Muchas veces nos confundimos al momento de utilizar “will” & “going to” las cuales son las dos expresiones que utilizamos para hablar en futuro simple. A continuación, revisaremos una a una y las compararemos en situaciones que acontecen en la vida cotidiana.
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clases de ingles
Los condicionales son expresiones o frases que utilizamos en nuestro día a día. Estas sirven para expresar que algo pasa si algo más pasa antes, esto quiere decir que una acción está sujeta y depende de la otra. Para que tengas una idea más clara de cómo utilizarlas te presentaremos una palabra clave por cada uno de los 4 condicionales existentes. Así mismo te explicaremos con detalles cómo se forman estas expresiones fácilmente.
El invierno es sin duda alguna una de las estaciones en donde el índice de enfermedades aumenta y, por ende, tenemos que visitar al doctor. Si te has preguntado cómo expresar lo que sientes en inglés, entonces ha llegado tu día pues a continuación te enseñaremos con detalles todo el vocabulario que necesitas sobre enfermedades en inglés.
Although English doesn’t have over 50 words to describe snow like the Eskimos, we do have some “cool” vocab and phrases to help talk about the weather outside during these chilly winter months. Let’s take a look at some weather related words and phrases in order to get us through winter and into spring!
Existen 6 tipos de “wh questions” o preguntas con palabras que inician con “wh” que podemos usar en el idioma inglés. Este tipo de preguntas requieren de respuestas específicas y no solamente de un “yes“ or “no” como respuesta por lo que a continuación las presentaremos con detalles para que puedas comenzar a utilizarlas diariamente
Jobs. Some of us love our jobs, many of us are comfortable with what we do, and others of us are feeling a need to change our current place of employment. If you’re part of the last group, then here are some tips to update your cover letter so you can start working towards making a career change.
¿Te sueles confundir con “in,” “on,” y “at” en inglés? En este post, te mostramos una lista de preposiciones de lugar muy útiles que puedes empezar a poner en práctica.
Humans are social beings, which means that relationships play a key role in our lives. Whether it be a romantic relationship or a friendship, we all have had and continue to have connections to those around us. Since Valentine’s Day happens to fall during the month of February, we’ll be talking about how to use different phrasal verbs to talk about our relationships. In the past, this holiday has been exclusively for couples, but recently it has become more of a day to show how much we care about and love those important people in our lives.
Let’s talk about our friends
Have (someone) over: have somebody visit your house or apartment
o We’re having about 10 people over for dinner on Sunday.
o I’m having Sara over tonight to watch the soccer game.
·Meet up or get together: spend time with a friend in person
o I’m meeting up with Jorge at 9 o’clock tonight at his house.
o We got together last week to plan his birthday party.
·Catch up: talk about new events going on in a friend’s life
o Sara and I finally had a chance to catch up last week.
o Let’s get together soon so we can catch up!
·Get in touch: contact somebody
o If I ever go to Brazil, I’ll make sure to get in touch with you.
o I need to get in touch with my sister. It’s been a long time since we last spoke.
Keep or stay in touch with someone: make an effort to stay in contact with somebody over a period of time
o We should keep in touch after you move.
o Whatsapp makes it easier to keep in touch now.
Lose touch: not have contact with someone
o We lost touch when she moved back to Japan.
o I haven’t been in touch with Alba since things started to get so busy at work.
Fall out with or have a falling out: have an argument or disagreement with someone
o We had a falling out and haven’t talked since.
o I fell out with Anthony about three years ago when he lied to me.
Be close with (someone): have a strong relationship or friendship with another person
o I’m very close with my family.
o Maria Jose and Anna are very close friends.
Let’s talk about couples and romantic relationships
Be interested in someone: like or have feelings for another person
o I’m really interested in her.
o She told me she was interested in him.
Hit on or come on to: try to attract someone romantically. This usually involves a combination of comments and gestures that show you’re interested in that person.
