El tiempo simple, en sus formas presente, pasado y futuro, se llama "simple" porque consiste en una sola palabra,
-¿Una sola palabra?
Si el verbo aparece solo, a diferencia de otros tiempos verbales como presente progresivo (present continuos): I am studying english grammar, o el presente perfecto (present perfect): she has studied english grammar. La forma en primera persona del tiempo presente simple es casi siempre la misma que la forma del diccionario del verbo.
Con el verbo "write" (escribir), por ejemplo, el presente simple en primera persona es "I write" (yo escribo).
Well, when I write songs, I sometimes will write it on a piano.
Bueno, cuando escribo canciones, a veces la escribo en un piano.
Caption 27, Bee and Flower - Interview
Play Caption
En tiempo pasado simple, la forma básica "write" cambia a "wrote". Algunos verbos básicos sólo añaden "-ed" para formar el pasado, pero muchos son irregulares, es decir, sus tres tiempos básicos (presente, pasado, futuro) son ligeramente diferentes entre ellos y serán aprendidos de memoria.
I wrote this song and I wanted it to be this alive product.
Escribí esta canción y quería que fuera un producto vivo.
Caption 35, Rise Up and Sing - Recording the Song
Play Caption
El tiempo futuro simple consiste en añadir "will" (o "shall") antes del verbo:
You know, Tammy will write a song and then record it on her laptop.
Ya sabes, Tammy escribe una canción y luego la graba en su computadora portátil.
Caption 92, Royalchord - Interview
Play Caption
Aprendizaje adicional
Echa un vistazo a esta lista de verbos básicos y sus tiempos pasados simples irregulares, y busca en Yabla English, en uno de tus videos favoritos, para ver cómo se usan en contexto.
Most words in English are made plural by simply adding the letter "s" to the end. Sometimes, if the word ends with a vowel such as "y," then it changes to "ies" when plural (one baby, many babies, one country, many countries). Sometimes words ending in consonants add "-es" for the plural (one coach, many coaches).
I've noticed that some non-native English speakers have mother tongues that don't include a sound similar to the letter "z" as pronounced in English. This makes it very difficult for them to pronounce the "z" sound. This sound is made with the top of the tongue vibrating against the middle of the palate and makes a buzzing "zzzzzz" sound like the sound a bee makes.
Most English words use this "z" pronunciation on the plural "s." If you accidentally pronounce some English plurals with the "s" sound instead of the proper "z" sound, it could lead to some misunderstandings, as there are other words in English that are spelled differently, but sound the same (they are called homophones):
And it makes your eyes look different.
Caption 9, Adele at the BBC - When Adele Wasn't Adele... But Was Jenny!
Play Caption
If you accidentally pronounce "eyes" with the "s" sound instead of the "z" sound, a native English speaker may misunderstand the sentence as "And they made your ice look different." This is because "eyes" spoken falsely with the "s" pronunciation sounds exactly the same as "ice." It's a similar situation here:
Oh yes, all they think of is spies, and the war, of course.
Caption 50, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - BBC TV Movie
Play Caption
If the last "s" in "spies" is not pronounced correctly, it will sound the same as the word "spice." There are a number of homophones that could lead people to misunderstand what you are saying if you mispronounce the plural "s," such as "tries" ("trice"), "lies" ("lice"), and "plays" ("place").
There are, however, English words ending in certain consonants where the plural "s" is indeed pronounced "s," and not "z." These are mostly words that end in "k," "p," and "t." The reason why the plural "s" cannot sound like a "z" in these words is because it tends to make these consonants sound like different consonants if you use the "z" sound:
The backs are the sleek, faster-running players.
Caption 13, Rugby - 101
Play Caption
Now, people have literally no idea how to access water from modern taps.
Caption 55, BBC Comedy Greats - Michael McIntyre on Google Earth
Play Caption
Where we all share our best bits, but leave out the emotion.
Caption 14, Look Up - A Spoken Word Film for an Online Generation
Play Caption
If you try to pronounce the words highlighted above with the plural "s" pronounced incorrectly as "z," you'll see that they sound like different words: "backs" becomes "bags," "taps" becomes "tabs," and "bits" becomes "bids."
So remember: most English plurals ending in "s" have the "s" pronounced as a "z," except for words ending with "k," "p," and "t." Let's call this the KPT rule!
