Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Spanish for Baccalaureate

Mrs. Doubtfire

A Story of a Divorced Family

Chris, Natty, and Lydia are torn between their divorced parents. They live with their responsible mother, Miranda, but desperately miss their fun-loving father, Daniel.

Daniel, a dedicated but childish man, struggles with keeping his house clean. Miranda wants the children to stay with her due to Daniel's uncleanliness and infrequent visits.

Desperate to see his kids, Daniel devises a plan. Miranda seeks a housekeeper to care for the children and the house. Daniel, seizing the opportunity, disguises himself as Mrs. Doubtfire, a charming and capable nanny.

Mrs. Doubtfire cares for the children daily, keeping the house immaculate. However, Miranda becomes suspicious. One day, she discovers Mrs. Doubtfire'...

Crime and Justice

Vocabulary

• Arrest
• Break the law
• Commit a crime
• Do community service
• Get away with (escape with)
• Get carried away (become enthusiastic, let oneself go)
• Give a sentence
• Go to court
• Go to prison
• Pay a fine
• Punish (sanction/penalize)
• Spend time in prison
• Treat fairly

People

• Criminal
• Judge
• Offender
• Victim
• Witness

Idioms

• Be above board (be honest and legal)
• Catch someone red-handed (catch someone in the act)
• Face the music (accept the consequences)
• Get to the bottom of (discover the truth)
• Keep your nose clean (stay out of trouble)
• Step out of line (disobey or fail to follow rules)

Phrasal Verbs

• Bring in (introduce)
• Cover up (conceal)
• Found out (discover)
• Let on (reveal information)
• Own up to (confess, admit)
• Set up (trap)
• Stamp out (eliminate)
• Stand up to (confront)

Common Expressions and Collocations with the Verb Do

• Anything (no hacer nada): My brother does not do anything in my house.
• A job (hacer un trabajo): My brother does a job with my friend.
• Badly (hacer mal): My brother does your homework badly.
• Nothing (no hacer nada): My father does nothing in my house.
• A burp (hacer un eructo): My brother does a burp after dinner.
• A painting (hacer un cuadro): My cousin does a painting in the afternoon.
• Business (hacer un negocio): My mother does business with my family.
• Right (hacer las cosas bien): My mother does right in my house.
• A course (hacer un curso): My brother does an English course.
• A service (hacer un servicio): The electrician does a service in the mall.
• Damage (hacer daño): My brother does damage to me.

Unit 4: Purpose and Action Phrases

• Claro sentido de la finalidad: A clear sense of purpose
• Ser aconsejable: Be to your advantage to
• Ser inútil para: Be useless at
• Resultar útil: Come in useful
• Con una finalidad: For a purpose
• Hacer un buen uso de: Make good use of
• Propósito de vida: Purpose in life
• Ponerte en desventaja: Put you at a disadvantage
• Entender el porqué: See the point of
• No tener mucho sentido: Seem a bit pointless
• Sacar el máximo partido: Take full advantage of
• Llega un momento en la vida: There comes a point in life
• Cubrir las espaldas: Cover your back
• Hincar codos: Get your head down
• Tener estómago para: Have the stomach for
• Vigilar a: Keep an eye on
• Fustigarse: Kick yourself
• Abalanzarse: Leap in
• Echar una mano: Lend a hand
• Antes de correr

Introduction: Some people claim that young people should obtain their driving license as soon as possible. In my country, the minimum age to drive is 18. Getting a driving license when turning 20 presents both advantages and disadvantages.

Arguments in Favor of Driving at 20

Let me start by saying that one significant advantage is the increased independence. On the one hand, being able to drive allows young adults to commute to university or work without depending on their parents for transportation. Furthermore, at age 20, individuals are generally more mature and better equipped to handle the responsibility associated with owning and operating a car.

Arguments Against Driving at 20

On the other hand, there are considerable disadvantages. For...