*Note: Flirting with someone is also another way to say “hitting on” someone.
o I thought he was cute, so I started hitting on him.
o She kept on getting hit on the whole night at the bar.
Check out: look at someone with a romantic or sexual interest
o Whenever we hang out it’s hard not to check out his brother because he’s so hot (in this context “hot” means really “good looking” or physically attractive).
o He was checking her out the whole time we were at the restaurant.
Hit it off: have a good relationship or connection from the very first time you meet a person
*Note: can be a connection on a friendship or romantic level
o We hit it off at the barbeque and have been spending time together ever since.
o They hit it off at the party last night.
Ask out: invite someone to go out on a date
o You should ask her out when you see her tomorrow at work.
o She asked him out on a date last week.
Fall for: have strong feelings for someone or to be in love with someone
o They fell for each other instantly.
o He fell for a beautiful, older woman.
Blow off: ignore or choose not to talk to or spend time with someone
o She totally blew me off last week when she said she had “stuff to do.”
o We had plans, but he blew me off at the last minute.
Break up or split up: end a relationship
o She broke up with her boyfriend yesterday.
o They split up after a huge argument.
Make up: to resolve a conflict, apologize or forgive someone.
o They made up after they had a heated argument.
o When are they finally going to make up?
Get over: no longer have romantic feelings for someone or to let go of a past relationship
o She got over him a few months after they broke up.
o It took him awhile to get over her and start dating other people.
Cheat on: be disloyal or have sexual relations with another person while still in an exclusive relationship with someone else.
o She’s been cheating on him for the last few months.
o He cheated on her with a mutual friend.
Lead on: make someone believe or act like they’re interested in someone romantically, when they’re really not.
o He was leading her on so bad at the party last week.
o She led him on when they were flirting at Ramon’s house.
Go Dutch: Each person pays for their own portion of the bill (usually at a restaurant or bar)
o How do you want to pay for the bill? Let’s go Dutch.
o I assumed we were going Dutch when we went out to dinner.
Written by: Monica Jones
Summer is here and you need to take a vacation! Conversations about your time off from work with friends, family and colleagues are likely to come up during these hot months. This is a fun topic that most people are very enthusiastic about, so let’s make sure you have the words and phrases you need to describe your experience.
As you read today’s blog, vocabulary will be used throughout the text! Key vocabulary words are bold, and you can find their definitions at the bottom of the page. Happy reading! And Happy New Year! May it be safe, happy, and filled with English practice.
A resolution is a goal or objective that we set at the beginning of the New Year. Maybe you want to spend more time with your kids, secure a big promotion, eat more vegetables, save more money, or learn to play the ukulele. New Year’s Resolutions look different for everybody! Whether your resolution is to kick a bad habit or learn a new skill, it’s important that your goals are achievable.
I’ve always admired the people that set ambitious New Year’s resolutions and stay committed to them. Unfortunately, I often set unrealistic goals and fail quickly! One of my biggest pitfalls is that I choose to change a behavior too quickly. For example, I once chose the resolution to exercise five days a week, even though I generally only exercised twice a week. Instead, decide to try a new exercise class one more time per week. If you want to learn a musical instrument, your goal shouldn’t be to perform in a concert at the end of the year (unless you’re a musical prodigy). Perhaps a better resolution is to learn ten songs. Goals like this are measurable and doable. There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars, but starting with small changes is a good way to insure you don’t fail immediately and disappoint yourself.
Research shows that the most common New Year’s resolutions are health-related: losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking. People also set the goal to get out of debt, save money, change jobs, or travel more. It’s not easy to keep our New Year’s goals, but no matter what, it’s a worthwhile challenge.
According to History.com, people have been making New Year’s resolutions for thousands of years. About, 4,000 years ago, ancient Babylonians would celebrate the turn of the year by throwing a big party and making promises to their gods. Those promises were probably the original New Year’s resolutions! The custom of celebrating the New Year in January was established by Julius Ceasar and the Romans, in honor of their god, Janus. As history continued, Christians saw the New Year as a moment to reflect on their sins and mistakes and make commitments to improve in the future. Now, both religious and secular people around the world see the New Year as a time for reflection and goal-setting.