Further Learning
Have a tandem partner who is a native English speaker open a dictionary at random and pick out a word for you to pronounce as a plural word. They may occasionally find plurals that don't end in "s," but this will be the exception. They can also find words for you that end with "k," "p," and "t" to test you. Try to remember the KPT rule and you should get the pronunciation right every time!
Thanks to you all for reading this, keep up the good work! If you have any good ideas for lesson topics, please email them to us at newsletter@yabla.com, and you can tweet us @yabla.
Many of our social activities have been reduced by the current crisis, giving us a lot more time on our own. Maybe this is a good time to think about what we wish for the future. Let's take a look today at some English sentences that use the standard phrase that begins "I wish..."
I wish that I could be like the cool kids.
Caption 8, Echosmith - Cool Kids
Play Caption
By "cool kids," they mean the kids who are more popular.
I wish I could find a book to live in.
Caption 11, Miley Cyrus - The Backyard Sessions - Look What They've Done to My Song
Play Caption
This is a poetic way of saying she wishes her life had more excitement and romance — like in a book!
I wish I would've had more time to travel around.
Caption 37, Ask Jimmy Carter - Interview with Demi Moore
Play Caption
These days, the problem is not so much having the time to travel as the fact that travel restrictions often make traveling impossible.
How I wish, how I wish you were here
Caption 12, David Gilmour - Wish You Were Here
Play Caption
Most of us are missing friends and family members who we aren't able to see because of travel restrictions. At least it's usually possible to call them or have a video chat. It's not the same as being there, but it helps!
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words.
Caption 2, Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out
Play Caption
The singer of the band Twenty One Pilots clearly needs to get some singing lessons and work on his lyrics!
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
Caption 5, Katie Melua - River
Play Caption
The river she wants to skate away on had better be frozen solid or she'll be swimming in her ice skates.
I wish it hadn't happened. But it did.
Caption 63, Matthew Modine - Showreel
Play Caption
As far as the crisis goes, it is still happening, but it is good to be realistic about things, as Mr. Modine advises.
I wish you a Merry Christmas. Goodbye!
Caption 60, Christmas in London - People
Play Caption
Some countries actually celebrate Christmas in July. It's also possible to say "It's like Christmas in July!" when you get a present, even though it's not a holiday or your birthday.
Further Learning
Make up some sentences about things that you wish for using the phrases "I wish I had...", "I wish I could...", and "I wish I was...". Find some more examples using "I wish" on Yabla English so you can get a better sense of the different contexts in which the phrase is used.
Now that summer is finally here, it's a good time to improve your summer vocabulary. Let's take a look in this lesson at some of the important words you may need when heading outdoors into the sunny weather.
It's too sunny outside. Make sure you have your suntan lotion!
Caption 15, English with Lauren - The Weather
Play Caption
Suntan lotion was originally intended to help people get suntans without getting a sunburn. A "suntan" occurs when skin darkens after being exposed to bright sunshine, while a "sunburn" is when it actually turns red from too much exposure. These days we know that too much sunshine can be dangerous to your health, so it's good to use a lotion that protects your skin. For this, you want sunscreen:
Protect your face. Sunscreen is really the biggest thing.
Caption 12, Katie Holmes - About Family, Beauty and Olay
Play Caption
Sunscreens are rated by SPF, which stands for "Sun Protection Factor." A sunscreen with a SPF of 15 blocks 93% of the sun's rays, SPF 30 blocks 97%, and SPF 50 blocks 98%. Many people think that SPF 30 blocks twice as much sun as SPF 15, but this is not true. So while it is important to get a good sunscreen, the higher SPF sunscreens are often much more expensive and actually provide only a small percentage more protection. The important thing is to apply it often, especially after swimming!
Going camping is another popular summer activity:
I mean, camping out with my family.
Caption 12, Jimmy Kimmel’s Quarantine Minilogue - Home with Kids, Trump, Tom Brady & St. Patrick’s Day
Play Caption
Unfortunately, most commercial camping spots may be closed this summer because of the coronavirus. But if you are an experienced camper, you may still be able to go camping in non-commericial places in nature where camping is allowed.
