Unit 3 - Gold Experience B2

attendance

Meaning: the fact of being present at a place such as school, work, or an event

Example 1: Attendance is compulsory for all first-year students.

Example 2: His attendance improved after he changed his schedule.

Pattern / Usage: noun; attendance at + event / attendance record

Spanish: asistencia

detention

Meaning: a school punishment in which a student must stay after normal class time

Example 1: He got detention for being late three times.

Example 2: The teacher kept two students in detention after school.

Pattern / Usage: noun; get/have detention

Spanish: castigo escolar / quedarse después de clase

discipline

Meaning: the ability to control your behaviour and work consistently, or rules that control behaviour

Example 1: Learning a language requires discipline.

Example 2: The school has strict rules on discipline.

Pattern / Usage: noun; self-discipline is common

Spanish: disciplina

experiment

Meaning: a scientific test or a new way of doing something to see what happens

Example 1: The students carried out an experiment in the lab.

Example 2: We tried a small experiment with a four-day workweek.

Pattern / Usage: noun/verb; carry out/conduct an experiment

Spanish: experimento

grade(s)

Meaning: a mark or score given for school or university work

Example 1: She got excellent grades in her final exams.

Example 2: My maths grade improved this term.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun; get a grade / grade in + subject

Spanish: nota(s); calificación(es)

handout

Meaning: a printed or digital document given to students or people at a meeting

Example 1: The teacher gave us a handout with the key formulas.

Example 2: I added the main points to the conference handout.

Pattern / Usage: noun; handout on/about + topic

Spanish: material/hoja entregada en clase

syllabus

Meaning: the list of subjects and material covered in a course

Example 1: The exam covers everything on the syllabus.

Example 2: We reviewed the course syllabus on the first day.

Pattern / Usage: noun; plural syllabuses/syllabi

Spanish: programa de la materia

timetable

Meaning: a schedule showing the times when classes, buses, trains, etc. happen

Example 1: I checked my timetable before leaving home.

Example 2: The new train timetable starts next Monday.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun; British English

Spanish: horario

be creative

Meaning: to use imagination to produce new ideas or solutions

Example 1: You have to be creative when resources are limited.

Example 2: The task encourages students to be creative.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: be creative

Spanish: ser creativo/a

be self-employed

Meaning: to work for yourself rather than for an employer

Example 1: She has been self-employed for five years.

Example 2: I'd like to be self-employed one day.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; self-employed as + job

Spanish: trabajar por cuenta propia

be your own boss

Meaning: to work for yourself and control your own work

Example 1: He started a company because he wanted to be his own boss.

Example 2: Being your own boss gives you freedom, but also responsibility.

Pattern / Usage: fixed collocation

Spanish: ser tu propio jefe

be responsible

Meaning: to have a duty to deal with something or to behave in a reliable way

Example 1: I'm responsible for preparing the monthly report.

Example 2: You need to be responsible when other people depend on you.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: be responsible for + noun/-ing

Spanish: ser responsable

have a good salary

Meaning: to earn a relatively high amount of money from a job

Example 1: The job is demanding, but it has a good salary.

Example 2: He wants a career where he can have a good salary and flexible hours.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: have/earn a good salary

Spanish: tener un buen sueldo

have control over your own time

Meaning: to be able to decide how you organise your time

Example 1: Freelancers often have more control over their own time.

Example 2: I value having control over my own time.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: have control over + noun

Spanish: tener control sobre tu propio tiempo

have a lot of pressure

Meaning: to experience strong demands or stress

Example 1: Managers often have a lot of pressure at the end of the year.

Example 2: She has a lot of pressure on her at work.

Pattern / Usage: more natural: be under a lot of pressure / have a lot of pressure on you

Spanish: tener mucha presión

have time off

Meaning: to have a period when you do not have to work or study

Example 1: I'm taking Friday off, so I'll have some time off.

Example 2: Everyone needs time off to rest.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: have/take time off

Spanish: tener tiempo libre / días libres

work independently

Meaning: to work without needing constant help or supervision

Example 1: The role requires you to work independently.

Example 2: Students worked independently for the first half of the class.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: work independently

Spanish: trabajar de forma independiente

work shifts

Meaning: to work in scheduled periods at different times of day or night

Example 1: Nurses often work shifts.

Example 2: He works night shifts twice a week.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: work shifts / work a night shift

Spanish: trabajar por turnos

work part-time/full-time

Meaning: to work fewer than normal hours or the standard number of hours

Example 1: She works part-time while she studies.

