they are to be pitied

she'll be ten next week — sie wird nächste Woche zehn

she is a mother/an Italian — sie ist Mutter/Italienerin

[I dare say] you'll be a big boy by now — du bist jetzt sicher schon ein großer Junge

you'll be relieved to hear that — du wirst erleichtert sein, das zu hören

I am hot — mir ist heiß

who's that? — wer ist das?

it is she, it's her — sie ist's

be a teacher/a footballer — Lehrer/Fußballer sein

she wants to be a surgeon — sie möchte Chirurgin werden

it is hers — es ist ihrs; es gehört ihr

he was everything to her — er bedeutete ihr alles

there is/are... — es gibt...

for the time being — vorläufig

Miss Jones that was — das frühere Fräulein Jones

how long has he been here? — wie lange ist er schon hier?

be off with you! — geh/geht!

are you for London? — wollen Sie nach London?

she's been and tidied the room — (coll.) sie hat doch wirklich das Zimmer aufgeräumt

the children have been at the biscuits — die Kinder waren an den Keksen (ugs.)

I've been into this matter — ich habe mich mit der Sache befasst

the child was found — das Kind wurde gefunden

German is spoken here — hier wird Deutsch gesprochen

he is reading — er liest [gerade]; er ist beim Lesen

I am leaving tomorrow — ich reise morgen [ab]

the house is/was being built — das Haus wird/wurde [gerade] gebaut

be to — sollen

I am to inform you — ich soll Sie unterrichten

he is to be admired — er ist zu bewundern

be to — sollen

it was not to be seen — es war nicht zu sehen

I was not to be side-tracked — ich ließ mich nicht ablenken

they were never to meet again — sie sollten sich nie wieder treffen

bride-/husband-to-be — zukünftige Braut/zukünftiger Ehemann

mother-/father-to-be — werdende Mutter/werdender Vater

the be-all and end-all — das A und O

be sensible! — sei vernünftig

if I were you — wenn ich Sie or an Ihrer Stelle wäre

he is a soldier/a German — er ist Soldat/Deutscher

he's a good student/a true Englishman — er ist ein guter Student/ein echter Engländer

referring to physical, mental state how are you? — wie gehts?

I'm better now — es geht mir jetzt besser

to be hungry/thirsty — Hunger/Durst haben, hungrig/durstig sein

I am hot/cold/frozen — mir ist heiß/kalt/eiskalt

they were horrified — sie waren entsetzt

he's five — er ist fünf

how old is she? —

how much is that? — wie viel or was kostet das?

that book is your brother's/his — das Buch gehört Ihrem Bruder/ihm, das ist das Buch Ihres Bruders/das ist sein Buch

in exclamations was he pleased to hear it! — er war vielleicht froh, das zu hören!

but wasn't she glad when... — hat sie sich vielleicht gefreut, als...

in continuous tenses Note how German uses the simple tense:what are you doing? — was machst du da?

she's always complaining — sie beklagt sich dauernd

I have been waiting for you for half an hour — ich warte schon seit einer halben Stunde auf Sie

will you be seeing her tomorrow? — sehen or treffen Sie sie morgen?

we're just drinking coffee —

I've just been packing my case — ich war gerade beim Kofferpacken

I was packing my case when... — ich war gerade beim Kofferpacken, als...

he was run over — er ist überfahren worden, er wurde überfahren

the box had been opened — die Schachtel war geöffnet worden

it is/was being repaired — es wird/wurde gerade repariert

they were to have been married last week — sie hätten letzte Woche heiraten sollen

the car is to be sold — das Auto soll verkauft werden

she was to be/was to have been dismissed but... — sie sollte entlassen werden, aber.../sie hätte entlassen werden sollen, aber...

he is to be pitied/not to be envied —

not to be confused with — nicht zu verwechseln mit

what is to be done? — was ist zu tun?, was soll geschehen?