Going to the beach is also a popular summer activity:
With 46 kilometers of beautiful beaches,
it's the perfect spot to hit the beach.
Captions 10-11, Discover America - California Holidays: Surfing and Beach Town Santa Cruz
Play Caption
The phrase "to hit the beach" is just a casual way of saying "to go to the beach." With the current coronavirus travel restrictions, we may have to settle for going to a local beach at a lake this summer instead of flying to a distant beach on the ocean. Those of you who are lucky enough to live near the sea won't have this problem!
Building sandcastles is something that is fun to do once you've hit the beach:
Last Fourth of July, they skipped putting out beach chairs or building sandcastles.
Caption 36, Toxic Lake - The Untold Story of Lake Okeechobee
Play Caption
But when it starts to get too hot, you may need some help cooling off:
There is just something about homemade strawberry ice cream.
Caption 1, Nigella's Recipes - Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Play Caption
Further Learning
Think of some other things you like to do in the summertime and search for the words on Yabla English so you can get a better sense of the different contexts in which the words are used.
A lot of the things we used to take for granted are now seeming very special, such as when meeting up with friends again as the coronavirus lockdown starts loosening up and we begin returning to work and school. I realize this may not be happening quite yet where you live, but it will hopefully start in the coming weeks or by mid-summer at latest.
There are a lot of English slang words and idioms commonly used in informal speech, so let's take a look at a few of those today. Let's start with a phrase I used in the first sentence of this lesson:
Again, this assuming your opponent plays perfectly, but we'll take that for granted.
Caption 20, Numberphile - Connect Four
Play Caption
"To take something for granted" means that you presume something automatically, without really thinking about it. When that something is not as you expected, you are surprised.
Let's start with some different ways that people greet each other besides the standard "hello," "good morning," "good afternoon," and "good evening."
What's up?
Caption 29, English with Annette O'Neil - Ways To Say Hello
Play Caption
How's it going?Caption 30, English with Annette O'Neil - Ways To Say Hello
Play Caption
What's happening?
Caption 31, English with Annette O'Neil - Ways To Say Hello
Play Caption
All of the above questions are rhetorical, which means that people are usually not expecting you to tell them your life story or about real problems you might be having! Usually you just answer "fine," or "not much," or "I have been busy" or something simple like that. Note too that sometimes "what's up" is slurred into "'Sup," "what up," and similar variations.
Howdy.
Caption 46, English with Annette O'Neil - Ways To Say Hello
Play Caption
"Howdy" is just a colloquial or casual way of saying "hello" that originally came from the more formal question "how do you do?". You can see from the bold letters where the word came from!
If you haven't seen each other in a long time, you might say something like "it seems like forever" or the odd-sounding "long time no see!" This last phrase, meaning "we have not seen each other for a long time," is thought to have come from the basic English first spoken by immigrants to North America over 100 years ago.
When meeting up with your friends for the first time in a long time, please remember to keep safe according the local rules of where you live. But also remember to enjoy yourself as we begin to have more social interactions again into summer!
Further Learning
Watch the entire conversational video series on Yabla English by Annette O'Neil and test your comprehension using the Yabla Flash Card Game.
On Sunday, April 5th, 2020, Queen Elizabeth II, the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom and the 16 Commonwealth realms, gave a speech to the nation about the coronavirus crisis. In our lesson today, let's take a look at some of the English terms she used in her address.
I'm speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time.
Caption 2, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
The adjective "challenging" means "difficult and demanding" and is used to describe situations that test one's abilities.
A time of disruption in the life of our country, a disruption that has brought grief to some.
Captions 3-4, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
The noun "disruption" means a break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity or process.
Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.
Captions 19-21, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
The verb "to tackle" is often used as a sports term in American football and soccer, but in this case means "to deal with" something.
...that the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet, good-humored resolve, and of fellow feeling still characterize this country.
Captions 26-28, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
An "attribute," a noun, means a "quality, character, or characteristic."
This time, we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor.
Caption 53, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
The noun "endeavor" means a "serious determined effort" or an "activity directed toward a goal."
Using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal.
