Unit 1.

Schedule
Grammar

Vocabulary

Present Perfect
Test

Types of food and

drink
Vocabulary practice
exercise

Reading

Listening

Writing & recording

What have you done Listening comprehension Writing with connectors

today?
Now you write
Reading comprehension
Discuss a situation

Present Perfect
Ouch! Ive cut my finger.
Ay! Me he cortado el dedo.

When we want to speak about something that has happened very

recently we use the Present Perfect.

Watch a video about the

Present Perfect.

How to make affirmative sentences

Structure:
Subject + have/has + past participle of the main verb + object
Examples:
They
subject

have
have

seen
p. p. main verb

an accident
object

Ellos han visto

un accidente.

She has gone shopping.

Ella ha ido de compras.

We have bought a house.

Hemos comprado una casa.

Pay attention:
In the Present Perfect we use have or has as an auxiliary verb. In Spanish it is the
verb haber, not tener.
For the third person singular (he, she, it) we must use has, not have.
Incorrect: She have done it.
Correct: She has done it. (Ella lo ha hecho).
In spoken English we usually speak with contractions. The contraction of have is "ve",
for example, Ive done it. (Lo he hecho). The contraction of has is "s", for example,
Shes gone home. (Ha ido a casa).
In order to use the Present Perfect correctly you must know the past participles of the
irregular verbs by heart.

13

How to ask questions

Structure:
Have/ has + subject + past participle of the main verb + object?
Examples:
Have
have

you
subject

done
p. p. main verb

your homework?
object?

Has hecho tus

deberes?

Has he said anything?

Ha dicho l algo?

Have we made any mistakes?

Hemos cometido (algunos) errores?

How to answer questions

Structure:
Positive: Yes, + subject + have/ has

Negative: No, + subject + havent/ hasnt

Examples:
Have you cleaned your room?
Has limpiado tu habitacin?
Yes,
I
have
Yes
subject
have

We dont usually answer

questions repeating the past
participle: Yes, I have cleaned
it. We just use have.

Have you cleaned your room?

Has limpiado tu habitacin?
No,
I
have
No
subject
have

More examples:
Yes, he has.
No, she hasnt

Yes, they have.

No, we havent.

Remember: To ask and answer questions

in the third person (he, she, it) we always
use has, we never use have.

How to make negative sentences

Structure:
Subject + have/ has + not + past participle main verb + object
Examples:
I
subject

14

have
have

not
not

seem
p. p. main verb

them
object

Yo no los he
visto.

He hasnt found them.

l no las ha encontrado.

You havent read the newspaper.

T no has ledo el peridico.

Pay attention to the contractions.

Have not: havent.
Has not: hasnt.
In colloquial English we usually speak with contractions.

How to ask negative questions

Structure:
Havent/ Hasnt + subject + past participle main verb + object?
Examples:
Havent
have + not

you
subject

done
p. p. main verb

Hasnt she called you?

them?
object?

No las has
visto?

No te ha llamado?

When we ask negative questions we usually make a contraction:

Havent you? Hasnt he?

The Present Perfect is used to:

Talk about an action that happened very
recently. It frequently appears with words
such as today, this morning, lately and
recently.
Theyve worked hard today.
Ellos han trabajado duro hoy.

The Present Perfect is also often used with the

following words and expressions:
Just
They have just called.
Acaban de llamar.

Note: In Spanish the expression is acabo /

Note: Though the word ago can sometimes
acaban de.
refer to a very recent time, for example, 5
minutes ago (Hace cinco minutos), we dont
Already
use it with the Present Perfect; we use it with
the past tense. For example, we dont say: I have
They have already seen it.
done it five minutes ago. (Lo he hecho hace cinco
Ya lo han visto.
minutos). We say: I did it five minutes ago. (Lo
Note: We use already with the Present Perfect
hice hace cinco minutos).
to refer to something that has happened sooner
Talk about what you have or havent done in
than expected. In Spanish it is translated as ya.
your life. In this case the Present Perfect usually
Yet
appears with ever (alguna vez) or never
(nunca). For example:
They havent done it yet.
An/Todava no lo han hecho.
Have you ever been to Paris?
Has ido alguna vez a Pars?
Have you called yet?
Has llamado ya?
I have never done that.
Nunca he hecho eso.
Note: Yet is used with the Present Perfect in
Note: Ever is used when the verb have is in its
negative sentences and questions. In Spanish it
negative form (havent/hasnt) and never when
can be translated as an, todava or ya.
the verb have is in its positive form.
Talk about time. In this case it appears with
since or for. For example:
How long have you lived here?
Hace cunto tiempo que vives aqu?
I have lived here for 5 years.
Hace 5 aos que vivo aqu/ Llevo viviendo aqu 5 aos.
I have lived here since 2006.
Llevo viviendo aqu desde el 2006.

