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

English Vocabulary and Grammar Notes

Question Words and Time Expressions

• Why: Porque
• Where: Donde
• Who: Quien
• What: Que, cual
• What time: A que hora
• What colour: De que color
• Whose: De quien
• How: Como
• How many: Cuantos
• How much: Cuantos
• How long: Cuanto tiempo
• How far: A que distancia
• How old: Que edad

Time References

• Now: At the moment
• Today: That day
• Tomorrow: The following day
• Yesterday: The previous day
• Next week: The following week
• Last week: The previous week
• Tonight: That night
• Ago: Before
• Here: There
• This: That
• These: Those

Modal Verbs and Auxiliary Usage

• May / Might: Maybe, perhaps, it's possible, I don't know if (also used with the participle).
• Could: Was able to, knew, managed.
• Must / Have to: It is your duty, it's compulsory/obligatory, oblige to.
• Mustn't / Can'

First of all. From my point of view. To begin with. That's why. Anyhow(de todas formas) Anyway (de cualquier manera) Meanwhile. Until then (hasta entonces) In short (en resumen) To sum up. After all (al fin y al cabo) All of sudden(de repente) As I pointed in (segun quedo indicado en) As far as i know (que yo sepa) It is strange that (es raro que) It just so happened that (da la casualidad que) it turns our that (resulta que) the way i see it( a mi modo de ver)

English Language Study Materials

Essential Vocabulary for City Life and Social Interaction

City Life Vocabulary

A collection of terms related to urban environments and municipal issues:

• Commute: viajar diariamente al trabajo
• Crime rate: tasa de criminalidad
• Gang: pandilla
• Graffiti: grafiti
• Green space: zona verde
• Homeless: sin hogar
• Litter: basura
• Low-income: bajos ingresos
• Mayor: alcalde
• Poverty: pobreza
• Residential area: zona residencial
• Slum: barrio bajo
• Suburb: suburbio (m), zona residencial (f)
• Traffic jam: atasco
• Unemployment: desempleo

Social Interaction Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs and adjectives used when discussing relationships and behavior:

• Considerate: considerado
• Feel left out: sentirse excluido
• Get along with: llevarse bien con
• In charge of: a cargo de
• Lend:

Environmental Vocabulary

• BAN: prohibir
• BRING BACK TO LIFE: devolver a la vida
• CAUSE: causar
• DESTRUCTION: destrucción
• DRILLING: extracción/explotación
• EXPOSE: exponer
• FOSSIL FUEL: combustible fósil
• GLOBAL WARMING: calentamiento global
• LANDSCAPE: paisaje
• OIL SPILL: fuga de petróleo
• RAISE MONEY: recaudar dinero
• RENEWABLE ENERGY: energía renovable
• RESTORE: restaurar
• SOURCE: origen/fuente
• TAKE ACTION: tomar medidas
• THREAT: amenaza
• WILDLIFE: flora/fauna

Grammar Vocabulary

• ACCOMPLISHMENT: logro
• DECLINE: disminución
• DEVELOPMENT: avance
• FREEDOM: libertad
• GOVERNMENT: gobernar
• KNOWLEDGE: conocimientos
• LAST: durar
• LEAD TO: llevar a
• LONG BEFORE: mucho antes de
• MAJOR: muy importante
• PLAY A ROLE: desempeñar un papel
• TAKE CONTROL: hacerse con el control
• TAKE PLACE: tener lugar
• TRADE:

English Vocabulary Builder

Addiction and Recovery

Addicted to, dependent on, fed up with: harto de, open to, sick of, hooked on, proud of, keen on: lamentar en, obsessed with, helpful to: útil para.

Dopamine, To quit a substance or a behavior: para dejar una sustancia o un comportamiento, withdrawal symptoms: síntomas de abstinencia, a life-threatening condition: una infección potencialmente mortal, nicotine patches, to have counseling: asesoramiento, to have a relapse: recaída.

Time

Arrived with, behind (junto a/ atrasado en), stay here for the time: quedarse aquí por el momento, by the time: por el momento, on time, at the time: en ese momento. It’s about time: ya es hora.

Travel

Beaten: alejado, we set at: partimos a: hit: ir: de tiendas,... Continue reading "English Vocabulary Builder: From Addiction to Travel" »

Formal Hotel Complaint Letter

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the room I stayed in last weekend at the London Hotel, located on Oxford Street.

Positive History with the Hotel

I have been to London for work on many occasions, and this is the hotel I usually choose because it is comfortable, quiet, the staff are very friendly, and the location is wonderful.

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to spend a couple of days in the city. I suggested this hotel, but unfortunately, my experience was not as pleasant as previous ones.

Issues Encountered During the Stay

We encountered two main issues during our stay:

• Incorrect Bed Type: We ordered a double bed but received a twin room. I informed reception immediately and requested a change,

English Verb Tenses: Forms, Usage, and Time Markers

1. Past Simple Tense

Forms: I walked, I didn’t walk, Did I walk?

Usage: Completed action in the past.

Time Markers: yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2007, when, then.

2. Past Continuous Tense

Forms: I was studying, I wasn’t studying, Was I studying?

Usage: An incomplete action in the past or an action interrupted by another action.

Time Markers: last night, last week, last year, at 4 o’clock, when, while, as.

3. Past Perfect Simple Tense

Forms: I had arrived, I hadn’t arrived, Had I arrived?

Usage: An action completed before another action in the past.

Time Markers: already, by the time, after, before, until, never, just.

4. Present Simple Tense

Forms: I go (he goes), I don’t go (she doesn’t... Continue reading "Complete Reference for English Tense Usage and Time Markers" »

Mastering the Past Tense of "To Have"

This practice set focuses on using the verb "to have" in the past tense (had) for affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. Improve your English grammar skills with these exercises.

Affirmative Sentences with "Had"

• I had brown hair (Yo tenía el pelo marrón)
• We had one car (Nosotros teníamos un coche)
• He had short hair (Él tenía el pelo corto)
• Mark had a dictionary (Mark tenía un diccionario)
• She had a boyfriend (Ella tenía un novio)
• You had two children (Tú tenías dos niños)
• They had a big house (Ellos tenían una casa grande)
• I had four brothers (Yo tenía cuatro hermanos)
• He had curly hair (Él tenía el pelo rizado)
• We had a computer (Nosotros teníamos un ordenador)

Negative Sentences with "Didn'

 2 ES la aaab RUTINAS; I get up at 6:50 am I make myself a cup of tea and I iron The rop I shower and dress. I usually wear pants, a t-shirt and sports shoes Then I enlist my tools to go to school in the afternoonRUTINA POR LA TARDE; Lunch at 11 a.M. I brush my teeth. Then I take the bus At 11:40. It takes about 50 minutes to arrive at my destination. I arrive at my School and immediately go to class.RUTINAS NOCHE at night I leave my school I go to the stop I have to wait for five To 10 minutes until the busy comes after I pick it up and I go home when I get Home first I eat I brush my teeth and at nine I start doing my homework QUIEN ES EL who is he cual ES EL:which is the QUE ES :what is it CUANDO FUE :when It was DONDE FUE :where wasCUANTO: