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

La Primera República Española y el reinado de Amadeo de Saboya

Es una monarquía constitucional y democrática liberal cuyas características e importancia son las siguientes:

• Soberanía nacional, reconoce la mayoría democrática pero con límites para el poder real.
• División de poderes.
• Libertad religiosa, propugna sufragar los gastos del culto y clero.
• Amplia declaración de derechos y libertades personales y políticas.

Aprobada la Constitución, Serrano fue elegido regente y primer presidente de gobierno, quien inició la búsqueda de un rey, eligiendo a Amadeo de Saboya, quien a su llegada en 1871 se encontró con el asesinato de Prim.

Durante su reinado hubo 8 gobiernos y 3 elecciones generales, además del agravamiento de la guerra con... Continue reading "La Primera República Española y la Restauración Borbónica: Historia, Constitución y Sistema Canovista (1873-1902)" »

Essential English Vocabulary

Topic 1: Clothing & Accessories

Bracelet, cardigan, earrings, flip-flops, hair band, high heels, leggings, make-up, necklace, ring, sandals, sunglasses, tracksuit bottoms, tracksuit top, trainers, watch.

Topic 2: Places & Adjectives

Block of flats, bridge, building, car park, cottage, factory, farm, field, hill, housing estate, lake, motorway, pavement, river, village, wood.

Funny - hilarious / sad - miserable / hungry - starving / bad - awful / interesting - fascinating / frightening - terrifying / small - tiny / surprised - astonished / ugly - hideous.

Topic 3: Everyday Items

Bedroom, waiting room, credit card, Christmas card, desktop, laptop, headache, headphones, sun cream, sunglasses, wedding dress, wedding... Continue reading "Essential English Vocabulary: Expand Your Word Power" »

English-Spanish Vocabulary: City Life

Alley, callejón / Clear, despejar / Commute, desplazarse regularmente / Crime rate, tasa de criminalidad / Destroy, destruir / Equal, igual / Facility, servicio / Free of charge, gratis / Giant, enorme / Housing, vivienda / Isolation, aislamiento / Lack of, falta de / Land, terreno / Landmark, lugar famoso / Let in, dejar entrar / Litter, tirar basura / Mayor, alcalde / Neighbourhood, barrio / Overcrowding, superpoblación / Pavement, acera / Pay a fine, pagar una multa /

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" »