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COUNTRIES AND NATIONALITIES

The word 'Nationality' is not often used in spoken English. It is a formal and official word and it appears more frequently in written English. You will find the word 'Nationality' is used a lot in the travel industry and for immigration.

We almost never say: What is your nationality?

We usually say: Where are you from? OR Where do you come from?

To tell someone your nationality you DON'T say: My nationality is Chilean.

You say: I'm Chilean


Remember

I am from Chile. 
To Be + from + country


I am Chilean.
To Be + Nationality Days of the week are abbreviated as follows


Singular Plural
Country Countries
Nationality Nationalities
 

 

 

 

DAYS OF THE WEEK AND MONTHS OF THE YEAR

 
Note that the months and days of the week are always capitalised. If you don't want to write the whole words, you can use the abbreviations. In British English, abbreviations are usually written without full stops (Apr), full stops are normal, however, in American English (Apr.).
Months are abbreviated as follows:
Month Abbreviation Month Abbreviation
January Jan July -
February Feb August Aug
March Mar September Sept
April Apr October Oct
May - November Nov
June - December Dec
 
 

Days of the week are abbreviated as follows

Day Abbreviation
Monday Mon
Tuesday Tue
Wednesday Wed
Thursday Thu
Friday Fri
Saturday Sat
Sunday Sun

 

NUMBERS ORDINAL AND CARDINAL

A cardinal number tells "how many." Cardinal numbers are also known as "counting numbers," because they show quantity.

Here are some examples using cardinal numbers:

  • 8 puppies
  • 14 friends

 

Ordinal numbers tell the order of things in a set—first, second, third, etc. Ordinal numbers do not show quantity. They only show rank or position.

Here are some examples using ordinal numbers:

  • 3rd fastest
  • 6th in line

 

DAILY ROUTINES AND ACTIVITIES

Here are some useful words and phrases for talking about your daily routine: waking up, getting ready for school or work, cleaning the house and other lovely household chores...

me levanto... - I get up...
...a las ocho/nueve - ...at eight/nine
...a las siete y media - ...at seven thirty
...temprano/tarde - ...early/late
me ducho (especially Spain, Cuba) - I have a shower
me baño1 (Latin America) - I have a shower/bath
desayuno - I have breakfast
desayuno cereales - I have cereal for breakfast
me visto - I get dressed
me pongo la ropa - I put my clothes on
me preparo para la escuela/el trabajo - I get ready for school/work
voy (a la escuela) en autobús2 - I get the bus (to school)
tomo el metro - I catch the metro (=subway/underground)
llego a la escuela/oficina a las nueve - I get to school/to the office at 9 o'clock
como a las doce/a la una - I have lunch at twelve/one o'clock
llego a mi casa a las cinco de la tarde - I get home at five in the evening
hago mi tarea3 - I do my homework
preparo la cena - I get dinner/supper ready
ceno/cenamos - I/we have dinner
ayudo a mis papás - I help my mum and dad
veo la tele/las noticias - I watch TV/the news
me relajo - I relax
salgo con mis amigos - I go out with my friends
me acuesto -

I go to bed

 

1. In Spain, me baño would generally mean "I have a bath". In Latin America, you could specifically distinguish with tomo un baño de tina (I have a bath) and me doy un regaderazo (I have a shower).
2. This is the most general word for "bus", but various Spanish-speaking countries also have more specific words.
3. You can also say hago la tarea.

How often...?

Of course, you shower every day, right? But for those things that you do less often (on an unrelated matter, see the "housework" section below), here are some useful phrases for expressing "how often":

cada día - every day
cada semana - every week
dos/tres veces a la semana - two/three times a week
de vez en cuando - from time to time
(muy) seguido - (very) often
con mucha frecuencia - very often
muchas veces - very often, more often than not
rara vez - seldom, just occasionally

 

 

THE ALPHABET

The alphabet  it comes from the Greeks from the name of the two first letters of its Alphabet alpha and beta. The American Alphabet has 26 letters, ¡approximately 44 different sounds! (the pronunciation can vary according with the accent of each region.)

GREETING (FORMAL AND INFORMAL)

There are many ways of greeting people, both formal and informal.

 

  • General greetings (Formal)

    General greetings (Informal)

    Greeting a person you haven’t seen for a long time (Formal)

    Greeting a person you haven’t seen for a long time (Informal)

    1. Hello!
    2. How are you?
    3. How are you doing?
    4. How is everything?
    5. How’s everything going?
    6. How have you been keeping?
    7. I trust that everything is well.
    8. Hi.
    9. What’s up?
    10. Good to see you.
    11. How are things (with you)?
    12. How’s it going?
    13. How’s life been treating you?
    14. It has been a long time.
    15. It’s been too long.
    16. What have you been up to all these years?
    17. It’s always a pleasure to see you.
    18. How long has it been?
    19. I’m so happy to see you again.
    • How come I never see you?
    • It’s been such a long time.
    • Long time no see.
    • Where have you been hiding?
    • It’s been ages since we last met.

 

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information questions are the basis for any conversation in English and so are important for when you meet somebody for the first time. They are the building blocks from which the rest of the conversation can develop.Some common questions and a correct form for the answer are as follows:Notice that we are giving our answers in complete sentences to practice using them though normally we only give short answers.

 

Names

What is your name?
My name is _______.

What is your surname / last name?
My surname / last name is _______.

Do you have a nickname?
Yes, my nickname is _______ or No, I don't.

 

Work & Occupation

What do you do?

I am a _______.

Where do you work?
I work at _______.

Do you like your job?
Yes, I do. or No, I don't.

Why do you like your job?
I like my job because _______.


Marital StatusAre you married / single?

Yes, I am. or No I'm not.

Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend?
Yes, I do. or No, I don't.

What is your partner's name?
My partner's name is _______.


Family

Do you have any children?
Yes, I have _______ children. or No, I don't

What are their names?
Their names are _______.

How many brothers and sister do you have?
I have _______ brothers and _______ sisters.


Age

How old are you?
I am _______ years old.

When is your birthday?
My birthday is on the _______ of _______.

Where were you born?
I was born in _______.

 

 

TO BE PRESENT

El verbo TO BE toma forma con cada pronombre defendiendo de si el pronombre es singular o plural según lo muestran las gráficas.

Afirmación      Negación        Interrogación

                         

I           AM      I           AM NOT         AM      I

                                                             

You                You                                  You

We      ARE     We      ARE NOT ARE        We

They               They                               They

                                                             

He                  He                              He

She     IS        She     IS NOT           IS        She

It                     It                                 It

Ejemplo:

           He is a taxi driver -  I am not the teacher

            She is a lady -  He is not hungry

            It is a car      -   They are not Christians

            We are students       -  It is not a pencil

            You are my friends   

            Is she a doctor?        

            Are you policeman?  

            Are they brothers?

 

SIMPLE PRESENT

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

·       I play tennis.

·       She does not play tennis.

·       Does he play tennis?

·       The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.

·       The train does not leave at 9 AM.

·       When does the train usually leave?

·       She always forgets her purse.

·       He never forgets his wallet.

·       Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.

·       Does the Sun circle the Earth?

 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OR DESCRIPTIONS

The language for physical descriptions in English is quite specific depending on the physical characteristic you are describing.

When giving physical descriptions, the two most common verbs to use are BE and HAVE, however, they are quite specific.

We use BE for: height, weight, skin colour.

We use HAVE for: hair (length), hair (style), hair (colour) and facial features.


Height
Short - Medium height - Tall

Weight
Skinny - Thin - Slim - Medium weight - chubby - fat - overweight - obese

Skin Colour
Fair-skinned - Tanned - Dark-skinned

Hair (Length)
Short - Medium length - Long

Hair (Style)
Straight - Wavy - Curly

Facial Features
Beard - Black Eye - Moustache - Pimples

Other Features
Mole - Scar - Wart - Wrinkles

Examples:

  • Chris is medium height.
  • Tanya has blonde hair.
  • Albert is overweight.
  • Donna has curly hair and is tanned.
  • Patrick has a long beard and he also has a black eye right now.
  • Tony is tall and has medium length hair.

If you want to combine hair characteristics together in the same sentence, then the structure is:

Length + Style + Colour + Hair

  • Michael has short curly black hair.
  • Mary has long wavy brown hair.

 

PRESENT CONTINUOS

Use the Present Continuous with normal verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Examples:

·       You are learning English now.

·       You are not swimming now.

·       Are you sleeping?

·       I am sitting.

·       I am not standing.

·       Is he sitting or standing?

·       They are reading their books.

·       They are not watching television.

·       What are you doing?

·       Why aren't you doing your homework?