I am to look after her — ich soll mich um sie kümmern

I am not to be disturbed — ich möchte nicht gestört werden

he is not to open it — er soll es nicht öffnen

she was never to return — sie sollte nie zurückkehren

he was not to be persuaded — er war nicht zu überreden, er ließ sich nicht überreden

and were I or if I were to tell him? — und wenn ich es ihm sagen würde?

in tag questions/short answers he's always late, isn't he? – yes he is — er kommt doch immer zu spät, nicht? – ja, das stimmt

you're not ill, are you? – yes I am/no I'm not — Sie sind doch nicht (etwa) krank? – doch!/nein

it's all done, is it? – yes it is/no it isn't — es ist also alles erledigt? – ja/nein

he is there at the moment but he won't be much longer — im Augenblick ist er dort, aber nicht mehr lange

we've been here a long time —

the powers that be — die zuständigen Stellen

let me/him be — lass mich/ihn (in Ruhe)

be that as it may — wie dem auch sei

to be or not to be — Sein oder Nichtsein

= visit, call I've been to Paris — ich war schon (ein)mal in Paris

the milkman has already been — der Milchmann war schon da

= like to have who's for coffee/tee/biscuits? — wer möchte (gerne)Kaffee/Tee/Kekse?

here is a book/are two books — hier ist ein Buch/sind zwei Bücher

nearby there are two churches — in der Nähe sind or stehen zwei Kirchen

it is dark/morning — es ist dunkel/Morgen

tomorrow is Friday/the 14th of June — morgen ist Freitag/der 14. Juni, morgen haben wir Freitag/den 14. Juni

who found it —

were it not for the fact that I am a teacher, I would... —

were it not for my friendship with him — wenn ich nicht mit ihm befreundet wäre

were it not for him, if it weren't or wasn't for him — wenn er nicht wäre

and even if it were not so — und selbst wenn das or dem nicht so wäre

had it not been or if it hadn't been for him — wenn er nicht gewesen wäre

she'll be ten next week — sie wird nächste Woche zehn

she is a mother/an Italian — sie ist Mutter/Italienerin

being a Frenchman, he likes wine — als Franzose trinkt er gern Wein

he is being nice to them/sarcastic — er ist nett zu ihnen/jetzt ist er sarkastisch

was she pleased! — war sie [vielleicht] froh!

aren't you a big boy! — was bist du schon für ein großer Junge!

[I dare say] you'll be a big boy by now — du bist jetzt sicher schon ein großer Junge

you'll be relieved to hear that — du wirst erleichtert sein, das zu hören

I am hot — mir ist heiß

I am freezing — mich friert es

it is the 5th today — heute haben wir den Fünften

who's that? — wer ist das?

it is she, it's her — sie ist's

if I were you — an deiner Stelle

be a teacher/a footballer — Lehrer/Fußballer sein

she wants to be a surgeon — sie möchte Chirurgin werden

it is hers — es ist ihrs; es gehört ihr

how much are the eggs? — was kosten die Eier?

London is not England — London ist nicht [gleich] England

he was everything to her — er bedeutete ihr alles

can such things be? — kann es so etwas geben?; kann so etwas vorkommen?

I think, therefore I am — ich denke, also bin ich

there is/are... — es gibt...

for the time being — vorläufig

Miss Jones that was — das frühere Fräulein Jones

be that as it may — wie dem auch sei

she has been in her room for hours — sie ist schon seit Stunden in ihrem Zimmer

let it be — lass es sein

let him/her be — lass ihn/sie in Ruhe

how long has he been here? — wie lange ist er schon hier?

where will the party be? — wo ist die Party?; wo findet die Party statt?

be off with you! — geh/geht!

are you for London? — wollen Sie nach London?

have you [ever] been to London? — bist du schon einmal in London gewesen?

has anyone been? — ist jemand da gewesen?

she's been and tidied the room — (coll.) sie hat doch wirklich das Zimmer aufgeräumt

the children have been at the biscuits — die Kinder waren an den Keksen (ugs.)

