El viaje del norte Estoy escribiendo esta nota en la estación de autobuses en Donostia. Faltan tres cuartos de hora hasta mi salida. Acabo de tener una situación estresante. Se me abrió la cremallera de mi mochila cuando bajaba la escalera mecánica, y pensé que el chico que estaba detrás de mí era carterista, porque había llamado mi atención a eso. Afortunadamente, todo está en su lugar. Ufff... El viaje ha sido fascinante, pero cansado. Lo que gustó más fue Bilbao. Pese a un incidente con unos jóvenes por el barrio de mi albergue, la ciudad me pareció una maravilla. El Guggenheim es impresionante, tanto desde fuera como dentro. Arquitectónicamente Bilbao flipa. También es muy verde y tiene muchos jardines. Aunque no tenga el mar, la ría de la ciudad le da buena pinta. Me gustaría volver ahí otra vez algún día. Santander y Donostia son mucho más humildes. Cuentan con unas playas fantásticas y ya. Las dos se extienden a lo largo de las montañas y no tienen mucha capacidad para crecer. Había disfrutado de unas cuantas vistas impactantes, de modo que en SS ya no tenía ganas de subir en el funicular para contemplar la ciudad desde arriba. En cambio, subí a pie el monte de enfrente, al otro lado de la bahía. Hay que mencionar que Euskadi es caro. Todos los precios, sobre todo de la cerveza, son dos veces más altos en comparación con Valencia. Y además, en algunos lugares, te cobran 0,4€ para la terraza. ¡Qué robo! Sin embargo, se come muy bien aquí. Se me hacía la boca agua cada vez que veía los pintxos en la barra. Ayer hasta probé un pintxo de pulpo. Lo rico que estuvo! A fin de cuentas, ha sido una experiencia emocionante. No me arrepiento de ninguna manera. Lo único es que más vale viajar con alguien más, para sentirse más seguro.

Hinder, impede, hamper, get in the way? I’m genuinely struggling with the right word for a situation like this. Let’s say, there are 4 of us at one table. After having a chat together we decide to talk in twos. One of us suggests the following, ‘Why don’t we sit apart so as not to _______(??) each other?’ What comes in the gap if I mean that it would be better to separate so as not to be distracted by the other pair? In Russian we say ‘чтобы не мешать друг другу’. If that will help... :)

What kind of feeling is this? Dear natives, what do you usually feel when you don't want to touch a dirty toilet seat or pick up food from the floor? And how can such a person be described with an adjective if this feeling is typical of them?

Might have done by the future time Is it possible to use 'might have' to express the idea of uncertainty about the completion of an action by a particular time in the future? For ex., I might have finished work by 6PM (= I will perhaps have finished...)

I was going shopping / shopping When he called me, I was going shopping. When he called me, I was going out. I have my doubts about the second parts of the sentences above. Can we use 'go shopping' or 'go out' as actions in progress? Or should we rather say 'I was shopping / I was out'?

Overtake or pass? If you go past a moving object faster to be in front of it, you OVERTAKE it. It's clear. But if you need to go past a static object on the road, like a pothole or puddle, so as not to damage or dirty your car, what do you say? PASS?

Learning Article : How To Stop Confusing 'Another' And 'Other'

Discuss the Article : How To Stop Confusing 'Another' And 'Other'

<a href='/article/1007/how-to-stop-confusing-another-and-other' target='_blank'>How To Stop Confusing 'Another' And 'Other'</a>

Here is a practical scenario you might encounter the next time you plan to buy a gift for your friend or friends. Read this article to figure out when it’s appropriate to ask the sales clerk for ‘the other’ thing or ‘another’ one of the things you want to buy.

Does English threaten other languages?

Undoubtedly, English has become the number one language in the modern world's communication. Some scientists even started speculating that in a few years' time it might have driven out other national tongues, especially where it dominates as a second official language, like in India or the Philippines. As far as I'm concerned, I'm absolutely certain that its influence is nowhere near negative; on the contrary, its long-term effect on other languages' development and survival can't be underestimated. It's just due to the influx of English words that have been penetrating into foreign lexis for the past 50 years that national languages are still 'afloat' and far from becoming extinct. Thus, the effect, I believe, is certainly just as positive as that of bees pollinating flowers.

What do you think? :)