phrases

Question 1

hey, guess where we have been?

Answer 1

I know/have no idea where you were.

Question 2

we time-traveled to the past/1981.

Answer 2

observar o uso do “time-travel” como verbo

Question 3

My portfolio are growing by 25%. My investments has been grown by 15% on last years. The wages grew by 5% on average.

Answer 3

grow by = aumentar

Question 4

Acquaintance We use small talk in public gatherings with slight acquaintances. Then, they greeted as old acquaintance. On first acquaintance he seemed a little odd. He introduced me to a lady of his acquaintance. Her acquaintance with modern French philosophy.

Answer 4

familiar / conhecido / alguem(algo) que você conhece(é familiarizado) (ele me apresentou a uma moça de seu circulo de amizades)

Question 5

Ability to pay The taxpayer’s ability to pay.

Answer 5

Capacidade de pagamento A capacidade de pagamento do contribuinte

Question 6

Whose is this?

Answer 6

De quem é isto?

Question 7

To come a long way Computer graphics have come a long way in the last few years

Answer 7

fazer um grande progresso/progredir muito em algo Os gráfcos dos computadores evoluíram muito nos últimos anos

Question 8

To catch one´s eye She said the five receipts from the lingerie store immediately caught her eye

Answer 8

Chamar a atenção/achar interessante Disse que os cinco recibos da loja de lingerie chamaram sua atenção imediatamente

Question 9

To be down to Santos is down to Neymar to win the matches But the group says the increase is down to better research methods

Answer 9

deve-se/por causa de(alguem)/depender de O Santos depende do neymar para vencer os jogos mas o grupo afirma que o aumento se deve a melhores métodos de pesquisa

Question 10

Isn’t the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen?

Answer 10

Não é a coisa mais linda que você já viu?

Question 11

Like the other, the emperor too saw nothing.

Answer 11

Assim como os demais(outros), o emperador também não viu/via/enchergo nada.

Question 12

why isn’t the emperor wearing any clothes?

Answer 12

Por que o emperador não está usando nenhuma roupa?

Question 13

the emperor too understood his mistake.

Answer 13

O emperador também se deu conta de seu erro.

Question 14

we too saw a bear

Answer 14

Eu também vi um urso.

Question 15

**That’s all there is to it **

(that’s final, that’s that, that’s all, that’s it)

CASE 1

Answer 15

*That’s all there is to it *é usada quando uma decisão não pode ser mudada e nem mesmo continuar sendo discutida. Ou seja, significa algo como: e ponto final, e não se fala mais nisso, e chega de conversa ou e fim de papo. É sempre usada de modo enfático para deixar bem claro que a decisão já está tomada.

• No! You’re going to school, and that’s all there is to it. (Não! Você vai para a escola e fim de papo.)
• Apparently they’re are shutting down the factory and that’s all there it to it. (Parece-me que eles vão fechar mesmo a fábrica e ponto final.)
• You’re staying home tonight taking care of your sister, and that’s all there is to it. (Você vai ficar em casa cuidando da sua irmã e não se fala mais nisso.)
• We are going to do this and that’s all there is to it. (A gente vai fazer isso e ponto final.)

Question 16

**That’s all there is to it **

(that’s final, that’s that, that’s all, that’s it)

CASE 2

Answer 16

Também usamos a expressão that’s all there is to it quando acabamos de explicar algo para alguém. No entanto, ao usarmos essa expressão, damos a entender que para nós (quem explicou) fazer o que foi explicado é muito fácil e simples. Nesse caso, em português, podemos traduzir como prontinho, e é isso, simples assim, mole mole e expressões semelhantes.

• Then you mix it all together and bake it in the oven. That’s all there is to it! (Aí você mistura tudo e coloca no forno. Prontinho!)
• It’s not complicated. You just write the message, press send and that’s all there it to it. (Não é nada complicado! Basta escrever a mensagem, apertar enviar e é isso.)
• I can’t believe that’s all there is to it. Mr. Carl said it was a difficult thing to do. (Não acredito que é simples assim. O sr. Carl falou que era uma coisa difícil de se fazer.)

Question 17

go to all that trouble

to go to (all) the trouble to/of doing sth

Answer 17

• And to go to all that trouble? Yeah, sure! [E encarar aquela encheção de saco? Pode esquecer!]

É claro que há outras opções para traduzirmos “And go to all that trouble”: “E ter toda aquela trabalheira?”, “Para ter toda aquela canseira?”, “E me matar de trabalhar?”, “E ter de trabalhar como um louco?”, entre outras.