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Important:
The English Present Perfect, unlike the Spanish pretrito perfecto is never used
to talk about last weekend. For example, we dont say: What have you done last
weekend? (Qu has hecho el fin de semana [pasado]?) We say: What did you do last
weekend?
Note also that the Present Perfect is more frequently used in British English than
in American English.
Examples:
British: I have worked very hard today. He trabajado muy duro hoy.
American: I worked very hard today. Trabaj muy duro hoy.

Test
A. Talking about experiences. Match the first half of the questions with a suitable ending. Do not repeat an
ending.
1. Have you ever climbed
2. Have you ever ridden
3. Have you ever seen
4. Have you ever swum
5. Have you ever planted
6. Have you ever eaten
7. Have you ever given
8. Have you ever driven
9. Have you ever written
10. Have you ever built

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.

a house?
a tractor?
a shooting star?
a book?
a mountain?
a horse?
in the Indian Ocean?
a tree?
a curry?
a speech?

B. Choose the correct word for the gap:

1. Have you read the newspaper ..? I want to
read it.
A. since.
B. lately.
C. yet.
2. Have you been to that restaurant again ..
you got food-poisoning there?
A. since.
B. yet.
C. ago.

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6. I havent spoken to him . the argument.

A. yet.
B. ago.
C. since.
7. The company has .. slowed down on their
recruitment drive.
A. since.
B. recently.
C. ago.

3. Have you seen Barbara ..? I really miss her.

A. ever.
B. recently.
C. since.

8. We havent had a response to our advertisement

.., but Im sure well have one soon.
A. ago.
B. just.
C. yet.

4. Have you .. made the tea? Its boiling hot.

A. lately.
B. recently.
C. just.

9. Im sorry Mr. MacPherson has .. left the office.

A. lately.
B. just.
C. recently.

5. Have you been to the cinema ..? I havent

been in ages.
A. just.
B. since.
C. lately.

10. I have had a lot of headaches .. doctor, do

you know what might be causing them?
A. lately.
B. yet.
C. just.

Vocabulary
Types of food and drink
Meat
Carne

Example

Seafood
Mariscos

Example

beef steak
un filete (vacuno)

I ordered two beef steaks.

Ped dos filetes.

fish
pez/pescado

I would like to have some fish.

Me gustara tomar pescado.

very rare steak

filete muy poco
hecho

We like our steak very rare.

Nos gustan los filetes muy poco
hechos.

seafood
marisco

Which is your favourite seafood?

Cul es tu marisco preferido?

rare steak
filete poco hecho

Most people like rare steak.

A la mayora de la gente le gustan
los filetes poco hechos.

crab
cangrejo

You can add some crab to the

salad.
Puedes aadir algo de cangrejo en la
ensalada.

medium steak
filete medio hecho

I like a medium steak.

A m me gusta el filete medio hecho.

prawns
langostinos

Do you think these prawns are

delicious?
Crees que estos langostinos son
deliciosos?

well done steak

filete muy hecho

They always eat their steaks well

done.
Ellos siempre comen los filetes muy
hechos.

shrimps
gambas

Those are the best shrimps in

town.
Esas son las mejores gambas de la
ciudad.

chicken
pollo

Chicken is my favourite food.

El pollo es mi comida favorita.

oysters
ostra

Oysters are always expensive.

Las ostras son siempre caras.

pork chop
chuleta de cerdo

She bought five pork chops.

Ella compr cinco chuletas de cerdo.

lobster
langosta

I have never had a lobster.

Nunca he comido langosta.

lamb chop
chuleta de cordero

Is the lamb chop good?

Est buena la chuleta de cordero?

mussels
mejillones

Mussels are good as a first course.

Los mejillones son buenos como
primer plato.

veal
ternera

Lets have some veal.

Tomemos ternera.

trout
trucha

Trout tastes good with almonds.

La trucha sabe bien con almendras.

ham
jamn

The ham was delicious.

El jamn estaba delicioso.

salmon
salmn

This salmon comes from Norway.