Example 2: I started working full-time after graduation.

Pattern / Usage: pattern: work part-time/full-time; no article

Spanish: trabajar medio tiempo/tiempo completo

work as a team

Meaning: to cooperate with other people to achieve a shared goal

Example 1: We work as a team when deadlines are tight.

Example 2: The exercise teaches students to work as a team.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: work as a team

Spanish: trabajar en equipo

catch up on emails

Meaning: to deal with emails you have not yet read or answered

Example 1: I spent Monday morning catching up on emails.

Example 2: Let me catch up on my emails before the meeting.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: catch up on + noun

Spanish: ponerse al día con los emails

catch up on sleep

Meaning: to sleep more because you have not slept enough recently

Example 1: I need the weekend to catch up on sleep.

Example 2: She slept until noon to catch up on some sleep.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: catch up on + sleep

Spanish: recuperar horas de sueño

come up with an idea

Meaning: to think of or produce an idea

Example 1: We need to come up with an idea for the presentation.

Example 2: She came up with a simple way to solve the problem.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: come up with + idea/solution/plan

Spanish: tener/idear una idea

come up with a plan

Meaning: to think of and create a plan

Example 1: Let's come up with a plan before we spend any money.

Example 2: The team came up with a plan to reduce costs.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: come up with + plan

Spanish: idear un plan

get on with people

Meaning: to have a friendly or positive relationship with people

Example 1: He's easy-going and gets on well with people.

Example 2: You need good social skills to get on with different people.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: get on with + person; British English

Spanish: llevarse bien con la gente

get on with friends

Meaning: to have a good relationship with your friends

Example 1: She gets on really well with her friends.

Example 2: I usually get on with my friends even when we disagree.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: get on with + person

Spanish: llevarse bien con amigos

keep up with an activity

Meaning: to continue an activity regularly and not fall behind

Example 1: It's hard to keep up with exercise when work gets busy.

Example 2: I use a calendar to keep up with my training routine.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: keep up with + noun

Spanish: mantenerse al día/seguir el ritmo de una actividad

keep up with a hobby

Meaning: to continue doing a hobby regularly

Example 1: I stopped playing guitar because I couldn't keep up with the hobby.

Example 2: She still keeps up with photography despite her busy schedule.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: keep up with + noun

Spanish: mantener un hobby / seguir practicándolo

make up for missed lessons

Meaning: to compensate for lessons that you did not attend

Example 1: I watched the recordings to make up for the missed lessons.

Example 2: Extra practice helped me make up for two missed lessons.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: make up for + noun

Spanish: compensar clases perdidas

make up for lost time

Meaning: to do more now because time was lost earlier

Example 1: We worked late to make up for lost time.

Example 2: After being injured, he trained hard to make up for lost time.

Pattern / Usage: fixed phrase: make up for lost time

Spanish: recuperar el tiempo perdido

run out of ideas

Meaning: to have no more ideas left

Example 1: We ran out of ideas halfway through the brainstorming session.

Example 2: If you run out of ideas, take a short break.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: run out of + noun

Spanish: quedarse sin ideas

run out of energy

Meaning: to become too tired to continue

Example 1: I ran out of energy near the end of the match.

Example 2: She tends to run out of energy in the afternoon.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: run out of + noun

Spanish: quedarse sin energía

agree with

Meaning: to have the same opinion as someone or to think an idea is correct

Example 1: I agree with you about the budget.

Example 2: She doesn't agree with the way the project is being managed.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: agree with + person/idea

Spanish: estar de acuerdo con

apologise for

Meaning: to say you are sorry for something

Example 1: He apologised for being late.

Example 2: I should apologise for what I said yesterday.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: apologise for + noun/-ing; British spelling

Spanish: disculparse por

appeal to

Meaning: to attract or interest someone

Example 1: The idea appeals to young travellers.

Example 2: This kind of work doesn't really appeal to me.

Pattern / Usage: verb; appeal to + person

Spanish: atraer; resultar atractivo para

apply for

Meaning: to formally ask to be considered for a job, course, grant, etc.

Example 1: I'm going to apply for the internship.

Example 2: She applied for a scholarship last month.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: apply for + job/course/grant

Spanish: postularse/solicitar

believe in

Meaning: to think that someone or something exists, is good, or is worth supporting

Example 1: I believe in giving people a second chance.

