VERB BE

The verb be takes on different forms in

the present and past.

I-He-She-It-You-They-we

Present

Am-is-are

Past

Was-were

*The verb be indicates existence, temporary condition or

permanent status.

It is really hot today.

Grady's not here right now.
Greg and Tim are engineers.
Trudy was sick yesterday.
Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean.
*The base form is be, the past participle is been, and the
-ing form is being.

I'll be back tomorrow.

He has been a doctor since 1998.
She is being nice today.

*The verb be is also used in progressive tenses, passives

and prepositional collocations :

Progressive tenses:

He is writing a letter to his brother.

Jeff was cleaning the house this morning.
The Holleys have been living there since April.

Passive voice:

The people were surprised by the news.

Craig was stopped by the policeman.
Prepositional collocations:
Tracy is fond of chocolates.
Cassie is not afraid of snakes.
 I'm interested in making money.

Exercises: http://a4esl.org/q/j/jb/mc-be.html

Pronouns

1. three persons (points of view)

1st person - the one(s) speaking (I me my mine we us our ours)

2nd person - the one(s) spoken to (you your yours)
3rd person - the one(s) spoken about (he him his she her hers it
its they their theirs)

2. three genders

feminine (she her hers)

masculine (he him his)
neuter (it its they them their theirs)

3. two numbers

singular (I me my mine you your yours he him his she her

hers it its)
plural (we us our ours you your yours they them their theirs)

4. three cases

subjective (I you he she it we they)

possessive (my mine your yours his her hers our ours their
theirs)
objective (me you him her it us them)
Personal Pronouns
When a pronoun and a noun are combined (which will happen with the
plural first- and second-person pronouns), choose the case of the
pronoun that would be appropriate if the noun were not there.
We students are demanding that the administration give us two
hours for lunch.
The administration has managed to put us students in a bad
situation.
With the second person, we don't really have a problem because the
subject form is the same as the object form, "you":
"You students are demanding too much."
 "We expect you students to behave like adults."
Among the possessive pronoun forms, there is also what is called the
nominative possessive: mine, yours, ours, theirs.
Look at those cars. Theirs is really ugly; ours is beautiful.
This new car is mine.
Mine is newer than yours.
Demonstrative Pronouns
The family of demonstratives (this/that/these/those/such) can behave
either as pronouns or as determiners.
That is incredible! (referring to something you just saw)
I will never forget this. (referring to a recent experience)
Such is my belief. (referring to an explanation just made)
As determiners, the demonstratives adjectivally modify a noun that
follows. A sense of relative distance (in time and space) can be
conveyed through the choice of these pronouns/determiners:
These [pancakes sitting here now on my plate] are delicious.
Those [pancakes that I had yesterday morning] were even better.
This [book in my hand] is well written; that [book that I'm pointing
to, over there, on the table] is trash.
A sense of emotional distance or even disdain can be conveyed with the
demonstrative pronouns:
You're going to wear these?
This is the best you can do?
Pronouns used in this way would receive special stress in a spoken
sentence.
When used as subjects, the demonstratives, in either singular or plural
form, can be used to refer to objects as well as persons.
This is my father.
That is my book.
In other roles, however, the reference of demonstratives is non-
personal. In other words, when referring to students, say, we could write
"Those were loitering near the entrance during the fire drill" (as long as
it is perfectly clear in context what "those" refers to). But we would not
write "The principal suspended those for two days"; instead, we would
have to use "those" as a determiner and write "The principal suspended
those students for two days."
Relative Pronouns: The relative pronouns (who/whoever/which/that)
relate groups of words to nouns or other pronouns (The student who
studies hardest usually does the best.). The word who connects or
relates the subject, student, to the verb within the dependent clause
(studies).
The expanded form of the relative pronouns whoever, whomever,
whatever are known as indefinite relative pronouns. A couple of
sample sentences should suffice to demonstrate why they are called
"indefinite":
The coach will select whomever he pleases.
He seemed to say whatever came to mind.
Whoever crosses this line first will win the race.
What is often an indefinite relative pronoun:
She will tell you what you need to know.
Indefinite Pronouns: The indefinite pronouns
(everybody/anybody/somebody/all/each/every/some/none/one) do not
substitute for specific nouns but function themselves as nouns
(Everyone is wondering if any is left.)
One of the chief difficulties we have with the indefinite pronouns lies in
the fact that "everybody" feels as though it refers to more than one
person, but it takes a singular verb. (Everybody is accounted for.) If you
think of this word as meaning "every single body," the confusion usually
disappears. The indefinite pronoun none can be either singular or plural,
depending on its context. None is nearly always plural (meaning "not
any") except when something else in the sentence makes us regard it as
a singular (meaning "not one"), as in "None of the food is fresh." Some
can be singular or plural depending on whether it refers to something
countable or non-countable. Refer to the section on Pronoun
Consistency for help on determining the number of the indefinite
pronouns (and the number [singular/plural] of the verbs that accompany
them). There is a separate section on the uses of the pronoun one.
There are other indefinite pronouns, words that double as Determiners:
enough, few, fewer, less, little, many, much, several, more, most, all,
both, every, each, any, either, neither, none, some
Intensive Pronouns: The intensive pronouns (such as myself, yourself,
herself, ourselves, themselves) consist of a personal pronoun plus self or
selves and emphasize a noun. (I myself don't know the answer.) It is
possible (but rather unusual) for an intensive pronoun to precede the
noun it refers to. (Myself, I don't believe a word he says.)
Reflexive Pronouns: The reflexive pronouns (which have the same
forms as the intensive pronouns) indicate that the sentence subject also
receives the action of the verb. (Students who cheat on this quiz are
only hurting themselves. You paid yourself a million dollars? She
encouraged herself to do well.) What this means is that whenever there
is a reflexive pronoun in a sentence there must be a person to whom
that pronoun can "reflect." In other words, the sentence "Please hand
that book to myself" would be incorrect because there is no "I" in that
sentence for the "myself" to reflect to (and we would use "me" instead
of "myself"). A sentence such as "I gave that book to myself for
Christmas" might be silly, but it would be correct.
Be alert to a tendency to use reflexive pronoun forms (ending in -self)
where they are neither appropriate nor necessary. The inappropriate
reflexive form has a wonderful name: the untriggered reflexive. "Myself"
tends to sound weightier, more formal, than little ol' me or I, so it has a
way of sneaking into sentences where it doesn't belong.
Bob and myself I are responsible for this decision.
These decisions will be made by myself me.
If you have any questions, please contact myself me or Bob Jones.
The indefinite pronoun (see above) one has its own reflexive form ("One
must have faith in oneself."), but the other indefinite pronouns use
either himself or themselves as reflexives. (There is an entire page on
the pronoun one.) It is probably better to pluralize and avoid the clumsy
himself or herself construction.
No one here can blame himself or herself.
The people here cannot blame themselves.
Interrogative Pronouns: The interrogative pronouns (who/which/what)
introduce questions. (What is that? Who will help me? Which do you
prefer?) Which is generally used with more specific reference than what.
If we're taking a quiz and I ask "Which questions give you the most
trouble?", I am referring to specific questions on that quiz. If I ask "What
questions give you most trouble"? I could be asking what kind of
questions on that quiz (or what kind of question, generically, in general)
gives you trouble. The interrogative pronouns also act as Determiners: It
doesn't matter which beer you buy. He doesn't know whose car he hit. In
this determiner role, they are sometimes called interrogative adjectives.
Like the relative pronouns, the interrogative pronouns introduce noun
clauses, and like the relative pronouns, the interrogative pronouns play
a subject role in the clauses they introduce:
We know who is guilty of this crime.
I already told the detective what I know about it.
Reciprocal Pronouns: The reciprocal pronouns are each other and one
another. They are convenient forms for combining ideas. If Bob gave
Alicia a book for Christmas and Alicia gave Bob a book for Christmas, we
can say that they gave each other books (or that they gave books to
each other).
 My mother and I give each other a hard
time.
If more than two people are involved (let's say
a whole book club), we would say that they
gave one another books. This rule (if it is one)
should be applied circumspectly. It's quite
possible for the exchange of books within this
book club, for example, to be between
individuals, making "each other" just as
appropriate as "one another."
Reciprocal pronouns can also take possessive forms:
They borrowed each other's ideas.
The scientists in this lab often use one another's equipment.
Possessive Adjectives
Los adjetivos posesivos en ingls son: my, your, his, her, its, our, your,
their. Hacen referencia a quien posee y no a lo posedo. En general
preceden a sustantivos. Aqu encontrars ejemplos traducidos al
espaol.
my (mi) - mi, mis
your (ir) - tu, tus / su, sus (de usted)
his (jis) - su, sus (de l)
her (jer) - su, sus (de ella)
its (its) - su, sus (de algo)
our (uar) - nuestro/a/os/as
your (ir) - su, sus (de ustedes/vosotros)
their (dr) - su, sus (de ellos/as)
my (mi) - mi, mis
I am a teacher. I like my job.
I live with my girlfriend in New York.
On Sundays I play tennis with my friends.
your (ir) - tu, tus / su, sus (de usted)
What is your name?
Do you like your job?
You work here, and your wife works here too.
Can you give me your opinion about this?
his (jis) - su, sus (de l)
Bill washes his car every day.
Jack lives here, with his parents.
 He is painting his house.
He wants to sell his car.
her (jer) - su, sus (de ella)
Mary went to her English class yesterday.
She is sad because her teachers are very strict.
Sarah is married. Her husband works with me.
Diana still lives with her parents.
its (its) - su, sus (de algo)
This car has a hole in its roof.
We are studying Japan and its culture.
New York is famous for its exciting nightlife.
The government announced its goals for this year.
our (uar) - nuestro/a/os/as
The Earth is our planet.
We cook our own meals.
We don't want to spend all our money.
We live with our parents.
your (ir) - su, sus (de ustedes/vosotros)
You all love your country.
You all have to make your own decisions.
I want to thank you all for your help.
You are my parents and I am your son.
their (dr) - su, sus (de ellos/as)
Our neighbors are painting their house.
Grandparents usually love their grandchildren.
I saw Sally and John with their children.
Most Americans love their cars.

Play
Play Este libro es
mo/s, ma/s
This book mo.
Mine
is mine

tuyo/s, Este libro

Play tuya/s, Play es tuyo? /
suyo/s, Este libro
Yours suya/s Is this es suyo?
book
 yours?

Play
suyo/s, Esta
Play
suya/s This bicicleta es
His (de el) bicycle de l.
is his.

suyo/s, Play
Play El vestido es
suya/s
The dress de ella.
Hers (de ella)
is hers.

Play
La casa es
Play
su, sus The house suya (del
Its is its(the gato).
cat's).

Play
Las maletas
Play nuestro/s,
The son
nuestra/s
Ours suitcases nuestras.
areours.

Estos
vuestro/a, Play asientos son
Play vuestros/as, vuestros.
suyo/s, These Estos
Yours suya/s seats asientos son
areyours. suyos.

suyo/a, Play
Play Este lpiz es
suyos/as (de
ellos) This pencil de ellos.
Theirs
istheirs.

Exercises:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-
exercise-possessive-adjectives.php#.VQH6i_mG8b0
 A/an

Excepciones
Hay palabras que empiezan con una consonante pero el primer
SONIDO de la palabra es un sonido vocal.

an hour (No se pronuncia la "h" en esta palabra.)

Tambin hay palabras que empiezan con una vocal pero el primer
SONIDO de la palabra es un sonido consonante.

a university (Pronunciamos esta palabra como si empezara con la

letra "y" que es un sonido consonante.)