Caption 54, COVID-19 - The Queen's Coronavirus Address in Full
Play Caption
The adjective "instinctive" is used to describe something that "comes from natural instinct" or something that "arises spontaneously." The noun "compassion" is described by the American Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it" and by the British Oxford Dictionary as "sympathetic pity, and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others." It's interesting that the American definition additionally includes the urge to make the suffering stop, whereas the British definition defines it only as noticing another's suffering. I think we can safely presume that the Queen was including the American definition in her use of the word!
Further Learning
Watch the entire video of the Queen's address on Yabla English and test your comprehension using the Yabla Flash Card Game.
Yee hah, partners! There are a lot of common slang usages in American English that come from the Wild West cowboy days. I am pretty familiar with them as I grew up in Idaho, one of the most rural states in the USA.
Howdy, Yabla friends. Much of America's history is pioneer history.
Captions 1-2, Traveling with Annette - Deadwood
Play Caption
"Howdy" comes from shortening "How do you do," and though it originally came from England, it's still commonly used in the American West instead of "hello."
Giddyup! If the supply doesn't meet the demand
Then go out and get more than you will need
Giddyup! If you are tired of playing a losing hand
Captions 21-23, Damn Glad - Giddyup!
Play Caption
"Giddyup," also written as "giddyap" and "giddy up", is an expression that comes from a command given to a horse to go faster. It's still used today to mean "let's go" or "hurry up."
This is called a saloon.
Caption 26, Tumbili - Boat Tour--Inside
Play Caption
A saloon is, as used in British English in the video above, a "salon" or "dining room." It's important to distinguish between British and American English, because in cowboy slang, a saloon is a bar! You'll see "saloon" written on the sign of nearly every bar shown in Old West films.
Who's that old dude? -Oh, that's JJ, our grandpa.
Caption 12, Karate Kids, USA - The Little Dragons
Play Caption
"Dude" is still commonly used used to mean "man," as in the above video. But to call someone a "dude" in cowboy slang is a sort of insulting term for somebody from the city who is not familiar with country life. Luxury hotels that have ranches and include horseback riding among available activities are called "dude ranches."
Further Learning
Watch the video on Yabla English about Annette's visit to the Wild West town of Deadwood. Then see if you can find out the meanings of some other cowboy expressions such as "city slicker," "tenderfoot," "pony up," "in cahoots," and "yonder."
You may know Valentine's Day from where you grew up, or you may know very little about it as it's not celebrated in every country. This holiday started off as a celebration for several Christian saints named Valentine, but most people know it as a day that celebrates romantic love. In predominantly English-speaking countries, Valentine's Day is typically celebrated by giving your loved one a Valentine's card, flowers, or chocolates, the latter preferably in a heart-shaped box. In the United States and the United Kingdom, it takes place on February 14th every year, but is not an official public holiday.
Loneliness. The looming spectre of Valentine's Day fast approaching.
Loneliness. The looming spectre of Valentine's Day fast approaching.
Caption 1, How I Met Your Mother - Desperation Day
Play Caption
The theme of this video is how people feel anxious if they don't have a date for Valentine's Day. For people who are single but wish they weren't, Valentine's Day is often a sad reminder to them of that fact.
Oh, great. Happy Valentine's Day. -You too.
Oh, great. Happy Valentine's Day. -You too.
Caption 10, Movie Trailers - Valentine's Day
Play Caption
It's polite to wish friends and co-workers a Happy Valentine's day, but of course you have to be sure the context is right, lest it be misinterpreted!
Valentine's Day is about love. It's about romance. It's about... Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day is about love. It's about romance. It's about... Valentine's Day.
Captions 14-15, Movie Trailers - Valentine's Day
Play Caption
This comment takes the slighty cynical view that Valentine's Day may be more about commerce than love.
It's my fault that I'm alone on Valentine's Day. My closest relationship is with my Blackberry.
It's my fault that I'm alone on Valentine's Day. My closest relationship is with my Blackberry.
Caption 16, Movie Trailers - Valentine's Day
Play Caption
Maybe less time staring at your digital device and more time focusing on those you love is good advice for most everyone!
Further Learning
Look for more videos relating to this holiday and love on Yabla English to improve your romantic outlook (and your English) on Febuary 14th. Happy Valentine's Day from Yabla!
It's another new year — and this time around, it's a new decade as well! Let's take a look at some examples relating to the New Year in Yabla videos:
New Year's Day is on January first or on the first of January.