I've been into this matter — ich habe mich mit der Sache befasst

the child was found — das Kind wurde gefunden

German is spoken here — hier wird Deutsch gesprochen

he is reading — er liest [gerade]; er ist beim Lesen

I am leaving tomorrow — ich reise morgen [ab]

the train was departing when I got there — der Zug fuhr gerade ab, als ich ankam

the house is/was being built — das Haus wird/wurde [gerade] gebaut

be to — sollen

I am to inform you — ich soll Sie unterrichten

he is to be admired — er ist zu bewundern

be to — sollen

the Queen is to arrive at 3 p.m. — die Königin soll um 15 Uhr eintreffen

it was not to be seen — es war nicht zu sehen

I was not to be side-tracked — ich ließ mich nicht ablenken

they were never to meet again — sie sollten sich nie wieder treffen

if I were to tell you that..., were I to tell you that... — wenn ich dir sagen würde, dass...

bride-/husband-to-be — zukünftige Braut/zukünftiger Ehemann

mother-/father-to-be — werdende Mutter/werdender Vater

the be-all and end-all — das A und O

much smaller — molto più piccolo

much better than — molto meglio di

much more interesting — molto più interessante

much less demanding — molto meno esigenti

it's much too dangerous — è un po' troppo pericoloso

he doesn't much care for them — non gli importa un granché di loro

she doesn't worry much about it — non se ne preoccupa molto

we'd much rather stay here — noi preferiremmo di gran lunga restare qui

they are much to be pitied — devono essere compatiti

your comments would be much appreciated — i vostri commenti saranno molto graditi

he's not much good at doing — non è molto bravo a fare

she's much the best teacher here — è di gran lunga l'insegnante migliore che c'è qui

much to my surprise — con mia grande sorpresa

we don't go out much — non usciamo molto

do you go to concerts much? — vai spesso ai concerti?

it's pretty much like driving a car — è più o meno come guidare una macchina

much the same is true of — quasi lo stesso si può dire di

too much — troppo

he misses you very much — gli manchi da morire

it's very much the norm — è piuttosto normale

I felt very much the foreigner — mi sono sentito veramente un estraneo

so much — (così) tanto

I wanted so much to meet you — avevo così tanta voglia di incontrarti

it's so much better — è davvero molto meglio

he hates flying so much that — odia talmente volare che

I like them as much as you (do) — li amo tanto quanto te

they hated each other as much as ever — si odiavano così come sempre

I thought as much — me l'aspettavo

however much — sebbene, per quanto

you'll have to accept the decision however much you disagree — dovrai accettare la decisione anche se non sei d'accordo

not so much X as Y — non tanto X, ma piuttosto Y

the discovery wasn't so much shocking as depressing — la scoperta fu più deprimente che scioccante

I've never seen him much less spoken to him — non l'ho mai visto, né tanto meno gli ho parlato

without so much as saying goodbye, as an apology — senza neanche salutare, senza neanche scusarsi

if you so much as move — se ti azzardi a muoverti

so much for that problem — chiudiamo l'argomento

so much for saying you'd help — meno male che avevi detto che avresti dato una mano

much-loved — amatissimo

much-respected — molto rispettato

much-maligned — molto chiacchierato

much-needed — indispensabile

I haven't got (very) much time — non ho molto tempo

does he watch much TV? — guarda molto la televisione?

she didn't speak much English — non parlava molto bene l'inglese

too much energy — troppa forza

to spend too much money — spendere troppi soldi

we don't have too much time — non abbiamo troppo tempo

don't use so much salt — non mettere così tanto sale

we paid twice as much money — abbiamo pagato il doppio (dei soldi)

how much time have we got left? — quanto tempo ci rimane?

do you have much left? — ne avete ancora molto?