O mesmo vale para a expressão irônica “Yeah, sure!”: “Tá bom!”, “Pode esperar sentado!”, “Vai sonhando!”, “Nem pensar!” etc.

• I went to a lot of trouble to get it for her. (Tive o maior trabalho para conseguir isso para ela)
• If terrorists are going to go to all the trouble of engineering a bioweapon, they are likely to pick a much, much better starting point than Ebola. (Se terroristas pretendem se dar ao trabalho de criar uma arma biológica, é provável que precisem escolher um ponto de partida muitíssimo melhor que o Ebola.)

Question 18

phrases on chatting

Answer 18

When you are chatting in English, do you always know how to respond? Do you sometimes wish you knew a few more words and phrases to show that you are interested in what the other person is saying. Read on!

To let the speaker know that you have understood them, you can just say Ah. People often say right or okay after this. The phrase I see is also used here:

A: The date is wrong on the letter.

B: Ah, right, I see.

A: So we have to be here by eight o’clock, not nine o’clock.

B: Ah, okay, fine.

Sometimes, you simply want someone to know you are still listening and interested. The word right is useful here and some native speakers also say okay:

A: She’s still in London and she’s seeing the same boyfriend.

B: Right.

A: But she’s changed jobs.

B: Okay.

If the speaker has said something surprising, a way of replying here is really?

A: I had such a bad meal in that restaurant.

B: Really?

Interestingly, many native speakers of English say ‘really’ even when they feel no surprise, but simply want to show interest in what has just been said.

Sometimes, someone tells you that they are having problems or they are ill and you want to show kindness. The phrase Poor you! is useful here:

A: I’ve had a headache all day.

B: Oh, poor you! I hate having a headache!

If something bad has happened, you might say What a shame!:

A: I’m afraid Tom didn’t get the job. He’s quite disappointed.

B: Oh, what a shame!

Useful phrases to show that you care in more serious situations are I’m sorry, I’m so sorry or I’m sorry to hear that:

A: Maria’s father isn’t well, I’m afraid. He’s in hospital again.

B: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.

Sometimes, it’s the opposite situation and someone tells you about something good that they are doing. Often, the best response is Nice! or Lovely! or How nice!or How lovely! You can also say Lucky you!

A: We’re off to Spain tomorrow for two weeks.

B: Lovely! Lucky you!

Often in conversations, you want to respond to an opinion that someone has expressed. To show the speaker that you agree with their opinion you can sayThat’s right or You’re right:

A: The problem with train travel is it’s so expensive.

B: That’s right. That’s why we usually drive.

To agree more strongly with an opinion, you can give the one-word replyabsolutely:

A: His last record was so much better.

B: Absolutely!

You can also agree strongly by saying I completely/totally agree:

A: Anyway, I think the whole system is really unfair.

B: I totally agree.

Finally, to return to the title of this blog, to show that you admire someone for what they have just said or are surprised by it, the word wow! Is very useful:

A: I ran twenty miles on Sunday.

B: Wow, that’s impressive!

Question 19

House of cards

Answer 19

A expressão house of cards é traduzida em português como castelo de cartas. Por incrível que pareça nesse caso a palavra “house” significa “castelo“. De acordo com o Dicionário de Locuções e Expressões da Língua Portuguesa (ed. Lexicon) a expressão castelo de cartas tem duas definições:

1. coisa sem solidez, que facilmente se desmorona.
2. projetos mal estudados e que estrondosamente fracassam

Portanto, house of cards, assim como em português, refere-se a algo (projeto, negócio, plano, ideia, organização etc.) que não tem nenhuma solidez e que, portanto, pode ser um fracasso total, desabar, desaparecer. Veja alguns exemplos:

• Heavily in debt and desperate for money, Ernie’s house of cards was collapsing before his very eyes. (Atolado em dívidas e no desespero por dinheiro, o castelo de cartas do Ernie estava se desmoronando bem diante de seus olhos.)
• But by the end of the decade, Kusa’s carefully built house of cards had started to fall apart. (Mas no final da década, o castelo de cartas que Kusa construiu meticulosamente tinha começado a se desmantelar.)
• Carl built his entire business on what turned out to be a house of cards. (Carl levantou todo seu negócio em algo que acabou se tornando um castelo de cartas.)
• Just another of his house of cards. (Apenas mais um de seus castelos de cartas.)
• That whole idea they had. – It was a real house of cards. (Toda aquela ideia que tiveram. – Foi um grande castelo de cartas.)