Caption 39, Sigrid explains - Numbers
Play Caption
Uh, my New Year's resolution is to just, like, keep going at the gym.
Caption 7, Ashley Tisdale - Happy New Year!
Play Caption
A "New Year's resolution" is a promise you make to yourself about something you want to do in the New Year, usually something expressing a wish to somehow become a better person.
On the twelfth day after Christmas, we have to take down all the decorations and the tree, or else it's bad luck for the New Year.
Captions 47-48, Christmas Traditions - in the UK
Play Caption
Depending on people's beliefs, the Twelfth Night fell on either January 5th or January 6th this year, so you'd best have your Christmas tree taken down by now!
On New Year's Eve we checked out the rings of Saturn.
Caption 15, Jason Mraz - Tour of Studio
Play Caption
Looking through a telescope at the stars is not a traditional pastime on New Year's Eve, but perhaps it should be...
The second part of Brick Lane is a party atmosphere,
for younger people and the younger generation to celebrate,
and they're very famous for their New Year's parties.
Captions 24-26, London - Brick Lane
Play Caption
And it's where people gather for the New Year's celebrations.
Caption 7, London - City Sights
Play Caption
The place in the second caption is London's Trafalgar Square, so a couple of suggestions here if your next New Year's Eve is going to be celebrated in the UK!
Further Learning
Look for more videos relating to New Year's day on Yabla English to improve your English in this context!
In English, there are many words that sound and are spelled the same but have different meanings. These are called homonyms. It may sound confusing, but in this second lesson in the series (the first lesson was back in October), we'll look at some examples to help clarify the differences so that mixing them up can be avoided!
A good example of a homonym is the different meanings of the noun "bat":
And they'd go in. Skill Cole had a baseball bat. You know they don't play baseball.
And they'd go in. Skill Cole had a baseball bat. You know they don't play baseball.
Caption 28, The Wailers - Talk About the Early Days with Bob Marley
Play Caption
Well, he'd tell you it was because of that time a bat flew through his window.
Well, he'd tell you it was because of that time a bat flew through his window.
Caption 37, Pop Psych - Batman Goes To Therapy
Play Caption
Thus "bat" can mean the large wooden stick used in the game of baseball, as well as the flying mammalian species for whom the superhero Batman is named.
I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree.
I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree.
Caption 3, A Charlie Brown Christmas - True Meaning
Play Caption
Turn left and carry on going until you reach Brushfield Street
Turn left and carry on going until you reach Brushfield Street
and turn right down it.
and turn right down it.
Captions 26-27, Giving Directions - with Lauren and Matt
Play Caption
In the above, you can see that "right" can mean either "correct" or the direction that is the opposite of "left."
We're putting out special little clips that aren't in the film.
We're putting out special little clips that aren't in the film.
Caption 28, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World - Electric Playground Interview
Play Caption
Fill a glass with water and challenge your friends to float a paper clip
Fill a glass with water and challenge your friends to float a paper clip
on top of the liquid. Every time they place something into the glass.
on top of the liquid. Every time they place something into the glass.
Captions 9-10, Richard Wiseman - 10 Bets You Will Always Win
Play Caption
A "clip" can be a segment of film or video footage, or the small metal object used to hold papers together.
Let's start with the letter "r".
Let's start with the letter "r".
Caption 18, British vs American - English Pronunciation Lesson
Play Caption
We're going to explore how to write a successful cover letter.
We're going to explore how to write a successful cover letter.
Caption 2, Business English - Cover Letter
Play Caption
The noun "letter" can thus be referring either to the alphabet or to the piece of paper you write upon to send in the mail.
Further Learning
To find more instances of homonyms like these, have a look at Yabla English and see if you can find more examples in a real-world context.
You may have a good grasp of the present perfect tense, and have also read our previous newsletter on the past continuous tense. This week, however, we are going to talk about the past perfect, also known as the pluperfect.
Similar to the past continuous (was/were + verb in -ing form), the past perfect is very helpful when we are putting events that occurred in the past in chronological order. It is formed with had + past participle, so, for example, to give becomes had given, to go becomes had gone, and to write becomes had written.
The King asked her what had given her such a fright.
Caption 42, Fairy Tales - The Frog King
Play Caption
From the sentence above, we know that whatever scared the princess occurred before the king asked her about it. And unlike the phrase what was giving her such a fright, the phrase what had given her such a fright with the past perfect tells us that the action is finished, in other words she is no longer scared.
Now look at the example below, in which a reporter asks Prince Harry a question about Meghan Markle:
So, how much did you, Prince Harry, know about Meghan?
Had you seen her on TV?
Captions 68-69, BBC News - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Play Caption
The construction had + past participle informs us that the reporter is asking about something that happened before Harry and Meghan met. Additionally, while using the simple past (did you see) would refer to watching Meghan on TV on a regular basis, the past perfect (had you seen) asks whether it ever happened in Harry's life, even one time.
Take a look at two more examples and determine which action occurred first. Note the contraction he'd in the second example, which is a combination of he and had rather than he and would.
After everyone had gone, she was alone in the house.
Caption 29, Fairy Tales - Cinderella
Play Caption
In his new role, he visited many EU countries he'd previously condemned.
Caption 43, Boris Johnson - The UK's New Controversial Prime Minister
Play Caption
Further Learning
In addition to keeping your eye out for more examples of the past perfect on Yabla English, you can make a list of verbs in their infinitive form and make sure you know the past participle of each one. Refer to our previous lesson on expressing the conditional in English, which covers the use of the past perfect in the creation of Conditional III.
Cada vez que veas lo que parece ser un verbo en inglés terminado en -ing, tienes que tener cuidado de cómo interpretas la oración, ya que puede ser que este aparente verbo sea en realidad un sustantivo o un adjetivo. En inglés, los gerundios y los participios presentes se forman añadiendo “-ing” a la forma infinitiva del verbo ("to surf" se convierte en "surfing"), o para los verbos que terminan en “-e”, se elimina la “-e” y se añade “-ing” ("to love" se convierte en "loving"). Un gerundio es un verbo que actúa como sustantivo en una oración. Un participio presente es un verbo que se usa para hacer una frase verbal o un adjetivo.
Por lo tanto, un verbo inglés que termina en “-ing” puede ser sustantivo (gerundio), un adjetivo (formado por un participio presente) o un verbo (un participio presente). Todo esto suena un poco complicado, pero si miras algunos ejemplos, es bastante fácil notar la diferencia.
Waves in the morning, 'cause I've always been like a... I've always loved surfing.
Olas en la mañana, porque siempre he sido como un... siempre me ha encantado surfear.
Subtítulo 19, Kiteboarding - Rider Profile - Tom Court
Play Caption
¿Qué es lo que le gusta? Le encanta el surf. En el ejemplo anterior, el sujeto de la oración es "I" (yo), y el objeto de la oración es "surfing" (surfear). Ya que puedes hacer un sustantivo de "the surfing" como se usa aquí, es un gerundio.
Watch a couple of surfing videos and take out a strapless board or...
Ver un par de vídeos de surf y sacar una tabla sin tirantes o...
Subtítulo 26, Kiteboarding - Sam Light Interview
Play Caption
¿Qué clase de videos está viendo? Videos de surf. Aquí está claro que "surfing" en inglés es un adjetivo que está modificando el sustantivo "videos".
And the four of us have just been cruising around, surfing different spots.
Y nosotros cuatro simplemente hemos estado navegando por ahí, haciendo surf en puntos diferentes.
Subtítulo 10, Naish SUP - Aloha Big Island!
Play Caption
¿Qué han estado haciendo? Han estado surfeando. En este último ejemplo, al emparejar los verbos, se obtiene "have been surfing". Este es el verbo "to surf" en su forma de verbo participio presente.
Aprendizaje adicional
Escribe algunos de tus verbos favoritos, añade “-ing” siguiendo las reglas anteriores, y busca en Yabla English para verlos usados en un contexto real como gerundio, adjetivo o verbo de participio presente.
(Versión en español de: Antonio Fuentes)
I really am passionate about this.
Realmente me apasiona esto.
Subtítulo 24, Business English - The Job Interview
Play Caption
Great! Well, we are very excited to have you with us!
¡Estupendo! ¡Bueno, estamos muy contentos de tenerla con nosotros!
Subtítulo 16, Business English - Starting on a New Job
Play Caption
El pronombre "You" de la segunda persona puede ser singular o plural y generalmente se refiere a la persona o personas a las que se dirige.