So, what will you do this year? Will you continue the 4,000 year tradition of looking to the future and setting goals? I wish you luck! As for me, I’ll be making realistic goals this year and doing my best to stick with them.
VOCABULARY
Resolution (noun) - an objective or goal
Goal (noun) - an objective
To set resolutions (phrase) - to decide on and try to achieve your goals
Spend time (phrase) - to dedicate time to an activity, pasar tiempo
Promotion (noun) - to move to a higher position in your job, to advance
Save money (phrase) - to put money to the side, ahorrar
Kick a bad habit (idiom) - to stop a regular, negative part of your routine (i.e. smoking or drinking too much)
Skill (noun) - an ability
Achievable (adjective) - able to be reached/obtained successfully
Admire (verb) - to respect
Committed (adjective) - dedicated
Unrealistic (adjective) - not possible, not realistic
Fail (verb) - to not succeed, to not complete your objective
Pitfall(s) (noun) - danger or difficulty
Choose (verb) - to select
Behavior (noun) - a person’s way of acting
Even though (phrase) - despite, aunque
Instead (adverb) - as an alternative, en lugar de
Prodigy (noun) - a person with extreme ability
Measurable (adjective) - able to be measured, mensurable
Doable (adjective) - something you definitely can do or complete
Shoot for the stars (idiom) - to have very big dreams and goals
Insure (verb) - to guarantee
Quit (verb) - to stop completely
Smoking (noun) - the habit of using tobacco or a drug
Get out of debt (phrase) - to successfully overcome a financial deficit
No matter what (phrase) - regardless of, a pesar de
Worthwhile (adjective) - worth the time, money, or effort spent, vale la pena
Challenge (noun) - a difficult task or situation
Turn of the year (idiom) - the change from one year to the next
Throw a party (idiom) - to have a celebration
Make promises (phrase) - the action of making commitments to yourself or to other people
Custom (noun) - a tradition
Sin(s) (noun) - a religious word for immoral actions
Mistake(s) (noun) - an error
Commitment(s) (noun) - a promise or dedication
Improve (verb) - to get better
Secular (noun) - not religious
Reflection (noun) - serious thought and consideration
Stick with (phrasal verb) - to continue, to stay committed
Written by: Mariah Wika
Sin duda alguna has escuchado alguna vez una question tag, no? En español seguro que sí, pero en realidad no son tan comunes, por lo que en inglés te sorprenderías lo bastante comunes que son en las conversaciones de los hablantes nativos del idioma ya que se ocupan de forma muy natural en absolutamente cualquier contexto.
Qué son las question tags?
Las question tags son pequeñas preguntas añadidas a oraciones cuando estamos confirmando información, haciendo una pregunta, cuando tenemos la necesidad de que alguien esté de acuerdo o no con nosotros o más bien queremos empezar una conversación o hacer que ésta siga fluyendo.
Comenzar a usar las question tags en nuestro vocabulario diario puede parecer un poco forzado al principio, pero con práctica seguramente se convertirán en parte natural de tu vocabulario y fluidez en el idioma, además, a continuación, te daremos algunos útiles consejos de cómo utilizarlas de la forma más fácil y entretenida.
Cómo se ocupan?
Para empezar, debemos saber que las question tags van agregadas a oraciones y no a preguntas, un ejemplo de esto sería:
- You are a doctor, aren’t you?
Como se puede observar, la question tag corresponde al verbo y pronombre que se utilizó en la oración. La question tag es negativa pues la oración está en positivo. Este patrón siempre lo mantendremos con excepción de algunas muy particulares que más adelante te presentaré.
Ejemplos
Esta es una lista de muchos ejemplos que te harán comprender mucho mejor la estructura de las cuestión tags.