Este salmn viene de Noruega.

cod
bacalao

Cod is very popular in Portugal.

El bacalao es muy popular en
Portugal.

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18

Fruit
Fruta

Example

Vegetables
Verduras

Example

fruit
fruta

You should have some fruit every

day.
Deberas tomar fruta todos los das.

vegetables
verduras

You should always eat vegetables.

Siempre deberas comer verduras.

apple
manzana

An apple a day keeps the doctor

away.
Una manzana al da mantiene al
mdico en la lejana.

potato
patata

How many potatoes would you

like to have?
Cuntas patatas quieres tomar?

orange
naranja

Those oranges are perfect to

make juice with.
Esas naranjas estn perfectas para
un zumo.

carrot
zanahoria

Rabbits eat carrots.

Los conejos comen zanahorias.

banana
pltano

Monkeys like bananas.

A los monos les gustan las bananas.

peas
guisantes

Would you like some peas with

your steak?
Quieres guisantes con tu filete?

lemon
limn

That lemon is too sour.

Ese limn es demasiado agrio.

mushroom
champin

Mushrooms are very popular in

autumn.
Los championes son muy populares
en otoo.

peach
melocotn

That blouse has a peach tone.

Esa blusa tiene un tono melocotn.

cauliflower
coliflor

We dont eat cauliflower.

No comemos coliflor.

pear
pera

How many pears did you buy?

Cuntas peras compraste?

lettuce
lechuga

I like very green lettuces.

Me gustan las lechugas muy verdes.

grapefruit
pomelo

Some grapefruits are pink inside.

Algunos pomelos son de color rosa
por dentro.

cucumber
pepino

Do you put cucumber in your

salads?
Pones pepinos en tus ensaladas?

melon
meln

We always have melon in the

summer.
Siempre tomamos meln en el verano.

garlic
ajo

They dont like garlic.

A ellos no les gusta el ajo.

strawberry
fresa

I love strawberries with cream.

Me encantan las fresas con nata.

pineapple
pia

Can you slice the pineapple?

Puedes cortar en rebanadas la
pia?

tomato
tomate

That salad doesnt have

tomatoes.
Esa ensalada no tiene tomates.

grape
uva

Wine is made with grapes.

El vino se hace con uvas.

Drink
Bebida

Example

Drink
Bebida

Example

drink
bebida

Thats a very good drink.

Esa es una bebida muy buena.

tomato juice
zumo de tomate

Its good to drink tomato juice

when youre dieting.
Es bueno beber zumo de tomate
cuando ests haciendo dieta.

to drink
beber

What would you like to drink?

Qu te gustara beber?

lemonade
limonada

When its hot I drink lemonade.

Cuando hace calor tomo limonadas.

coffee
caf

He drinks a lot of coffee.

El bebe mucho caf.

white wine
vino blanco

They dont have white wine.

No tienen vino blanco.

tea
t

They sell very good tea in that shop.

Ellos venden muy buen t en esa
tienda.

red wine
vino tinto

She always drinks red wine.

Ella siempre bebe vino tinto.

with milk
con leche

I always drink tea with milk.

Siempre bebo t con leche.

ros wine
vino rosado

Does ros wine go well with fish?

Va bien el vino rosado con el
pescado?

hot chocolate
chocolate caliente

Give me some hot chocolate.

Dame un chocolate caliente.

water
agua

I need some water.

Necesito agua.

orange juice
zumo de naranja

I drink orange juice in the mornings.

Bebo zumo de naranjas por las
maanas.

(sparkling/ still)
mineral water
agua mineral
(con/ sin gas)

I dont like sparkling water.

No me gusta el agua con gas.

apple juice
zumo de manzana

Do you like apple juice?

Te gusta el zumo de manzana?

beer
cerveza

Would you like a beer?

Quieres una cerveza?

Listen to a complete list of different types of food and drink.

Vocabulary practice exercise

Translate the following sentences:

Quiero agua con gas.

No me gusta la cerveza.

El filete viene con ensalada.

Tengo que comprar unas lechugas.

Siempre me tomo una copa de vino tinto con las

comidas.

Me gusta el filete poco hecho.

La trucha es mi pescado favorito.

Las navidades pasadas tomamos ostras.

Las chuletas de cerdo siempre vienen con patatas.

10 El jamn bueno suele ser caro.

19

Reading
What have you done today?
When I get home my grandmother usually asks me:
- What have you done today?
Since my grandfather passed away my grandmother
lives with us. As both of my parents work, she is
usually at home alone all day and has nobody to talk
to.
I have been at the library, as usual, I reply.
Have you seen any of your friends lately? she asks.
Yes, I have. Susan and Peter were at the library too.
Have you been out to lunch with them recently?
Yes, I have. Or, mmm, not exactly. We ate a sandwich
in the park next to the library.
And what have you studied today?
Physics.

Yes, of course I have. You always ask me the same

questions.

Then she stops talking and usually thinks about

another topic to start a different conversation.

Youre right. I just want to talk to you because I

hardly see you.

You know, I havent seen your grandfather, she

adds, forgetting my grandfather is dead.

I often think it is difficult to live at home with so

many people asking me questions about what I have
or havent done recently.

And I continue the conversation as if he were still

alive.
He must have gone shopping, I say.
A bit later my mother gets home and she starts
cooking dinner right away. She often shouts over to
me from the kitchen.
Have you bought some milk?
Yes, I have mum. Its in the fridge.
Okay, thank you.
About an hour later my father gets home and starts
talking to my grandmother. I can hear them from
my room.
Have you gone out?
No, she says. Its too cold.
Well, you should because its good for you to walk.
Then my father comes to my room and starts asking
me questions like:
Have you studied at the library?

20

Yes, I was there all day dad; we are in the middle of

exams right now.
Have you done your homework?

I would like to have a bit more privacy. I would also

like to have finished my exams.

Vocabulary
Get home (v.): llegar a casa.
Pass away (v.): fallecer.
As both: ya que ambos.
Library (n.): biblioteca.
Lately (adv.): ltimamente.
Go out for lunch (v.): salir fuera a comer.
Note: In present perfect you say: I have
been out.
Physics: Fsica.
Topic (n.): tema.
Add (v.): aadir.
Dead (adj.): muerto.
As if he were still alive: como si estuviera
todava vivo.
Must have gone (v.): debe de haber ido.
Shout (v.): gritar.
Its good for you to walk: Te viene bien
caminar.
Be right: tener razn.
I hardly see you: apenas te veo.

Reading comprehension
After reading the text, answer the questions below.

7. Why didnt the grandmother leave

the house?
A. Too tired.
B. Too cold.
C. Too busy.

1. Whos usually at home when the

narrator returns from school?
A. Mother.
B. Father.
C. Grandmother.

4. What was the narrator studying?

A. A science.
B. A humanity.
C. A language.

8. What is the narrator doing in school

at the moment?
A. Sports.
B. Library research.
C. Tests.

2. Wheres the narrators grandfather?

A. At the shops.
B. No longer alive.
C. In his room.

5. Who arrives home after the narrator?

A. Father.
B. Mother.
C. Grandfather.

9. Why does the father always ask the

same questions?
A. To check homework.
B. Communicate with his child.
C. He feels he should.

3. Why does the grandmother want to

talk so much?
A. She loves it.
B. Shes nosey.
C. Shes lonely during the day.

6. Who does the father speak to first?

A. Mother.
B. Child.
C. Grandmother.

10. What has the narrator always

wanted at home?
A. Go to Paris and Rome.
B. Finish exams.
C. Have some space to himself.

Listening
Listening comprehension
Listen to the interview
which discusses talented
children then answer the
questions below.

1. What is another term or expression

for spotlight, to that being used in
the listening?
A. Fame.
B. Lamplight.
C. Place.
2. What does gross generalization
mean?
A. Silly.
B. To exaggerate something.
C. To assume something.
3. What does to be pushed mean in
the context of the listening?
A. Made to fall over.
B. Encouraged.
C. Made to work hard at something.

4. What does own free-will mean in

the listening?
A. Spirit.
B. An action in a relaxed way.
C. Doing something you want to.
5. What is natural to children?
A. Curiosity.
B. Cleverness.
C. Hard work.
6. What did one of the speakers see
children forced to do?
A. Practice sport.
B. Drink sugary drinks.
C. Eat vegetables.
7. How many hours does the theory
talk about?
A. 1,000.
B. 10,000.
C. 100,000.

8. What level can you reach in a

subject if you have studied for this
time?
A. Advanced.
B. Proficiency.
C. Expert.
9. How many hours must you study a
day to achieve the level in 5 years?
A. 4.
B. 6.
C. 3.
10. Will everybody reach an expert
level if they study the correct amount
of hours?
A. No.
B. Yes.
C. Maybe.

