The New Year can come on
different dates for different cultures. Most of the Western world, for example,
celebrates it on January 1st. But one thing many cultures have in common is the
idea of New Year’s resolutions. A New Year’s resolution is a personal goal to
change unwanted behavior, make a life improvement or try something new.
can come: puede
festejarse; on different dates: en diferentes fechas; for different
cultures: según las diferentes culturas; western world: el mundo
occidental; have in common: tienen en común; a personal goal: una
meta personal; unwanted behavior: el comportamiento no deseado; life
improvement: mejoramiento de vida; try something new: probar algo
nuevo
Popular New Year’s
resolutions in the United States, for example, include losing weight, improving
your finances, volunteering for a charity and spending
less time on social media. On
today’s Everyday Grammar, we will show you how to talk about resolutions in
English.
losing weight:
adelgazar, hacer dieta; improving your finances: mejorar las finanzas;
volunteering for a charity: ofrecerse como voluntario/a de una obra benéfica;
spending less time on social media: pasar menos tiempo en las redes sociales;
ASKING A QUESTION
First, let’s learn how to
ask people about their resolutions.
Listen to a short conversation:
-- Hey there, Jill. Happy New Year! Great to see you.
-- Hi, Jonathan. Happy New Year to you too! How was yours?
-- It was crazy! We went to New York and watched the ball drop in Times Square.
Really crowded and loud – but still really fun.
-- Sweet! Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
hey there: hola;
great to see you: es fantástico verte; how was yours?: ¿cómo fue tu
recibimiento (del año nuevo)?; it was crazy: fue de locos; watched the
ball drop: vimos caer la bola (en Times Square, New York); really crowded
and loud: repleto de gente y a gritos; but still really fun: pero aún
así muy divertido; sweet: encantador;
Jill asked Jonathan about
resolutions simply by saying, “Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?” You can
also say, “What are your New Year’s resolutions?” to ask about more than one or
“What is your New Year’s resolution?” to ask about one. Now, let’s find out how
to answer the question.
simply by saying:
diciendo simplemente; to ask about: para preguntar sobre; more than
one: más de una (meta); let's find out: investiguemos, analicemos;
USING
PHRASAL VERBS
When we make statements
about our resolutions, we often use phrasal verbs. We
can use the phrasal verb “take up” to say that we will start a new activity as a
hobby.
Listen to Jill and Jonathan continue their conversation:
-- Sweet! Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?
-- Yes, I do. I plan to take up kickboxing starting next week. I’m
excited to finally do it rather than just talk about it! How about you?
phrasal verbs:
verbos frasales (verbo + preposición o adverbio); take up: emprender una
nueva actividad; kickboxing: boxeo (mediante puñetazos y patadas);
starting: a partir de; excited: entusiasmado; rather than just:
más que simplemente; talk about it: habla de ello;how about you?:
¿y tú?;
Another phrasal verb for
resolutions is “give up,” which is to stop doing or using something. We can use
this verb to talk about ending bad habits or changing a
behavior for a time. Let’s hear
Jill respond using the verb “give up”:
-- How about you?
-- I am giving up sugar for the month of January. Then, for the rest of
the year, I’m avoiding soft drinks.
-- Impressive!
I wish I could join you but kickboxing class starts soon. I’ll probably want a
sweet snack after class!
give up: abandonar,
dejar de (hacer algo); I am giving up sugar: voy a dejar de consumir
azúcar; I am avoiding soft drinks: voy a evitar consumir refrescos o
gaseosas; impressive: sensacional; I wish I could join you: ojalá
yo pudiese hacer lo mismo (que tú); sweet snack after class: bocadillo
dulce después de la clase;
Another phrasal verb, “cut out,” has the same basic meaning as “give up.” For
example, Jill could say, “I am cutting out sugar for the month of January”. But
in many situations, we do not need phrasal verbs to talk about resolutions, as
you will soon see.
cut out: suprimir,
eliminar, prescindir de;
USING
FUTURE FORMS
Next, let’s talk about
verb tenses and forms. Jonathan talked about his new
kickboxing hobby using the verb “plan” followed by the infinitive verb form and
Jill talked about giving up sugar using the present continuous verb tense, also
called “BE + ing”. We can also
use the simple future tenses: one with “will” and the other with “going to”. These tenses are especially useful when the New Year has not come yet.
next: a continuación;
has not come yet: todavía no ha llegado;
Imagine it’s the last week
of the year and a few people are talking to each other about resolutions: Here
are some things you might hear:
-- In 2020, I’m going to visit my parents every month.
-- By January 1, I will end a few unhealthy friendships.
-- In the new year, I’m going to walk 10,000 steps every day.
a few people:
algunas personas; talking to each other: conversando entre ellos; you
might hear: podrías escuchar; every month: todos los meses; I will
end: daré por terminadas; a few unhealthy friendships: algunas
amistades tóxicas; walk 10,000 steps every day: caminar 10.000 pasos por
día;
When we use simple future tenses to talk about resolutions, we’re expressing
that we are making a promise to or plan for ourselves. The noun “resolution”
comes from the verb “resolve,” which means to make a serious decision to do
something.
making a promise ... for
ourselves: haciendo una promesa ... para nosotros mismos; resolve:
acordar, decidir;
INFINITIVES
AND GERUNDS
You may have noticed that
the statements so far today did not actually use the word “resolution”. That is
because the subject was already known by the listeners. But it is still
perfectly normal to start your statements with, “My New Year’s resolution is…”
or “My New Year’s resolutions are…” An infinitive verb or a gerund must come
after these phrases. Here is an example:
-- My New Year’s resolution
is to call my sister on video chat every week.
you may have noticed:
probablemente habrás observado; the statements so far today: las
oraciones mencionadas hasta aquí hoy; listeners: oyentes; is to call:
es llamar a; on video chat: por video chat;
The infinitive verb here
is “to call”. You can also use a gerund, like this:
-- My New Year’s resolution is calling my sister on video chat every
week.
is calling my sister =
is to call my sister: ambas frases son sinónimos;
Well, that’s all for today’s program. Tell us about your New Year’s
resolutions in the comments below. Happy New Year! I’m Alice
Bryant.
that's all for
today's program: eso es todo para el programa de hoy.