You don't like me, do you?
It isn't raining, is it?
You've done your homework, haven't you?
I'm not late, am I?
You like German food, don't you?
You'll come to my party, won't you?
You remembered to feed the cat, didn't you?
There's a problem here, isn't there?
You think you're clever, don't you?
Tono de voz
El tono de voz que utilicemos al hacer una question tag es muy importante pues esto reflejará el significado de ella. Si en realidad estamos haciendo una pregunta entonces nuestro tono de voz debe subir tal y como cuando hacemos una pregunta, sin embargo, cuando simplemente estamos confirmando información de la cual estamos casi seguros, entonces nuestro tono de voz deberá ser más plano y sin elevaciones.
Casos Particulares
Algunas de las oraciones con algunas particularidades son:
- Oraciones positivas con el verbo “am”
La question tag para dicho verbo sería “aren´t”.
- Ej, I am late, aren’t I?
- Oraciones con “Let’s”.
La question tag que utilizaremos con este tipo de oraciones será “shall we#. Let’s es la contracción de “let us” por lo tanto el pronombre será siempre “we”.
- Ej, let’s eat, shall we?
- Oraciones con palabras que expresen negación tales como: never, nothing, nobody, no one, none, no, seldom, barely, hardly, etc.
Para este tipo de oraciones siempre utilizaremos question tags en positivo. Ej,
- Nobody came, did they?
Práctica Entretenida
Abajo te compartimos un link muy divertido de “The Big Bang theory” para que observes como las question tags se ocupan de forma totalmente natural en las conversaciones de nativos del idioma inglés.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zuo56O7_aU
Ahora ya eres capaz de empezar a construir oraciones con question tags por ti mismo y utilizarlas en tu día a día y ser el más seco al escucharte como todo un experto en el idioma inglés.
Escrito por Victor Pineda
December is here and the holidays are just around the corner! Most likely you’ll be invited to a neighborhood, office, family or friend holiday party. Whether you’re a social butterfly or a scrooge when it comes to mingling, these type of social interactions can be great for meeting new people, connecting with others and networking. Here are some tips to help you ease into the social scene.
Here are some tips and phrases to help you feel more confident and be able to communicate why you are the best candidate for the job!
Your phone buzzes… one of your English speaking friends has sent you a message asking if you’d like to get dinner this weekend. You frantically Google Translate your responses. And I can assure you that, as usual, Google Translate is never as accurate as we’d like it to be. Fortunately, the vocabulary for making (and breaking) plans is relatively clear. If you avoid directly translating from Spanish and stay away from Google Translate, you can quickly and confidently master this skill.
In this post, we’ll practice the vocabulary for making plans, changing plans, and cancelling plans. We’ll also review vocab for some of the most common plans we make! Next time you friend messages you about plans, you’ll be ready.
Initiating Plans
Are you interested in…
Example: Are you interested in going to the beach on Saturday?
Would you like to…?
Example: Would you like to go out to eat on Friday night?
Can you…?
Example: Can you hang out on Sunday?
Are you free to…?
Example: Are you free to go biking Monday afternoon?
Are you able to…?
Example: Are you able to join us for brunch on Sunday morning?
Do you want to…?
Example: Do you want to grab a drink this weekend?
Let’s…
Example: Let’s get ice cream after work!
Responding to Proposed Plans
Positive responses!
That sounds great!
Sounds good to me.
Yes! I’d like to go!
I’d love to!
Great/Perfect/Excellent! I’ll be there.
I can definitely join.
I’m not sure…
Let me check my schedule and get back to you.
I’ll let you know!
It depends on_____. I’ll confirm as soon as I can!
Maybe! I’ll let you know as soon as possible.
There’s a chance I can make it. I’ll let you know.
Negative responses
Unfortunately, I can’t make it.
I’m busy, but let’s meet up another time!
I’m not able to go this time. So sorry!
That time doesn’t work for me.
Changing the Plan
Can we change our plan?
Is it possible to reschedule?
I’m really sorry for the trouble, but can we reschedule?
Our original plan actually won’t work for me. Any chance you’re available another time?
Cancelling the Plan
Unfortunately, I have to cancel.
My schedule is complicated today. I have to cancel.
It’s been a hectic day/week, and I’m not going to be able to make it today.
So sorry for the trouble, but I need to cancel! Thanks so much for understanding.
Something came up, and I can’t make it.
Expressing your Feelings about the Plan
I’m excited!
I’m really looking forward to it OR Looking forward to it!
“Look forward to” is a phrasal verb that means to have positive feelings in anticipation of something.
This’ll be great!
I’m so glad we can meet up! See you then.
Common Plan-Making Vocabulary
Meet up - a phrasal verb that means to informally gather with another person or a group of people
Example: Do you want to meet up sometime this week?
Hang out - a phrasal verb that means to spend time socializing with other people
Example: Let’s all hang out this weekend! Maybe we can go to the beach. The weather is supposed to be beautiful.
Get together - a phrasal verb that means to informally gather
Example: We should find a time to get together! It’s been a while since we hung out.
Spend time - in English, we say spend time with other people, NOT share or pass time. It directly translates to gastar tiempo. For many English language learners, this is a strange direct translation, but I promise it’s accurate!
Example: Do you want to spend time with my family this weekend? I think we’re having a picnic.
Get lunch/dinner/a drink - an informal way of asking if somebody wants to meet up for a meal or a drink
Example: Would you like to get dinner next Wednesday?
Grab lunch/dinner/a drink - another informal way of asking if somebody wants to meet up for a meal or a drink
Example: Do you want to grab a drink sometime?
Go out - a phrasal verb that’s often informally used to describe partying
Example: Let’s go out on Saturday night! We can get drinks and sing karaoke.
Aprender inglés es sin duda alguna un proceso que puede ser fácil o complejo dependiendo de la forma en cómo lo tomemos. Una de las más grandes inquietudes como buenos estudiantes de la lengua germánica es el adquirir una buena pronunciación.
Una de las primeras cosas que tienes que saber y estar consciente al momento de emprender este proceso de aprendizaje es que el inglés y el español no son lenguas hermanas, por lo tanto, su naturalidad es diferente y por ende no siempre podrás hacer traducciones literarias de un idioma al otro y más importante con respecto al tema de la pronunciación es que hablar inglés de la forma en como se habla español no suena natural.
Pero, ¿es posible adquirir fácilmente una pronunciación natural en inglés siendo un hispanohablante? La respuesta es un rotundo sí.
Para empezar con esta serie de útiles tips para mejorar tu pronunciación no está demás recordarte que el aprendizaje de cualquier idioma no es un proceso corto, pero tampoco tiene que ser largo, simplemente depende de tu disposición e interés. Así mismo algo muy importante de mencionar es que debes perder todo miedo de usar el idioma donde sea sin importar que nos escuchen desconocidos o sin importar el miedo a ser criticados ¿sabes por qué? la respuesta es sencilla, un verdadero experto profesional en el idioma inglés nunca se burlará de ti.
La tecnología es tu mejor aliada
El primero de nuestros tips es empaparte lo más que puedas al idioma en sus contextos más naturales, para ello no es necesario estar en un país de habla inglesa pues la tecnología hoy en día nos permite conectarnos al mundo con un solo click.
Mirar CNN o la BBC podría ser un excelente recurso. No a todos nos gusta ver las noticias pues no es uno de nuestros más grandes intereses, pero en las noticias es donde se puede apreciar el idioma con mucha más claridad. Hazlo por solo 15 a 30 minutos al día y te darás cuenta cómo poco a poco lograrás entender todo con más claridad y facilidad.
Vuelve a ver tus películas favoritas en inglés.
¿Quién no tiene una película favorita? Seguramente todos las tenemos y otra forma para poder mejorar tu pronunciación es a través de ellas. Vuelve a ver esas películas que tanto te gustan y observa cómo el idioma se utiliza en un ambiente totalmente cotidiano y natural. Si es tu película favorita seguramente sabrás lo que están diciendo y tu listening adquirirá una excelente retentiva y entendimiento inmediato.
Practica con tus amigos.
Si tienes amigos que son nativos del inglés entonces tienes una de las más grandes ventajas. Practica tu inglés lo más que puedas con ellos, observa su forma de pronunciar las palabras y trata de repetir en tu mente las palabras que tu pensabas que se decían de una forma, pero en realidad se dicen de otra, de esta manera estarás coleccionando la mejor pronunciación.
Imita lo más que puedas
Una vez entrenado tu listening comienza a ser lo más curioso posible. Repite aquellas palabras que te cuestan pronunciar una y otra vez, dale play a la película exactamente en esa parte para escuchar la frase que te parece impronunciable una y otra vez. Trata de repetir todo lo que el presentador de noticias dice o lo que te guste de algún video en YouTube sin importar que no sea una repetición perfecta y verás cómo entonces tu speaking comenzará a florecer como nunca antes.
Hasta puedes dar un paso más y grabarte para escuchar como va mejorando tu pronunciación. Así tendrás la evidencia de que tus esfuerzos valen la pena.
Encuentra patrones propios del idioma
Cuando hayas pasado un tiempo envuelto en este proceso te habrás dado cuenta que el inglés tiene patrones propios así como la aspiración en las letras p, t, k , q etc. Por ejemplo, ¿cómo pronunciaría un gringo la palabra ¨pepito¨? Si lo hiciste en tu mente te diste cuenta que no es la misma pronunciación de nuestra p y t en español.
Otro patrón muy particular que encontramos en el idioma inglés es el respeto de la B y la V al momento de pronunciarlas. Sí, en español no importa cómo se pronuncian pero en inglés es de vital importancia pronunciarlas debidamente para poder transmitir nuestro mensaje correctamente. Por ejemplo best significa lo mejor mientras vest significa chaleco. La V se articula igual que la F con los dientes superiores tocando el labio inferior. La diferencia es de que al decir V las cuerdas vocales vibran y al decir F no vibran. En cambio la B inglesa es prácticamente igual a la B y la V castellana, excepto por que no se suaviza entre vocales, es siempre fuerte.
Utiliza lo aprendido donde puedas
Una vez tu habilidad en la pronunciación haya mejorado lo único que tienes que hacer es seguir practicando pues siempre puedes hacerlo mejor y tienes toda la capacidad para lograrlo. Dynamic English sin lugar a dudas es uno de los mejores centros de enseñanza del idioma inglés pues con sus profesores 100% nativos en el idioma, tu oportunidad de volverte seco en el inglés está a la puerta de tu casa.
Con estos tips y tu interés por mejorar, lograrás la pronunciación en inglés que pensabas sería demasiado difícil de adquirir.
escrito por Victor Pineda
Words and phrases that indicate time help our listeners to understand exactly when things happened, happen, or will happen in our life! Review here the most common ways to indicate time in English!
"Get" is one of the most frustrating AND most frequently used verbs in the English language. In this post, we’ll show you how to understand and use the verb “get”. Got it?
Connectors help us to link our ideas, sentences and paragraphs together in English. If you want to speak at an Intermediate or Advanced level you must know how to use these 20 connectors!
Air travel can be chaotic, confusing, and stressful - especially if you don’t understand the language! Memorizing some simple vocabulary can help you to feel comfortable and confident when you’re travelling.
Qué exactamente significa hablar con fluidez el inglés? Y cuántas horas se necesita estudiar para llegar a hablar fluido inglés desde el nivel más básico.
Connectors help us to link our ideas, sentences and paragraphs together in English. If you want to speak at an Intermediate or Advanced level you must know how to use these 20 connectors!