Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Spanish

Business English Essentials

Vocabulary Building

Acquire / Reject / Grow / Succeed / Benefit / Innovate / Flex / Operate / Profit / Increase / Fall / Install / Stress / Motivate / Create / Excite

Stressful / Lawyer / Responsibilities / Motivating / Employees / Illness / Communication / Training / Unnecessary / Recognize / Relationship (Relate) / Management / Performance

Grammar Practice

Modal Verbs and Expressions of Obligation

1. It’s not obligatory to wear a tie. You don't have to / needn't wear a tie. (Although, we could use "should").
2. This road is too bumpy. You shouldn't / mustn't drive so quickly.
3. Tomorrow is a holiday. We don't have to get up early in the morning.
4. You must drive on the right side of the road in England.
5. If you go sailing, you must

Mastering English Grammar & Vocabulary

English Tenses and Time Expressions

• Present Simple: Actions, habits, facts. (e.g., do/don't)
• Present Continuous: Actions happening now. (e.g., is/are + -ing)
• Present Perfect: Actions that started in the past and continue or have a result in the present. (e.g., have/has + past participle)
• Present Perfect Continuous: Actions that started in the past, continue up to the present, and emphasize duration. (e.g., have/has + been + -ing)
• Past Simple: Completed actions in the past. (e.g., -ed or irregular verbs)
• Past Continuous: Actions ongoing in the past. (e.g., I was working)
• Past Perfect: Actions completed before another past action. (e.g., I had worked)
• Past Perfect Continuous: Actions ongoing before another past

Marie Curie: A Pioneer of Radioactivity

Early Life and Education

Marie Curie was born in Poland in 1867. She pursued her passion for physics at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Marriage and Scientific Discoveries

There, she met Pierre Curie, a physics professor, whom she married a year later. Together, the Curies made groundbreaking discoveries, isolating the radioactive elements radium and polonium. Their experiments revolutionized scientific understanding of radioactivity.

Legacy and Impact

Marie Curie's research on radium and polonium revealed their potential to treat tumors, a discovery that has profoundly impacted cancer treatment. Her remarkable contributions to science earned her two Nobel Prizes. While her work with radioactivity benefited millions,... Continue reading "Marie Curie's Life, Legacy, and the Meaning of Friendship" »

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-... Continue reading "Understanding Spain's Political System: From the Canovas System to Opposition Movements" »

Spanish for Travel and Business

Common Travel Phrases

Me voy a Los Ángeles el lunes = I'm going to Los Angeles on Monday.

¿Vas a París por negocios? = Are you going to Paris on business?

Vuelvo a Londres en tren = I'm coming back to London by train.

Llego a Madrid justo después de medianoche = I'm arriving in Madrid just after midnight.

Business Interactions

¿Cuándo te reúnes con los trabajadores? = When are you meeting with the workers?

El nuevo ayudante llega a la oficina el martes y se queda dos semanas = The new assistant is arriving at the office on Tuesday and is staying for two weeks.

Llegaremos a Londres a mediados de mes = We are arriving in London in the middle of the month.

Él viajó a Londres el 22 de marzo = He traveled to London... Continue reading "Spanish Phrases for Travel and Business" »

Modal Verbs: Can, Will, and Shall

The Modal Verb "Can" (Ability and Possibility)

Se utiliza para expresar cosas que podemos o no podemos hacer (habilidad o posibilidad):

• Affirmative (AF): I can play the piano.
• Negative (NG): I can't play the guitar.
• Interrogative (INT): Can I play football?

Common Expressions with "Can"

Can you make it? (¿Puedes quedar?)

Used to ask if someone can attend an appointment or meeting.

Example: Can you make it at nine o'clock on Thursday?

Why can't you make it? (¿Por qué no puedes quedar?)

Can you tell the difference between...? (¿Distingues cuándo...?)

Example: Can you tell the difference between a mosquito bite and a flea bite?

Can you tell when someone...? (¿Distingues cuándo alguien...?)

Example: Can you tell when... Continue reading "Mastering English Modals, Past Tenses, and Adjectives" »

English Simple Present Tense Conjugation

Learn how to form positive, negative, and interrogative sentences in the simple present tense.

Technical English: Water & Electronics Terminology

Understand common verbs and prepositions used in technical contexts, especially for water and electrical systems.