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CURSO DE PERFECCIONAMIENTO DE LA LENGUA INGLESA

CLASE 1
THE SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS PRESENT

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DIALOG (diálogo)
TOUR GUIDE: We are leaving Cibeles Circle. We are heading toward Neptune Circle. We are now getting to Neptune
Circle. On the other side of the circle is the Prado Musuem. The Prado has Spain´s most famous
Painters. Can anyone name Spain´s 2 most famous painters?
TOURIST: Yes, I can. They are Goya and Velázquez.
TOUR GUIDE: Right. We are now taking a right. On your left is the Palace Hotel. The building on your right, with the
two big lions, is the Cortes or Spanish Parliament Building. We are now going up Jeranimo Street. We
are now taking a right, and now another left. We are on Alcala Street. Behind you is Cibeles, where the
main post office is. We are getting to Puerta del Sol Plaza. What does "Puerta del Sol" mean in English?
TOURIST: It means "Gateway to the Sun".
TOUR GUIDE: Right. "Puerta" normally means "door ". It can also mean "gate". If it is the main, open gate of a big
place, it means "gateway". We are now going down Arenal Street. What does "arenal" mean?
TOURIST: "Arenal" means "pit".
TOUR GUIDE: Right again. We are coming into Isabel II Plaza. That building behind Isabel II´s statue is The Royal
Theater. Is it really a theater?
TOURIST: No, it isn´t a theater. It´s a concert hall.
TOUR GUIDE: Excellent. Now we´re coming into Oriental Square, and in front of you is The Royal Palace. It reminds
me of King Charles III.
TOURIST: We know who Charles III is. His statue is the Puerta del Sol.
TOUR GUIDE: How do you all know so much?
TOURIST: We are studying Spanish culture, language and history in the University of Madrid.
TOUR GUIDE: Oh! My God!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to leave salir, abandonar pit arenal
to head toward dirigirse hacia concert hall sala de conciertos
to take a right girar a la derecha door puerta
to take a left girar a la izquierda gate puerta de valla
to go up Subir gateway puerta abierta
to go down bajar front frente, fachada
to get to, to come to llegar circle círculo
to come into entrar statue estatua
to go straight up subir recto building edificio
to go straight down bajar recto plaza, square plaza

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GRAMMAR - SIMPLE PRESENT/CONTINUOUS PRESENT


(gramática - presente simple y presente continuo)
 El presente simple es el presente en general (I leave = Yo me marcho).
 El presente continuo indica que la acción esta pasando en este momento (I am leaving = yo me estoy marchando).

OBSERVA:
 En inglés es necesario utilizar uno u otro dependiendo del momento en el que se produzca la acción. Por ejemplo, "Do
you leave home now?" es incorrecto; debería ser "Are you leaving home now?". En español las 2 frases significan
"¿Sales de casa ahora?"

NOTA:
Para más información sobre el tiempo presente de los verbos, consultar la Clase 6 y la Clase 7 del curso introductorio.

CLASE 2- VERBOS COMPUESTOS (PHRASAL VERBS)

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TEXT (texto)
TWIN TOWERS EXPLOSION (NOV., 1998, NEW YORK CITY)
Before I went back (volver) home, I heard a bomb go off (explotar). I was going out (salir) with my girl friend at the time.
We were going over (repasar) old times. We were just about to go into (entrar) a shop. In fact, we were going up (subir)
to the door of the shop. After the explosion, my girl friend wanted to go away (marcharse), but there were some cops in
the street who had gone on strike (ir a la huelga). They told us to go on (continuar) or at least go out (salir fuera) of the
area.

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to go over (to review) repasar to go away (to leave) marcharse
to go out salir o apagarse to go into (to enter) entrar
to go on (to carry on) continuar to go on strike ir a la huelga
to go back volver to go off explotar, marcharse

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GRAMMAR - VERBOS COMPUESTOS (PHRASAL VERBS)


(gramática - verbos compuestos)

 Un "phrasal verb" es simplemente un verbo unido a otra palabra (a menudo una preposición aunque no siempre): "to
go" (ir) + "out" (fuera) = salir.

OBSERVA LO SIGUIENTE:
to go out (prep.) the door = salir de la puerta
to go out (adv.) into the garden = salir al jardín

 La clave para entender el significado de un Phrasal Verb está en la palabra que sigue al verbo; "to go": up (subir),
down (bajar), into (entrar), etc.

 Dentro de un texto, incluso en un texto con verbos muy parecidos como el anterior, no represente un gran problema si
lo leemos dentro de su contexto.

CLASE 3 - FORMAS DE "THERE IS"


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TEXT (texto)
TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN FLORIDA
All states in the U.S. are divided into counties. There are 67 counties in Florida. Since it is the fastest-growing state, there
have been many changes in the highway system. One example of these changes is Escambia County in northwest Florida.

In Escambia there were 11 surveys in the year 2000 to determine the traffic on secondary roads. The Florida Department
of Transportation conducted the survey. Residents were asked the following questions:

1. Is there a lot of traffic in front of your house?


2. Are there a lot of cars during the rush hours?
3. Will there be a lot of traffic during this weekend?
4. Was there a lot of traffic in front of your house yesterday?
5. Has there been more traffic in front of your house this year than last year?
6. Would there be a lot of traffic in front of your house if you lived in the Molino area (rural)?

There will be 6 new secondary highways in Escambia in the year 2001, but not because of the survey. The results were
lost in the computer system. So why was the mix-up in the presidential elections a big surprise?

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)

country condado to conduct a survey hacer una encuesta


survey encuenta rush hours horas punta
fastest el más rápido mix-up lío, confusión
to grow crecer

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GRAMMAR - FORMS OF "THERE IS"


(gramática - formas de la expresión "There is")
OBSERVA LO SIGUIENTE:
Inglés Español Contracción

There is, there are hay there's, there're

There was, there were había,hubiera, hubo(1) ----


There will be,
habrá there'll be, there's going to be
there is going to be)
There would be habría there'd be
(1) Como no usamos el subjuntivo, para hubiera y hubo empleamos there were (había)

You answered correctly to 0 questions. (Has respondido correctamente a 0 preguntas)


SOLUTIONS (soluciones)
1. If there were (hubiera) any oranges in Florida, I would eat them.
2. There was (había) a small bush near the highway yesterday.
3. Were there (había) some red flowers there, too?
4. There was (hubo) a mix-up last night.
5. There is (hay) a secondary road in front of my house.

CLASE 4 - EL PASADO SIMPLE (PAST SIMPLE)

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GRAMMAR - THE PAST OF REGULAR VERBS IN ENGLISH


(gramática - el pasado de los verbos regulares en inglés)
 "To do" significa "hacer". Sin embargo, en inglés, se emplea también de una forma puramente
gramatical para contruir las preguntas y las frases negativas.

 En el pasado, se cambia el "do" por el famoso "did".


EJEMPLO:
Do you attend class? ¿Asiste Vd. a clase?
Did you attend class? ¿Asistió Vd. a clase?
No, I do not attend class. No, no asisto a clase.
No, I did not attend class. No, no asistí a clase.

 Para poner los verbos regulares en pasado (afirmativos), se pone "d" o "ed" detrás del infinitivo.
NOTA:
Para más información sobre los tiempo pasados de los verbos, consultar la Clase 8, la Clase 9 y la Clase 10
del curso introductorio.

PRONUNCIATION RULE (regla de pronunciación):


Cuando es "ted" o "ded", pronuncie fuerte; si no , una "t" muy suave.
Si se pronuncia con lentitud, los sonidos se convierten en 3 grupos: una "d" fuerte (lived); una "t" (helped) suave; una
"tid" (created).

EJERCICIOS (ejercicios)
Click on each speaker icon and repeat the sound (pincha en cada uno de los altavoces y repite el sonido).

1. I enjoy (yo disfruto) I enjoyed (yo disfruté)


2. I help (yo ayudo) I helped (yo ayudé)
3. I separate (yo separo) I separated (yo separé)
4. I own (yo poseo) I owned (yo poseí)
5. I perfect (yo perfecciono) I perfected (yo perfeccioné)
6. I recognize (yo reconozco) I recognized (yo reconocí)
7. I start (yo empiezo) I started (yo empecé)

CLASE 5- THE VERB "TO GET"


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TEXT (texto)

BILL GATES EARLY MORNING SCHEDULE (by Billy Gate)


Last night, I got really tired.
I got in late - at 12 o´clock. Before I got to bed, I got a shower, but the water got too hot, so I got out of the shower, got
dry, and got to bed.
The next morning, I got up really garage early - at 6. I got downstairs, got a kiss from my wife, got out of the house, and
got into the garage, where my chauffeur had got the door open for me.
He got in and I got in. Before I got to work, my secretary called and told me that I had got a lot of faxes. By then, I
realized that I had got a cold but would get over it quickly.
When I got up to my office, things were getting worse. Ten reporters were waiting for me. I couldn´t get around them.
Already, I had got tired before I got through the first 2 minutes of my working day!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to get tired cansarse to get in, into entrar
to get to bed acostarse to get a fax recibir un fax
to get a shower ducharse to get worse empeorar
to get too hot calentarse demasiado to get around girar, esquivar, adelantar
to get out salir to get up levantarse
to get dry secarse to get a kiss recibir un beso
to get down bajar to get away escapar
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GRAMMAR - THE VERB "TO GET"


(gramática - el verbo "to get")
 I have, I have got, I've got = yo tengo

 "To get" tiene los siguientes significados: llegar, recibir, coger, sacar, conseguir. En realidad, hay que pensar que "to
get" es obtener o conseguir algo. Por ejemplo, "to get my mother a Christmas present" es literalmente "conseguir un
regalo de navidad para mi madre", o sea, "comprar un regalo de navidad para mi madre".
 Entonces, "to get" es "lograr algo" de alguna forma. Por ejemplo, "to get away" (escaparar) es "conseguir alejarse".

 Cuando hay una palabra añadida (phrasal verbs), tiene otros significados: to get by (apañarse, defenderse), to get
over (recuperarse), to get through (pasar), to get a cold (resfriarse), etc.

 Hay más, La clave para entender los significados son las palabras que siguen a "get": "up", "down", etc.

CLASE 6 - "ELLO" (IT) EN INGLÉS

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TEXT (texto)
THE SOUTH
"The South" is the southeastern U.S. It consists of such states as Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, etc.
It has its own dialect called the "Southern drawl", which is spoken very slowly. Two of its common words are "ain´t"
(negative of the present forms of "to be": "they ain´t" = they aren´t) and "ya´ll" (all of you).
It also has its own cooking, customs, and climate. "Southern fried chicken" ("Kentucky fried chicken") and corn bread are
typically from that area. Before the 60s, taking a nap after lunch was quite common.
The climate is hot and humid. Its commercial center is Atlanta. It has a large Black population and in the past was
principally an agricultural region, mostly cotton and corn. Its most famous novel is "Gone with the Wind". Also in the past,
it was known in foreign countries for its racial conflicts. Today it is the fastest growing area in the nation, and its racial
practices and attitudes have changed, thank God!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
southeastern sur este corn maíz
Southern drawl el acento del sureste de EE. UU. "Gone with the Wind" "Lo que ell viento se llevó"
cooking cocina fastest growing mayor crecimiento
nap siesta foreign extranjero
cotton algodón thank God Gracias a Díos

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GRAMMAR - "ELLO" (IT) EN INGLÉS


(gramática - "ello" en inglés)
 Se emplea "it" para todo aquello que es neutro, cosas que no tienen vida: un coche, una mesa, un país, etc. Cuando
es en plural se utiliza "they" como por ejemplo para una empresa, o un equipo de fútbol.

 Por ejemplo, la gente en Atlanta (people in Atlanta) es plural, porque "gente" siempre es plural. En cambio, si
hablamos de Atlanta como ciudad, entonces hay que usar "it".

 "It" (lo) es también el sujeto complemento: I see it = Yo lo veo. Además, cuando es posesivo, el " it" se convierte en
"its": "its own dialect" = "su propio dialecto".

You answered correctly to 2 questions. (Has respondido correctamente a 2 preguntas)

SOLUTIONS (soluciones)
1. The states of Florida, Alabama, and Virginia are in the South.
They are in the South.
2. "Kentucky fried chicken" is tipically from the South.
It is tipically from the South.
3. The climate is hot and humid.
It is hot and humid.
4. Atlanta is not the capital of Georgia.
It is not the capital of Georgia.
5. People live really well in Atlanta.
They live really well in Atlanta.

CLASE 7- CONTRACCIONES EN INGLÉS

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TEXT (texto)
A LETTER OF COMPLAINT
Dear Sir:
I´ve got a bottle of your olives in front of me on my kitchen table. I´ve also got part of my broken tooth next to the
bottle.

Your label on the bottle is clear: "There are no seeds in the olives".
I am going to sue you. My broken tooth caused an infection and problems to my other teeth. Please send your insurance
adjuster to my home. I want a fair settlement. My dentist bills are $600, but what about my pain and suffering?

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
complaint reclamación (queja) fair justo
to sue demandar settlement indemnización
seed semilla bill factura
insurance seguros pain dolor
adjuster inspector What about? ¿Qué pasa con ...? (¿Te apetece ...?)

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GRAMMAR - CONTRACTIONS IN ENGLISH


(gramática - contracciones en inglés)
 Contracción (según la página 749, el DICCIONARIO DE USO DEL ESPAÑOL de María Moliner, Editorial Gredos, S. A.):
"(gramática). Fenómeno de unirse dos palabras en una, con pérdida de alguna vocal.".
 En inglés en conversaciones, cartas, etc. y documentos informales, se emplean las contracciones de verbos. Más del
98% de las veces se utilizan. No se emplean en documentos legales o cuando es necesario enfatizar o remarcar algo.

OBSERVA:
 Como ejemplo, en el anterior texto "A LETTER OF COMPLAINT", en el primer párrafo no hay contracciones, pero en
el segundo y tercer párrafos, sí las hay. Esto es debido a que el primero (una introducción) es informal, y el segundo y el
tercero son más serios (va a demandar a la empresa).

EJEMPLOS:

- Do you want to go to Toledo?


NORMAL
- No, I don´t want to go to Toledo.
MÁS ENFASIS
- No, I do not want to go to Toledo.
- Did you kill your wife?
NORMAL
- No, I didn´t kill my wife.
MÁS ENFASIS
- No, I did not kill my wife.

1. There're more letters of complaint in the U.S.


2. A letter of complaint shouldn't be complicated.
3. Won't $600 not be enough?
4. I wouldn't go if it´s raining.
5. I couldn´t be fair.

CLASE 8 - EL GERUNDIO

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TEXT (texto)
MY STORY THAT BECAME A LEGEND (NOV. 26, 1959; Hattiesburg, Miss., U.S.A)
In my college days, taking my girl friend home was marvelous. She had a dark complexion, big blue eyes, and other
interesting features. Her name was Cherry. (The sad part of this story is that later she became my wife.)
On that cold night, after leaving the highway, I parked off a small dirt road.
While listening to the radio, we heard that a dangerous convict had escaped from the local prison. He had a metal hook
for a hand.
"Let´s go back to the university," Cherry said.
At her university dormitory, I got out of the car and went around to open her door. Hanging on her door handle was the
hook!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
to take home llevar a casa to get out, to leave salir
features características to go around ir alrededor
dirt road carretera de tierra to hang colgar
hook gancho dangerous peligroso
cherry cereza highway carretera de asfalto
dark complexion morena dormitory residencia de estudiantes
handle tirador de puerta college universidad
to become llegar a ser, convertirse

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GRAMMAR - THE GERUND


(gramática - el gerundio)

 El gerundio en español, se forma añadiendo "ando" o "iendo". En Inglés, se pone "ing":


to see = ver; seing = viendo
to speak = hablar; speaking = hablando

EJEMPLO:
I am speaking = Yo estoy hablando
 De vez en cuando un verbo se convierte en sustantivo ( por ejemplo. "el hablar"). En este caso se utiliza el gerundio.

EJEMPLO:
Speaking is probably the most important part of a language.
(El hablar es probablemente la parte más importante de un idioma)
 Expresión preposicional: De ir = of going. Aquí, "ir" actua como sustantivo.

EJEMPLO:
What time of day are you thinking of going?
¿A qué hora del día piensas ir?
 "For" (para) más la preposición "to" no existe en inglés:

EJEMPLO:
Madrid es estupendo para vivir. (TAMBIÉN: Madrid está bien para vivir.)
Madrid is fine for to live. (INCORRECTO)
Madrid is fine for living. (CORRECTO)

EXERCISES (ejercicios)

1. I like swimming.
2. I like swimming.
3. After going to the university, we went to a restaurant.
4. Studying at that University is difficult.
5. Being tired is normal in Madrid.

CLASE 9 - PRONOMBRES: COMPLEMENTO

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TEXT (texto)
THE KEYS (by Mrs. Wilson)

Ann Wilson is the 12th grade (18-year-olds) physical education teacher at Columbus High School in Ohio. She gave Linda,
one of her students, the keys to the girls´ locker room in the gym. Linda gave the keys to 2 other girl students.

When Mrs.Wilson saw Linda in the hall, she asked her (Linda) about the keys, and she (Linda) said:

- "I gave them (the keys) to them (the 2 students), but they (the 2 students) gave them (the keys) to Susan to give to
me. She (Susan) couldn´t find me, so she gave them (the keys) to Robert, who took off the blue key from the ring and
gave it (the blue key) to Mr. Johnson (another teacher). Robert put the key ring in your mail box. Mr. Johnson just gave it
(the blue key) to me, and I was going to use it (the blue key) to open your mail box to put it (the blue key) on them (the
key ring) and give them (all the keys) to give to you. Here, take it (the blue key), and you can put it (the blue key) on
them (the key ring) yourself."

- "Thanks, Linda," said Mrs. Wilson. "I´ve only wasted 30 minutes looking for you in order to find out that I have to
waste another 10 minutes to get my keys."

- "You´re welcome, Mrs.Wilson. Any time you need a favor, I´ll be glad to help you."

- "Now you know why my hair is grey!"

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)

high school B.U.P. o C.O.U. key ring manojo de llaves


locker room vestuario to waste malgastar
to find out descubrir yourself tu mismo
hall pasillo in order to para que
To take off quitar somebody else otra persona
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GRAMMAR - PRONOUNS: DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS


(gramática - pronombres: complementos directos y indirectos)
 Los pronombres como complementos directos e indirectos tienen su truquillo: simplemente hay que seguir la sintaxis
del inglés.

EJEMPLO:
Se lo da.

Primero, hay que poner el sujeto en español.


Él da. He gives.

Después, poner la sintaxis inglesa en español:


Él lo da. => Él da lo. He gives it.

Después, seguir con la sintaxis inglesa en español:


Él se lo da. (a ella) => Él da lo a ella.(*) He gives it to her. (= se lo da)
* Sabemos que el "se" está allí para evitar "la-la´s" o "le-lo´s", nada más. Entonces, olvide el "se"

DOS EJEMPLOS MÁS:


Ella me lo dió. She gave it to me.
Yo se los di (a ella). I gave them to her.

NOTA:
Para más información sobre los pronombres, consultar la Clase 25, Clase 26, Clase 27, Clase 28 y la Clase 29 del curso
introductorio.

EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. I´m bringing them to you.

2. She is going to bring them to us.


3. I gave her the notebooks.
(También: I gave the notebooks to her.)

4. Julio doesn´t give it to her.

5. Are you going to tell it to them?


(También: Are you going to say it to them?)

CLASE 10- PASADO vs. PRESENTE

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TEXT (texto)
PROFESSIONALES (by John Lang)

I make my living by painting seascapes. Probably the best American seascapist is Winslow Homer.

This year, in the late spring, I went to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to paint the ocean waves crashing against the rocks.

In my Travelers´ Inn room I found a promotional questionaire, which asked the following:

1. Have you ever been in one of our hotels before?


2. Were you in one last year?
3. Have you seen our hotels advertised?
4. Did you see our advertisement last month?

If you fill out this form and are a professional, we will reduce your bill by 15%. I filled out the form and showed it and my
credentials as a painter to the man at the desk.

"Sorry, Sir," he said, "but we only recognize professionals, not artists."

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
seascape marina form documento
waves olas, ondas bill factura
to crash chocar to fill out rellenar
questionaire cuestionario to recognize reconocer
advertisement (ad) anuncio de propaganda comercial ever alguna vez
Inn posada

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GRAMMAR - THE PRESENT PERFECT AND THE PAST
(gramática - el presente perfecto y el pasado)
 El perfecto (yo he ido = I have gone) es una mezcla del presente con el pasado. En realidad, el
perfecto es un pasado indeterminado, y el pasado simple (yo fui = I went) es una acción ya concluida.
 PARECE MENTIRA QUE LA GENTE TENGA PROBLEMAS USANDO ESTA FORMA AL CONTESTAR.
ES SUPER FÁCIL: SIMPLEMENTE COPIE A LA OTRA PERSONA, O SEA, CUANDO UNA PERSONA
PREGUNTE EMPLEANDO UNA FORMA, CÓPIELE... HASTA QUE USTED LO HAYA DOMINADO.
Have you seen Zaragossa? ¿Has visto Zaragoza?
Yes, I have seen Zaragossa. Si, he visto Zaragoza.

COMPARACIÓN CON EL PASADO:


Did you catch (coger) bus 29 yesterday?
Yes, I caught bus 29 yesterday.
Have you ever (alguna vez) caught bus 29?
Yes, I´ve caught bus 29.
No, I have never caught bus 29. (No, I haven´t ever caught bus 29.)

 En español, en conversación, el perfecto está más cerca del presente que en inglés.

EXCEPCIÓN: Esto es un uso idiomático del tiempo en inglés.


Has he just gone out? ¿Acaba de salir?
Yes, he's just gone out. Si, acaba de salir.

EXERCISES (ejercicios)

1. Have you stood a lot of pressure in your job?


Yes, I've stood
2. Did you stand a lot of pressure in your job Friday?
Yes, I stood
3. Have you ever read a novel?
Yes, I've read
4. Did you read a novel last week?
Yes, I read
5. Have you forgiven insults easily?
Yes, I've forgiven.
6. Did you forgave the insult yesterday?
Yes, I forgave.

CLASE 11 - PRONUNCIACIÓN

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TEXT (texto)
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE
By Dr. Richard Grayson, University of West Florida

Spanish-speaking peoples´ most common mistake in pronunciation is without a doubt the


pronunciation of words that begin with "sp", for instance "speak", "special", "Spanish",
etc.

They have a tendency to put an "e" in front of such words. For instance, the word
"special", they pronounce "e-special"; "speak", "e-speak"; "Spanish", "e-Spanish", etc.

The following is an exercise to correct this. Pronounce the word first in Spanish, the
second in English incorrectly, and the third in English correctly:
Spanish Incorrectly in English Correctly in English
especial e-special special
Español e-Spanish Spanish
hablar e-speak speak

Now pronounce the following the same way:


Spanish Incorrectly in English Correctly in English
Hablo español. I e-speak e-Spanish. I speak Spanish.
Hablas español. You e-speak e-Spanish. You speak Spanish.
Él habla español. He e-speak e-Spanish. He speaks Spanish.
Now pronounce the following:

I speak special Spanish; you speak special Spanish; he speaks special Spanish.

If you listen to my pronunciation and copy it, you will have elimated the most common error made by
Spanish-speaking peoples.

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Spanish- de habla española (no "Spanish etc. (pronounced etcetera, not "E-
etc.
speaking spoken") T-C")
for instance por ejemplo following siguiente
the same
mistake error el mismo modo
way

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GRAMMAR - THE PRONUNCIATION


(gramática - la pronunciación)
Las reglas de pronunciación en inglés son más complicadas que la simple pronunciación del inglés.
A continuación hay algunas observaciones sobre las terminaciones en inglés:

-mente en español es -ly en inglés:


slow lento
slowly lentamente
quick rápido
quickly rápidamente

-ción es español es -tion (sin poner el énfasis de pronunciación) en inglés:

foundation fundación
imagination imaginación

Ejemplos:
Hablas muy rápido.
You speak very quickly.
Su (de él) imaginación trabaja lentamente.
His imagination works slowly.

Observe:
Hay un verbo que es difícil de pronunciar para los españoles en inglés y para los ingleses en español:
amenazar = to threaten.

The traffic cops (traffic wardens) in Madrid are threatening me.


Los policias de tráfico en Madrid me están amenazando.

EJERCICIOS (ejercicios)

Click on each speaker icon and repeat the sound (pincha en cada uno de los altavoces y repite el sonido).

1. I speak special Spanish especially today.


2. You speak special Spanish especially today.
3. She speaks special Spanish especially today.
4. We speak special Spanish in Spain.
5. You speak special Spanish in Spain.
6. They speak special Spanish in Spain.
7. She speaks special Spanish especially in Spain.
8. He speaks special Spanish especially in Spain.

CLASE 12- El VERBO "GUSTAR"

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TEXT (texto)
WHY I LIKE SPAIN SO MUCH (A radio interview with Brian Ard about his recent trip to Spain)

In August of 1999 I went to Madrid, Spain, on my honeymoon with my wife, Miriam, who is Puerto Rican. She understood
everything they said, but I only understood "no", "si", "cafeteria", and "muchos besos".

I liked it so much because they were really friendly and liked to party. They don´t like to go to bed. Four o´clock in the
morning there is like four in the afternoon here. In fact, you can´t find a cafeteria or a restaurant that has few people.
They do drive fast over there. Everybody was passing us on the highway, and I saw a sign that said "120". I asked my
cousin if "120" was miles per hour or not, if it was the maximum or minimum, and if there were any cops to stop people
from driving so fast.

Also, people liked me. I was driving slow, and a cop with a machinegun stopped me and asked me for my driving license.
I only had my fishing license from Asturias, and he laughed a lot and let me go on driving.

In Segovia, in a church, I saw a dead person, a saint probably, laying in a glass casket. He was decayed and nasty. It
made me sick. So in Spain they leave some people in churches to die.

The country is a little crazy, but a lot of fun. They are always celebrating something. They have all these statues for
virgins, which is rather odd. We must have some virgins in the States, but we don´t make statues for them!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
interview entrevista driving license permiso de conducir
honey moon luna de miel nasty sucio
friendly amigable crazy loco
to party pasarlo bien to lay tumbar
(to have a good time)
few pocos odd ( limpiar ) raro
sign señal de tráfico to go on continuar
cousin primo rather bastantes
cops policia the States EE.UU

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GRAMMAR - THE VERB "TO LIKE"


(gramática - el verbo "gustar")

"Gustar" es un verbo idiomático en español. "Idiomático" significa que sólo pertenece a un


idioma, no a otros. No obstante, "gustar" en inglés es como cualquier otro verbo. (to like =
gustar; like = como)

COMPARE:
I like me gusta I love yo quiero
You like te gusta You love tu quieres
He likes le gusta (a él ) He loves el quiere
We like nos gusta we love nosotros queremos
you like os gusta you love vosotros queréis
They like les gusta They love ellos quieren

Reflexivo:
Él se gusta. He likes himself.
Él se gustó. He liked himself.

No reflexivo:
A él le gustan las mujeres. He likes women.
Él gusta a las mujeres. Women like him.

"Gustar": trátelo como cualquier otro verbo en inglés.


Recuerde: ¡El problema está en el español, no en el inglés!

EXERCISES (ejercicios)

1. Women like us.


2. You like women.
3. Women like you.
4. Charlie doesn´t like snakes.
5. Women like him

CLASE 13 - "DOES" EN INGLÉS

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TEXT (texto)
DOES PARAPSYCHOLOGY NEED A UNIVERSITY?

When Sigmund Freud died in 1939, psychology was beginning to be accepted worldwide by the inteligensia. Universities
soon began to accept it in their curricula.
When Carl Jung died in 1961, parapsychology was beginning to be accepted worldwide by the inteligensia.

Today there are no universities or even university departments for parapsychology. There are, however, departments of
psychology and physics that conduct parapsychological experiments: the universities of North Carolina, London, Stanford,
etc.

For instance, Stanford does experiments on mind control; the University of N. C. on telepathy; the University of London
on forecasting.

So does the world need a university that has a parapsychological department?

Ask Dr. Jung, Mesmer, Pauli, Brosse, Schrödinger, Minkowski, etc.: all those scientists and Nobel Prize winners, who have
added on to our knowledge of the field!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
To die morir
Worldwide universal
Inteligensia la comunidad de los intelectuales
Prize premio
Winner ganador
To add on añadir
Knowledge conocimiento
Field campo
However sin embargo

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GRAMMAR - "DOES" IN ENGLISH


(gramática - "DOES" en inglés)
Recuerde la famosa regla del "do": se usa para hacer preguntas (asking questions) y contestar en negativo:

Do you want to go to Toledo?


(¿Quiere ir Ud. a Toledo?)

Yes, I want to go to Toledo.

No, I do not want to go to Toledo.


(No, I don´t want to go to Toledo.)

Esta regla es así, excepto para la tercera persona singular: El "do" se convierte en "does" cuando es tercera persona del
singular (he, she, or it).

Does he want to go to Toledo? (¿Quiere él ir a Toledo?)

Yes, he wants to go to Toledo. (Sí, él quiere ir a Toledo.)

No, he does not want to go to Toledo. (No, él no quiere ir a Toledo.)


(No, he doesn´t want to go to Toledo.)

EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. Does she want to live in Valencia? (¿Quiere vivir en Valencia?)
2. Does he like to speak Spanish? (¿Le gusta hablar español?)
3. Does she want to work? (¿Quiere trabajar)
4. Does he go to the supermarket? (¿Va al supermercado?)
5. Does she think in Spanish? (¿Piensa en español?)

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TEXT (texto)
HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY (by Mr. Lucas)

Generally, screenplays (scripts) are written by pouring a character in a situation or a situation in a character.

The most important element is the character.

You must first write a character study. Then you must describe the situation.

Next, you write a one-page story, which must be divided into 3 parts (like a theater play): the beginning, the middle, and
the end. A script is generally 120 pages, one page per minute of screen time.

The beginning is 30 pages long; the middle, 60 pages long; the end, 30 pages long. Of course you write the end first: you
must know where the story will go.
Next, you write the beginning, and after that, the middle, which is the hardest part.

Certainly, you must include 2 plot points (pages 28 and 88). A plot point is a surprise, where the story goes into another
direction. Also, scenes must be connected by transitions (no camera directions please).

For instance, if you finish a scene by closing a door, begin the next scene by opening another door. Wait until the script is
finished before you write the dialogues.

Actually, it takes about 6 years, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week to learn how to write a screenplay. If it were easy,
everybody would write one!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Sreenplay, script guión de cine
To pour echar / verter
Teather play obra de tetro
The hardest el más duro
Screen pantalla
Certainly por supuesto
Plot point punto de giro
Scene secuencia
Everybody todo el mundo
Like, How como

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GRAMMAR - "HOW/LIKE" IN ENGLISH


(gramática -el "cómo" en inglés)
"How" es "¿Cómo?", y "like" es "como".

Examples:

How are you? ¿Cómo estás?

I am like you. Yo soy como tú.

LAS EXCEPCIONES
Sin embargo, aparte de emplear "how" con el "cuanto" (¿Cuánto tiempo? = How long?, etc.) y ¿Te apetece? o ¿Te parece?
(¿Qué te parece si damos un paseo? = How about a walk?), empleamos "how" de otra forma: para explicar que sabemos
como realizar una actividad.

Example:
Sé nadar. I know how (como) to swim.
Esta forma simple seguida por un infinitivo y el verbo "saber" o "conocer", no se traduce.

Another example:
Sé jugar el tenis. I know how to play tennis.

Observa:
La gente de habla inglesa ha mezclado "like" y "as", que ya no distinguen la diferencia.

EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. ¿Sabe el Sr. Lucas como hay que escribir un guión? (how)
2. El me ha dicho, "¿Cómo estás?". (how)
3. El no es como yo. (like)
4. ¿Cómo conoces la historia? (how)
5. Tardas tiempo en aprender ....... escribir un guión. (how)

CLASE 15 - EL IMPERATIVO

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TEXT (texto)
EL IMPERATIVO EN INGLÉS (A letter from a father to his son)

DO´S AND DON´T´S (by George W. Bush)

Dear Son:
Don´t do as I did. Do as I tell you to do. If you don´t, you will. Why? Because I have the money and you don´t.

Do I love you? Yes, I do, but you aren´t doing what you should - study. Actually, you´re doing exactly what I did, until
my father told me like I´m telling you: stop loafing! You´re grades have gone down. I´ve paid a speeding ticket, a big
one, since you were intoxicated, but not romatically. Then again, your mother noticed that there have been different
colors of lipstick on your collars. Your credit card shows that you´ve charged enough gas (gasoline) to go to Cadiz and
back. Etc.
So some partying is fine, but remember: I am not your mother!
You need not answer this letter. I will accept your actions as an answer.
Love, Your Dad

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
should deberia to charge cargar ( crédito )
to loaf hacer el vago gas (gasolina ) gasolina
grades notas de exámen to party disfrutar
to go down bajar Dad/ Daddy Papá / papaiío
then again más bien to notice observar / pillar
speeding ticket multa de tráfico lipstick pintalabios
collar cuello de camisa like,as como

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GRAMMAR - EL IMPERATIVO
(gramática - el imperativo)
Siempre se usa el sujeto en inglés, salvo cuando es imperativo.
EXAMPLES:
He sees you. Te ve.
He believes you. Te cree.

LA EXCEPCIÓN, IMPERATIVO (siempre viene del infinitivo, sin el "to"):


Give it to me. Dámelo. (Démelo.)
Don´t give it to him. No se lo dés (a él).
Para el imperativo, nunca ponemos el sujeto, salvo cuando uno es grosero o está enfadado:
You give it to me.
Don´t you give it to him.

EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. Dámelo. Give it to me.
2. Déselo (a él). Give it to him.
3. Ven aquí. Come here.
4. Ayúdame por favor. Please help me.
5. Repítemelo por favor. Repeat it please.

CLASE 16 -EL PASADO DE LOS VERBOS IRREGULARES

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TEXT (texto)
AN E-MAIL FROM MONICA TO BILLY

I saw you in your office the other night, a Friday.

That was when I decided that we needed to work more closely.

I knew you needed a more youthful point of view. You wanted someone with a feminine touch, too. You said my attitude
was very refreshing.

It is true that I got my degree in interstate relations several years ago. You said that there was a position, which was
especially for me.

I knew what you meant.

Remember I told you that I didn´t mind working late, very late.

You said you were ready to take me on.

Remember that I told you that I was ready.

So please contact me at your earliest convience.

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
youthful juvenil to mind querer decir
point of view punto de vista I didn't mind no me importó
touch toque to take me on aceptar un puesto de trabajo
interstate autovía earliest el más temprano ( pronto )
degree título de Universidad convience conveniencia

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GRAMMAR - PAST IRREGULARY VERBS
(gramática - el pasado de los verbos irregulares)
Sin ninguna duda, aparte de los verbos compuestos, esta es la parte más difícil del inglés.

Hay que memorizar los verbos que están a continuación.


PRESENTE PASADO
I go (yo voy ) I went (yo fuí)
I see I saw
I am ( yo soy ) I was (yo fuí)
I have I had
I take I took
I got ( yo llego ) I get (yo llegué)
I know I knew
I say I said (pronuncie como sed en español)
I speak I spoke
I understand I understood
Esta regla para los verbos pasados regulares se mantiene en pie: Para preguntar y contestar en negativo, se cambia el
"do" por el "did".
Did you go to Calatayud yesterday? (¿Fuisteis a Calatayud ayer?)
I didn´t go to Calatayud yesterday. (No, no fuí a Calatayud ayer.)
El problema viene sólo en el afirmativo:
Yes, I went to Calatayud yesterday. Did you see me yesterday?
Yes, I saw you yesterday. No, I didn´t see you yesterday.

(Observe que no hay cambios al hacer preguntas o contestar en negativo : se emplea el infinitivo)

CLASE17 - EL VERBO ESTAR MÁS PARTICIPIO

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TEXT (texto)
A NATION OF JOINERS

England is called "a nation of shopkeepers", just as the U.S.A. is called "a nation of joiners".

Americans are constantly creating clubs, associations and groups.

There are members of a country club, the MDA (American Medical Association), and consumer groups.

There are also groups who give awards to the worst artists, films, and politicians of the year, etc. If there is a pro-
abortion group, there is a pro-life group.

Foreigners don´t realize just how important these associations are. In fact, many groups put pressure on governmental
instituations and individuals to obtain their goals.

This is called "lobbying". Lobbying groups are those groups who pressure Congress and the President to pass laws for
their causes.

It was President Carter who expressed the danger of being pressured to act for a single cause instead of the national
interests.

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
joiners los que ingresan in fact de hecho
shopkeppers tenderos lobby grupo de presión
awards galardones to pass laws aprobar leyes
to realice darse cuenta danger peligro
instead of en vez de single único

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GRAMMAR - PAST PARTICIPLE


(gramática - el participio pasado)
Para formar este tiempo verbal hay que usar el presente o pasado del verbo "estar" mas el participio.

Ejemplo:
I am = yo estoy
Gone = ido
Estoy fuera. = I am gone.

Otros ejemplos:
Él está parado en la carretera por la poli. He is stopped on the highway by the cops.

Él fue parado en la carretera por la poli. He was stopped on the highway by the cops.
EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. It was spent Fue gastado
2. I am fed up Estoy harto
3. I am left out Estoy fuera
4. I am finished Estoy terminado
5. I am tired Estoy cansado

CLASE 18 - TANTO ... COMO

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TEXT (texto)
ORIENTATION (by Ronald G. Watson)

In the late 1950s, there were as many university student failures in the U.S. as Europe and more. After much wrangling,
the U.S. federal government gave universities extra money if they included orientation courses in their curricula.

Orientation is a university course that teaches students how to study. By 1960 these courses were in as many universities
as colleges, both private and public. They saved students as much as time as work. They also improved grades by 80%.

In these courses students learned "spaced cramming", speed reading, etc. Specifically, they learned not to listen to music
while studying: the brain consumes more oxygen (more energy, more effort). They also learned to put their notes on only
one side of the page: the other side can be used for extra notes. They learned not to use a pencil. Pencil marks smear or
become blurred.
They learned not to study one hour before an exam, since this is the weakest point of your recall curve.

Actually students began to learn more in the U.S. than Europe in less time. Of course less failures saved the U.S. federal
government a lot of money and students a lot of headaches.

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
failures fracaso
how to study como hay que estudiar
to save ahorrar ( salvar )
to improve mejorar
spaced cramming estudiar en cortos espacios de tiempos todos los temas importantes
to wrangle discutir
to smear emborronar (la tinta)
to recall recordar
headaches dolores de cabeza
weakest el más debil

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GRAMMAR - "AS MUCH ... AS"


(gramática - el gerundio)
Tanto (-a)...como As much...as

Tantos (-as)...s como As many...as

Tan...como As...as

EXAMPLES

Maria has as much money as me. María tiene tanto dinero como yo.

Maria has as many cars as me. María tiene tantos coches como yo.

Maria isn't as tall as me. María no estan alta como yo.

EXERCISES (ejercicios)

1. Tengo tantas asignaturas como él. as many....as


2. Tengo tanto tiempo como ella as much....as
3. Soy tan alto como él. as....as
4. Ella tiene tanto vino como yo. as much....as
5. Tú tienes tantos problemas como yo. as many....as
CLASE 19 - EL PRONOMBRE

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TEXT (texto)
THE NEWS MEDIA

Newspaper articles answer the following questions: who, what, when, where, and how? Whose, which, how much and how
many are simply variations of those.

The first and last sentences are also summaries of the article.
In addition, like other news media, newspapers do not present a realistic picture of the world.

About 95% of the news concerns negative things. The other 5% is positive in order to make the 95% appear realistic. For
instance, no U. S. articles say that in one day: 180,000,000 people in U.S. arrived to work safely; 240,000 lives were
saved in hospitals; 11,000 peoples´ lives were saved by heroic acts; etc.
Not only does the news media distort reality, but it also presents different distortions.

Studies confirm that the the news in Spain is different than in Italy or England.
Of course news is also fabricated. If the amount of news varies, the news media´s coverage does not: radio news lasts
the same 5 minutes every day; TV news usually lasts 30 minutes; a newspaper has the same number of pages (except
Sundays).

So why do we read, listen and see the news? What news? How much news? Whose news?

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
newspaper periódico summary resumen
who quién safely a salvo
whose de quién, cuyo to save salvar
what qué to last durar
where donde coverage cobertura
how much cuánto in addition además
how many cuántos for instance por ejemplo
when cuándo

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GRAMMAR – PRONOUNS
(gramática - los pronombres)
Why ¿por qué?
Because porque
What qué, cual, lo que
How (like y as ) ¿cómo?, como
Who quién
When cuando
How much cuánto
How many cúantos
Where dónde
Which cual / lo cual
That que / ese
Whose cuyo / de quién

Whose office is it? ¿De quién es la oficina?


It´s my office. Es mi oficina (despacho).
He is the man whose dog is black. Él es el hombre cuyo perro es negro.

Aparte de que "whose" da un poco de guerra, el "which" da más guerra todavía.

Por eso, la regla dice que, cuando la comparación es indirecta (no declarada),
emplea el "what"; cuando la comparación es entre 2 cosas declaradas, hay que usar el "which".

Mire Ud. abajo:

What is the capital of Cuba? ¿Cuál es la capital de Cuba?


Which is the capital of Cuba -- Santiago or Habana? ¿Cuál es la capital de Cuba: Santiago o La Habana?

EXERCISES (ejercicios)
1. ¿De quién es el perro? Whose
2. Él es el hombre cuyo perro está allí Whose
3. ¿Cúal es mejor? What
4. ¿Cómo es él? Which
5. ¿Cuántos tienes? How many

CLASE 20 - TRANSICIONES

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TEXT (texto)
THE CLASSLESS SOCIETY

In the year 2000, there were 3 different surveys asking Americans if they were middle class or not.

In the first, 91% said yes; the second, 93%; the third, 97%.
This means that Americans don´t understand the word "class". Of the working population, 96% are employed. Fictional
unemployment (students, people job-hunting, housewives, etc.) is between 2 and 3%. The crime rate has gone down for
the last 11 years, simply because people don´t have time to commit crimes? Even with foreign emigration flooding in (the
U.S. accepts 90% of the world´s official emigration), there aren´t enough people to fill the jobs available.

Every day, TV is filled with long lists of jobs. Truly, the U.S. has become exactly what Marx envisioned: a classless society.
Even 80% of the unemployed say they are middle class!

VOCABULARY (vocabulario)
Surveys encuestas Trutly de verdad / en realidad
To mean significar To envision preveer
job-hunting busca-trabajos Even incluso
crime rate Tanto por ciento de crimenes Enough suficiente
To flood in entrar a lo bestia Available disponible

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GRAMMAR - THE TRANSITIONS


(gramática - las transiciones)
Las transiciones se emplean para suavizar los cambios que producen las locuciones y párrafos.

A veces son adverbios (truly) pero también son conjunciones (and, but, etc.) o frases (in the first, etc.).

A continuación hay una lista de los más comunes.


In general, generaly en general
In respect to according to, concerning concerniente, según
Moreover, besides además
Nevertheless, not withstanding sin embargo (sólo en literatura)
Though, even though, although aunque
As far as hasta, hasta donde
Be that as it may como sea
On the other hand en cambio
Regarding al respecto de
However de cualquier manera
Anyway de todos modos
Due to, on account of, because, because of debido a
Afterwards después de...,
Up to now hasta ahora
And so far today (this week) en lo que llevas de día (esta semana)

EXERCISES (ejercicios)

1. Según Felipe according to Phil


2. Además..., besides
3. Después..., afterwards
4. En cambio..., on the other hand
5. O sea..., or rather

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