we have much to learn — abbiamo molto da imparare

there isn't much to do — non c'è un granché da fare

he doesn't have much to complain about — non ha molto da lamentarsi

it leaves much to be desired — lascia molto a desiderare

there's much to be said for — ci sono molti argomenti a favore di

much of — gran parte di

much of the difficulty lies in — gran parte della difficoltà sta in

I don't see much of them now — non li frequento molto al momento

I couldn't make much of her last book — non ho capito molto del suo ultimo libro

so much — così tanto

we'd eaten so much that — abbiamo mangiato così tanto che

so much of her work is gloomy — gran parte delle sue opere sono cupe

so much of the time, it's a question of patience — nella maggior parte dei casi è una questione di pazienza

too much — troppo

it costs too much — è troppo caro

she's late again? that's a bit much! — è ancora in ritardo? adesso (si) esagera!

he was too much of an egotist to do — era troppo egoista per fare

the heat was too much for them — faceva troppo caldo per loro

he was too much for his opponent — era troppo forte per il suo avversario

he's read this much already — ha già letto tutto questo

I'll say this much for him, he's honest — posso dirti questo di lui: è una persona onesta

this much is certain, we'll have no choice — una cosa è certa, non avremo scelta

twice as much — due volte tanto

if we had half as much as you — se avessimo la metà di quello che hai tu

as much as possible — per quanto (è) possibile

it can cost as much as Ј 50 — si può arrivare a pagarlo 50 sterline

it was as much as I could do not to laugh — sono riuscito a malapena a trattenere le risate

it is as much as to say — equivale a dire

how much? — quanto fa?

tell us how much you won — dicci quanto hai vinto

how much do they know? — quanto ne sanno?

do you know how much this means to me? — sai quanto significa questo per me?

much smaller — molto più piccolo

much better than — molto meglio di

much more interesting — molto più interessante

much less demanding — molto meno esigenti

it's much too dangerous — è un po' troppo pericoloso

he doesn't much care for them — non gli importa un granché di loro

she doesn't worry much about it — non se ne preoccupa molto

we'd much rather stay here — noi preferiremmo di gran lunga restare qui

they are much to be pitied — devono essere compatiti

your comments would be much appreciated — i vostri commenti saranno molto graditi

he's not much good at doing — non è molto bravo a fare

she's much the best teacher here — è di gran lunga l'insegnante migliore che c'è qui

much to my surprise — con mia grande sorpresa

we don't go out much — non usciamo molto

do you go to concerts much? — vai spesso ai concerti?

it's pretty much like driving a car — è più o meno come guidare una macchina

much the same is true of — quasi lo stesso si può dire di

too much — troppo

he misses you very much — gli manchi da morire

it's very much the norm — è piuttosto normale

I felt very much the foreigner — mi sono sentito veramente un estraneo

so much — (così) tanto

I wanted so much to meet you — avevo così tanta voglia di incontrarti

it's so much better — è davvero molto meglio

he hates flying so much that — odia talmente volare che

I like them as much as you (do) — li amo tanto quanto te

they hated each other as much as ever — si odiavano così come sempre

I thought as much — me l'aspettavo

however much — sebbene, per quanto

you'll have to accept the decision however much you disagree — dovrai accettare la decisione anche se non sei d'accordo

not so much X as Y — non tanto X, ma piuttosto Y

the discovery wasn't so much shocking as depressing — la scoperta fu più deprimente che scioccante

I've never seen him much less spoken to him — non l'ho mai visto, né tanto meno gli ho parlato

without so much as saying goodbye, as an apology — senza neanche salutare, senza neanche scusarsi

if you so much as move — se ti azzardi a muoverti

so much for that problem — chiudiamo l'argomento

so much for saying you'd help — meno male che avevi detto che avresti dato una mano

much-loved — amatissimo

much-respected — molto rispettato

much-maligned — molto chiacchierato

much-needed — indispensabile

I haven't got (very) much time — non ho molto tempo

does he watch much TV? — guarda molto la televisione?

she didn't speak much English — non parlava molto bene l'inglese

too much energy — troppa forza

to spend too much money — spendere troppi soldi

we don't have too much time — non abbiamo troppo tempo

don't use so much salt — non mettere così tanto sale

we paid twice as much money — abbiamo pagato il doppio (dei soldi)

how much time have we got left? — quanto tempo ci rimane?

