Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Spanish for Other courses

1. The Canovas System and Its Foundations

1.1. Bases of the Canovas System

Cánovas' ideology drew inspiration from French doctrinal liberalism and Spanish moderatism. He advocated for a British-style system based on bipartisanship, where the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party would alternate in power and opposition.

This bipartisanship excluded Carlists and Republicans from the political system.

The intended peaceful alternation of power under Cánovas' system did not work as expected and became a facade. Both parties used pacts and a tacit agreement based on:

• Peaceful transfer of power
• Calling elections
• Electoral fraud

Electoral fraud involved caciquismo, encasillado, and pucherazo. Caciquismo refers to a pyramidal patronage network where high-...

Mastering Core English Grammar Concepts

This document summarizes essential English grammar points, including modal verbs, time expressions, pronouns, and imperatives, often contrasted with Spanish concepts for clarity.

1. Modal and Auxiliary Verbs

Modal verbs express necessity, possibility, ability, or desire. They are typically followed by the base form of the main verb (the infinitive without "to").

Modal Verb Meanings and Usage

• May: Expresses permission or possibility (poder por cosas).
• Can: Expresses ability or possibility.
• Would: Used for conditional statements or polite requests (often translated as gustaría when paired with 'like').
• Must: Expresses strong necessity or moral obligation (tengo que, obligación moral).
• Should: Expresses duty, recommendation,

English Verb Tenses: Usage & Keywords

Present Simple Tense

• Usage: Routines, habits, facts.
• Example: Juego (I play)

Present Continuous Tense

• Usage: Actions happening now, at the moment, this week, currently.
• Keywords: Now, at the moment, this week, currently, next month (for future arrangements).
• Note: Stative verbs (e.g., verbs of liking, feeling, knowing) are generally not used in continuous tenses.
• Example: Estoy jugando (I am playing)

Present Perfect Tense

• Usage: Actions completed at an unspecified time, or actions that started in the past and continue to the present. Often specifies duration.
• Keywords: Yet, already, just, since, ever, always, never, once, twice, times.
• Note: Since is often used with verbs of feeling to indicate duration.
• Example:

English Sentence Transformation Rules

Time Expressions: Ages and Years

Rule: It is + ages + since + subject + past simple

• Direct: I haven't seen a good film for years.
• Transformation: It's years since I last saw a good film.

Giving Advice

Rule: Had better + infinitive (without 'to') is equivalent to If I were you + conditional

• Direct: You had better enrol on this course.
• Transformation: If I were you, I would enrol on this course.

Conditionals, Wishes, and Regrets

Key structures for expressing regrets, preferences, and conditional situations:

• Conditional 2 & Unless: Used for hypothetical situations.
• I Wish / I Regret:
  • Direct: I wish I had been more careful.
  • Transformation: I regret not being more careful.
• Superlatives with Ever:
  • Direct: I have never heard

Present Simple

Do/Does-Preguntas vbos normales, ej. I usually get up at 7.00 o’clock, I love fish.->Always, usually, generally, regularly, occasionally, frequently, often, sometimes, rarely, seldom, never. In the morning/afternoon... at 6.30, on Mondays, every week, once a week, how often..?

Present Continuous

Are/Is/Am+ing ej. I am listening to music, This month he is living in Madrid.~>-Now, right now, at the moment, This year, at present, today, these days, this month, This evening, tonight, tomorrow, next. Friday/week/month.

Past Simple

Acciones completadas en el pasado ej. Mary bought a new car last week, We had dinner and watched a film.->-Yesterday, last week/year/month, three days ago, in 1989, in the 1970s, in the 19th century,...