1. bank (un banco)

2. hospital (un hospital)

3. elephant (un elefante)

4. desk (un escritorio)

5. school (una escuela)

6. umbrella (un

paraguas)

7. city (una ciudad)

8. beach (una playa)

9. island (una isla)

10. order (una orden)

11. house (una casa)

12. antenna (una

antena)

13. computer (una

computadora)

14. university (una

universidad) *

15. hour (una hora) *

Exercises: http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/ejercicios-articulos-indefinidos-
a-an/

Plurals

Plural nouns forms:

The plural form of most nouns is created simply by adding the letter s.

more than one snake = snakes

more than one ski = skis
more than one Barrymore = Barrymores

Words that end in -ch, x, s or s-like sounds, however, will require an -es for
the plural:

more than one witch = witches

more than one box = boxes
more than one gas = gases
more than one bus = buses
more than one kiss = kisses
more than one Jones = Joneses

And, finally, there are nouns that maintain their Latin or Greek form in the
plural. (See media and data and alumni, below.)

more than one nucleus = nuclei

more than one syllabus = syllabi
more than one focus = foci
more than one fungus = fungi
 more than one cactus = cacti (cactuses is acceptable)
more than one thesis = theses
more than one crisis = crises*
more than one phenomenon = phenomena
more than one index = indices (indexes is acceptable)
more than one appendix = appendices (appendixes is acceptable)
more than one criterion = criteria

EXAMPLES

Singular Plural

boat boats

house houses

cat cats

river rivers

A noun ending in s, x, z, ch, sh makes the plural by adding-es.

EXAMPLES

Singular Plural

bus buses

wish wishes

pitch pitches

box boxes

A noun ending in a consonant and then y makes the plural by dropping the y and adding-ies.
EXAMPLES

Singular Plural

penny pennies

spy spies

baby babies

city cities

daisy daisies

IRREGULAR NOUNS
There are some irregular formations for noun plurals. Some of the most common ones are listed
below.

EXAMPLES

Singular Plural

woman women

man men

child children

tooth teeth

foot feet

person people
Singular Plural

leaf leaves

mouse mice

goose geese

half halves

knife knives

wife wives

life lives

elf elves

loaf loaves

potato potatoes

tomato tomatoes

cactus cacti

focus foci

fungus fungi

nucleus nuclei

syllabus syllabi/syllabuses
 Singular Plural

analysis analyses

diagnosis diagnoses

oasis oases

thesis theses

crisis crises

phenomenon phenomena

criterion criteria

datum data

Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural.

EXAMPLES

Singular Plural

sheep sheep

fish fish

deer deer

species species

aircraft aircraft
 IRREGULAR VERB/NOUN AGREEMENT
Some nouns have a plural form but take a singular verb.

Plural nouns used with a singular verb Sentence

news The news is at 6.30 p.m.

athletics Athletics is good for young people.

linguistics Linguistics is the study of language.

darts Darts is a popular game in England.

billiards Billiards is played all over the world.

IRREGULAR PLURALS

foot-feet (pie-pies)
tooth-teeth ( diente- dientes)
man- men (hombre-hombres)
woman - women (mujer- mujeres)
child-children (nio-nios)
mouse-mice (raton- ratones)
ox- oxen (buey-bueyes)
goose- geese (oca- ocas)
louse-lice (piojo- piojos)
person-people ( persona- personas)
sheep-sheep (oveja)

Noun type Forming the plural Example

Change f to v knife knives

Ends with -fe then life lives
Add -s wife wives

Ends with -f Change f to v half halves

then wolf wolves
 Noun type Forming the plural Example

Add -es loaf loaves

potato potatoes
Ends with -o Add -es tomato tomatoes
volcano volcanoes

cactus cacti
ends with -us Change -us to -i nucleus nuclei
focus foci

analysis analyses
ends with -is Change -is to -es crisis crises
thesis theses

phenomenon phenomena
ends with -on Change -on to -a
criterion criteria

man men
Change the vowel
foot feet
or
child children
ALL KINDS Change the word
person people
or
tooth teeth
Add a different ending
mouse mice

sheep
Singular and plural
Unchanging deer
are the same
fish (sometimes)
Exercises: http://www.cristinacabal.com/children/plurals0.htm

Present simple

Para conjugar el presente simple usamos el inifinitivo para los

sujetos "I", "you", "we" y "they" y para las terceras personas
"he", "she" y "it", aadimos un "-s" al final del verbo.

talks, eats, learns, watches,

He, She, It
does, goes...
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + verbo principal.

I talk. (Yo hablo.)

He eats. (l come.)
They learn. (Ellos aprenden.)
2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar ("to do") + auxiliar negativo
("not") + verbo principal.

I do not [don't] talk. (Yo no hablo.)

He does not [doesn't] eat. (l no come.)
They do not [don't] learn. (Ellos no aprenden.)
3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
Verbo auxiliar ("to do") + sujeto + verbo principal

Do you talk? (Hablas t?)

Does he eat? (Come l?)
Do they learn? (Aprenden ellos?)

1.El presente simple se utiliza para hablar de cosas que

suceden habitualmente. A diferencia con el espaol, no se
usa el presente simple para hablar sobre algo que est
pasando en el momento en el que hablamos.

I always talk to my mother on Sundays. (Siempre hablo

con mi madre los domingos.)

He never eats vegetables. (Nunca come las verduras.)

They learn something new in class.

They usually learn something new in class. (Normalmente

aprenden algo nuevo en la clase.)

Excepcin: Los adverbios de tiempo van delante del verbo,

excepto el verbo "to be" (ser/estar). Cuando se usa "to be" el
verbo va delante del adverbio.

I am always happy. (Siempre estoy contento.)

He is often sick. (A menudo l est enfermo.)

They are rarely late. (En raras ocasiones llegan tarde.)

2.Se utiliza para hablar de generalidades o hechos cientficos.

 He does not [doesn't] eat vegetables. (l no come
verduras.)

She works in a hospital. (Ella trabaja en una hospital.)

Elephants live in Africa. (Los elefantes viven en frica.)

Bogota is in Colombia. (Bogot est en Colombia.)

Do children like animals? (Les gustan a los nios los

animales?)

Adults do not [don't] know everything. (Los adultos no lo

saben todo.)

3.Se usa para eventos programados en el futuro prximo.

The train leaves at 10:00. (El tren sale a las 10h.)

The party is tonight. (La fiesta es esta noche.)

Does the festival start tomorrow? (Empieza el festival

maana?)

The plane does not [doesn't] arrive today. (El avin no

llega hoy.)

4.Se usa para instrucciones (el imperativo).

Open the window. (Abre la ventana.)

Eat the vegetables. (Come las verduras.)

Don't cry. (No llores.)

Do your homework. (Haz los deberes.)

Call your mother. (Llama a tu madre.)

Exercises: http://www.curso-ingles.com/ejercicios-test-ingles/psimple.php
 A/an + Jobs

a / an + jobs (2)
Complete the sentences with one word.

1. Is she engineer?

2. I work an international company.

3. Are you school?

4. Do you work an office?

5. We're university.

6. She's shop assistant.

The Time

Podemos decir los nmeros tal cual:

Playten twenty (10:20)

Playtwo fifteen (2:15)
Playfive forty-five(5:45)

Para decir las horas en punto podemos decir:

Playnine or nine o'clock (nueve en punto)

Playtwelve or twelve o'clock (doce en punto)

Pero no podemos decir:

six-thirty o'clock

No se utiliza oralmente el reloj de 24 horas. Para diferenciar la

maana de la tarde podemos decir si es la maana o la tarde o
se emplea "am" y "pm".

Four [o'clock] in the morning / 4am (4:00)

Five [o'clock] in the afternoon / 5pm (17:00)

Otra maneras de decir la hora son las siguientes:

 One o'clock (1:00)
7am (7:00)
3pm (15:00)
ten past [after] five (5:10/17:10)
quarter past [after] six (6:15/18:15)
half past eight / eight thirty (8:30/20:30)
twenty to eleven (10:40/22:40)
quarter to twelve (11:45/23:45)

Nota: En ingls britnico se dice "quarter

past" o "half past" y en ingls americano
"quarter after" o "thirty" (no se dice "half
after").

Preguntar y decir la hora:

What time is it? (Qu hora es?)

What's the time? (Qu hora es?)
Answer : It's ... (Es la... /Son las...)

Adverbs of Frequency

We use some adverbs to describe how frequently we do an activity.

These are called adverbs of frequency and include:

Frequency Adverb of Frequency Example Sentence

100% always I always go to bed before 11pm.

90% usually I usually have cereal for breakfast.

80% normally / generally I normally go to the gym.

70% often* / frequently I often surf the internet.

50% sometimes I sometimes forget my wife's birthday.

30% occasionally I occasionally eat junk food.

10% seldom I seldom read the newspaper.

5% hardly ever / rarely I hardly ever drink alcohol.

 0% never I never swim in the sea.

* Some people pronounce the 'T' in often but many others do not.

The Position of the Adverb in a Sentence

An adverb of frequency goes before a main verb (except with To

Be).

Subject + adverb + main verb

I always remember to do my homework.

He normally gets good marks in exams.

An adverb of frequency goes after the verb To Be.

Subject + to be + adverb

They are never pleased to see me.

She isn't usually bad tempered.

When we use an auxiliary verb (have, will, must, might, could,

would, can, etc.), the adverb is placed between the auxiliary and
the main verb. This is also true for to be.

Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb

She can sometimes beat me in a race.

I would hardly ever be unkind to someone.

They might never see each other again.

They could occasionally be heard laughing.

We can also use the following adverbs at the start of a sentence:

Usually, normally, often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

Occasionally, I like to eat Thai food.

BUT we cannot use the following at the beginning of a

sentence:

Always, seldom, rarely,

hardly, ever, never.

We use hardly
ever and never with
positive, not negative
verbs:

She hardly
ever comes to my
parties.

They never say 'thank you'.

We use ever in questions and negative statements:

Have you ever been to New Zealand?

I haven't ever been to Switzerland. (The same as 'I have

never been Switzerland').

We can also use the following expressions when we want to be

more specific about the frequency:

- every day - once a month - twice a year - four times a day -

every other week

Can/Cant

Pronoun / name + can + action verb + Complement

Ntese que estas oraciones a pesar de que estn formuladas

como presente simple, no se cambia el verbo en la tercera
persona del singular (He, She, It). En los siguientes ejemplos se
puede ver esta explicacin:
 He can work today.
He can works today. X
She can wash the dishes.
She can washes the dishes.X
It can play videos.
It can plays videos.X

Pronoun / name + can't + action verb + Complement

Este tipo de oraciones de naturaleza negativa conserva las

propiedades del verbo de accin que las oraciones afirmativas,
es decir, el verbo no cambia en funcin de la persona de quien
se hable.

Nota: Es muy comn en el ingls (al hablar y escribir) usar la

contraccin "Can't" en lugar de "Cannot".

Para preguntas de "Can":

Can + Pronoun / name + action verb + Complement?

Ahora que hemos visto la forma correcta de estructurar estas

oraciones, volvamos al principio para explicar en qu consisten
cada una de las 4 formas en que podemos usar "Can" y "Can't".

1- Posibilidad de ciertos sucesos

a) I can go to the market in the afternoon.

(Puedo ir al mercado en la tarde.)

b) We can visit Christian next week

(Nosotros podemos visitar a Cristian la prxima semana.)

c) It can be rainy tomorrow.

(Puede estar lluvioso maana.)

d) She can't come to the party tonight.

(Ella no puede venir a la fiesta esta noche.)

e) Can you arrive early today?

(Puedes llegar temprano hoy?)

2.- La habilidad o capacidad de personas / cosas

a) Laura can swim very well.

(Laura puede nadar muy bien.)

b) They can play the piano.

(Ellos pueden tocar el piano.)

c) It can run desktop software and modern apps.

(Puede correr programas de escritorio y aplicaciones

modernas.)

d) He can't cook. He always burns the food.

(l no puede cocinar. El siempre quema la comida.)

e) Can she drive a standard car?

(Puede ella conducir un auto estndar?)

3.- Para pedir / dar permiso

3.1.- Para pedir permiso

a) Can she come with me?

(Puede ella venir conmigo?)

b) Can I come in?

(Puedo entrar?)

3.2.- Para dar permiso

a) You can stay.

(Te puedes quedar.)

b) They can visit their grandparents tomorrow.

(Ellos pueden visitar a sus abuelos maana.

4.- Para pedir / ofrecer cosas

4.1- Para pedir cosas

a) Can you help me, please?

 (Puedes ayudarme, por favor?)

b) Can you work in our team?

(Puedes trabajar en nuestro equipo?)

4.2- Para ofrecer cosas

a) Can I help you?

(Puedo ayudarte?)

b) Can I take your order?

(Puedo tomar su orden?)

Hasta el momento solo se han visto el tipo de preguntas que se

responden con "Si" o "No". Aquellas que comienzan con el verbo
auxiliar "Can"

- You can go to the Plaza Mall. (Puedes ir a la Plaza

Mall.)

- What can I do there? (Qu puedo hacer ah?)

- You can hang out with your friends. (Puedes pasar el rato
con tus amigos.)

- What else can I do there? (Qu ms puedo hacer

ah?)

- You can meet interesting people. (Puedes conocer gente

interesante.)

- When can I go there? (Cundo puedo ir ah?)

- You can go there every day. (Puedes ir ah todos los

das.)

- What things can I buy there? (Qu cosas puedo

comprar ah?)

- You can buy jewelry and clothes. (Puedes comprar

joyera y ropa)

Like + (verb+ing)
 "I don't feel like leaving yet."
"I don't feel like explaining."
"I don't feel like going to bed."
"I do not feel comfortable talking about it."
"I do not feel like we are going in the right direction."
"I feel like going for a bike ride."
"I feel like going to the beach."
"I feel like having a snack."
"I feel like talking."
"I feel like dancing."
"I feel like having friends over to my house."
"I feel like watching TV."

Exercises:
https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/beginner/a_grammar/file0
7/grammar07_a01?cc=us&selLanguage=en

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-
2/exercise-english-59476.php

Object Pronouns

Subjects are what the sentence is about. (See more

about Subject Pronouns)
Objects are what is affected by the action of the subject.

I like whisky. (I is the subject).

I read books. (Books is the object as it is receiving the

action).

PRONOUNS

Subject Pronoun Object Pronoun

I Me

You You

He Him

She Her
It It

We Us

You (plural) You

They Them

Object pronouns are used instead of nouns, usually because we

already know what the object is. It makes the sentence easier to
read and understand and avoids repetition. We normally use
object pronouns after a verb or a preposition.

Examples

I like horses. Subject Pronoun

Horses don't like me. Object Pronoun

We talk to our neighbour. Subject Pronoun

She talks to us. Object Pronoun

They listen to the teacher. Subject Pronoun

Listen to me carefully. Object Pronoun

You speak very quickly. Subject Pronoun

We watch them on TV. Object Pronoun

What are object pronouns?

An object pronoun, also called objective pronoun, functions
as the object of a verb or preposition, as distinguished from
a subject or subjective pronoun, which is the subject of a verb.

Examples:
 He begged her to live with him. (her is the object of the
verb begged and him is the object of the preposition with)

She told them the truth. (them is the object of the

verb told)

Object pronouns are used instead of object nouns, usually

because we already know what the object is.

She's my friend. I really enjoy being with her.

I like this film. I saw it last week.

Object Pronouns
Object pronouns in English are the following:

me, you, him, her, it, us, them

Object pronouns come after either a verb (e.g "like") or a

preposition (e.g "to").

Examples:

I like you but you don't like me.

Do you really hate her?

She loves sitting next to him.

She always writes e-mails to us.

He's talking to her about it.

Subject Possessive Possessive Reflexive Object

pronouns adjectives pronouns pronouns pronouns

I my mine myself me

you your yours yourself you

he his his himself him

she her hers herself her

it its its itself it

we our ours ourselves us

you your yours yourselves you

they their theirs themselves them

Direct Object Pronouns:

The written lesson is below.

Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The object that directly receives the action of the verb is

called the direct object.

Bill hit the ball.

"Ball" receives the action of the verb "hit."

Sherry reads the book.

"Book" receives the action of the verb "reads."

The direct object can also be a person.

Sherry hit Bill.

(DO=Bill)

The direct object answers the question "what?" or

"whom?" with regard to what the subject of the sentence
is doing.

Bill hit the ball.

Bill hit what?
Bill hit the ball.

Sherry hit Bill.

Sherry hit whom?
Sherry hit Bill.

Indirect Object Pronouns:

The written lesson is below.

Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.

The indirect object (IO) tells us where the direct object

(DO) is going.

He gives the book to Mara.

DO=Book
Where is the book going?
To Mara.
IO=Mara

He gives Mara the book.

DO=Book
Where is the book going?
To Mara.
IO=Mara

The indirect object answers the question "To whom?" or

"For whom?" the action of the verb is performed.

He gives Mara the book.

To whom does he give the book?
To Mara.
IO=Mara

He buys me flowers.
For whom does he buy the flowers?
For me.
IO=me

Sentences that have an indirect object usually also have

a direct object. Remember, the IO tells us where the DO
is going. Notice how the sentences below just wouldn't
work without a direct object.

He gives Mara . . .the book, the pen, the diamond, etc.

He buys me . . .flowers, candy, an ironing board, etc.

Past Simple of Be: Was and Were

When the statement being made is about a situation in the past

that actually occurred (not a hypothetical situation), then was is
for singular subjects, and were is for plural.
 "I was there."
"They were not there."
"We were there."
"You and I were there."

Exception: even though the subject you is singular, you use

were. "You were there."

For situations where what you are saying is contrary to the facts
(a hypothetical situation), were is always used.

You are not feeling good, so you say, "If I were feeling well I
would go."
The organisms in questions are not in fact birds, so you
say, "If they were birds they would have wings."

To Be - Affirmative

Subject To Be Examples

I was I was tired this morning.

You were You were very good.

He was He was the best in his class.

She was She was late for work.

It was It was a sunny day.

We were We were at home.

You were You were on holiday.

They were They were happy with their test results.

To Be - Negative Sentences

The negative of To Be can be made by adding not after the

verb (was or were).

Subject To Be Examples
I was not I was not tired this morning.

You were not You were not crazy.

He was not He was not married.

She was not She was not famous.

It was not It was not hot yesterday.

We were not We were not invited.

You were not You were not at the party.

They were not They were not friends.

To Be - Negative Contractions

The can make negative contractions of the verb To Be in the

Past tense by joining the verb (was or were) and n't(e.g. were
not = weren't). We don't make a contraction of the subject and
the verb .

I was not tired this morning. OR I wasn't tired this morning.

You were not crazy. OR You weren't crazy.

He was not married. OR He wasn't married.

She was not famous. OR She wasn't famous.

It was not hot yesterday. OR It wasn't hot yesterday.

We were not invited. OR We weren't invited.

You were not at the party. OR You weren't at the party.

They were not friends. OR They weren't friends.

* Notice that we don't have contractions for To Be in Past Tense

affirmative sentences.
To Be - Questions

To create questions with To Be, you put the Verb before

the Subject.

Affirmative You were happy.

Subject Verb

Question Were you happy?

Verb Subject

Affirmative Question

I was late Was I late?

You were sick. Were you sick?

He was surprised. Was he surprised?

She was from Italy. Was she from Italy?

It was a big house. Was it a big house?

We were ready. Were we ready?

You were early. Were you early?

They were busy. Were they busy?

To Be - Short Answers

In spoken English, we usually give short answers in response to

questions.
Was he from Japan? - Yes, he was (from Japan). The last part
(from Japan) is not necessary. We use shorts answers to avoid
repetition, when the meaning is clear.

Question Short Answers** Short Answers

Was I late? Yes, you were. No, you weren't.

Were you sick? Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.

Was he surprised? Yes, he was. No, he wasn't.

Was she from Italy? Yes, she was. No, she wasn't.

Was it a big house? Yes, it was. No, it wasn't.

Were we ready? Yes, we were. No, we weren't.

Were you early? Yes, we were. No, we weren't.

Were they busy? Yes, they were. No, they weren't.

Past Simple Regular Verbs

The simple past is used to describe an action that occurred and

was completed in the past. The simple past is formed by adding
-ed to the base form of the verb (the infinitive without to).

Base form + ed = simple past

walk walked
push pushed
greetgreeted
watch watched
hate hated
seize seized
hope hoped
assume assumed
tie tied
free freed
For the very few English verbs that end in a vowel other than -e,
add -ed.

ski skied
echo echoed

Exceptions: The verbs DO and GO are irregular: See

below.

For regular verbs that end in a vowel+y, add -ed.

play played
decay decayed
survey surveyed
enjoy enjoyed

Exceptions: The verbs SAY and BUY are irregular: See

below.

For regular verbs that end in a consonant+y, change the

-y to -i and add -ed.

cry cried
dirty dirtied
magnify magnified

Exception: The verb FLY is irregular: See below.

For regular verbs ending in a consonant + vowel +

consonant, double the final consonant before adding -ed.

dam dammed
beg begged
plan planned
strip stripped

deferdeferred
regret regretted
reship reshipped
compel compelled

In these verbs, the syllable stress is not on the final

syllable so the consonant is not doubled.
 orbit orbited
listen listened
travel traveled
consider considered

Here are examples with regular verbs in the simple

present and the simple past.

simple present simple past

I walk to school.I walked to school.

She works downtown. She worked downtown.
They help on Tuesday. They helped on Tuesday.
He asks a lot of questions. He asked a lot of questions.

Irregular verbs form the past tense by a change in

orthography (spelling).

buy bought
do did
fly flew
forget forgot
light lit
go went
say said

There is / there are / there was / there were

There is and there are:

We use there is and there are to say that something exists.

Positive Sentences

We use there is for singular and there are for plural.

There is one table in the classroom.

There are three chairs in the classroom.
There is a spider in the bath.
There are many people at the bus stop.

Contractions

The contraction of there is is there's.

There's a good song on the radio.

 There's only one chocolate left in the box.
You cannot contract there are.
There are nine cats on the roof.
There are only five weeks until Christmas.

Negative Form

The negative is formed by putting not after is or are:

There is not a horse in the field.

There are not eight children in the school.
There is not a tree in the garden.
There are not two elephants in the zoo.

There Are with ANY

When we want to indicate that a zero quantity of something

exists we use there aren't any.

There aren't any people at the party.

There aren't any trees in my street.

We also use this structure with uncountable nouns:

There isn't any water in the swimming pool.

There isn't any sugar in my coffee.

Questions

To form a question we place is / are in front of there.

Again we use any with plural questions or those which use

uncountable nouns.

We also use there is / are in short answers.

Is there a dog in the supermarket? - No, there isn't.

Are there any dogs in the park? - Yes, there are.
Is there a security guard in the shop? - Yes, there is.
Are there any polar bears in Antarctica? - No, there aren't.
Is there any ice-cream in the freezer? - Yes, there is.

How Many with Are There

If we want to find out the number of objects that exist we use

How many in the following form:
 How many + plural noun + are there (+ complement).

How many dogs are there in the park?

How many students are there in your class?
How many countries are there in South America?
How many Star Wars films are there?

Prepositions of place

Las preposiciones de lugar se colocan detrs del verbo principal,

que suele ser el verbo "to be" (estar, ser) en cualquiera de los
tiempos pasados, presentes o futuros y en sus formas tanto
simples como compuestas.

NEXT TO (BESIDE)

Significado: al lado de, junto a

Uso: Tanto "next to" como "beside" se pueden utilizar

indistintamente. Utilizar una forma u otra depender del
hablante y del contexto.

The supermarket is next to (beside) the bank. (El

supermercado est junto al banco.)
Sit next to (beside) me. (Sintate a mi lado.)

BY

Significado: cerca, al lado de, junto a

Uso: Se puede utilizar en los mismos contextos que "next to"

pero el significado de "by" es ms como "cerca" en castellano.

I sit by the window. (Me siento a lado de la ventana.)

Our house is by the river. (Nuestra casa est cerca del ro.)

BETWEEN

Significado: entre

The shop is between the bank and the train station. (La
tienda est entre el banco y la estacin de tren.)
She is standing between Peter and John. (Permanece de pie
entre Pedro y Juan.)
BEHIND

Significado: detrs de

The church is behind the school. (La iglesia est detrs de

la escuela.)
He is standing behind you. (Est de pie detrs de ti.)

IN FRONT OF vs. OPPOSITE

Significado: contrario, en frente de, opuesto, delante de

Usos: La diferencia entre estas preposiciones la notamos cuando

estamos hablando de personas, "in front of" no implica estar
delante y cara a cara, en cambio "opposite" significa delante y
cara a cara.

The hotel is in front of the station. (El hotel est en frente

de la estacin.)
The bank is opposite the market. (El banco est delante del
mercado.)
Laura is standing in front of you. (Laura est de pie delante
de ti.)
She is sitting opposite me. ( Se est sentando en frente
mo.)

UNDER

Significado: debajo de

The ball is under the chair. (La pelota est debajo de la

silla.)
The dog is under the tree. (El perro est debajo del rbol.)

ABOVE

Significado: por encima sin tocar

The clock is above the table. (El reloj est por encima de la
mesa.)

Nota: La traduccin literal puede llevar a confusin cuando la

traducimos al castellano, ya que en castellano diramos: "el reloj
est colgado en la pared." Si quisiramos especificar diramos:
"y por debajo en la misma pared est apoyada la mesa."
BELOW

Significado: por debajo sin tocar

The table is below the clock. (La mesa est por debajo del
reloj.)

Nota: Como en el caso anterior, la traduccin literal de "below"

puede llevar a confusin. En este caso diramos que la mesa
est apoyada en la misma pared en la que se encuentra el reloj
colgado un poco ms arriba.

ACROSS FROM / OPPOSITE

Across from and Opposite mean the same thing. It usually refers
to something being in front of something else BUT there is
normally something between them like a street or table. It is
similar to saying that someone (or a place) is on the other side
of something.

I live across from a supermarket (= it is on the other side

of the road)
The chess players sat opposite each other before they
began their game. (= They are in front of each other and
there is a table between them)

NEXT TO / BESIDE

Next to and Beside mean the same thing. It usually refers to a

thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing.

At a wedding, the bride stands next to the groom.

Guards stand next to the entrance of the bank.
He walked beside me as we went down the street.
In this part of town there isn't a footpath beside the road
so you have to be careful.

NEAR / CLOSE TO

Near and Close to mean the same thing. It is similar to next to /

beside but there is more of a distance between the two things.

The receptionist is near the front door.

This building is near a subway station.
We couldn't park the car close to the store.
 Our house is close to a supermarket.

ON

On means that something is in a position that is physically

touching, covering or attached to something.

The clock on the wall is slow.

He put the food on the table.
I can see a spider on the ceiling.
We were told not to walk on the grass.

Present Continuos

Para formar el presente continuo se utiliza el verbo auxiliar "to

be" y el gerundio (infinitivo + "-ing") del verbo.

Sujeto Auxiliar (to be) Gerundio

I am talking, eating, learning, doing, going...

He, She, It is talking, eating, learning, doing, going...
You, We, They are talking, eating, learning, doing,
going...

Affirmative Sentences

Estructura Sujeto + verbo auxiliar ("to be") + gerundio ("-ing").

I'm talking. (Estoy hablando.)

He's eating. (Est comiendo.)
They're learning. (Estn aprendiendo.)

Negative Sentences

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar ("to be") + auxiliar negativo ("not") +

gerundio ("-ing").

I'm not talking. (No estoy hablando.)

He's not [He isn't] eating. (No est comiendo.)
They're not [They aren't] learning. (No estn aprendiendo.)

Interrogative Sentences

Verbo auxiliar ("to be") + sujeto + gerundio ("-ing")?

Are you talking? (Ests hablando?)

 Is he eating? (Est comiendo?)
Are they learning? (Estn aprendiendo?)

Uses

El presente continuo se utiliza para hablar sobre algo

que est pasando en el momento en el que hablamos.
Expresiones de tiempo tales como "now", "right now" and
"at the moment" indican el presente continuo.

I'm studying now. (Estoy estudiando ahora.)

He's eating at the moment. (Est comiendo en este
momento.)
Is it raining? (Est lloviendo?)

Tambin lo usamos para hablar de algo que est

sucediendo en la actualidad pero no necesariamente
cuando hablamos. En este caso, se utilizan expresiones
de tiempo como "currently", "lately" o "these days".

They're learning English. (Estn aprendiendo ingls.)

She's currently looking for a job. (Actualmente est
buscando un trabajo.)
Are you working much lately? (Ests trabajando mucho
ltimamente?)

Usamos el presente continuo para hablar de algo que

est ya decidido que se har en el futuro prximo. Su uso
indica que es bastante seguro que lo planificado
suceder.

I'm going to the party tonight. (Voy a la fiesta esta noche.)

He's not [He isn't] coming to class tomorrow. (No viene a la
clase manaa.)
Are you working next week? (Trabajas la semana que
viene?)

The Present Continuous with words such as "always" or

"constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or
shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple
Present, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words
"always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."
 She is always coming to class late.
He is constantly talking. I wish he would shut up.
I don't like them because they are always complaining.

REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot

be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous
meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses.
Instead of using Present Continuous with these verbs, you must
use Simple Present.

She is loving this chocolate ice cream. Not Correct

She loves this chocolate ice cream. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs

such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

You are still watching TV.

Are you still watching TV?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Right now, Tom is writing the letter. Active

Right now, the letter is being written by Tom. Passive

Exercises: http://www.agendaweb.org/verbs/present-
continuous/index.html

Some / Any

Se usa SOME acompaando a sustantivos contables e

incontables en oraciones afirmativas.

There are some letters for you. Hay algunas cartas para t.

There is some sugar in the pot. Hay algo de azcar en el recipiente.

Tambin se puede utilizar SOME para construr

una interrogacindonde se espera una respuesta afirmativa,
estableciendo una manera educada para preguntar si alguien
desea algo de tomar o comer.
Would you like some tea? Quieres un t?

May I have some more coffee? Podra tomar algo ms de caf?

Se emplea ANY para acompaar sustantivos contables e

incontables en preguntas y tambin en oraciones negativas. Por
ejemplo:

We havent got any shirts in your

size No tenemos camisas de tu talla.

There arent any bottles of milk in No hay botellas de leche en el

the fridge. refrigerador.

Tienen algunas camisas de mi

Have you got any shirts in my size? talla?

Are there any bottles of milk in the Hay botellas de leche en el

fridge? refrigerador?

The words some and any are used for countable and uncountable
nouns. In general, we could say that some means a few / a little and
any means none in negative clauses or a few / a little in questions.

Positive Clauses

In positive clauses, we usually use some.

I have bought some bread.

I have bought some apples.

Negative Clauses

In negative clauses, we use any. Note, however, that any alone is

not a negative - it must be not ... any

I have not bought any bread.

 I have not bought any apples.

Questions

In questions, we usually use any.

Have you bought any bread?

Have you bought any apples?

Compound Words with some & any

Some & any can also be part of compound words such as:

something / anything
someone / anyone
somewhere / anywhere

Note that some & any have to be used with a noun while compound
words with some & any can stand on their own.

I have bought some bread.

I have bought something.

However, some and any need not stand directly before the noun.
Sometimes, the noun appears somewhere before some or any and
is not repeated. So if you are not sure whether to use some or
something for example, check if there is a noun in the sentence
that you can place after some.

I do not have to buy bread. Rachel has already bought some

[bread].

Exceptions

Positive Clauses with Any

We usually use some in positive clauses. But after never, without,

hardly, we use any.

We never go anywhere.
She did her homework without any help.
Theres hardly anyone here.

Also in if clauses, we usually use any.

If there is anything to do, just call me.

Questions with Some

We usually use any in questions. But if we expect or want the other

to answer yes, we use some.

Have you got any brothers and sisters?

some people have brothers or sisters, others don't - we
cannot expect the answer to be yes
Would you like some biscuits?
we offer something and want to encourage the other to say
ja
Exercises: http://www.englisch-
hilfen.de/en/exercises/confusing_words/some_any.htm

Uncountable and Countable Nouns

Uncountable Nouns:
tea
sugar
water
air
rice
knowledge
beauty
anger
fear
love
money
research
safety
evidence
water
coffee
milk
air
oxygen
wood
metal
cheese
sand
rice
electricity
sunshine
 radiation
heat
magnetism
French
chemistry
economics
science
math
fruit
money
food
vocabulary
news
information
advice
education
democracy
intelligence

Countable Nouns:

one dog
one horse
one man
one idea
one shop

Rules:

Nombres contables tienen una forma plural:

Playegg/eggs (huevo/s)
Playbicycle/bicycles (bicicleta/s)
Playdress/dresses (vestido/s)

Nombres incontables no tienen una forma plural:

rice (arroz)
rices X
milk (leche)
milks X

Se puede usar "a" o "an" con nombres contables en

singular:
 An apple (una manzana)
A house (una casa)

No podemos usar "a" o "an" con nombres incontables:

a milk

Se pueden usar nmeros delante de un contable:

three apples (tres manzanas)

Five houses (cinco casas)

No podemos usar nmeros delante de un incontable:

Two rices

How much

Countable / Uncountable Nouns

In connection with much / many people often speak of countable

nouns and uncountable nouns.

Countable nouns have a singular and a plural form. In plural,

these nouns can be used with a number (that's why they are
called 'countable nouns'). Countable nouns take many.

100 friends many friends

Uncountable nouns can only be used in singular. These nouns

cannot be used with a number (that's why they are called
'uncountable nouns'). Uncountable nouns take much.

100 money much money

Note: Of course you can count money but then you would
name the currency and say that you have got 5 euro (but not 5
money).

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

How much ....? = uncountable nouns

How much coffee do you drink?
How many ....? = countable nouns
 How many cups of coffee do you drink?

How Many

Se utilizan para preguntar por cantidades de algo.

Si se trata de sustantivos contables, se aplica How many.

Si se trata de sustantivos incontables, se usa How much.

Estas expresiones siempre van seguidas de un sustantivo; luego,

el verbo y el resto de la oracin.

How many cars do you have?

Tambin se usan en forma genrica para preguntar "cunto

hay". En este caso, van seguidas del sustantivo y luego, is / are
there.

How many cars are there?

A estas preguntas se responde usando There is / are,

dependiendo de si se trata de singular o plural, como ya hemos
visto en lecciones anteriores.

There are nine cars.

Para hacer referencia a los sustantivos incontables, se pueden

utilizar los envases o las medidas de los envases que los
contienen, los cuales s son contables...

Exercises: http://www.englisch-
hilfen.de/en/exercises/confusing_words/much_many3.htm

Quantifiers

A quantifier is a word or phrase which is used before a noun to

indicate the amount or quantity:

'Some', 'many', 'a lot of' and 'a few' are examples of
quantifiers.

Quantifiers can be used with both countable and uncountable

nouns.
 There are some books on the desk
He's got only a few dollars.
How much money have you got?
There is a large quantity of fish in this river.
He's got more friends than his sister.

With Uncountable Nouns

much
a little/little/very little *
a bit (of)
a great deal of
a large amount of
a large quantity of

With Both

all
enough
more/most
less/least
no/none
not any
some
any
a lot of
lots of
plenty of

With Countable Nouns

many
a few/few/very few **
a number (of)
several
a large number of
a great number of
a majority of

* NOTE: few, very few mean that there is not enough of

something a few means that there is not a lot of something, but
there is enough.
* NOTE: little, very little mean that there is not enough of
something a little means that there is not a lot of something, but
there is enough.

Members of groups

You can put a noun after a quantifier when you are talking about
members of a group in general

Few snakes are dangerous.

Both brothers work with their father.
I never have enough money.

but if you are talking about a specific group of people or

things, use of the as well

Few of the snakes are dangerous.

All of the children live at home.
He has spent all of his money.

Singular quantifiers:

We use every or each with a singular noun to mean all:

There was a party in every street. = There were

parties in all the streets.
Every shop was decorated with flowers. = All the
shops were decorated with flowers.
Each child was given a prize. = All the children were
given a prize.
There was a prize in each competition. = There
were prizes in all the competitions.

We often use every to talk about times like days, weeks and
years:

When we were children we had holidays at our

grandmothers every year.
When we stayed at my grandmothers house we went to
the beach every day.
We visit our daughter every Christmas.
BUT: We do not use a determiner with every and each. We do
not say:

The every shop was decorated with flowers.

The each child was given a prize.

