HOW TO STUDY A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
What should I know?
THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE
The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. In the simple present
tense, to be is conjugated as follows:
Affirmative forms of the verb to be
Subject Pronouns Full Form Contracted Form
I am 'm
you are 're
he/she/it is 's
we are 're
you are 're
they are 're
Interrogative forms of the verb to be:
Am I?
Are you?
Is he/she/it?
Are we?
Are you?
Are they?
Negative Forms of the verb to be:
Subject Pronouns Full Form Contracted Form
I am not 'm not
you are not aren't
he/she/it is not isn't
we are not aren't
you are not aren't
they are not aren't
Examples:
Is Brad Pitt French?
No, he isn't. He's American.
What about Angelina Joli? Is she American, too?
Yes, she is. She is American.
Are brad Pitt and Angelina Joli French?
No, they aren't. They are American.
Use of the simple present of to be
The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes place
habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a present or
general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.
I am happy.
She is helpful.
The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is true at
the present moment.
She is 20 years old.
He is a student.
Remember:
I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns
am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.
'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of am, are, is
'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.
POSSESSIVES
Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their - modify the noun
following it in order to show possession.
Examples:
I'll get my bag. Is this your luggage?
Examples
Subject Pronouns I you he she it we you they
Possessive Adjectives my your his her its our your their
Examples:
John is happy with his new car Mary doesn't like her dress.
POSSESSIVE 'S
When we want to show that something belongs to somebody or something, we usually add
an apostrophe + s ('s) to a singular noun and an apostrophe (') to a plural noun, for
example:
the boy's ball (one boy) the boys' ball (two or more boys)
Notice that the number of balls does not matter. The structure is influenced by the
possessor and not the possessed.
one ball more than one ball
one boy
the boy's ball the boy's balls
more than one boy
the boys' ball the boys' balls
The structure can be used for a whole phrase:
the man next door's mother (the mother of the man next door)
the Queen of England's poodles (the poodles of the Queen of England)
Although we can use of to show possession, it is more usual to use possessive 's. The
following phrases have the same meaning, but #2 is more usual and natural:
1. the boyfriend of my sister 2. my sister's boyfriend
Proper Nouns (Names)
We very often use possessives with names:
This is Mary's car. Who took Anthony's pen?
Where is Ram's telephone? I like Tara's hair.
When a name ends in s, we usually treat it like any other singular noun, and add 's:
This is Charles's chair.
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
We use this (singular) and these (plural) to refer to something that is here / near.
Examples:
This is my car. (singular)
These are our children. (plural)
We use that (singular) and those (plural) to refer to something that is there / far.
Examples:
That is our house. (singular)
Those are my shoes. (plural)
PLACES IN THE CITY
English Spanish
a bank Un banco
a bus station Una estacin de bus
a market Un mercado/ una plaza de Mercado
a train station Una estacin de tren
a cafe Un caf / una cafetera
a cinema Un cinema
a museum Un museo
an information centre Un centro de informacin
a car park Un parqueadero
a park Un parquet
a post office Una oficina postal
a school Un colegio / escuela
a chemists / a drug store Una droguera
a bookshop Una librera
a clothes shop Una tienda de ropa
a bakers Una panadera
a butchers Una carnicera
a greengrocers Una tienda de abarrotes
Countries and nationalities
[Link]
What is a Sentence?
Do you remember what a Sentence is?
A sentence is a set of words that contain: Subject, Verb and Complement.
Subject is about who or what are you talking about.
Verb is the action.
Complement gives details of the idea.
Examples
Subject Verb Complement
Canada is one of the best countries in the world
Subject Verb Complement
Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space for people
to live
HELPFUL LINKS TO STUDY AND PRACTICE:
1. Verb to be
a) Exercises about affirmative form
b) Exercises affirmative/negative form
c) Word order in a sentence
d) Video: grammar explanation
2. Numbers
a) [Link]
content/uploads/grammar/numbers/[Link]
b) [Link]
c) [Link]
3. Possessives
a) Possessives practice
b) Choose the possessive
c) More practice
4. This / that / these / those
a) This / these
b) That / those
c) This / these / that / those
5. Family members
a) Identifying family members
b) Choose the family member
6. Places in the city
a) Choose the place
b) More places
7. Countries and nationalities
a) Matching
b) Writing and listening
8. Daily routines
a) Vocabulary
b) Matching exercise
9. Telling the time
a) Telling the time
b) More time