do you have much left? — ne avete ancora molto?

we have much to learn — abbiamo molto da imparare

there isn't much to do — non c'è un granché da fare

he doesn't have much to complain about — non ha molto da lamentarsi

it leaves much to be desired — lascia molto a desiderare

there's much to be said for — ci sono molti argomenti a favore di

much of — gran parte di

much of the difficulty lies in — gran parte della difficoltà sta in

I don't see much of them now — non li frequento molto al momento

I couldn't make much of her last book — non ho capito molto del suo ultimo libro

so much — così tanto

we'd eaten so much that — abbiamo mangiato così tanto che

so much of her work is gloomy — gran parte delle sue opere sono cupe

so much of the time, it's a question of patience — nella maggior parte dei casi è una questione di pazienza

too much — troppo

it costs too much — è troppo caro

she's late again? that's a bit much! — è ancora in ritardo? adesso (si) esagera!

he was too much of an egotist to do — era troppo egoista per fare

the heat was too much for them — faceva troppo caldo per loro

he was too much for his opponent — era troppo forte per il suo avversario

he's read this much already — ha già letto tutto questo

I'll say this much for him, he's honest — posso dirti questo di lui: è una persona onesta

this much is certain, we'll have no choice — una cosa è certa, non avremo scelta

twice as much — due volte tanto

if we had half as much as you — se avessimo la metà di quello che hai tu

as much as possible — per quanto (è) possibile

it can cost as much as Ј 50 — si può arrivare a pagarlo 50 sterline

it was as much as I could do not to laugh — sono riuscito a malapena a trattenere le risate

it is as much as to say — equivale a dire

how much? — quanto fa?

tell us how much you won — dicci quanto hai vinto

how much do they know? — quanto ne sanno?

do you know how much this means to me? — sai quanto significa questo per me?

she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente

he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso

he's short and fat — es bajo y gordo

he's so fat he can't get into his clothes any more — está tan gordo que ya no le cabe la ropa

these shoes are new — estos zapatos son nuevos

have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!

the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?

she's very rude — es muy grosera

be good — sé bueno

don't be silly! — no seas tonto!

to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien

we've been married for eight years — llevamos ocho años casados

she's a lawyer — es abogada

he's a Catholic — es católico

she was Prime Minister for 11 years — fue Primera Ministra durante 11 años

who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?

it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel

I was Juliet in the school play — hice de Julieta en la obra del colegio

how are you? — ¿cómo estás?

she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada

I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño

she has been ill — ha estado enferma

he's dead — está muerto

how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?

I'm 31 — tengo 31 años

Paul was four last Monday — Paul cumplió cuatro años el lunes pasado

he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor

our house is over 100 years old — nuestra casa tiene más de 100 años

how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor

two plus two is four — dos más dos son cuatro

how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?

Jim's over six feet (tall) — Jim mide más de seis pies

I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo

to be or not to be — ser o no ser

her husband-to-be — su futuro marido

I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy

how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?

the party is tomorrow — la fiesta es mañana

where are you? — ¿dónde estás?

what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?

he's here for two weeks — va a estar aquí dos semanas

I've never been to India — nunca he estado en la India

it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor

it's cloudy — está nublado

it was three degrees below zero — hacía tres grados bajo cero

it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!

I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...

it's three o'clock — son las tres

it's one o'clock — es la una

it was still very early — todavía era muy temprano

it's Wednesday today — hoy es miércoles

hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)

what was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?

she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...

how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?

she'll be staying at the Plaza — se va a alojar en el Plaza

it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903

it is known that... — se sabe que...

I'm to be met at the airport by Joe — Joe me irá a buscar al aeropuerto

the dessert is (still) to come — todavía falta el postre

what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?

he wasn't to know — no tenía cómo saberlo

it was nowhere to be found — no se lo pudo encontrar por ninguna parte

you are not to tell Carol! — no debes decírselo a Carol!

am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?

