kind
Contrast: unkind
Direct opposite
Amable y considerado/a con los demás
“She's very kind and always makes new students feel welcome.”
English toolkit / B2.2 vocabulary / review draft 01
IDENTITY.
Personality, relationships, family roles and life stages: language for describing people and discussing how we live together.
84 entries8 topic areas28 consolidate · 56 extend
Consolidate Revisit familiar languageExtend Build your rangeEssentials first, then extensions within every section.
Personality
Describing what someone is like
shy
Contrast: outgoing
Contrast in social situations; not an exact opposite
Tímido/a; le cuesta relacionarse con otras personas
“I was shy at school, but I'm more confident now.”
patient
Contrast: impatient
Direct opposite
Paciente; capaz de esperar o afrontar dificultades sin enfadarse
“My brother is patient with people who are learning.”
honest
Contrast: dishonest
Direct opposite
Honrado/a; dice la verdad
“I'd rather have an honest friend than one who always agrees with me.”
outgoing
Contrast: reserved / shy
Social contrast; reserved does not necessarily mean shy
Extrovertido/a; disfruta conociendo gente y relacionándose
“My partner is more outgoing than I am.”
easy-going
Contrast: uptight
Informal contrast: relaxed versus easily worried or annoyed
De trato fácil; no se preocupa ni se enfada fácilmente
“She's easy-going, so sharing a flat with her is simple.”
open-minded
Contrast: closed-minded
Direct opposite
Dispuesto/a a considerar ideas y formas de vida diferentes
“My grandparents are surprisingly open-minded about relationships.”
stubborn
Contrast: flexible
Contrast about willingness to change a view
Terco/a; poco dispuesto/a a cambiar de opinión
“He's too stubborn to admit that he might be wrong.”
self-centred
Contrast: selfless
Contrast about how much someone considers others
Egocéntrico/a; se centra demasiado en sus propias necesidades
“He can be self-centred and rarely asks how anyone else is feeling.”
considerate
Contrast: inconsiderate
Direct opposite
Considerado/a; tiene en cuenta las necesidades de los demás
“It was considerate of you to check whether the noise was bothering us.”
Confidence & reactions
Feelings, behaviour and how we see ourselves
feel nervous
Contrast: feel calm
Contrast before an event
Sentirse nervioso/a ante algo
“I feel nervous when I have to speak to a large group.”
feel proud of
Contrast: feel ashamed of
Contrast about a specific action; not a judgment of personal worth
Sentirse orgulloso/a de alguien o algo
“She's proud of how independent her daughter has become.”
sensible
Contrast: foolish
Contrast about a decision or behaviour; foolish can sound critical
Sensato/a; muestra buen criterio
“Waiting until we could afford it was a sensible decision.”
sensitive
Contrast: insensitive
When sensitive means aware of other people’s feelings; other meanings differ
Sensible; se emociona o se siente herido/a con facilidad
“He's sensitive to criticism, so choose your words carefully.”
self-confident
Contrast: insecure
Contrast about confidence
Seguro/a de sí mismo/a y de sus capacidades
“I've become more self-confident since I started living alone.”
self-conscious
Contrast: at ease
Contrast: worried about how you appear versus comfortable
Cohibido/a; preocupado/a por cómo le ven los demás
“I feel self-conscious when people watch me dance.”
assertive
Contrast: passive / aggressive
Contrasts: not stating your needs / pushing them without respecting others
Asertivo/a; expresa sus necesidades y opiniones con seguridad
“You can be assertive and say no without being rude.”
feel left out
Contrast: feel included
Direct contrast about belonging
Sentirse excluido/a de un grupo o actividad
“I felt left out when everyone made plans without me.”
pleased / disappointed
Contento o satisfecho / decepcionado; contraste ante un resultado
“I was pleased with the course, but disappointed that it ended so soon.”
excited / bored
Entusiasmado / aburrido; contraste según el interés que despierta algo
“My sister was excited about the museum; I was bored after the first hour.”
relaxed / tense
Relajado / tenso
“I feel relaxed with close friends, but tense at big family gatherings.”
relieved / worried
Aliviado / preocupado; contraste antes y después de resolverse una preocupación
“I was worried when he did not answer, then relieved when he called back.”
hopeful / hopeless
Con esperanza / sin esperanza, al hablar de una situación; hopeless también puede significar muy malo haciendo algo
“I felt hopeless after several rejections, but the new interview has made me hopeful.”
grateful / ungrateful
Agradecido / desagradecido
“I was grateful for the offer, even though I could not accept it.”