Watch a conversation between two people using the Present Perfect.

21

Writing & recording

Writing with connectors
A good way to improve your writing style is to use sentence connectors. Sentence connectors, or, linking words,
are used to connect different ideas in a text. Here are some examples of connectors or linking words:

Addition:

Comparison:

And: y.

Both: ambos.

Additionally: adicionalmente.

Equally: igualmente.

In addition: adicionalmente.

Likewise: de la misma manera.

Also: tambin.

Similarly: similar.

Besides: adems.

As - as: tanto/ tan/ como.

Furthermore: adems.

As though: como si.

Moreover: adems.
Too: adems.
Alternatives:

Time or Sequence:

But: pero.

Afterwards: despus.

Either/or: o bien/ o bien.

At first: al comienzo.

Neither/nor: ni/ ni.

As soon as: inmediatamente despus.

Whether: si condicional.

In the end: finalmente.

Instead: en vez de, en lugar de.

Later: ms tarde.

On the other hand: por otro lado.

Meanwhile: mientras tanto.

Otherwise: de otro modo.

Then: entonces, luego.

After: despus.

Cause-Effect:
For: para, por.
So: as pues.
Accordingly: de acuerdo con, segn.
After all: despus de todo.
As a result: como resultado de.
Consequently: consecuentemente.
Hence: as pues.
Therefore: por lo tanto.
Thus: as.
Because: porque.

22

In order that: a fin de que.

Since: desde.

Read this list of sentences and see how they have been linked together.
1. Claire got up at 7 a.m.
2. She got dressed.
3. She had breakfast.
4. She went to work at 8 a.m.
5. She got to her office.
6. She talked to her boss.
7. She didnt like what her boss said.
8. She wasnt upset.
9. She decided to have a coffee.
10. She went out of the office.
11. She bought a lottery ticket.
12. She came back to the office.
13. Her colleague Bob called her.
14. He told her their boss had been dismissed.
15. She went home very happy.

When Claire got up at 7am it was raining. She

got dressed and had breakfast. One hour later
she went to her work. As soon as she got to her
office she talked to her boss. She didnt like
what her boss said but she didnt say anything.
Later she decided to have a coffee and go out
to buy a lottery ticket. When she came back to
the office her colleague Bob called her and told
her their boss had been dismissed. In the end,
she went home very happy.

Watch a video about writing with connectors.

Now you write

Instructions:
Try to link the following sentences with connectors. You can elaborate and make up your own sentences.
1. It was raining.
2. Kent didnt like the rain.
3. He decided to stay home.
4. Robert called him to go to the cinema.
5. He refused.
6. His friend insisted.
7. He went with his friend.
8. He got wet.
9. He hadnt liked the film.
10. He felt anger towards his friend.
11. He went back home.
12. He went to bed.
13. He had forgotten everything.

Compare your text to this example:

It was raining when Kent got up. As he didnt like the
rain, he decided to stay home. Then his friend Robert
called him to go to the cinema.
At first he refused, but Robert insisted so eventually
they went to the cinema. As he was leaving the cinema
he got wet.
Since he hadnt liked the film, he felt an anger
towards his friend as they were going home. But by
the time he went to bed, he had forgotten everything.

Vocabulary
Make up (v.): inventar.
Refuse (v.): rechazar.
Get wet (v.): mojarse.

23

Discuss a situation
You are going to propose marriage to your partner. You would like to take her/him to a restaurant and make
the proposal there. These are the options you have thought of:

24

Decide which one would be the most

suitable and explain why. Record yourself
with your opinions. The recording must be,
at least, between 1 and 2 minutes.
Important: use the Useful Language
worksheet and the vocabulary and grammar
already studied in the course to help you.

How do you record your voice? Here are some ideas about it.
How do you record your voice? You just need some headphones with a microphone. Go to Windows
and click on Inicio>Todos los programas>Accesorios>Entretenimiento>Grabadora de sonidos.

Windows XP

Windows 7
Once youve got this screen:

click on the red circle and start recording. Once youve finished (try it as many times as you need)
click on Archivo>Guardar como and save it.
Remember to follow a logical system to name the files, in order to classify them better; for example:
marialopez1.wav, marialopez2.wav, etc.
Nowadays, there are other ways to record your voice and save that file into your computer, for
example with your mobile phone. Do it as you like.

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