____ the first floor?

In or on or at? Ugh! Prepositions! I know!

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-at-in-on-place.htm

Can you count bread?

(from esl.about.com)

Some uncountable nouns in English are countable in other languages. This can be confusing! Here is a list of some of the most common, easy to confuse uncountable nouns.

accommodation
advice
baggage
bread
equipment
furniture
garbage
information
knowledge
luggage
money
news
pasta
progress
research
travel
work

So maybe you want to quantify some of these nouns...how do you do it?

accommodation - a place to stay
advice - a piece of advice
baggage - a piece of baggage
bread - a slice of bread, a loaf of bread
equipment - a piece of equipment
furniture - a piece of furniture
garbage - a piece of garbage
information - a piece of information
knowledge - a fact
luggage - a piece of luggage, a bag, a suitcase
money - a note, a coin
news - a piece of news
pasta - a plate of pasta, a serving of pasta
research - a piece of research, a research project
travel - a journey, a trip
work - a job, a position

Buen Provecho, Bon Appetit, and in English??

It was 2005. I was sitting on a bench at lunchtime in Madrid eating a sandwich. Probably a sandwich de tortilla or jamón crudo. A man walked past me and said, "Bueplobetcho" or something equally indecipherable to my untrained Spanish ears. When I got home I asked Sra. de Manuel, whom I was staying with, what this man might have said. "He probably said Buen Provecho!" she told me.

And the question continues. "How do you say Buen Provecho in English?" Well, you don't...really. People know what "Bon Appetit" means but it's not commonly used. A waiter in a restaurant might say "Enjoy your meal" when he comes to your table with your food, but that is mostly because he wants a decent tip.

You might not believe the fact that we don't have our own phrase, but it's true. Read for further clarification:

from Epinions.com ID:
NetDanzr
Buen Provecho. A simple, two-word phrase that the English language does not seem to be able to cope with. Not only there is no literal translation, but all equivalents fall short as well. Pity, really, especially if you consider that most other languages have their own version of the expression. "Guten Appetit," say the Germans. "Bon Appetit" is the French term. Smaller languages are not left behind, either. Slovak, which is spoken by fewer people than there is English-speakers in the New York metro area say "Dobru chut." It all means the same - wishing that the person you told it to finds the meal tasty, pleasing and enjoyable. Even beneficial, were we to follow the literal translation of "provecho". As it happens, English is the only major language that does not have such a phrase.

This vs. These

Ok guys. I've seen this mistake one too many times! Let's learn it today and learn it forever...

this is singular. this computer, this folder, this cell phone

these is plural. these keys, these games, these medialunas (Forgive me, I'm hungry.)

And they sound different, too!

Listen: this

Listen: these

Goose bumps!

It's a bit chilly in BsAs! And one of those grey, damp days that might give you goose bumps when you walk outside!

I also get goose bumps when I read travel books about places I dream of going. What gives you goose bumps?

Runoff

Sunday's election and aftermath has certainly been interesting for me. I think I have been more intrigued by it than any U.S. election in my (somewhat short) lifetime.

I also learned the French word ballottage and that saying "balotaje" is just "not very cool" according to some.

In English? It's called a runoff election. So happy voting on the 31st to all of you whose address lies within C.A.B.A.