Essential English Vocabulary and Grammar Foundations

Key Vocabulary and Phrases

Phrasal Verbs

• build up: construir / desarrollar
• carry on: continuar
• get out of: salir de (un lugar) / evitar
• get over: superar
• hook up: enganchar / conectar
• join in: unirse
• let someone down: decepcionar a alguien
• live on: vivir con / subsistir con
• set up: configurar / establecer

General Terms & Concepts

• handle: encargarse de / manejar
• overwhelmed: abrumado
• reassurance: consuelo / tranquilidad
• well-being: bienestar

Idioms Related to Emotions & Conflict

• cool it: tranquilizarse
• blow your top: enojarse mucho / perder los estribos
• defuse a situation: calmar la situación
• fly off the handle: perder los estribos
• see red: enojarse mucho
• give someone a piece of your mind: regañar a alguien / decirle lo que piensas
• keep the peace: mantener la paz
• keep your cool: mantener la calma
• lose your temper: ponerse furioso
• take it easy: tomar las cosas con calma
• pour oil on troubled waters: calmar los ánimos
• throw a wobbly: ponerse histérico
• wind someone up: molestar a alguien / provocar a alguien

Adjectives & Nouns for Describing People

• big-headed: creído / engreído
• cheeky: descarado / atrevido
• fed up: harto
• friendliness: simpatía / amabilidad
• impolite: descortés

Phrasal Verbs for Relationships & Social Interaction

• believe in: creer en
• break up: romper una relación
• fall out with: enemistarse con
• look down on: menospreciar / despreciar
• look up to someone: admirar a alguien
• run into: encontrarse con / toparse con
• stand up to: hacer frente a / enfrentarse a

Environmental & Travel Terms

• bay: bahía / estacionamiento (parking bay)
• gather: recoger / reunir
• breeding grounds: criaderos / zonas de reproducción
• endangered species: especies en peligro de extinción
• environmentally friendly: ecológico / respetuoso con el medio ambiente
• global warming: calentamiento global
• greenhouse gas: gas de efecto invernadero
• human activity: actividad humana
• self-catering accommodation: alojamiento con cocina
• wildlife centre: centro de vida silvestre
• wilderness parks: parques naturales / parques de vida silvestre

Common Phrasal Verbs & Expressions

• be about to: estar a punto de
• be against: estar en contra de
• be all for: estar a favor de
• be out: estar fuera / no estar disponible
• be into: estar interesado en / gustar mucho
• be over: haber terminado
• be up to: depender de / estar a la altura de
• jump to conclusions: sacar conclusiones apresuradas

Crime-Related Vocabulary

• burglar: ladrón
• burglary: robo con allanamiento
• burgle: entrar a robar

Key English Grammar Concepts

Perfect Tenses

• Present Perfect Simple: have/has + verb (past participle)
• Present Perfect Continuous: have/has been + verb (-ing)
• Past Perfect Simple: had + verb (past participle)
• Past Perfect Continuous: had been + verb (-ing)

Conditional Sentences (If Clauses)

• Type 0 (Zero Conditional): Present Simple + Present Simple
  • Used for: General truths / scientific facts
• Type 1 (First Conditional): Present Simple + Future Simple (will)
  • Used for: Possible situations in the present or future
• Type 2 (Second Conditional): Past Simple + would/could + infinitive
  • Used for: Unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future
• Type 3 (Third Conditional): Past Perfect + would have + verb (past participle)
  • Used for: Past reference / unreal situations in the past

Causative Verbs

• Make: to obligate someone
  • Structure: make + object + infinitive (without 'to')
• Let: to permit someone
  • Structure: let + object + infinitive (without 'to')
• Have/Get (Causative): someone else does a job for you
  • Structure: have/get + something + past participle

Conditional Conjunctions

• Unless: equivalent to 'if not' (typically used in Type 1 conditionals)

Passive Voice Agent

• By: indicates who is doing the action in a passive sentence