Exercises:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-
exercise-quantifiers.php#.VQRd9Y5wtes

Be Going To (Simple Future)

Se usa para acciones que van a suceder muy pronto o para

expresar un plan que se tiene. "Will" se usa para expresar una
promesa, una prediccin o algo que se quiere hacer en el futuro.

"Going to": El tiempo futuro con "going to" se usa ms

comnmente en el lenguaje hablado cuando se quiere hacer
referencia al futuro inmediato, es decir, a algo que est por
ocurrir.

She is going to pay with a credit card = Ella va a pagar con

una tarjeta de crdito (algo que est por ocurrir).
I am going to drop off my prescription over there = voy a
dejar mi prescripcin mdica all.

Tambin se emplea para hablar de intenciones o planes para

hacer algo:

Im going to learn English = voy a aprender ingls.

Se forma con el verbo"to be" conjugado para la persona

correspondiente, seguido de "going to" y el verbo base.

"To be" + "going to" + verbo (en infinitivo)

I am going to pay = yo voy a pagar.

You are going to pay = t vas a pagar.
He is going to pay = l va a pagar.
She is going to pay = ella va a pagar.
It is going to pay = eso va a pagar.
We are going to pay = nosotros vamos a pagar.
You are going to pay = ustedes van a pagar.
They are going to pay = ellos/ellas van a pagar.
"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It
expresses the idea that a person intends to do
something in the future. It does not matter whether the
plan is realistic or not.

He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
Who are you going to invite to the party?
A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

Interrogative Form:

Afi rmativo Negativo

Am I going to Am I not going to

do? do?

Are you going to Are you not going Aren't you going
do? to do? to do?

Is he going to Is he not going to Isn't he going to

do? do? do?

Is she going to Is she not going to Isn't she going to

do? do? do?

Is it going to Is it not going to Isn't it going to

do? do? do?
 Are we going to Are we not going Aren't we going
do? to do? to do?

Are you going to Are you not going Aren't you going
do? to do? to do?

Are they going Are they not going Aren't they going
to do? to do? to do?

Exercises:
http://www.vitutor.com/gramatica_inglesa/verb_tense/be_
going_to.html

Comparatives and Superlatives Adjectives

Adjetivo Comparativo Superlativo Espaol

angry angrier angriest enfadado, enojado
bad worse worst malo
big bigger biggest grande
amargo, resentido,
bitter bitterer bitterest
agrio
black blacker blackest negro
bland blander blandest soso
bloody bloodier bloodiest sanguinolento
blue bluer bluest deprimido
bold bolder boldest audaz
bossy bossier bossiest mandn
brave braver bravest valiente
brief briefer briefest breve
bright brighter brightest brillante, luminoso
broad broader broadest ancho, amplio
busy busier busiest ocupado, ajetreado
calm calmer calmest tranquilo
cheap cheaper cheapest barato
chewy chewier chewiest correoso, gomoso
chubby chubbier chubbiest rechoncho
classy classier classiest elegante
clean cleaner cleanest limpio, sano
clear clear clearest claro, despejado
clever cleverer cleverest listo, ingenioso
close closer closest cerca
cloudy cloudier cloudiest nubiado
clumsy clumsier clumsiest torpe
coarse coarser coarsest spero, grosero
cold colder coldest fro
cool cooler coolest fresco
crazy crazier craziest loco
creamy creamier creamiest cremoso
espeluznante,
creepy creepier creepiest
repugnante
crispy crispier crispiest crujiente
cruel crueler cruelest cruel
crunchy crunchier crunchiest crujiente
rizado, crespo,
curly curly curliest
quebrado
curvy curvier curviest curvo
cute cuter cutest mono
damp damper dampest hmedo
dark darker darkest oscuro, moreno
deadly deadlier deadliest mortal, mortfero
deep deeper deepest profundo
dense denser densest denso
dirty dirtier dirtiest sucio
dry drier driest seco
aburrido, soso, tonto,
dull duller dullest
romo
dumb dumber dumbest estpido
dusty dustier dustiest polvoriento
early earlier earliest pronto, temprano
easy easier easiest facl
leve, tenue, vago,
faint fainter faintest
ligero
claro, sereno, recto,
fair fairer fairest
justo
fancy fancier fanciest lujoso
far further/farther furthest/farthest lejos, distante
fast faster fastest rpido
fat fatter fattest gordo
few fewer fewest pocos
fierce fiercer fiercest fiero, encarnizado
filthy filthier filthiest aaqueroso, obsceno
fine finer finest fino
firm firmer firmest firme, estricto
fit fitter fittest apto, en forma
flaky flakier flakiest desconchado
flat flatter flattest llano, liso, plano
fresh fresher freshest fresco, nuevo, original
agradable, amable,
friendly friendlier friendliest
amistoso
full fuller fullest lleno, completo
funny funnier funniest gracioso, curioso, raro
tierno, afectuoso,
gentle gentler gentlest
suave
oscuro, abatido,
gloomy gloomier gloomiest
decado
good better best bueno
grandioso, ambicioso,
grand grander grandest
impotente
grave graver gravest grave
greasy greasier greasiest grasiento
great greater greatest grande, genial
goloso, codicioso,
greedy greedier greediest
vido
asqueroso, grosero,
gross grosser grossest
craso
guilty guilter guiltiest culpable
hairy hairier hairiest velludo, peludo
prctivo, til,
handy handier handiest
habilidoso, maoso
happy happier happiest feliz, contento, alegre
hard harder hardest duro, difcil
harsh harsher harshest spero, duro
healthy healthier healthiest sano, saludable
pesado, grueso,
heavy heavier heaviest
fuerte, duro
high higher highest alto, elevado, agudo
hip hipper hippest moderno
caliente, caluroso,
hot hotter hottest
picante
humble humbler humblest humilde
hungry hungrier hungriest hambriento
icy icier iciest helado, fro
itchy itchier itchiest pica
jugoso, zumoso,
juicy juicier juiciest
suculento
 amable, benvolo,
kind kinder kindest
carioso
large larger largest grande
tarde, restrasado,
late later latest
reciente
lazy lazier laziest perezoso
light lighter lightest ligero, claro
likely likelier likeliest probable
little littler littlest pequeo, poco
lively livelier liveliest animado, vivo
lonely lonlier lonliest solitario
long longer longest largo
loud louder loudest fuerte, alto
lovely lovelier loveliest precioso, bello, lindo
low lower lowest bajo
enfadado, enojado,
mad madder maddest
loco
malo, mezquino,
mean meaner meanest
tacao
sucio, desordenado,
messy messier messiest
desastroso
mild milder mildest afable, suave, leve
moist moister moistest hmedo
narrow narrower narrowest estrecho, escaso
asqueroso,
nasty nastier nastiest
desagradable
naughty naughtier naughtiest malo, travieso, picante
near nearer nearest cercano, prximo
ordenado, aseado,
neat neater neatest
pulcro
needy needier neediest necesitado
nuevo, fresco,
new newer newest
reciente, moderno
simpatico, agradable,
nice nicer nicest
bueno
noisy noisier noisiest ruidoso, clamaroso
odd odder oddest raro, extrao
oily oilier oiliest grasiento, aceitoso
old older/elder oldest/eldest viejo, anciano, antiguo
plain plainer plainest claro, sencillo
polite politer politest educado, corts
poor poorer poorest pobre
pretty prettier prettiest bonito, lindo, hermoso
orgulloso, soberbio,
proud prouder proudest
digno
pure purer purest puro
quick quicker quickest rpido
quiet quieter quietest tranquillo, silencioso
rare rarer rarest raro
raw rawer rawest crudo, agrietado
rich richer richest rico, abundante
ripe riper ripest maduro, curado
risky riskier riskiest arriesgado, peligroso
roomy roomier roomiest espacioso
spero, tosco, bruto,
rough rougher roughest
ronco
maleducado, grosero,
rude ruder rudest
tosco
rusty rustier rustiest oxidado
triste, lamentable,
sad sadder saddest
penoso
safe safer safest seguro
salty saltier saltiest salado
sane saner sanest cuerdo, sensato
scary scarier scariest espantoso, asustadizo
superficial, poco
shallow shallower shallowest
profundo
afilado, cerrado,
sharp sharper sharpest
agudo
shiny shinier shiniest brillante, reluciente
short shorter shortest corto, bajo, chaparro
shy shyer shyest tmido
silly sillier silliest tonto
simple simpler simplest sencillo, simple, facl
sincere sincerer sincerest sincero, genuino
skinny skinnier skinniest flaco
sleepy sleepier sleepiest adormilado, sooliento
slim slimmer slimmest delgado, fino
viscoso, pegajoso,
slimy slimier slimiest
empalagoso
slow slower slowest lento
small smaller smallest pequeo
listo, inteligente,
smart smarter smartest
agudo
smelly smellier smelliest apestoso
smoky smokier smokiest humeante, ahumado
liso, suave, llano,
smooth smoother smoothest
fluido
soft softer softest blando, suave
soon sooner soonest pronto
sore sorer sorest dolorido
sorry sorrier sorriest lamentable
sour sourer sourest agrio, cido
picante, especiado,
spicy spicier spiciest
sazonado
empinado,
steep steeper steepest
pronunciado
tacao, rcano,
stingy stingier stingiest
raqutico
raro, extrao,
strange stranger strangest
desconocido
strict stricter strictest estricto, rgido
fuerte, slido, intenso,
strong stronger strongest
marcado
sunny sunnier sunniest soleado, radiante
sweaty sweatier sweatiest sudoroso
sweet sweeter sweetest dulce
tall taller tallest alto
tan tanner tannest bronceado, moreno
rico, sabroso,
tasty tastier tastiest
apetitoso
grueso, denso,
thick thicker thickest
espeso, poblado
thin thinner thinnest delgado, fino
thirsty thirstier thirstiest sediento
tiny tinier tiniest diminuto, minsculo
fuerte, resistente,
tough tougher toughest
duro, difcil
cierto, verdadero, leal,
true truer truest
fiel
ugly uglier ugliest feo
caliente, templado,
warm warmer warmest
clido
weak weaker weakest dbil, flojo
wealthy wealthier wealthiest rico, pudiente
weird weirder weirdest raro, extrao

mojado, hmedo,
wet wetter wettest
lluvioso
ancho, amplio,
wide wider widest
extenso
salvaje, silvestre,
wild wilder wildest
descontrolado
windy windier windiest ventoso
 sabio, sensato,
wise wiser wisest
prudente
worldly worldlier worldliest mundano, terreno
worthy worthier worthiest virtuoso, digno
young younger younges joven

Comparatives Adjectives

Para comparar DOS cosas, animales o personas utilizamos los

adjetivos en grado comparativo, el cual se divide en:
comparativo de superioridad, comparativo de igualdad y
comparativo de inferioridad.

SUPERIORIDAD (ms que): El comparativo de superioridad

se usa para comparar dos personas, animales o cosas cuando
una supera a la otra en algn aspecto. Para formarlo deberemos
fijarnos en la longitud del adjetivo:

1. Adjetivos cortos

Se consideran adjetivos cortos aquellos que tienen una slaba .

El comparativo se forma se forma de la siguiente manera:

aadiendo -er al adjetivo + than

cheap (barato) cheaper than (ms barato que)

The white shirt is cheaper than the blue one (la camisa
blanca es ms barata que la azul)

Casos especiales:

Los adjetivos cortos que acaben en vocal + consonante (-b, -d,

-g, -n, -p, -t) duplican la consonante antes de aadir -er. Hot
hotter big bigger thin thinner

A los adjetivos de dos slabas que acaben en consonante* + -y

cambian la y por una i, aadiendo por tanto -ier (hungry, empty,
friendly, tidy, busy, dirty, funny, hungry, crazy, early, lucky...)
crazy crazier happy happier lucky luckier

Los adjetivos cortos que acaban en -e muda (no se pronuncia)

slo tendremos que aadir -r. Nice nicer large larger
Los adjetivos cortos que acaben en -l, duplican la l antes de
aadir -er. cruel crueller . Si acaban en doble l, slo
aadiremos -er. Tall taller

* Aunque acaben en dos slabas se consideran cortos a efectos

de formacin del grado comparativo.