Relationships & communication
Getting close, keeping in touch and handling disagreements
get on well with
Llevarse bien con alguien
“I get on well with my sister, although we're very different.”
keep in touch with
Mantener el contacto con alguien
“We still keep in touch with friends from school.”
trust someone
Confiar en alguien
“I trust her to keep our conversations private.”
have a lot in common
Tener muchas cosas en común
“We have a lot in common despite the age difference.”
drift apart
Distanciarse poco a poco
“We drifted apart after we moved to different cities.”
fall out with
Enfadarse o romper temporalmente la relación con alguien
“He fell out with his brother over money.”
make up with
Reconciliarse con alguien después de una discusión
“She made up with her friend after they talked things through.”
set boundaries
Establecer límites sobre lo que se acepta en una relación
“It's important to set boundaries, even with people you love.”
compromise
Llegar a un acuerdo cediendo ambas partes en algo
“We compromised and agreed to spend alternate weekends with each family.”
take someone for granted
No valorar debidamente a alguien porque se da por hecho que siempre estará ahí
“We sometimes take family members for granted until we need their support.”
get to know someone
Ir conociendo a alguien; descubrir cómo es
“We got to know each other while waiting for the same bus every morning.”
lose touch with someone
Perder el contacto con alguien
“I lost touch with my school friends when I moved away.”
rely on someone
Contar con alguien para recibir ayuda o apoyo
“I can rely on my neighbour to check on my cat when I am away.”
have an argument / talk things through
Tener una discusión / hablar de un problema con calma hasta entenderse; no son opuestos exactos
“We had an argument about the cleaning, but we talked things through that evening.”
Family & caring roles
Family structures, responsibilities and support
a relative
Un/a familiar; una persona de tu familia
“Most of my relatives live nearby.”
an only child
Hijo/a único/a
“I'm an only child, but I grew up close to my cousins.”
look after someone
Cuidar de alguien
“My father looks after my niece on Fridays.”
a single parent
Progenitor/a que cría a sus hijos sin pareja en el hogar
“As a single parent, she relies on support from her friends.”
a stepmother / a stepfather
Madrastra / padrastro; pareja de uno de los progenitores que no es el otro progenitor
“My stepfather has been part of my life since I was six.”
a blended family
Familia formada por una pareja y los hijos de relaciones anteriores, y a veces hijos en común
“In a blended family, new routines can take time to establish.”
bring up children
Criar y educar a los hijos
“They want to bring up their children to respect other people's choices.”
share caring responsibilities
Repartirse las responsabilidades de cuidar a otras personas
“My siblings and I share caring responsibilities for our mother.”
an unpaid carer
Persona que cuida de alguien que necesita ayuda sin recibir un salario por ello
“Many unpaid carers also have a paid job.”
Life stages & changes
Growing up, becoming independent and growing older
grow up
Crecer; pasar la infancia y la adolescencia
“I grew up in a small town near the coast.”
an adult
Una persona adulta
“As an adult, I understand my parents' choices better.”
move out
Dejar la vivienda en la que se vive, especialmente la de la familia
“I'd like to move out, but rent is expensive.”
childhood / adolescence
Infancia / adolescencia
“Our friendships often change between childhood and adolescence.”
middle-aged
De mediana edad
“More middle-aged people are going back to education.”
become independent
Adquirir autonomía para vivir o tomar decisiones
“Earning my own money helped me become independent.”
settle down
Empezar una vida más estable, a menudo en un lugar o con una pareja
“She travelled for years before deciding to settle down near her family.”
go through a major change
Pasar por un cambio importante
“Moving abroad means going through a major change in your daily life.”
stay active in later life
Mantenerse activo/a en las etapas más avanzadas de la vida
“My aunt wants to stay active in later life and keep learning new things.”
a toddler
Niño o niña que empieza a caminar; aproximadamente de uno a tres años
“When my nephew was a toddler, he wanted to do everything himself.”
a teenager / a young adult
Adolescente / adulto joven; etapas distintas, con límites variables según el contexto
“As a teenager, I wanted more freedom; as a young adult, I wanted to move out.”
retire / retirement
Jubilarse / jubilación
“My mother retired last year, but she still teaches a weekly art class.”
come of age
Alcanzar la mayoría de edad o llegar a la edad adulta, según el contexto
“Coming of age does not mean you suddenly know what to do with your life.”
a turning point
Un momento que cambia el rumbo de la vida o de una situación
“Moving abroad was a turning point: I became much more independent.”
