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The Primavera English Blog

Until the Cows Come Home

Jeanette Boller, August 16, 2024

Every language has its sayings and idioms, which cannot always be understood by knowing the meanings of the individual words...

Hard and Hardly

Evelyn Koppschall, May 28, 2024

What’s wrong with the use of the word hardly in this sentence? Fiorella was trying to show the contrast between a hard (or strong or fierce) wind and gently falling rain. However...

Riddles

Janean Fischli, October 11, 2023

With young learners, riddles are a great/fun way to practice comparatives and superlatives, as well as English vocabulary. The theme of the riddles can be adapted to any vocabulary topic and students love the challenge of figuring out clues, ...

Actually or Currently?

Janean Fischli, September 12, 2023

Don’t get confused! The word actually does not mean currently, as it does in Spanish. Native Spanish speakers are tempted to say a sentence like, “I am actually living in an apartment.” In English we would use the word currently or right now in this sentence: I am currently living in an apartment...

Live or Leave?

Janean Fischli, July 27, 2023

Say these words: hill, heel, slip, sleep, ship, sheep. Did you make a different sound for the vowels in each pair of words? In English, we have 26 letters in the alphabet, but many of the letters can make more than one sound and other letters make sounds that might seem very similar to a non-native speaker...

Shoot the Breeze

Yolanda Wegner, July 12, 2023

Remember last month’s post? Well, if you drop in on someone, you often stay for a while and shoot the breeze or have a casual conversation with that person...

Dropping In

Evelyn Koppschall, June 12, 2023

On weekends I enjoy dropping in on old friends. If a friend wants to chat with me, I hope they feel free to drop in, too. If you’re walking down our street and want to find out more about Primavera English, ring the doorbell and drop in for a visit...

Monarch Butterflies

Janean Fischli, May 18, 2023

Many students study with us with the long or short term goal of taking the TOEFL or a similar test. Perhaps the most challenging part of these tests is the writing section. Why is this?...

Idiom: Walking on Thin Ice

Yolanda Wegner, April 21, 2023

This expression describes a situation in which someone is doing something risky or dangerous that could have unpleasant or serious consequences...

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