Notes, abstracts, papers, exams and problems of Spanish

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" »

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)

Present Continuous

To talk about something that is happening at the moment we talk.

• I’m studying now (Yo estoy estudiando ahora)
• I’m it raining? (está lloviendo?)

Past Simple

To speak of a concrete action that began and ended in the past.

• Tom stayed at home last night. (Tom se quedó en casa anoche.)
• I didn’t go to the party yesterday. (No fui a la fiesta ayer.)

Future Tense

Going to

Expresses the duration of a past action and does not indicate if it is finished.

Will

Work to raise capital and start my own business

I will study some specialization or the French language.

According to projections, everything seems to indicate that in the coming years tourism will increase slowly.

Present Perfect

When do we use present perfect? ¿Cuándo usamos el presente... Continue reading "Spanish Grammar: Present Continuous, Past Simple, and Future Tense" »

Useful English Phrases for Writing

On the one hand, On the other hand, Although, However, In addition, Also, As well as.

Example Phrases for Movie Reviews

• The movie shows...
• It seems to me a fascinating film.
• You will enjoy it. I recommend it to everyone.

About Me, My Hobbies, and Future Plans

My name is G. I'm 16 years old. I live in Soria. I don't have any brothers. I am an only child.

I'm a very friendly person, and people say I'm quite shy. I enjoy sports and often play badminton after school and at weekends. However, my greatest love is technology, especially computers. When I grow up, I want to be a programmer and invent fun games. Now, in my free time, I hang out with my friends, go to the cinema, or watch TV.

My plans for the future are to study... Continue reading "Useful English Phrases, Personal Introduction, Memorable Event, and Thoughts on TV" »

Vocabulary of Minerals and Metals

Precious metals: silver, gold

Handmade jewelry: Pearl necklace, expensive watch; luxury clothing: fur coat, silk shirt; precious stone: diamonds, emeralds

Body Organs

Large intestine (intestino largo), small intestine (intestino corto), liver (hígado), pancreas (páncreas), lungs (pulmones), kidneys (riñones), bladder (vejiga), heart (corazón), brain (cerebro)

Vocabulary of Animals

A kind of animal or plant species (especies)

The place where an animal usually lives: habitat (hábitat)

Animals that kill other animals: predators (depredador)

An animal that other animals kill to eat: prey (presa)

To look for animals and kill them: hunt (cazar)

In nature, not controlled by people: wild (salvaje)

To keep safe from danger:... Continue reading "Vocabulary of Minerals, Animals, and Verbs" »

1. Verb Conjugation

• take
• will know
• pay
• will do
• doesn't attempt
• won't introduce

2. Regret and Wishes

• I wish I had not cheated on my exam
• I wish my parents would give me money to spend
• I wish I had not deleted an email
• I wish I had not told them I was too tired to go out

3. Conditional Sentences

• had been/would have told
• would not have been/had called
• went/would be
• would have been/had continued
• had known/wouldn't have had
• hadn't cheated/would have had

4. Spanish Examples

• Si tú no le hubieras dicho eso a David, todo estaría bien
• Sería más fácil si tú solo dijeras la verdad

5. Positive Character Traits

• bravery
• compassion
• generosity
• self-reliance
• fairness
• honesty
• loyalty

6. Examples of Incorrect Usage

• Two teenagers broke into the school and stole some laptops
• If you come