Passive Voice

Present Simple

• Buy----is/are/am bought
• Is/are/am buying----is/are/am being bought

Past Simple

• Bought----was/were bought
• Was/Were buying ----was/were being bought

Present Perfect

• Have/has bought----Have/Has been bought
• Had bought----Had been bought

Future Simple

• Will buy----Will be bought
• Will be buying----will be being bought

Future Perfect

• Will have bought----Will have been bought

Going to Future

• Is/am/are going to buy----Is/am/are going to be bought

Conditional

• Would buy----Would be bought

Modal Verbs

• can/could/may/might/will/would/should/must/ought to/shall buy----Can... be bought
• Can... have bought----Can have been bought
• Have/Has to buy----Has/Have to be bought

Impersonal Passive

1. It+Passive verb+ That (sub sentence)
2. Subject+ Passive verb+ to (infinitive)

Mastering English: Phrasal Verbs, Jobs & Career Vocabulary

Common Phrasal Verbs and Their Meanings

• carry out (a study) (realizar un estudio)
• deal with (tratar con algo)
• embark on (embarcarse)
• get away with (salirse con la suya)
• get out of (escapar)
• hang on (esperar)
• lay off (despedir)
• look down on (mirar por encima del hombro)
• make up (constituir)
• pick up new skills (adquirir nuevas competencias)
• step down from a job (dimitir)
• take off (prosperar)
• try out (probar)
• work things out (que las cosas funcionen)
• cut out (recortar)
• draw up a list (elaborar una lista)
• fall out (discutir / pelearse)
• get on (progresar)
• give in (ceder)
• kick out (echar)
• lead on (engañar / dar falsas esperanzas)
• look up to (respetar)
• make up for (compensar)
• put off (aplazar)
• take in (adoptar)

1. Phone Call Vocabulary

Common Phrases

• Answer: responder
• Be careful: tener cuidado
• Break up: romper
• Caller: persona que llama
• Extension: extensión
• Get cut off: cortarse la llamada
• Hang up: colgar el teléfono
• Make a mistake: cometer un error
• Professional: profesional
• Put...on hold: poner en espera
• Put...through: pasar la llamada
• Repeat: repetir
• Ring: sonar
• Wrong number: número erróneo

2. Describing People

Personality Traits

• Angry: enfadado
• Friendly: amigable
• Funny: divertido
• Polite: educado
• Rude: maleducado
• Serious: serio

3. More Phone Call Phrases

Common Expressions

• Go out of the office: salir de la oficina
• Out of town: fuera de la ciudad
• Interference: interferencia
• Interrupt: interrumpir
• Leave a message: dejar un mensaje
• Leave a voicemail: dejar un mensaje de voz
• Line

Phrases to Begin

• Para empezar (To begin with)
• En primer lugar (In the first place)
• Como punto de partida (As a point of departure)
• La idea principal de (The main idea of...)
• El propósito principal de (The main purpose of; the goal of)

Phrases to Connect Ideas/Arguments

• Para continuar (To continue)
• Por un lado (On the one hand)
• Por el otro lado; por otra parte; en cambio (On the other hand)
• Mientras tanto (Meanwhile)
• Durante (During)
• Además (In addition; also, moreover)
• También (Also; too)
• Entonces (Then)
• Luego (Then)
• Después de + infinitive (After)
• Mientras (While)
• Y (And)
• Pero (But)
• Sino (But; rather)
• Sino que (But; rather)
• Sin embargo (Nevertheless)
• Aunque (Even though; even if; although)
• A pesar de + infinitive (In spite of)
• En realidad (In fact, in reality,

Essential English Language Skills & Vocabulary

Effective Communication Vocabulary

• Make contact / Get in touch: Ponerte en contacto
• Keep up to date: Mantenerse al día
• Speak fluently: Hablar fluidamente
• Use mainly slang: Usar expresiones características
• Become bilingual
• Have a strong accent
• Native speaker: Hablante nativo
• Mother tongue: Lengua madre
• Second language
• Discussion: Debate

Common Language Pitfalls & Similarities

False Friends

Words that look or sound similar in two languages but have different meanings.

• Advertise: (Not "advertir" - to warn)
• Argument: (Not "argumento" - a plot or summary)

Cognates

Words that have a common origin and similar meaning across languages.

• Dialogue: Dialogar
• Comment on: Comentar

English Idioms & Expressions

• She puts