Communication Verbs

• Quiz somebody: Ask questions.
• Admit to something: Say something is true.
• Comment on something: Say something about it.
• Insist on something: It must happen.
• Doubt something: Unlikely to be true.
• Realise something: It becomes clear it is true.
• Convince somebody: Make someone do something using good reasons.
• Reject an idea: Refuse to accept it.
• Assume something: Believe it without asking why.
• Persuade somebody: Make them believe something is true.

Common Idioms and Expressions

• Have misgivings/second thoughts (about sth): Matrimonio.
• Be in two minds (about sth): Elección de algo.
• Come clean (about sth): Ser directo sobre algo.
• Get your wires crossed: Se te cruzan los cables.
• Jump to a conclusion: Concluir precipitadamente.
• Be dead set (against/

Essential English Modal Verbs and Usage

Expressing Obligation and Necessity

• HAVE TO: Obligation imposed by a rule or external factor. (Tener que hacer por obligación – Norma)
  • Example: Tienes que llevar uniforme al colegio.
• MUST: Strong personal obligation or necessity (internal feeling). (Tener que hacer sin obligación – Obligación personal)
  • Example: Le tengo que comprar un regalo a mi madre porque es su cumpleaños.
• NEED TO: Necessity. (Necesidad)
• MUST and HAVE TO: Can be used to give very strong advice.

Lack of Obligation and Prohibition

• DON'T HAVE TO: Lack of necessity or obligation. (No tienes por qué hacerlo)
• DON'T NEED TO / NEEDN'T: Lack of necessity. (No tienes necesidad de hacerlo)
• MUSTN'T (CAN'T): Absolute prohibition. (Prohibición absoluta)

English Grammar

Conditional Sentences

1. Zero Conditional: Present Simple – Present Simple.
2. First Conditional: Present – Future (will).
3. Second Conditional: Past Simple – would + infinitive.
4. Third Conditional: Past Perfect (had + past participle) – would have + past participle (ed or 3rd column).

Wish

• Wish + Past Perfect (regret).
• Wish + Past Simple (unhappy about).
• Wish + could + base form (future desire).

Causative (Have/Get)

• He paints his shoes – He has his shoes painted.
• I will be cutting my hair – I will be having my hair cut.
• He had been decorating his room – You had been having your room decorated.
• The prince is having his portrait painted (by the painter).

Passive Voice

• I have made a cake – A cake has been made (by me).
• I had made a cake

English Verb Tenses: Forms and Usage

This section provides a concise reference for forming common English verb tenses, including positive, negative, and interrogative structures.

Present Simple

• Positive: Base verb (add -s for third person singular)
• Negative: don't / doesn't + base verb
• Interrogative: Do / Does + subject + base verb?

Present Continuous

• Positive: am / is / are + verb-ing
• Negative: am not / isn't / aren't + verb-ing
• Interrogative: Am / Is / Are + subject + verb-ing?

Past Simple

• Positive: Verb-ed (regular verbs) / 2nd column (irregular verbs)
• Negative: didn't + base verb
• Interrogative: Did + subject + base verb?

Past Continuous

• Positive: was / were + verb-ing
• Negative: wasn't / weren't + verb-ing
• Interrogative: Was / Were + subject + verb-ing?

Present

Phrasal Verbs, Gerunds & Vocabulary (EN — ES)

Relationship Vocabulary (EN — ES)

• ask out: pedir salir
• be on the rebound: estar despechado
• be seeing: estar saliendo
• be through: romper
• break off: romper
• cheat on: engañar
• dump: romper (dejar a alguien)
• fancy: gustar
• have a crush on: tener un flechazo
• have a date with: tener una cita con
• have a row with: tener una discusión
• hurt: hacer daño
• on the rocks: en peligro
• split up with: separarse
• there are plenty more fish in the sea: hay más peces en el mar
• change your mind: cambiar de idea
• go stale: echarse a perder
• go through a rough patch: pasar un momento difícil
• long-term relationship: relación a largo plazo
• make a commitment: hacer una promesa / comprometerse
• run down: desprestigiar a alguien
• settle down: