Unit 2 

(Si recibes esta lección por email aquí puedes verla online).

What will you learn in this lesson?

• • Exam skill: You will learn how to do the Writing exercise. Part 6. Word completion.
  • Grammar:  You will learn the Simple Present Tense of other verbs (not “TO BE”)
  • Vocabulary: You will learn words and sentences related  to family members.
  • You will learn how to tell the time.
  • Pronunciation: You will learn the vowels.

• Listen to this class. Download later

1)Exam skill:  Writing

What’s the Writing about?

The Writing has 4 parts (from 6 to 9) and 4 types of exercises: Word completion (escribir la palabra que está expresada en la definición), Open cloze (completar espacios en blanco con tus propias palabras), Information transfer (completar información). Short message (escribir un mensaje).

In this lesson we will study Part 6, which is the first exercise of the Writing.

Parte	Tarea	Número de preguntas	Formato de pregunta
Writing Part 6	Word completion (completar con palabras)	5	You have to write the word that is defined in the sentence next to the word. The first letter is already there.

Source

What are they going to ask you?

They will ask you to write down a word which is defined in the sentence that is next to the word. The first letter is already there. There is one space for each letter in the word. Debes escribir la palabra que se define en la frase que está junto a la palabra. La primera letra ya está puesta. Hay un espacio para cada letra de la palabra.

For example:

Exercise 1

Part 1

Read the description of some family members.

What is the word for each one?

The first letter is already there. There is one space for each letter in the word.

For questions 36-40, write the words on your answer sheet.

Example:

0 I am your mother’s sister.  a_ _ _

Answer:

0

aunt

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36 I’m your father’s brother. u_ _ _ _

37  This young man and I share the same parents b_ _ _ _ _ _

38 He’s married to me. h _ _ _ _ _ _

39 He’s my uncle’s son. c_ _ _ _ _

40 She’s my sister’s daughter. n_ _ _ _

Check answers here.

How are you supposed to do this?

There are two things you have to take into account.

Firstly, you must learn vocabulary related to topics included in the A2 level such as jobs, weather, climate, seasons, time, family and friends, food and drink. We’ll do this in this course, step by step and resorting to audio and visuals.

Secondly, when you start learning vocabulary, try first to listen to it and then learn the spelling (ortografía). This is the way native speakers learn their language. Spelling in English is difficult, so pay special attention as to how the writing differs from the way you say the words. Presta especial atención a cómo la forma en que escribes una palabra difiere a cómo la pronuncias.

 Tip: Never learn vocabulary without first listening to it. If you just read the vocabulary, you’ll have trouble later to understand what’s been said and to speak English. Nunca aprendas vocabulario sin escuchar (las palabras) previamente. Si solo lees el vocabulario, luego tendrás problemas para entender y hablar inglés.

Exercise 2

Translate the following sentences:

a) El invierno es frio.

b) Su (de él) padre es panadero

c) Un ingeniero sabe matemáticas

d) ¿Qué hora es?

e) Somos buenos amigos

f) Un carnicero vende carne

g) Me gustan todas las estaciones

h) La comida está fría

i) El hijo de mi hermano es mi sobrino

j) Nunca veo a mis abuelos

k) Mis bisabuelos ya no viven.

l) Mi cuñada se llama Katie

o) Comemos a las 2pm

p) El farmacéutico vive en el centro de la ciudad

Check answers here.

Exercise 3

Word completion

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2) Grammar

Simple Present Tense (verbs that are not TO BE).

2.1 When do we use the Simple Present Tense?

a.Habitual Actions

As in Spanish, the Simple Present Tense is used to speak about habitual actions. Como en español, el Simple Present Tense se usa para hablar de acciones habituales.

Examples:

-I  WORK from 9am to 6pm every day. Trabajo todos los días de 9am a 6pm.

-They GO to the gym on Mondays. Ellos van al gimnasio los lunes.

-He usually PLAYS football every other day. Generalmente, él juega al fútbol un día sí y otro no.

Warning: There is a very important difference between the Spanish and the English use of the Simple Present Tense. In English we do NOT usually use this tense to speak about now (the present moment), in Spanish, instead it’s possible. Hay una importante diferencia entre el uso el Simple Present Tense en español y en inglés. En inglés, generalmente, NO se usa para hablar de ahora (el momento presente) , en español, en cambio, es posible.

Compare:

• Spanish:¿Vienes? Spanish Simple Presente Tense
• English: Are you coming? Correct. English Present Continuous. Incorrect: Do you come? If you say  in English “Do you come?” you’re referring to an habitual action. For example, Do you come here every Monday? ¿Vienes aquí todos los lunes?

b. General Truths

Examples:

-Water BOILS at 100 degrees Celsius. El agua hierve a 100 grados Celsius.

-All humans DIE. Todos los humanos mueren.

c.  To talk about planned events

Examples:

– The meeting STARTS at 5. La reunión empieza a las 5.

– The train LEAVES  in the morning. El tren sale por la mañana.

2.2. How do we form the Simple Present Tense?

The most important difference between the way we form “el Presente Simple” in Spanish and the way we form the Simple Present Tense, is the use of the auxiliary verb “DO”.

IMPORTANT: DO means “hacer”, but as an auxiliary verb DO has no meaning, it just helps us to ask questions and to make the negative form. DO significa “hacer”, pero como verbo auxiliar no tiene significado, solo nos ayuda a formular preguntas y a hacer el negativo.

There are 4 basic forms that you must learn:

1. Affirmative sentence
2. Negative sentence
3. Questions
4. Answers

1.Affirmative sentence

• Subject + verb + object. Note: 3rd person (he, she and it)  adds -ES or S. For the rest of the persons: the verbs goes in the infinitive without “to”.

Examples:

– I WORK on Saturdays. Yo trabajo los sábados.

-She WORKS on Saturdays. Ella trabaja los sábados.

– He often GOES to work by car. Generalmente, va a trabajar en coche.

2. Negative sentence

• Subject + do + not + verb + object . Note: “Do” is used with I, you, we and they. The verb goes in the infinitive without “to”.
• Subject + does + not + verb + object. Note: “Does”is used with He, She and It. The verb goes in the infinitive without “to”.

Examples:

– You don’t  (do not) WORK on Saturdays. Tú no trabajas los sábados.

-She doesn’t  (does not ) WORK on Saturdays- Ella no trabaja los sábados.

3. Questions

• DO/DOES + subject+ verb+ object?

Example:

– Do you WORK on Saturdays? ¿Trabajas los sábados?

-Does she WORK on Saturdays? ¿Trabaja ella los sábados?

Negative question:

• DON’T/DOESN’T+ subject + verb + object?. Note: In negative questions we always make a contraction.

-Don’t you WORK on Saturdays? ¿No trabajas los sábados?

-Doesn’t she WORK on Saturdays? ¿No trabaja (ella) los sábados?

4. Answers

• Yes + subject + DO/DOES
• No + subject +DON’T/DOESN’T

Examples:

-Yes, I do/ Yes, he does.

-No, I don’t/ No, he doesn’t

Warning: Never answer repeating the same verb like in Spanish. For example: Do you work? Yes, I WORK. incorrect. Correct: Yes, I DO.

To Remember:

1) The Simple Present Tense is used to talk about habitual actions, general truths and planned events. 2) Affirmative sentences: You must add -S or -ES to the third person (he, she, it). Example: She EATS. Ella come. 3) To ask and to make the negative we use DO (all other persons) or DOES (third person). Example: Do EAT here? ¿Comes aquí?  Does she EAT here? ¿Come ella aquí? No, I don’t EAT here. No, she doesn’t EAT here?

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Exercise 4

Complete the sentences. (Simple Present Tense other verbs)

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VOCABULARY

How do you say “hermanos” in English?

Exercise 5

Translate the following sentences:

1. No tengo nietos.
2. Mi nieta se llama Vicky
3. ¿Conoces a mi cuñada?
4. Mi padres no son mayores
5. Mi mujer se llama Jacinta
6. Mis bisabuelos viven en Madrid
7. ¿Cuantos hijos tiene (ella?
8. Mi nuera es biologa
9. Mi yerno trabaja en la Universidad
10. No somos hermanos
11. Mis hermanos están en el Reino Unido
12. Mi madre no está en casa ahora
13. Su marido es médico
14. Mis tíos no son de Cáceres
15. Mi cuñado es profesor

Check answers here

Exercise 6

HOW TO TELL THE TIME

Please, read this post about how to tell the time.

Translate the following sentences:

1. Son las 8 menos cuarto.
2. Ellos llegan a las 8 en punto.
3. ¿A qué hora comemos? (mediodía)
4. Son las 12.30
5. Es la 1 menos cuarto
6. Tengo una cita con el dentista a las 3.15
7. ¿Me puede decir la hora?
8. Vemos el partido por la tarde (after 6pm)
9. Me gusta ver el amanecer
10. Al atardecer vuelan las golondrinas.
11. Me tengo que levantar temprano
12. Él siempre llega tarde
13. Siempre llegamos a tiempo para las reuniones de los viernes.
14. Son las 2 menos 10.
15. Son las 4 y 5.

Check answers here

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PRONUNCIATION

Vowels /vaouls/ are just as important as the Alphabet, because you need to know these sounds in order to spell correctly.

For Spanish speakers, the vowel sounds tend to be confusing as at least three vowels have sounds that refer to a different Spanish vowel sound.

These sounds are:

• A /ei/ that can be confused with the Spanish E.
• E /i/ that can be confused with the Spanish I.
• I /ai/ that can be confused with the Spanish A.

With this infographics you can study the vowel sounds. You should repeat these sounds aloud until you completely memorise them.

Go to unit 3

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Mónica

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