My Vocabulary

grievance

a complaint or feeling of resentment against something believed to be wrong or unfair. Ex = I have a grievance against my employer.

cut loose

to free oneself from restraint or obligation. Ex = I decided to cut loose and pursue my dreams.

meander

Normally, to meander means to move without a clear direction - Ex = He meandered down the street.

teary

Teary describes someone whose eyes are full of tears, usually because they're emotional or sad.

• She was teary when she said goodbye.

to limp

Limp = cojear / caminar con dificultad debido a una lesión o dolor en una pierna.

• He was limping after the accident.
  → Estaba cojeando después del accidente.

• She limped home.
  → Ella llegó a casa cojeando.

• Amy walked ahead. Gnokk limped along next.
  → Amy caminó adelante. Después, Gnokk avanzó cojeando.

Unfazed

Unfazed (imperturbable / sin inmutarse / sin afectarse)

It describes someone who doesn't seem worried, shocked, scared, or bothered by something.

• She was completely unfazed by the criticism.
  → Ella no se inmutó en absoluto por las críticas.

• He remained unfazed despite the pressure.
  → Siguió imperturbable a pesar de la presión.

to croon

Croon means to sing or speak in a soft, gentle, soothing voice, often in a low voice.

• Amy crooned a familiar song.
  → Amy canturreó una canción conocida.

• She crooned softly to the baby.
  → Ella le canturreó suavemente al bebé.

To hover

“I hovered in the doorway” = “Me quedé indeciso/parado en la entrada.”

Here to hover means to stay nearby without fully entering or leaving, often because you're hesitant, unsure, or waiting.

• I hovered in the doorway, unsure whether to go in.
  → Me quedé en la entrada, sin saber si entrar.

• She hovered in the doorway for a moment.
  → Ella se quedó parada en la entrada por un momento.

I strained to make it out

Here strain to do something means hacer un gran esfuerzo para lograr algo, especially because it's difficult.

And make it out here means lograr distinguir, entender o escuchar algo.

For example:

• I strained to make out what she was saying.
  → Me esforcé para entender lo que ella estaba diciendo.

• I strained to make out the words.
  → Me esforcé para distinguir las palabras.

to hum

To sing a melody without saying the words, usually with your mouth closed.

She was humming a song while she cooked.
→ Ella tarareaba una canción mientras cocinaba.

To dissect something

To dissect something = analizarlo muy detalladamente, separándolo en partes para understand exactly what happened.

• Amy would dissect every conversation we had.
  → Amy analizaba minuciosamente cada conversación que teníamos.

• She would dissect everything he said.
  → Analizaba cada cosa que él decía, hasta el más mínimo detalle.

To bundle someone up

To bundle someone up = abrigar bien a alguien, usually by putting on several layers of warm clothes.

• I would bundle up my wife before we went outside.
  → Abrigaría bien a mi esposa antes de salir.

• Bundle up! It’s freezing outside.
  → ¡Abrígate bien! Hace muchísimo frío.

Murky

Murky means dark, cloudy, or hard to see through (literally, like dirty water) or obscure and unclear (figuratively, like a complex situation).

Examples:

1. We could not see any fish in the murky pond water.

2. The details of the contract were murky and left everyone confused.

indomitable

Indomitable (indomable / que no se puede vencer o someter)

It describes someone or something with a strong spirit that cannot easily be defeated, discouraged, or controlled.

• She has an indomitable spirit.
  → Ella tiene un espíritu indomable.

• His indomitable determination helped him succeed.
  → Su determinación inquebrantable lo ayudó a tener éxito.

I wallowed in bed

“I wallowed in bed” means:

👉 Me quedé tirado en la cama / Me revolqué en la cama, usually because you were feeling sad, miserable, or sorry for yourself.

To wallow = to stay in a negative emotional state and not try to get out of it.

Examples:

• I was feeling depressed, so I just wallowed in bed all day.
  → Me sentía deprimido, así que me quedé tirado en la cama todo el día.

• Stop wallowing in self-pity and get up!
  → ¡Deja de compadecerte y levántate!

Hoarse

If you have the flu and your voice sounds/feels different, these are much more natural:

• “My voice is hoarse.” → Tengo la voz ronca. ✅

• “I have a hoarse voice.” → Tengo la voz ronca.

• “My voice is a little raspy.” → Tengo la voz un poco áspera/ronca.

• “My voice sounds different because I have the flu.” → Mi voz suena diferente porque tengo gripe.

• “I’ve lost my voice a little.” → Se me ha ido un poco la voz.

devote

Devote means to give your time, effort, or attention completely to a specific person, activity, or cause, or to set aside a resource (like space or money) for a particular purpose

• To time and energy: Giving your focus to a task or individual.

  • Example: "She devotes most of her free time to charity work."

• To a specific purpose or space: Setting something apart for a unique use.

  • Example: "Most of the magazine was devoted to photos of the wedding

Strove to address

translates to Spanish as "se esforzó por abordar", "se esmeró en resolver", o "luchó por solucionar".

Here are two example sentences in English to show how it is used:

1. The school board strove to address the overcrowding issue by building three new classrooms.

2. Throughout her career, the scientist strove to address the global shortage of clean drinking water.