How to … talk about hypothetical preferences

brown-noser

підлабузник, підлиза (розмовне) — He is such a brown-noser; he always tries to impress the boss.

suck-up

підлабузник, підлиза (розмовне) — Nobody likes a suck-up who agrees with everyone in power.

sycophant

підлабузник, людина, яка лестить заради вигоди (формальне) — The leader was surrounded by sycophants who never criticised him.

bootlicker

підлабузник, прислужник (дуже негативне) — He is a bootlicker who does anything to get the manager's approval.

straightforward

прямолінійний, відвертий; простий і зрозумілий — I appreciate her because she is straightforward and honest.

fawning

улесливий, підлабузницький — His fawning attitude towards his boss annoyed his colleagues.

neither straightforward nor fawning

ні прямолінійний, ні улесливий — She is neither straightforward nor fawning; she tries to stay polite and balanced.

flattering clothes

одяг, який вигідно підкреслює зовнішність — She knows how to choose flattering clothes that suit her figure.

flattering comments

улесливі, приємні коментарі — He made flattering comments about my work during the meeting.

employee

найманий працівник, співробітник — I am an employee of a small company.

employer

роботодавець — My employer provides good working conditions.

I work for my boss

я працюю на свого начальника — I work for my boss, but I hope to become independent one day.

I work for my employer

я працюю на свого роботодавця — I work for my employer from nine to five.

be my own boss

бути самому собі начальником — I want to be my own boss and decide how to organise my work.

be self-employed

бути самозайнятим, працювати на себе — She is self-employed and works as a freelance designer.

wear your hair up

носити волосся зібраним — I usually wear my hair up when I exercise.

wear your hair down

носити волосся розпущеним — She looks elegant when she wears her hair down.

have your hair up

мати зібране волосся — She had her hair up in a messy bun.

have your hair down

мати розпущене волосся — I prefer having my hair down because it feels more comfortable.

messy bun

недбалий пучок — She put her hair in a messy bun before cleaning the house.

braid

косичка, коса — She learned how to make a beautiful braid.

wear your hair in a braid

носити волосся в косичці — She often wears her hair in a braid at work.

wear your hair in a bun

носити волосся в пучку — She wears her hair in a bun when she wants a neat look.

wear your hair in a ponytail

носити волосся у хвості — I usually wear my hair in a ponytail when I go to the gym.

to braid your hair

заплітати волосся — My sister knows how to braid my hair.

expand on this idea

розвинути цю ідею, додати більше деталей — Could you expand on this idea and explain it further?

elaborate on this idea

детальніше пояснити цю ідею — Let me elaborate on this idea and give some examples.

have outgrown something

перерости щось, більше не підходити — I have outgrown my old clothes, so I need to buy new ones.

grow out of something

вирости з чогось, перестати цікавитися чимось — Many children grow out of their childhood hobbies.

Given the choice, I'd ...

to express a preference between options.

Given the choice, I'd travel rather than save money. (Якби був вибір, я б...)

If it was up to me, I'd ...

to express a preference if you had control over a decision.

If it was up to me, I'd cancel the meeting. (Якби це залежало від мене, я б...)

I'd rather ...

to express preference (+ base form of verb).

I'd rather stay home tonight. (Я б краще...)

I'd sooner ...

to express preference, similar to "I'd rather".

I'd sooner walk than take the bus. (Я б скоріше...)

I'd go for ... (noun or -ing form)

to express what you would choose.

I'd go for the blue one. (Я б обрав/обрала...)

I'd jump at the chance to ...

to be very keen to do something.

I'd jump at the chance to work abroad. (Я б ухопився/ухопилася за можливість...)

I'd give my right arm for a chance to ...

to be extremely keen to do something.

I'd give my right arm for a chance to meet him. (Я б віддав/віддала все за шанс...)

I'd probably give ... a miss. (noun or -ing form)

to say you aren't keen to do something.

I'd probably give the party a miss. (Я б, напевно, пропустив/пропустила...)

I wouldn't choose to ...

to say you aren't keen to do something.

I wouldn't choose to live in a big city. (Я б не обрав/обрала...)

No way would I ever ...

to express a strong feeling of not wanting to do something.

No way would I ever eat insects. (Ні за що я б ніколи не...)

I'd run a mile at the thought of ... (-ing form)

to express a strong feeling of not wanting to do something.

I'd run a mile at the thought of public speaking. (Мене жахає сама думка про...)

You wouldn't catch me ... (-ing form)

to express a strong feeling of not wanting to do something.

You wouldn't catch me skydiving. (Мене б ніхто не застав за...)

Nothing would make me ... (infinitive without "to")

to express a strong feeling of not wanting to do something.

Nothing would make me change my mind. (Ніщо не змусило б мене...)

ailment (noun)

a minor illness.

She suffers from a minor stomach ailment. (недуга, хвороба)

impress something on/upon someone (phrase)

to make someone understand how important something is.

My parents impressed the importance of education on me from an early age. (втовкмачити, донести важливість чогось комусь)