set against 
 

make antagonistic
 

She likes to set people against one another.
A ella le gusta poner en contra a las personas.

set aside




 

1) put on one side
for use later on
 

She set aside her winter coat and took out her summer dress.
Puso a un costado su abrigo de invierno y sacó su vestido veraniego.

2) reserve
 

The hotel manager set two pleasant rooms aside for us.
El gerente del hotel nos reservó dos agradables habitaciones.

set back
 

delay
 

This situation will set back the project by many years.
Esta situación retrasará el proyecto por varios años.

set down 
 

deposit people, allow a passenger to get down or out

The bus stopped to set down an old lady..
El autobus se detuvo para dejar bajar a una señora mayor.

set in 
 

begin
 

When the fall (autumn) sets in, leaves turn reddish.
Cuando comienza el otoño, las hojas se vuelven rojizas.

set off














 

1) start on a journey, leave
 

What time did they set off?
¿A qué hora se fueron (de viaje)?

2) start a chain of events
 

The unpopular law set off a series of protests.
La impopular ley desencadenó una serie de protestas.

3) start someone doing something

The comedian set everyone off laughing.
El comediante empezó haciendo reir a todos.

4) contrast with, embellish
 

The pink wall helps to set off those green curtains.
La pared rosada ayuda a destacar esas cortinas verdes.

5) explode
 

Who set the firework off?
¿Quién hizo estallar los fuegos de artificio?

set on

 

order to attack

 

We will set our dogs on any intruders.
Prepararemos a nuestros perros para atacar a cualquier intruso.

set out 
 

start on a journey
 

We set out at daybreak yesterday.
Partimos al alba ayer.

set up




 

1) place in position, erect
 

They have set up a statue to Lennon in the park.
Han colocado un monumento a Lennon en el parque.

2) establish
 

He set up a special group of soldiers to guard him.
Estableció un grupo especial de soldados para protegerlo.

settle down 
 

become contented
in a new job or place

The family soon settled down in India..
La familia se adaptó pronto a la India.

settle for 
 

reluctantly accept
 

Since there were no strawberries, we had to settle for grapes.
Visto que no había fresas nos tuvimos que contentar con uvas.

settle in 
 

move in and become
used to

We will come to visit you after you have both settled in.
Iremos a visitarlos después que se hayan adaptado.

settle up
 

pay one's debts to
 

Mario won the lottery and was able to settle up all his debts.
Mario ganó la lotería y pudo pagar todas sus deuda.

shake out 
 

remove dust or dirt
by shaking

She picked up the blanket and shook the dust out.
Levantó la frazada y le sacudió el polvo.

shout down
 

stop from speaking
by shouting

The crowd shouted the speaker down.
La multitud gritó para que no se escuchara al orador.

show off




 

1) display
 

The hostess showed off her china dishes to the guests.
La anfitriona mostró su vajilla de porcelana a los invitados.

2) act ostentatiously
 

Don't show off so much. Try to be modest.
No te mandes la parte. Trata de ser modesto.

show up
 

arrive
 

I waited for him till noon and he showed up at 3 pm.
Lo esperé hasta el mediodía y apareció a las tres de la tarde.

shrug off
 

dismiss as unimportant
 

They attempted to shrug off their mistake.
Intentaron hacer pasar desapercibido su error.

shut up
 

stop talking (slang)
 

"Shut up and listen to your father", Paul's mother said.
"Cállate y escucha a tu padre", dijo la madre de Paul.

side with
 

support in a dispute
 

That was unfair. Why did you side with him?
Eso no estuvo bien. ¿Por qué te pusiste de su lado?

single out 
 

select from others
 

You have been singled out for a vacation in Barcelona.
Ha sido seleccionado para unas vacaciones en Barcelona.

sit out
sit through 

sit and endure
 

I had to sit out (sit through) the lecture without falling asleep.
Tuve que soportar sentado la conferencia sin dormirme.

sit up
 

not go to bed
 

I sat up all night waiting for you to come back.
Pasé en vela toda la noche esperando que regresaras.

size up
 

assess
 

I quickly sized up his financial situation.
Rápidamente estimé (calculé) su situación financiera.

sleep in
 

sleep later than usual
 

I'm sorry I'm late. I slept in.
Siento llegar tarde. Dormí más de lo acostumbrado.

sleep on
 

continue sleeping
 

She slept on after the phone had rung.
Ella continuó durmiendo después que sonó el teléfono.

slice up
 

cut into slices
 

The baker sliced up the loaf.
El panadero cortó en rebanadas el pan.

slip away


 

go or move quietly
or quickly

 

The party was so boring that Mirtha and I slipped away when nobody was watching.
La fiesta fue tan aburrida que Mirta y yo nos escabullimos cuando nadie miraba.

slow down
 

reduce speed, go more slowly
(separable when transitive)

The driver slowed down at the roundabout.
El conductor redujo la velocidad en la rotonda.

smooth over
 

improve, get rid of
difficulties, problems

We all tried to smooth over the difficult situation.
Todos intentamos mejorar la difícil situación.

soak up 
 

absorb
 

The big sponge soaked up all the water on the floor.
La esponja grande absorbió todo el agua del piso.