Example 2: Her coach always believed in her.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: believe in + noun/-ing

Spanish: creer en

benefit from

Meaning: to receive an advantage from something

Example 1: Small businesses can benefit from lower interest rates.

Example 2: You'll benefit from practising a little every day.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: benefit from + noun/-ing

Spanish: beneficiarse de

choose between

Meaning: to select one of two or more options

Example 1: We had to choose between two suppliers.

Example 2: It's difficult to choose between quality and price.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: choose between + A and B

Spanish: elegir entre

cope with

Meaning: to manage a difficult situation successfully

Example 1: She coped with the pressure surprisingly well.

Example 2: How do you cope with stress during busy periods?

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: cope with + noun

Spanish: lidiar con

depend on

Meaning: to be decided, influenced, or supported by someone or something

Example 1: The final price depends on the exchange rate.

Example 2: It depends on how much time we have.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: depend on + noun/pronoun/clause; always 'on'

Spanish: depender de

insist on

Meaning: to say firmly that something must happen or is true

Example 1: He insisted on paying for dinner.

Example 2: She insists on checking every detail herself.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: insist on + noun/-ing

Spanish: insistir en

lead to

Meaning: to cause or result in something

Example 1: Poor communication can lead to mistakes.

Example 2: The new policy led to a reduction in costs.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: lead to + noun/-ing

Spanish: llevar a; provocar

refer to

Meaning: to mention or talk about someone or something, or to mean something

Example 1: The report refers to last year's results.

Example 2: When I say 'we', I'm referring to the whole team.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: refer to + noun

Spanish: referirse a

rely on

Meaning: to depend on or trust someone or something

Example 1: We rely on this software for our daily work.

Example 2: You can't always rely on other people to remind you.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: rely on + noun/person

Spanish: depender/confiar en

result in

Meaning: to cause a particular outcome

Example 1: The delay resulted in extra costs.

Example 2: One small error can result in a much bigger problem.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: result in + noun

Spanish: dar como resultado; provocar

specialise in

Meaning: to focus on and become expert in a particular area

Example 1: The firm specialises in corporate finance.

Example 2: She specialises in advising technology companies.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: specialise in + noun/-ing

Spanish: especializarse en

succeed in

Meaning: to achieve what you were trying to do

Example 1: He succeeded in getting the project approved.

Example 2: We finally succeeded in solving the problem.

Pattern / Usage: verb + preposition: succeed in + noun/-ing

Spanish: tener éxito en; lograr

be punctual

Meaning: to arrive or do something at the agreed time

Example 1: Try to be punctual for client meetings.

Example 2: She's always punctual, even for early classes.

Pattern / Usage: adjective; punctual for + event

Spanish: ser puntual

become more independent

Meaning: to need less help or control from other people

Example 1: Living alone helped me become more independent.

Example 2: Students become more independent as the course progresses.

Pattern / Usage: phrase: become + comparative adjective

Spanish: volverse más independiente

become more self-confident

Meaning: to develop more confidence in yourself

Example 1: Public speaking helped her become more self-confident.

Example 2: You become more self-confident when you see yourself improving.

Pattern / Usage: phrase: become + more + adjective

Spanish: ganar confianza en uno mismo

cope with pressure

Meaning: to manage stress and demands successfully

Example 1: Good athletes learn to cope with pressure.

Example 2: She coped with the pressure of the deadline very well.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: cope with pressure

Spanish: manejar/lidiar con la presión

earn trust

Meaning: to make people trust you because of your actions

Example 1: You earn trust by doing what you say you'll do.

Example 2: The manager slowly earned the team's trust.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: earn/gain someone's trust

Spanish: ganarse la confianza

find solutions

Meaning: to discover ways to solve problems

Example 1: We need to find solutions rather than blame people.

Example 2: The workshop helped us find practical solutions.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: find a solution to + problem

Spanish: encontrar soluciones

improve communication skills

Meaning: to get better at expressing and understanding ideas with other people

Example 1: Team projects can improve communication skills.

Example 2: I joined the course to improve my communication skills.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: improve + skills

Spanish: mejorar las habilidades de comunicación

learn teamwork

Meaning: to learn how to cooperate effectively with other people

Example 1: Team sports can help children learn teamwork.

Example 2: Group projects are a good way to learn teamwork.

Pattern / Usage: collocation

Spanish: aprender a trabajar en equipo

learn the value of money

Meaning: to understand why money matters and how to use it responsibly

Example 1: A part-time job can help teenagers learn the value of money.

