGGS – rozbijać jaja (to cause the shells of eggs to break)

a WHISK – trzepaczka (a kitchen tool which you use for beating food such as eggs and cream in order to add air)

to WHISK – ubijać (to use a whisk)

a PAN – patelnia (a metal container that is round and often has a long handle and a lid, used for cooking things on top of a cooker)

PAN ON! – patelnia na ogniu (Put the pan on the stove.)

a LITTLE KNOB OF BUTTER – odrobina masła (a bit of butter)

(Jimmy laughs because a knob is also an offensive name for a man’s body part.)

to PUT A BIT OF EFFORT INTO IT – włożyć odrobinę wysiłku w (to try a bit)

AS YOU GO ALONG – at the same time

a SPATULA – łopatka (a cooking  utensil  with a wide flat blade which is not sharp, used especially for lifting food out of pans)

to MULTITASK – to do a few things at the same time)

KEEP ON WHISKING – don’t stop whisking

RELAX YOUR ELBOWS – rozluźnij łokcie

YOU’RE TOO TENSE. – Jesteś zbyt spięty  (Don’t be so nervous.)

to YELL AT SOMEBODY – wrzeszczeć (to scream at somebody)

I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE THIS SHIT! –Nie wiedziałem, że jesteś tak beznadziejny w kuchni. ( I didn’t know you were such a bad cook.)

OFF THE HEAT! – zdejmij z kuchenki (take it off the stove)

a TEASPOON of Crème fraiche – łyżeczka 

THAT COOLS THE EGGS DOWN – obniża temperaturę jaj (it lowers the temperature of the eggs)

the STOVE – piecyk, kuchenka (a cooker)

a FORK – widelec (what you eat with)

to HAVE A TASTE – spróbować czegoś (to try something, to eat a small amount of something to see if it’s good)

WAKEY, WAKEY! – obudź się, pobudka (don’t sleep, go faster)

THE SEASONING – przyprawy (the spices, the salt and pepper, etc.)

IT TASTES OF RAW EGGS. – smakuje jak surowe jaja (It tastes like uncooked eggs.)

FLEXIBLE – giętki, elastyczny (elastic)

to BEND – zginać ( to be flexible)

UNLIKE YOU – w przeciwieństwie do ciebie (not like you, you aren’t like that)

BACK OFF! – cofnij się (let me do it, move backwards)

SOUR CREAM – kwaśna śmietana (cream which is made sour by adding special bacteria)

FINAL TASTE – ostateczna próba potrawy (trying the dish for the last time)

a TOUCH OF SALT – odrobina soli (a small amount of salt, a bit of salt)

RUBBERY – gumiasta (of rubber consistency) 

to STIR QUICKLY – szybko mieszać (to mix it fast)

FRIED EGGS – jaja sadzone (eggs made on a pan, not shaken, eggs sunny-side up)

to VOMIT – wymiotować (to throw up)

to MESS THE STUDIO UP – nabrudzić, nabałaganić w studiu (to make the studio unclean)

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Story of My Life: Wedding Bells




Hi guys!

I need to share something with you :)

Today I attended the loveliest wedding ceremony. 

The bride, beautiful and radiant, instantly reminded me of a Disney princess.
The groom, beaming happily at the guests, could not wait for his future Mrs to get to the altar.

There was no doubt about who was whose family: the bride’s relatives spoke Polish and the groom’s kin conversed in German.

Since the more important fragments of the service were both in Polish and English, for the first time in my life I actually listened to the English version of The Hymn to Love.

When it was time for the vows to be exchanged, the groom made his vow in English while the bride reciprocated in Polish.

The funny thing was that when I approached the newlyweds to wish them all the best on their big day and to joke about them making lots of beautiful trilingual babies, (I addressed them in English) the groom thanked me in my native language.

When did Stefan pick up such good Polish?

 I guess, big congratulations are in order for you, Jola ;)

Karola


to ATTEND – uczestniczyć (to go to)

the BRIDE – panna młoda (the future wife)

RADIANT – promienna, rozpromieniona (obviously very happy, or very beautiful)                                     
                         
INSTANTLY – od razu (immediately)

to REMIND SOMEBODY OF – przypominać (to look like)

the GROOM – pan młody (the future husband)

to BEAM – uśmiechać się promiennie (to smile with obvious pleasure)

RELATIVES – krewni (family members)

KIN – krewni (family members)

a SERVICE – ceremonia (a formal religious ceremony)

TO EXCHANGE VOWS – składać sobie nawzajem przysięgę małżeńską (to make each other a promise, to get married)

to RECIPROCATE – odwdzięczyć się (to behave in the same way as someone else

to APPROACH – podejść (to come near)

the NEWLYWEDS – nowożeńcy (freshly made Mr and Mrs)

TRILINGUAL – trójjęzyczne (speaking three languages)

to PICK UP – nauczyć się (to learn)

to BE IN ORDER – należeć się (to be right for the occasion)