She is taller than her sister. (Ella es ms alta que su

hermana)
John is thinner than Mike (John es ms delgado que Mike)
My office is larger than hers (Mi oficina es ms grande que
la suya)
Her hair is curlier than mine (su pelo es ms rizado que el
mo)
Today is hotter than yesterday (Hoy hace ms calor que
ayer)

Adverbios: El grado comparativo en adverbios por lo general se

forma como explicamos a continuacin. No obstante, algunos
adverbios "cortos" como early (temprano), late (tarde) o near
(cerca) aaden -er.

early earlier late later near nearer

2. Adjetivos largos

Se consideran adjetivos largos aquellos que tienen dos slabas o

ms. El comparativo de superioridad se forma de la siguiente
manera:

more + adjetivo / adverbio + than

Famous (famoso) more famous than (ms famoso que)

Expensive (caro) more expensive than (ms caro que)
Difficult (difcil) more difficult than (ms difcil que)
Easily (fcilmente) more easily than (ms fcilmente
que, con ms facilidad que)

Ejemplos:

His trainers are more comfortable than hers (sus zapatillas

son ms cmodas que las suyas)
A blouse is more elegant than a t-shirt (una camisa es ms
elegante que una camiseta)
 Mercedes is more expensive than Hyundai (Mercedes es
ms caro que Hyundai)
She learns more easily than her sister (ella aprende con
ms facilidad que su hermana)

Excepciones: Quiet quieter than

Los adjetivos de dos slabas que acaben en -ow, -le y -er

permiten ambas formas, si bien es ms comn aadir -er.

Clever cleverer than / more clever than

Narrow narrower than / more narrow than
Simple simpler than / more simple than

Irregulares: Algunos adjetivos adoptan una forma irregular

para formar su grado comparativo.

Good (bueno) better than (mejor que)

Bad (malo) worse than (peor que)
Far (lejos) farther than / further than (ms lejos que)

Otras expresiones:

Con los comparativos no podemos usar "very" (muy). Sin

embargo, s podemos usar:

much / far (mucho ms)*

Chinese is much / far more difficult than Spanish (el chino

es mucho ms difcil que el espaol)
a lot / lots (mucho ms) (informal)
Chinese is a lot more difficult than Spanish
a little (un poco)
The blue dress is a little cheaper than the white one (el
vestido azul es un poco ms barato que el blanco)
a bit (un poco) (informal)
The blue dress is a bit cheaper than the white one
any (algo) (enftico)
Do you feel any better? (te sientes algo mejor?)
even (incluso)
You cook even better than a chef (cocinas incluso mejor
que un chef)
Verbos y sustantivos: Adems de adjetivos y adverbios,
tambin podemos usar la comparacin de superioridad con
verbos y sustantivos.

She works more than he does (ella trabaja ms que l)

They want more money (ellos quieren ms dinero)

*Cuando el comparativo se usa con sustantivos, podemos

modificarlo con much (para incontables) y many (para
contables).

Ellos tienen mucho ms dinero que t They've got much

more money than you do
Hay muchos ms libros en esta estantera There are
many more books in this shelf

IMPORTANTE

Slo podremos "than" cuando mencionemos las dos cosas

que se estn comparando.

The orange t-shirt is 15. The blue t-shirt is 20

The blue t-shirt is more expensive than the orange t-shirt

(nombramos las dos)

The blue t-shirt is more expensive (slo nombramos una)

Mucho cuidado con escribir that en lugar de than.

Ellos son ms altos.

They are more talls X They are taller OK

Detrs de than podemos usar:

Pronombres objeto You are taller than me (t eres ms alto

que yo)

Pronombres posesivos His car is better than mine (su coche

es mejor que el mo)
One /ones (para sustituir a un sustantivo precedente) The
blue t-shirt is more expensive than the orange one (la camiseta
azul es ms cara que la naranja)

IGUALDAD (tan. como): Lo usamos para indicar que dos

cosas, animales o personas son iguales. El grado de igualdad se
formar de la siguiente manera:

As + adjetivo / adverbio + as

Blue is as nice as green (el azul es tan bonito como el

verde)
Nike is as expensive as Adidas (Nike es tan caro como
Adidas)
My car runs as smoothly as yours (mi coche va igual de
suave que el tuyo)

Negativas

My office isn't as large as hers (mi oficina no es tan grande

como la suya)
Peter is not so successful as his father ( Peter no tiene
tanto xito como su padre)

INFERIORIDAD (menos. que)

El grado de inferioridad se formar de la siguiente manera:

Less + adjetivo / adverbio + than

Water is less expensive than coke (el agua es menos cara

que la coca-cola)
The book is less popular than the film (el libro es menos
conocido que la pelcula)
He drives less carefully than his wife (l conduce con
menos cuidado que su mujer)
I go to the cinema less often than you (voy al cine con
menos frecuencia que t)

Adems de adjetivos y adverbios, tambin podemos usar este

grado comparativo con sustantivos:

less + sustantivo incontable + than

He has less money than you (l tiene menos dinero que t)

 fewer + sustantivo contable + than
He has fewer books than she has (l tiene menos libros
que ella)
He has less books than she has

Superlatives Adjectives

Superlative adjective compares three or more nouns. This takes

the comparison of nouns to the highest degree. An example
would be: My mothers cooking is the best. The rules for
making superlative adjectives are almost identical to the rules
for making comparative adjectives. They are:

One syllable words - add est to the word. Remember that

it is sometimes necessary to double the final consonant.
Examples are: strong to strongest and big to biggest.
One syllable words ending with an e - only add st like
fine to finest or rare to rarest.
Two syllable words ending with a y - change the y to an
i and add est. Two examples are crazy to craziest and
silly to silliest.
Two and three syllable words - use most or least.
Examples include most desirable and least expensive.

Exercises:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?
id=3565

Would Like to/ like

Five ways to use 'like'

Like = enjoy
I like coffee
To be + like = describe personality/characteristics
What is he like?
Like = the same as
This Coke tastes like Pepsi
Would like = want
I'd like a hamburger please
Look like = appearance
What does he look like?
Would Like: This sentence lets someone know what you would
be interested in doing. This can be a physical, mental or verbal
action.

"I would like to answer that question."

"I would like to compete in a cooking contest."
"I would like to explain myself."
"I would like to invite you over."
"I would like to practice."
"I would like to become a doctor."
"I would like to see you more often."
"I would like to thank you."
"I would like to learn about animals."
"I would like to meet the President."

We use would like or d like to say politely what we want,

especially when making offers and requests:

Would you like a biscuit with your coffee?

Can you order for Ellie? Shed like the Margarita pizza,
please.

Verbs that follow would like are in the to-infinitive form:

Would you like to listen to that again?

Id like to get a return ticket for tomorrow.

We use Do you like ? to ask about preferences in general. We

dont use Do you like ? to make offers or requests.
Compare
Would you
Do you like Would you
Do you like rice? like some
dancing? like to dance?
rice?
asks about likes
offers some asks about likes and invites you to
and dislikes in
rice dislikes in general dance
general

Would like to have + -ed form

We use would like to have + -ed form when talking about things
in the past that we have missed:
 Id like to have watched the football but I had to go out. (I
wanted to watch the football, but I didnt.)

We can use Id like to as a short answer to an offer or invitation:

A: You must have dinner with us.

B: Yes, Id like to.
A: Good. Is Sunday night any good?

Significado de would like y like

El verbo like se traduce en castellano por gustar. Se utiliza

para hablar de actividades que hacemos con regularidad y que
disfrutamos haciendo:

I like walking in the park. // He likes travelling.

El verbo would like se traduce en castellano por

(me/te/le/nos/os/les) gustara. Tambin puede ser una manera
ms formal de decir want:

I would like a kilo of apples, please.

Tambin se utiliza para hablar de planes o de situaciones

imaginarias, que no existen en la actualidad:

I would like to travel around the world.

I would like to study English next year.

Uso de would like y like

La principal diferencia entre estas dos formas verbales consiste

en que like est acompaado por un gerundio, mientras que
would like est siempre acompaado por un infinitivo:

I like getting up early in the morning.

I would like to get up early tomorrow so I can see the
sunrise.

Exercises: http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-
english-2/exercise-english-48729.php

Adjectives and Adverbs

An adjective is a word or set of words that modifies (i.e.,
describes) a noun or pronoun. Adjectives may come before the
word they modify.

That is a cute puppy.

She likes a high school senior.

Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:

That puppy looks cute.

The technology is state-of-the-art.

An adverb is a word or set of words that modifies verbs,

adjectives, or other adverbs.

He speaks slowly (modifies the verb speaks)

He is especially clever (modifies the adjective clever)
He speaks all too slowly (modifies the adverb slowly)

An adverb answers how, when, where, or to what extenthow

often or how much (e.g., daily, completely).

He speaks slowly (answers the question how)

He speaks very slowly (answers the question how slowly)

Rule 1. Many adverbs end in -ly, but many do not. Generally, if

a word can have -ly added to its adjective form, place it there to
form an adverb.

She thinks quick/quickly.

How does she think? Quickly.
She is a quick/quickly thinker.
Quick is an adjective describing thinker, so no -ly is
attached.
She thinks fast/fastly.
Fast answers the question how, so it is an adverb. But fast
never has -ly attached to it.
We performed bad/badly.
Badly describes how we performed, so -ly is added.

Rule 2. Adverbs that answer the question how sometimes cause

grammatical problems. It can be a challenge to determine if -ly
should be attached. Avoid the trap of -ly with linking verbs, such
as taste, smell, look, feel, etc., that pertain to the senses.
Adverbs are often misplaced in such sentences, which require
adjectives instead.

Roses smell sweet/sweetly.

Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case,
smell is a linking verbwhich requires an adjective to
modify rosesso no -ly.
The woman looked angry/angrily to us.
Did the woman look with her eyes, or are we describing her
appearance? We are describing her appearance (she
appeared angry), so no -ly.
The woman looked angry/angrily at the paint splotches.
Here the woman actively looked (used her eyes), so the -ly
is added.
She feels bad/badly about the news.
She is not feeling with fingers, so no -ly.

Rule 3. The word good is an adjective, whose adverb equivalent

is well.

You did a good job.

Good describes the job.
You did the job well.
Well answers how.
You smell good today.
Good describes your fragrance, not how you smell with
your nose, so using the adjective is correct.
You smell well for someone with a cold.
You are actively smelling with your nose here, so use the
adverb.

Rule 4. The word well can be an adjective, too. When referring

to health, we often use well rather than good.

You do not look well today.

I don't feel well, either.

Rule 5. Adjectives come in three forms, also called degrees. An

adjective in its normal or usual form is called a positive degree
adjective. There are also the comparative and superlative
degrees, which are used for comparison, as in the following
examples:
Positive Comparative
Superlative

Sweet sweeter
sweetest

bad worse
worst

efficient more efficient

most efficient

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from

using the wrong form of comparison. To compare two things,
always use a comparative adjective:

She is the cleverer of the two women (never cleverest)

The word cleverest is what is called the superlative form of

clever. Use it only when comparing three or more things:

She is the cleverest of them all.

Incorrect: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like best?
Correct: Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like better?

Rule 6. There are also three degrees of adverbs. In formal

usage, do not drop the -ly from an adverb when using the
comparative form.

Incorrect: She spoke quicker than he did.

Correct: She spoke more quickly than he did.
Incorrect: Talk quieter.
Correct: Talk more quietly.

Rule 7. When this, that, these, and those are followed by a

noun, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun
following them, they are pronouns.

This house is for sale.

This is an adjective.
This is for sale.
This is a pronoun.
 Present Perfect and Past Simple

El tipo de periodo de tiempo

a. Cuando el periodo de tiempo incluye el momento

presente, se utiliza el Present Perfect. Este periodo
puede ser:

Un periodo de tiempo definido:

I have lived in Barcelona for 5 years / since 2004.

Por eso, se utiliza el Present Perfect en preguntas con How long?

que hacen referencia a un periodo de tiempo que empieza en el
pasado y contina hasta el momento presente.

How long have you had your car?

Un periodo de tiempo indefinido:

I have seen this film before / recently.

I have already done my homework.

Un periodo de tiempo no expresado:

Have you been to New York?

Si contestamos que si, entoces los detalles se tienen que poner

en el Past Simple:

Yes, I have. I went there when I was a student.

b. Cuando no hay vnculo alguno con el momento

presente, se utiliza el Past Simple. Esto puede indicarse
con:

Expresiones que hacen referencia a momentos de tiempo

claramente desconectados del presente:

I went to New York last year / two years ago / in 2006 /

yesterday.

Por eso, se utiliza el Past Simple en preguntas con When? que

hacen referencia a un momento especfico del pasado:
 When did you buy your car?

Fijaros tambin en el tipo de verbo que se utiliza en esta

pregunta: se trata de una accin sin duracin (buy a car). En la
pregunta con How long?, el verbo es una accin durativa (have a
car)

Expresiones que hacen referencia a un periodo de tiempo que

no incluye el momento presente:

I lived in Paris for 5 years and then I moved to Barcelona.

2. El vnculo que una situacin tiene con el presente

a. Cuando una situacin tiene un vnculo con el presente, se

utiliza el Present Perfect. Normalmente, este vnculo lo
constituyen los resultados presentes de una accin que se
realiz en el pasado:

I have lost my keys I dont have them now.

I have written two books The books exist now.

No es necessario que la accin haya pasado poco antes del

momento presente. Lo que importa es que el locutor considere
que sus resultados o efectos todava tienen relevancia en el
presente.

I have read this book. la lectura del libro puede haber

pasado hace mucho tiempo, pero el recuerdo de la lectura
est todava presente.

b. Cuando una situacin no tiene vnculo alguno con el presente,

se utiliza el Past Simple. No es necesario utilizar una expresin
de tiempo:

My parents got married in France.

La falta de vnculo con el presente es muy evidente cuando

hablamos de una persona que ha muerto:

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.

Present Perfect:
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar ("to have") + participio pasado...

I've talked to Peter. (He hablado con Peter.)

She's gone to work. (Ha ido a su trabajo.)
We've been to London. (Hemos ido a Londres.)
They've learned English. (Han aprendido ingls.)
Negative: Subject + Haven't / Hasn't + Past
Participle
We haven't won the championship.
You haven't tried to learn a lot.
They haven't forgotten my birthday.
Question: Have / Has + Subject + Past Participle
Has she written the letter?
Has it started on time?
Have we won a trophy?

Past Simple:

subject + verb (in past form) + complement.

Affirmative: I saw a movie yesterday

Negative: subject + auxiliary verb (did) + negacion
+ verb (infinitive) + complement.
He didnt hear the telephone.
Interrogative: auxiliary verb (did) + subject + verb
(infinitive) + complement?.
Did you have dinner last night?

Past Perfect

[had + past participle]

You had studied English before you moved to New York.

Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something

occurred before another action in the past. It can also
show that something happened before a specific time in
the past.

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to

Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
 Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city
several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to
Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the
book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not
booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous

uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show
that something started in the past and continued up until
another action in the past.

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in
London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had
owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to

Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs,
the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes
used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous
Verbs.

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the

Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when
"before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words
"before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first,
so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both
sentences below are correct.

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before

she moved in with them in 1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she
moved in with them in 1996.
If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a
specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the
examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack
of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For
this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not

Correct
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska.
Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs

such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

You had previously studied English before you moved to

New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to
New York?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

George had repaired many cars before he received his

mechanic's license. Active
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received
his mechanic's license. Passive

Exercises: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/past-
perfect-exercise-1.html

Reported Speech

Direct Speech : Cuando queremos informar exactamente de lo

que otra persona ha dicho, utilizamos el estilo directo. Con este
estilo lo que la persona ha dicho se coloca entre comillas ("...") y
deber ser palabra por palabra.

"I am going to London next week," she said. ("Voy a

Londres la semana que viene," ella dijo.)
"Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked. ("Tienes un
bolgrafo que puedas prestarme?," l pregunt.)
 Alice said, "I love to dance." (Alice dijo, "Me encanta
bailar.")
Chris asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me
tomorrow night?" (Chris pregunt, "Te gustara cenar
conmigo maana por la noche?")

Reported Speech: El estilo indirecto, a diferencia del estilo

directo, no utiliza las comillas y no necesita ser palabra por
palabra. En general, cuando se usa el estilo indirecto, el tiempo
verbal cambia. A continuacin tienes un explicacin de los
cambios que sufren los tiempos verbales.

A veces se usa "that" en las frases afirmativas y negativas para

introducir lo que ha dicho la otra persona. Por otro lado, en las
frases interrogativas se puede usar "if" o "whether".

Nota: Ten en cuenta tambin que las expresiones de tiempo

cambian en el estilo indirecto. Fijate en los cambios de tiempo
en los ejemplos ms abajo y despus, encontrars una tabla con
ms explicaciones de los cambios de tiempo en el estilo
indirecto.

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple Past Simple

Play Play

"He's American," she said. She said he was American.

Play Play

"I'm happy to see you," Mary said. Mary said that she was happy to see me.

Play Play

He asked, "Are you busy tonight?" He asked me if I was busy that night.

Present Continuous Past Continuous

Play Play
Dan is living in San Francisco," she said. She said Dan was living in San Francisco.

Play Play

He said, "I'm making dinner." He told me that he was making dinner.

Play
Play

"Why are you working so hard?" they

They asked me why I was working so hard.
asked.

Past Simple Past Perfect Simple

Play
Play

He told me they had gone to the movies the

"We went to the movies last night," he said.
night before.

Play
Play

Greg said that he hadn't gone to work the

"Greg said, "I didn't go to work yesterday."
day before.

Play Play

"Did you buy a new car?" she asked. She asked me if I had bought a new car.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Play
Play

Vicki told me she'd been working late the

"I was working late last night," Vicki said.
night before.

Play
Play

They said that they hadn't been

They said, "we weren't waiting long."
waitinglong.

Play Play

" He asked, "were you sleeping when I He asked if I'd been sleeping when he
called?" called.
Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple

Play Play

"Heather said, "I've already eaten." Heather told me that she'd already eaten.

Play Play

"We haven't been to China," they said. They said they hadn't been to China.

Play
Play

I asked her whether she'd

"Have you worked here before?" I asked.
worked therebefore.

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Play Play

"I've been studying English for two He said he'd been studying English for two
years,"he said. years.

Play Play

" Steve said, "we've been dating for over a Steve told me that they'd been dating for
year now." over a year.

Play Play

"Have you been waiting long?" they asked. They asked whether I'd been waiting long.

Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple (*NO CHANGE)

Play Play

"I'd been to Chicago before for work," he He said that he'd been to Chicago before for
said. work.

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous (*NO CHANGE)

Play Play

She said, "I'd been dancing for years before She said she'd been dancing for years
the accident." before the accident.

Nota: Cuando hablamos de algo que no ha cambiado (que sigue

siendo cierto) o de algo en el futuro, no es necesario cambiar el
tiempo verbal.

"I'm 30 years old," she said. She said she is 30 years

old.
Dave said, "Kelly is sick." Dave said Kelly is sick.
"We are going to Tokyo next week," they said. They said
they are going to Tokyo next week.
"I'll cut my hair tomorrow," Nina said. Nina said she is
cutting her hair tomorrow.

Modals:

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

Will Would

Play
Play
John said
"I'll go to the movies he would go to
tomorrow," John said. the moviesthe next
day.

Play
Play

She asked
"Will you help me
me if I would
move?" she asked.
help her move.

Can Could

Play
Play
Debra said
Debra said, "Allen can Allen could
work tomorrow." work the next
day.
 Play
Play

He asked
"Can you open the window,
me if I could
please?", he asked.
open the window.

Must Had to

Play
Play

My mom said
"You must wear your
I had to wear my
seatbelt," mom said.
seatbelt.

Play
Play

She said I had to

She said, "You must
work the next
work tomorrow."
day.

Shall Should

Play
Play
Tom
"Shall we go to the beach asked if we should
today?" Tom asked. go to the
beachthat day.

Play
Play

She asked me
"What shall we do tonight?"
what we should
she asked.
do that night.

May Might/Could

Play
Play
Jane said
Jane said, "I may not be in she might not
class tomorrow." be in class the
next day.
 Play
Play

the boy
The boy
asked. "May I use the
asked if he could
bathroom, please?"the boy
use the bathroom.
asked.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

today that day

tonight that night

that
this week/month/year
week/month/year

tomorrow the next day

the following
next week/month/year
week/month/year

the day before/the

yesterday
previous day

the
day/month/year
last week/month/year before o the
previous
day/month/year

then/at that
now
moment

Otros cambios

here there

Exercises:
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-
exercise-reported-speech.php

Used to

[used to + VERB]

I used to go to the beach every day.

It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms;
however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is
better to ask questions and create negative sentences using
Simple Past.

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old

habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that
something was often repeated in the past, but it is not
usually done now.

Jerry used to study English.

Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
I used to start work at 9 o'clock.
Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

"Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or

generalizations which are no longer true.

I used to live in Paris.

Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena
is the best.
Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are
quite expensive.

"Used to" vs. Simple Past

Both Simple Past and "Used to" can be used to describe past
habits, past facts and past generalizations; however, "used to" is
preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in
positive sentences. On the other hand, when asking questions or
making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.

You used to play the piano.

Did you play the piano when you were young?
You did not play the piano when you were young.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Jerry used to pay the bills. ACTIVE
The bills used to be paid by Jerry. PASSIVE

Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

 Estructura Sujeto + "didn't" + "use to" + verbo...

Interrogative Sentences (Frases interogativas)

Estructura "Did" + sujeto + "use to" + verbo...?

Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not

important or not known, however, who or what is performing the
action.

My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was
stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active

voice, as the following example shows:

A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I
do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the

following: The object of the active sentence becomes the subject
of the passive sentence

the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past

participle)
the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of
the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive

Tense Subject Verb Object

 writes a letter.
Simple Present Active: Rita

Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter.

Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita has written a letter.

Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Hilfsverben Active: Rita can write a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Examples of Passive

Tense Subject Verb Object

is writing a letter.
Present Progressive Active: Rita

Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.

Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.

Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.

Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.

Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.

Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.

Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.

Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.

Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

 Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2

wrote a letter to me.

Active: Rita

Passive: A letter was written to me by Rita.

Passive: I was written a letter by Rita.

.Form:

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb]

+ [by] + [thing doing action]

Uses

Usamos la voz pasiva cuando no sabemos quien ha

realizado la accin.

A civilian has been killed. (Un civil ha sido asesinado.)

The car was stolen. (El coche fue robado.)

Usamos la voz pasiva cuando queremos dar ms

importancia a lo que pas, que a quin realiz la accin o
cuando no queremos decir quien la realiz.

The letter was delivered yesterday. (La carta fue entregada

ayer.)
A mistake was made. (Un error fue cometido.)

Nota: No podemos usar la voz pasiva con verbos intransitivos

como "die", "arrive" o "go". Verbos intransitivos son verbos que
no llevan un objeto directo.

ACTIVE VOICE:

[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

Para

transformar
una oracin
activa a pasiva tenemos en cuenta los siguientes puntos:

El objeto de la oracin activa pasa a ser el sujeto de la

pasiva.
El verbo principal se sustituye por el auxiliar "to be", en su
mismo tiempo, junto al verbo principal en participio.
El sujeto de la oracin principal pasa a ser complemento
agente de la pasiva.
Si hacemos mencin en la oracin del sujeto que realiza la
accin (sujeto agente), este ir normalmente precedido por
la preposicin "by".
Mark Twain wrote the book. The book was written by
Mark Twain. (Mark Twain escribi el libro. El libro fue
escrito por Mark Twain.)
The housekeeper will clean the room. The room will be
cleaned by the housekeeper. (La ama de casa limpiar la
habitacin. La habitacin ser limpiada por la ama de
casa.)

Active Passive --

Simple Once a week, Once a week, the house is

Present Tom cleans the house. cleaned by Tom.

Present Right now, Sarah is Right now, the letter is being

Continuous writing the letter. written by Sarah.