Example 2: Saving for something yourself teaches you the value of money.

Pattern / Usage: fixed collocation

Spanish: aprender el valor del dinero

make judgements about situations

Meaning: to form opinions or decisions about what is happening

Example 1: Managers often have to make quick judgements about situations.

Example 2: Try not to make judgements about situations before you know all the facts.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: make a judgement about + noun

Spanish: emitir/hacer juicios sobre situaciones

organise your time

Meaning: to plan how you will use your time

Example 1: I organise my time with a weekly calendar.

Example 2: You need to organise your time well during exam season.

Pattern / Usage: collocation: organise/manage your time

Spanish: organizar tu tiempo

take decisions

Meaning: to choose what should be done

Example 1: Senior managers have to take difficult decisions.

Example 2: We need more information before we take a final decision.

Pattern / Usage: collocation; British English often 'take a decision'; 'make a decision' is more universal

Spanish: tomar decisiones

business idea

Meaning: an idea for a product, service, or company that could make money

Example 1: She presented a new business idea to the investors.

Example 2: A good business idea solves a real problem.

Pattern / Usage: noun collocation

Spanish: idea de negocio

coding skills

Meaning: the ability to write and understand computer code

Example 1: Basic coding skills are useful in many jobs.

Example 2: He improved his coding skills through online courses.

Pattern / Usage: noun collocation

Spanish: habilidades de programación

financial reward

Meaning: money or another financial benefit received for work or success

Example 1: The job offers a good financial reward, but it's very demanding.

Example 2: For some people, purpose matters more than financial reward.

Pattern / Usage: noun collocation

Spanish: recompensa económica

learning space

Meaning: a place designed or used for studying and learning

Example 1: The library has several quiet learning spaces.

Example 2: They redesigned the classroom to create a more flexible learning space.

Pattern / Usage: noun collocation

Spanish: espacio de aprendizaje

life lessons

Meaning: important things you learn from experience about how to live or behave

Example 1: Travel can teach you valuable life lessons.

Example 2: Failure often gives us useful life lessons.

Pattern / Usage: plural noun collocation

Spanish: lecciones de vida

pocket money

Meaning: a small amount of money regularly given to a child or teenager for personal spending

Example 1: I used to save part of my pocket money.

Example 2: Her parents give her pocket money every week.

Pattern / Usage: uncountable noun in British English

Spanish: dinero de bolsillo

win-win situation

Meaning: a situation in which all sides benefit

Example 1: The agreement is a win-win situation for both companies.

Example 2: Flexible hours can be a win-win situation for employers and staff.

Pattern / Usage: compound noun; win-win situation

Spanish: situación en la que todos ganan

collaborate

Meaning: to work together with other people to achieve something

Example 1: Our team collaborated with designers from another company.

Example 2: Students collaborated on a research project.

Pattern / Usage: verb; collaborate with + person / on + project

Spanish: colaborar

distraction(s)

Meaning: something that takes your attention away from what you should be doing

Example 1: My phone is my biggest distraction when I study.

Example 2: Try to remove distractions before you start working.

Pattern / Usage: noun; distraction from + task

Spanish: distracción(es)

drawback

Meaning: a disadvantage or negative part of something

Example 1: The main drawback is the high cost.

Example 2: Working from home has benefits, but it also has some drawbacks.

Pattern / Usage: noun; drawback of/to + noun

Spanish: desventaja; inconveniente

gear up

Meaning: to prepare for a busy, difficult, or important activity

Example 1: The company is gearing up for its busiest month.

Example 2: We're gearing up to launch the new product.

Pattern / Usage: phrasal verb: gear up for + noun / gear up to + verb

Spanish: prepararse

pilot scheme

Meaning: a small trial of a new system or idea before it is introduced more widely

Example 1: The city launched a pilot scheme for electric buses.

Example 2: If the pilot scheme works, the programme will expand next year.

Pattern / Usage: noun collocation

Spanish: programa/proyecto piloto

sibling(s)

Meaning: a brother or sister

Example 1: I have two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister.

Example 2: She grew up with three siblings.

Pattern / Usage: countable noun

Spanish: hermano(s)/hermana(s)

support

Meaning: help, encouragement, or agreement; also to help or encourage

Example 1: Thank you for your support during the project.

Example 2: My family supported me when I changed careers.

Pattern / Usage: noun/verb; support for + noun / support + person

Spanish: apo