sort out 
 

organize, arrange or order
by classes or categories

It will take some time to sort out this mess.
Llevará cierto tiempo poner en orden este lío.

sound out 
 

try to learn someone's
opinions and intentions

We attempted to sound him out.
Intentamos tantearlo para conocer su opinión.

speak out
speak up 

speak loudly, clearly
 

Speak up!! We cannot hear you at the back of the room.
¡¡Hable más fuerte!! No le escuchamos en el fondo de la sala.

speed up
 

increase speed, accelerate,
move faster

He speeded up when he saw that he was being followed.
Aceleró cuando vio que lo perseguían.

spell out
 

say or write each letter
of a word

Will you please spell your last name out?
¿Puede deletrear su apellido?

spit it out
 

speak louder, tell everything (slang)

Spit it out and let us know the truth.
Dilo de una vez y cuéntanos la verdad.

split up


 

divide


 

OM Personal megaportal is split up into over 100 bilingual courses and tutorials.
El megaportal de OM Personal está dividido en más de 100 cursos y tutoriales bilingües.

spy out
 

discover by spying
 

He spied out the land and decided it was safe to proceed.
Espió el terreno y decidió que era seguro para avanzar.

stammer out 
 

stammer, speak not fluently
 

They stammered out their apologies.
Tartamudearon al disculparse. (Se disculparon tartamudeando).

stand by
 

support, be ready to help
or to act

I hope you will stand by me in case I need your help.
Espero que me apoyes en caso de necesitar tu ayuda.

stand down


 

resign from an important position, retire

 

The President voluntarily stood down in favor of the new candidate.
El Presidente renunció voluntariamente en favor del nuevo candidato.

stand for 


 

represent


 

What does OM stand for? O stands for Orlando and M stands for Moure, the first and last names of this megaportal's owner.
¿Qué significa OM? O significa Orlando y M representa Moure, el nombre y apellido del dueño de este megaportal.

stand in for
(someone) 
 

to substitute for someone;
to do someone’s job for them
when they are not there:

Your teacher is sick today, so I’m standing in for her.
Vuestra maestra está enferma hoy, por ello la estoy reemplazando.

stand out 
 

be prominent
 

Lucila is really smart and she always stands out in class..
Lucila es realmente lista y siempre se destaca en clase.

stand up
 

rise to one's feet
 

We all stood up when the ladies came into the club.
Todos nos pusimos de pie cuando las damas entraron al club.

stand up for
 

support
 

My boss criticized Eliana and nobody stood up for her.
Mi jefe criticó a Eliana y nadie salió a defenderla.

stand up to




 

1) face bravely (with people)
 

She will have to be brave and stand up to that situation.
Tendrá que ser fuerte y hacer frente a la situación.

2) withstand (with things)
 

This car will stand up to all kinds of strains.
Este automóvil soportará todo tipo de esfuerzos.

stay in 
 

remain at home
 

I'm staying in this evening. I have a lot of work to do.
Me voy a quedar en casa esta noche, Tengo mucho por hacer.

stay up 
 

remain out of bed
 

Diana stayed up all night reading my book.
Diana se quedó levantada toda la noche leyendo mi libro.

step down 
 

quit, resign, give up
or retire from a position

Mr. Ronson stepped down for health reasons.
El Sr. Ronson se retiró (renunció) por razones de salud.

step in
 

intervene
 

The government had to step in to save the business.
El gobierno tuvo que intervenir para salvar el negocio.

stick out for
 

insist on
(colloquial)

The men stuck out for better conditions of employment.
Los hombres insistieron en mejores condiciones laborales.

stick to
 

adhere to
 

The architect said that he would stick to the original plan.
El arquitecto dijo que se ajustaría al plano original.

stick up for 
 

defend, support
(colloquial)

Will you stick up for me at the trial?
¿Me defenderás (apoyarás) en el juicio?

stir up 
 

mix, move around
 

She stirred up the jam with a wooden spoon.
Ella revolvió la mermelada con una cuchara de madera.

stock up on
 

lay in supplies
 

We should stock up on every sort of exotic fruits.
Deberíamos abastecernos de todo tipo de frutas exóticas.

strike off
strike out 

cross out
 

Who struck my name off (out)?
¿Quién tachó mi nombre?

stumble across 
 

find accidentally
 

The explorers stumbled across an interesting fossil.
Los exploradores hallaron (descubrieron) un interesante fósil.

sum up 
 

summarize
 

The director summed up the interview in a few words.
El director resumió la entrevista en unas pocas palabras.

summon up
 

gather together
 

She attempted to summon up her courage and spoke.
Ella trató de juntar (hacerse de) coraje y habló.

survive on
 

survive using
 

During last summer, they had to survive on vegetables.
Durante el verano pasado tuvieron que vivir comiendo fruta.

switch off
 

prevent electricity, etc. from
flowing by turning a switch

Switch the lights off, please.
Apaga las luces , por favor.

switch on
 

allow electricity, etc.
to flow by turning a switch

She switched on the ceiling fan.
Ella encendió el ventilador de techo.