Simple Past Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by
Sam.

Past The salesman was The customer was being

Continuous helping the customer when helped by the salesman
the thief came into the when the thief came into the
store. store.

Present Many tourists have That castle has been

Perfect visited that castle. visited by many tourists.

Present Recently, John has been Recently, the work has been
Perfect doing the work. being done by John.
Continuous

Past Perfect George had repaired many Many cars had been
cars before he received his repaired by George before
mechanic's license. he received his mechanic's
license.

Past Perfect Chef Jones had been The restaurant's fantastic

Continuous preparing the restaurant's dinners had been being
fantastic dinners for two prepared by Chef Jones for
years before he moved to two years before he moved to
Paris. Paris.

Simple Someone will finish the The work will be finished by

Future work by 5:00 PM. 5:00 PM.
WILL

Simple Sally is going to make a A beautiful dinner is going to

Future beautiful dinner tonight. be made by Sally tonight.
BE GOING TO

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, At 8:00 PM tonight, the

Continuous John will be washing the dishes will be being
WILL dishes. washed by John.

Future At 8:00 PM tonight, John is At 8:00 PM tonight, the

Continuous going to be washing the dishes are going to be
BE GOING TO dishes. being washed by John.

Future They will have The project will have been

Perfect completed the project completed before the
WILL before the deadline. deadline.

Future They are going to have The project is going to have

Perfect completed the project been completed before the
BE GOING TO before the deadline. deadline.

Future The famous artist will have The mural will have been
Perfect been painting the mural for being painted by the famous
Continuous over six months by the time artist for over six months by
WILL it is finished. the time it is finished.
Future The famous artist is going The mural is going to have
Perfect to have been painting the been being painted by the
Continuous mural for over six months famous artist for over six
BE GOING TO by the time it is finished. months by the time it is
finished.

Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by
Jerry.

Would My mother would always The pies would always be

Always make the pies. made by my mother.

Future in the I knew John would I knew the work would be

Past finish the work by 5:00 PM. finished by 5:00 PM.
WOULD

Future in the I thought Sally was going I thought a beautiful

Past to make a beautiful dinner dinner was going to be
WAS GOING TO tonight. made by Sally tonight.

Will/ won`t

En ingls no existen los verbos en futuro, sino que al agregar

will, convertimos en futuro al verbo que le sigue:

I will come to see you tonight.

I will go - ir
I will eat - comer
I will be - ser / estar
I will have - tendr / habr

Affirmative:

Bill will finish this later.

This will be very easy.
I will call you back.
It will rain next week.

Negative:

I won't sleep tonight.

They will not come.
You won't like it.

Interrogative:

Will Mrs. Lennon understand me?

 Will you take me with you?

Use will/wont for promises:

Ill send you an e-mail.

I wont tell anyone your secret.
Hell pay you back tomorrow.
We wont forget your birthday.

Use will for offers:

Ill buy you a drink.

My secretary will help you with the paperwork.

Use will for decisions made in the moment:

Would you like potatoes or rice?

Ill have the rice.
Which shirt do you like?
Well, the red one is cheaper, but I prefer the color blue. Ill
take the blue one.

Use will/wont or going to for predictions or

statements about the future:

My companys going to move its headquarters overseas

next year.
Your wife will love those flowers theyre beautiful!
The economy isnt going to improve much this year.
He wont pass the test. He hasnt studied at all.

Exercises: http://www.learn-english-
online.org/Lesson39/willwont.htm

Have to / Dont have to

"Have to" is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.

Have to / Has to = it is necessary

Don't have to / Doesn't have to = it isn't necessary

AFFIRMATIVE
SUBJECT MODAL VERB EXAMPLES
SENTENCES

affirmative I have to clean I have to clean my room.

sentences you get You have to get a new book.
(+) we pick up We have to pick up the laundry.
 they have They have to have a notebook.
NECESSITY: eat
he He has to eat dinner now.
have to/has to go
she has to She has to go to work now.
means it is work
it It has to work.
necessary.

NEGATIVE
SUBJECT MODAL VERB EXAMPLES
SENTENCES

I don't have to work on

negative sentences I
(-) you don't have work Saturday.
do You don't have to do that.
we to
LACK OF they clean We don't have to clean the car.
NECESSITY: eat They don't have to eat pizza.
don't have to/doesn't work He doesn't have to
have to he go
doesn't work tomorrow.
means it is not she be She doesn't have to go today.
have to
necessary. it
It doesn't have to be that way.
You have a choice.

QUESTIONS DO SUBJECT MODAL VERB EXAMPLES

Do I have to clean my
room?
I Do you have to get a
you clean new book?
Do get Do we have to pick
we
they pick up the laundry?
questions up Do they have to have a
have to
(?) have notebook?
eat
go Does he have to
he work eat dinner now?
Does she Does she have to go to
it work now?
Does it have to work?

Using "Have to" in Present, Past, and Future

"Have to" behaves quite irregularly in the past and the future.
Study the chart below to learn how "have to" behaves in
different contexts.

Use Positive Forms Negative Forms You

1. = Present 2. = Past 3. 1. = Present 2. = Past 3. = can
 = Future Future also
use:

have to 1. That has to be Jerry. 1. SHIFT TO "MUST" must,

CERTAINT They said he was tall with That must not be Jerry. They have
Y bright red hair. said he has blond hair, not red got to
hair.
2. That has to have been
the right restaurant. 2. SHIFT TO "MUST"
There were no other That must not have been
restaurants on the street. the right restaurant. I guess
there was another one
3. NONE around there somewhere.

3. NONE

have to 1. She has to read four 1. She doesn't have to read must
NECESSIT books for this literature "Grapes of Wrath." It's optional
Y class. reading for extra credit.

2. She had to finish the 2. She didn't have to write a

first book before the critique of "The Scarlet
midterm. Letter." She had to give a
presentation to her class.
3. She will have to finish
the other books before 3. She won't have to take
the final exam. any other literature classes.
American Literature 101 is
the only required course.

REMEMBER: "Do not have to" vs. "Must not"

"Do not have to" suggests that someone is not required to do something.
"Must not" suggests that you are prohibited from doing something.

Examples:

You must not eat that. IT IS FORBIDDEN, IT IS NOT ALLOWED.

You don't have to eat that. YOU CAN IF YOU WANT TO, BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARY.

Exercises: http://english-zone.com/verbs/haveto1.html

Must / Mustnt
En forma afirmativa se usa para expresar obligacin o una
necesidad muy fuerte.

I must study a lot for my Geography exam. (Debo estudiar

mucho para mi examen de geografa.)

Para negar, slo aadimos la partcula negativa not, y

normalmente se contrae con must. En forma negativa se usa
para expresar algo muy diferente. No es lo contrario de su
significado en forma afirmativa (o sea, que no hay obligacin). Al
contrario, se usa para expresar una prohibicin, algo que no est
permitido.

You mustn't eat in class. (No debis comer en clase = Est

prohibido comer en clase.)

1. Obligacin

El semimodal Have to tambin se usa para expresar obligacin.

La diferencia radica en que la obligacin expresada por have to
es externa (viene dada por una tercera persona o por normas)
mientras que la obligacin expresada por must est impuesta
por el hablante o el que escribe la frase. Adems, la obligacin
con must tiene intencin futura.

I must write an e-mail to my cousin (debo escribir un e-

mail a mi primo) Es algo que me impongo yo mismo.
Todava no lo he hecho, tiene intencin futura.

Passengers must fasten their seatbealts (los pasajeros

deben abrocharse el cinturn de seguridad) Es algo que
impone la compaa que ha escrito la frase.
I have to wear uniform at work (tengo que llevar uniforme
en el trabajo) Es algo que me imponen en el trabajo.

2. Deber moral

You must respect your parents (debes respetar a tus

padres)

3. Consejo (persuasin)
Aqu es muy importante que se distinga del "should" que
tambin se usa para expresar consejo. Usamos must para
expresar fuerte recomendacin o consejo, hasta el punto de
querer persuadir al interlocutor.

You must go and see that film (Debes ir y ver esa pelcula)
You must clean your car (debes limpiar el coche)

4. Necesidad fuerte

Aqu hemos de distinguirlo del semi-modal have to que tambin

expresa necesidad. Must se usa para expresar una necesidad
fuerte.

I must tidy my bedroom. It's a mess (debo ordenar mi

habitacin. Est hecha un desastre)

Adems, slo usamos must para expresar una fuerte necesidad

en presente. Si queremos usar otros tiempos verbales,
deberemos recurrir a have to.

I'll have to go to the doctor (tendr que ir al mdico)

futuro
I had to leave early (tuve que marcharme temprano)
pasado

5. Deduccin afirmativa.

You got up very early. You must be tired (te levantaste muy
temprano. Debes estar cansado)

The lights are on. She must be home. (las luces estn
encendidas. Debe estar en casa)

Para deducciones negativas usaremos el modal can't.

You can't be 30! You look younger. (No puedes tener 30

aos! Pareces ms joven)

MUSTN'T
La forma negativa de must, es decir, must not o mustn't se usa
para expresar prohibicin.

You mustn't be late. (No puedes llegar tarde)

You mustn't smoke in schools (No puedes fumar en los
colegios)

Exercises:
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?
id=5140

If + Present (Zero Conditional)

The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to
is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero
conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in
both parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero
conditional sentences, the word "if" can usually be replaced by
the word "when" without changing the meaning.

If clause Main clause

If + simple present simple present

If this thing happens that thing happens.

If you heat ice it melts.

If it rains the grass gets wet.

The zero conditional is used to make statements about the real

world, and often refers to general truths, such as scientific facts.
In these sentences, the time is now or always and the situation
is real and possible.

If you freeze water, it becomes a solid.

Plants die if they don't get enough water.
If my husband has a cold, I usually catch it.
If public transport is efficient, people stop using their cars.
If you mix red and blue, you get purple.
The zero conditional is also often used to give instructions, using
the imperative in the main clause.

If Bill phones, tell him to meet me at the cinema.

Ask Pete if you're not sure what to do.
If you want to come, call me before 5:00.
Meet me here if we get separated.

Exercises: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/support-
files/conditionals_zero_form.pdf

Will + Infinitive (First Conditional)

The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the
future simple in the other clause:

if + present simple, ... will + infinitive

It's used to talk about things which might happen in the future.
Of course, we can't know what will happen in the future, but this
describes possible things, which could easily come true.

If it rains, I won't go to the park.

If I study today, I'll go to the party tonight.
If I have enough money, I'll buy some new shoes.
She'll be late if the train is delayed.
She'll miss the bus if she doesn't leave soon.
If I see her, I'll tell her.

First vs. Zero Conditional: The first conditional describes a

particular situation, whereas the zero conditional describes what
happens in general.

For example (zero conditional): if you sit in the sun, you get
burned (here I'm talking about every time a person sits in the
sun - the burning is a natural consequence of the sitting)

But (first conditional): if you sit in the sun, you'll get burned
(here I'm talking about what will happen today, another day
might be different)

The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or

future where the situation is real. The type 1 conditional
refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these
sentences the if clause is in the simple present, and the main
clause is in the simple future.

If clause Main clause

If + simple present simple future

If this thing happens that thing will happen.

If you don't hurry you will miss the train.

If it rains today you will get wet.

We use the First Conditional to talk about future events

that are likely to happen.

If we take John, he'll be really pleased.

If you give me some money, I'll pay you back tomorrow.
If they tell us they want it, we'll have to give it to them.
If Mary comes, she'll want to drive.

The 'if' clause can be used with different present forms.

If I go to New York again, I'll buy you a souvenir from the

Empire State Building.
If he's feeling better, he'll come.
If she hasn't heard the bad news yet, I'll tell her.

The "future clause" can contain 'going to' or the future

perfect as well as 'will'.

If I see him, I'm going to tell him exactly how angry I am.
If we don't get the contract, we'll have wasted a lot of time
and money.

The "future clause" can also contain other modal verbs

such as 'can' and 'must'.
 If you go to New York, you must have the cheesecake in
Lindy's.
If he comes, you can get a lift home with him.

Exercises: http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/first-
conditional-exercise-1.html