Identity & belonging
Background, values and the groups we feel part of
belong to a group
Formar parte de un grupo
“I belong to a local walking group.”
a tradition
Una costumbre que se transmite entre generaciones
“Cooking together is an important tradition in our family.”
cultural background
Entorno cultural del que procede una persona
“Our different cultural backgrounds influence how we celebrate.”
upbringing
Crianza; la forma en que te educaron durante la infancia
“My upbringing taught me to value independence.”
personal values
Principios que una persona considera importantes
“Honesty and fairness are central to my personal values.”
a sense of belonging
Sensación de formar parte de un lugar o grupo y ser aceptado/a
“Speaking the local language gave me a stronger sense of belonging.”
fit in
Encajar; sentirse aceptado/a dentro de un grupo
“Teenagers sometimes change their clothes or interests to fit in.”
stay true to yourself
Ser fiel a tus valores y a tu forma de ser
“You can adapt to a new culture and still stay true to yourself.”
Roles & social expectations
Family expectations, gender and generational differences
be expected to
Se espera de alguien que haga algo
“In my family, everyone is expected to help with the housework.”
a generation
Conjunto de personas de una edad similar
“Each generation has its own ideas about success.”
gender roles
Funciones y comportamientos que una sociedad asocia a cada género
“Gender roles can influence who does the housework.”
social pressure
Presión social para actuar de una determinada manera
“Some people feel social pressure to get married.”
meet expectations
Cumplir las expectativas de otras personas
“It's exhausting to try to meet everyone's expectations.”
challenge a stereotype
Cuestionar una idea simplificada sobre un grupo
“Older athletes can challenge stereotypes about ageing.”
a role model
Persona que sirve de ejemplo por su conducta o sus logros
“My aunt is a role model because she started a new career at fifty.”
the generation gap
Diferencias de ideas y actitudes entre generaciones
“The generation gap can be noticeable in attitudes to privacy online.”
Bias & fair treatment
Recognising assumptions and discussing equality
treat someone fairly
Tratar a alguien de manera justa
“People should be treated fairly whatever their background.”
a stereotype
Idea simplificada y generalizada sobre un grupo
“The idea that all teenagers are irresponsible is a stereotype.”
prejudice
Prejuicio; opinión injusta sobre personas sin conocerlas bien
“People can face prejudice because of their accent.”
discrimination / discriminate against
Discriminación / tratar injustamente a alguien por pertenecer a un grupo
“Employers should not discriminate against older applicants.”
gender bias
Sesgo de género; tendencia a valorar o tratar de forma distinta según el género
“Gender bias can affect whose ideas are taken seriously.”
ageism
Prejuicios o discriminación por la edad
“Assuming that older people cannot learn new skills is a form of ageism.”
equal opportunities
Igualdad de oportunidades para acceder a recursos o progresar
“Equal opportunities matter in education as well as at work.”
Teacher review · possible trims
These five candidates remain in the glossary pending your decision. They are lower priorities, not incorrect or unusable language.
- become independent — Useful, but quite transparent and already illustrated in other entries; could become supporting language.
- go through a major change — Transferable, but less distinctive than the other life-stage entries; could sit in a model answer.
- stay active in later life — Useful for ageing discussions, but could move to Health to reduce overlap.
- meet expectations — Overlaps with be expected to and social pressure; a reasonable cut if this section feels too dense.
- take someone for granted — Communicatively useful, but less central than the core relationship verbs; an optional extension if the total needs reducing.
Counting rule: one card is one entry. Paired forms such as stepmother / stepfather count as one entry, so this is not a count of individual words.