I'm not to be disturbed! — que nadie me moleste!

so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas

are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)

she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no

I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?

he's a pianist — es pianista

he wants to be a doctor — quiere ser médico

Monday's a holiday — el lunes es fiesta

two and two are four — dos y dos son cuatro

it's me! — ¡soy yo!

it was me — fui yo

you be the patient and I'll be the doctor — tú eres el enfermo y yo seré el médico

she's his sister — es su hermana

it's mine — es mío

the sky is blue — el cielo es azul

it's (made of) plastic — es de plástico

they're English — son ingleses

he's tall — es alto

it's round/enormous — es redondo/enorme

she is boring — es aburrida

I used to be poor but now I'm rich — antes era pobre pero ahora soy rico

if I were rich — si fuera rico

I'm from the south — soy del sur

the book is in French — el libro es en francés

it's broken — está roto

he's dead — está muerto

it's dirty — está sucio

she's bored/ill — está aburrida/enferma

how are you? — ¿cómo estás?, ¿qué tal estás?

how are you now? — ¿qué tal te encuentras ahora?

I'm very well, thanks — estoy muy bien, gracias

I'm cold/hot — tengo frío/calor

my feet are cold — tengo los pies fríos

I'm hungry/thirsty — tengo hambre/sed

be good! — ¡pórtate bien!

you're late — llegas tarde

"how old is she?" - "she's nine" — -¿cuántos años tiene? -tiene nueve años

she will be two tomorrow — mañana cumple dos años

when I'm old — cuando sea viejo

when I was young — cuando era joven

the meeting's today — la reunión es hoy

the service will be at St Ninian's Church — el oficio será en la iglesia de San Ninian

Edinburgh is in Scotland — Edimburgo está en Escocia

he won't be here tomorrow — mañana no estará aquí

we've been here for ages — hace mucho tiempo que estamos aquí, llevamos aquí mucho tiempo, estamos aquí desde hace mucho tiempo

it's hot/cold — hace calor/frío

it's too hot — hace demasiado calor

it's fine — hace buen tiempo

it's eight o'clock — son las ocho

it's morning in New York now — en Nueva York ahora es por la mañana

wake up, it's morning — despierta, es de día

what's the date (today)? — ¿qué fecha es hoy?

it's Thursday today — hoy es jueves

it's Thursday today — hoy estamos a jueves

it is easy to make a mistake — es fácil cometer un fallo

is it fair that she should be punished while...? — ¿es justo que se la castigue mientras que...?

it is possible that he'll come — es posible que venga, puede (ser) que venga

it is impossible to study all the time — es imposible estar siempre estudiando

it is unbelievable that... — es increíble que...

it's not clear whether... — no está claro si...

it would be wrong for us to do that — no estaría bien que nosotros hiciésemos eso

it's me who does all the work — soy yo quien hace todo el trabajo

it was Peter who phoned — fue Peter quien llamó

why is it that she's so successful? — ¿cómo es que tiene tanto éxito?, ¿por qué tiene tanto éxito?

it was then that... — fue entonces cuando...

there is/are — hay

what is (there) in that room? — ¿qué hay en esa habitación?

there is nothing more beautiful — no hay nada más bello

is there anyone at home? — ¿hay alguien en casa?

there were six road accidents here last year — el año pasado hubo seis accidentes de tráfico aquí

there must be an explanation — debe de haber una explicación

let there be light! — ¡hágase la luz!

there are three of us — somos tres

there were three of them — eran tres

after the shop there's the bus station — después de la tienda está la estación de autobuses

how much was it? — ¿cuánto costó?

has the postman been? — ¿ha venido el cartero?

he has been and gone — vino y se fue

I have been to see my aunt — he ido a ver a mi tía

have you ever been to Glasgow? — ¿has estado en Glasgow alguna vez?

I've been to China — he estado en China

to be or not to be — ser o no ser