Essential English Vocabulary and Grammar

Vocabulary

• Being admired by the people around you
• Being part of a loving family
• Doing really well in your studies or work
• Having enough money to live well
• Having friends
• Having a lot of time to spend on the things I love doing
• Living in a nice neighborhood

Achieve, Carry Out, and Devote

• Achieve: *conseguir/lograr* (It helped her to achieve her aim of improving her family's happiness)
• Carry out: *llevar a cabo* (Susan's concerns prompted her to carry out her own research)
• Devote: *dedicar* (We know devoting more time...)

Stay, Spend, and Pass

• Stay: *permanecer, estar tiempo* (I stayed 2 hours listening to the radio)
• Spend: *pasar/gastar* (I have spent my life studying)
• Pass: *pasar tiempo*

Make, Cause, and Have

• Make: *hizo que* (The bad sound made the film difficult to understand)
• Cause: *causó* (I caused problems)
• Have: *tener* (Your behavior will have an effect on the people)

Common Phrases

• Make/cause an accident
• Make a change
• Have an effect
• Have an impact
• Make/have the impression
• Cause/have a problem
• Cause trouble
• Make/have an excuse
• Make a decision
• Make a suggestion
• Make a promise
• Make a comment
• Make/have a choice (decision)
• Make a complaint (*queja*)
• Have an argument
• Have a conversation
• Have a meeting

Useful Words

• Awkward: *incómodo*
• Restlessly: *sin parar*
• To catch up face to face: *ponerse al día cara a cara*
• Meaner: *cruel*
• Commitment: *compromiso*
• Thrilled: *encantado*
• Astonished: *asombrado*
• Relatives: *familiares*
• Currently: *hoy en día*

Phrasal Verbs: Certainly a Possibility

• Must: 100% yes (He's studying a lot, he must be tired)
• Can't: (He's not studying, he can't be tired)
• May, might, and could: possibility (I'm not sure, I may go)
• Past: have + past participle

Vocabulary

Arrive

• Arrive home
• Arrive at
• Arrive in

Get

• Get to
• Adverb

Reach (*alcanzar*)

• Reach (no preposition)

Adverbs

• Finally
• In time: *antes de la hora o a tiempo*
• On time: *puntual*
• Safe and sound: *sanos y salvos*
• Shortly: *brevemente*
• Unannounced: *sin avisar*

Phrasal Verbs

• Head for: *dirigirse*
• Give away: *donar/regalar/dar algo*
• Set off: *salir de viaje*
• Come up with: *ocurrirse*
• Get rid of: *deshacerse/librarse*
• Try on: *probarse algo*
• Turn into: *convertir*
• End up: *terminar*
• Help yourself to: *servirse tú mismo*
• Regretful: *arrepentirse*
• Relieve: *alivio*

Phrasal Verbs: Shopping

• Fill in: *rellenar/llenar*
• Get into: *meterse*
• Put in: *ingresar*
• Run out of: *quedarse sin/liquidar*

Modals of Ability

• Present: can or be able to
• Past:
  • Could: in general (When she was a child she could...)
  • Was/were able to: specific situation (When the waiter brought the bill, I realized that I wasn't able to pay it)
  • Couldn't or wasn't able to: in general and in particular

Using 'Like'

• For examples
• To say 'similar to', especially after *be, seem, feel, look, sound, smell,* and *taste*

Connectors and Useful Phrases

They are neither pretty nor cute. // Moreover - *además* // Furthermore - *además* // Therefore - *por lo tanto* // Such as - *tal como* // On the one hand/on the other hand - *por un lado/por otro lado* // For this reason - *por esta razón* // Although - *aunque/a pesar de* // Whereas - *mientras* // In conclusion - *en conclusión* // In my opinion - *en mi opinión* // Considering - *considerando* // Her lack of - *su falta de...* // For bargains - *para gangas* // However - *sin embargo* // In spite of - *a pesar de* // From time to time - *de vez en cuando* // Also - *también* // Moreover - *además* // Instead of - *en vez de*

The less you sleep, the more tired you feel.

The more you wait, the more nervous you feel.

She is not nearly as good at cooking as you.

She is by far the best singer.

I opened the letter as soon as (*en cuanto*) it arrived.