What will you have for lunch?
¿Qué vas a tomar de almuerzo?
Subtítulo 23, Caralie and Annie - Get to Know Each Other
Play Caption
El pronombre de tercera persona se refiere a alguien distinto de la persona a la que tú estás hablando, y es "he" (hombre) o "she" (mujer) o "it" (objeto) en singular, "they" en plural:
Meanwhile, uh, Taylor Swift, she is elegant and we wish her luck this weekend.
Mientras tanto, eh, Taylor Swift, ella es elegante y le deseamos suerte este fin de semana.
Subtítulo 32, Taylor Swift - Prom Party
Play Caption
And when British scientists first saw a platypus, they thought it was a hoax.
Y cuando los científicos británicos vieron un ornitorrinco por primera vez, creyeron que era un fraude.
Subtítulo 7, Soccer World Cup - Australia
Play Caption
Aprendizaje adicional
Lea el artículo sobre el pronombre personal en Inglés en tu lengua materna para ayudarte a entender lo básico. Escribe una frase sencilla en tu lengua materna para cada uno de los pronombres personales y tradúcelos al inglés. Busca algunos pronombres personales en Yabla English y ve diferentes ejemplos y cómo se usan según el contexto.
(Versión en español: Antonio Fuentes)
El verbo "to be" forma parte, en su forma infinitiva, de una de las líneas más famosas de la literatura mundial:
To be, or not to be, that is the question. (Ser, o no ser, esa es la cuestión)
“Hamlet“ de William Shakespeare
La mayoría de los verbos describen la acción, pero "ser" describe un estado del ser: cómo o qué eres o cómo es alguien. La conjugación en tiempo presente de "to be" es: I am (yo soy); he, she, o it is (él, ella, eso es); you are; they are; and we are (tú eres, vosotros sois, ustedes son, ellos/as son, nosotros/as somos)
"To be" puede describir tu nombre y tu profesión:
Hello, Yabla students! My name is Jack Thomas,
Hola, estudiantes de Yabla. Mi nombre es Jack Thomas.
uh, I'm... a finance student here.
Eh, soy... un estudiante de finanzas aquí.
Subtítulo 1, An American - in London
Play Caption
Puedes describir cómo te sientes:
Excited: "I've never been to New York before, and I am so excited to go!"
Emocionada: "¡Nunca antes he estado en Nueva York, y estoy tan emocionada de ir!"
Subtítulo 16, English with Lauren - Emotions
Play Caption
Si la frase es una negación, la palabra "not" aparece después del verbo:
I am not a lawyer.
No soy un abogado.
Subtítulo 15, English - Common Phrases
Play Caption
En la primera persona singular, "I am" (yo soy) a menudo usa la contracción "I'm"; "he is," "she is," or "it is" (él es, ella es, eso es) cambia a "he's," "she's," or "it's"; "you are" (segunda persona singular o plural) cambia a "you're"; y "they are" (ellos/as son) a "they're" así como "we are" (nosotros/as somos) a "we're":
Today we're at the top of the Empire State Building.
Hoy estamos en lo más alto del Empire State Building.
Subtítulo 3, English for Beginners - Letters and Numbers
Play Caption
See how we're part of the global economy?
¿Ves cómo somos parte de la economía global?
Subtítulo 13, Dissolve Inc. - Generic Brand Video
Play Caption
Aprendizaje adicional
Vea algunos videos en Yabla English y encuentra otros ejemplos del verbo "to be" usado en contexto en conversaciones reales.
(Versión en español de: Antonio Fuentes)
En la lección anterior sobre "Sustantivos: La formación del plural", vimos la formación del plural en inglés y sus diferentes excepciones. Recuerda que el plural de los sustantivos regulares se forma agregando una “-s” al final de la palabra, por ejemplo, pen: pens (pluma: plumas). Esta regla general es seguida por algunos casos especiales que podemos reconocer de la última letra de la palabra.
He aquí algunos ejemplos de sustantivos que forman el plural de manera irregular:
man: men (hombres)
woman: women (mujeres)
child: children (niños)
foot: feet (pies)
ox: oxen (bueyes)
Italian men are attractive. -Yeah! They are!
Los hombres italianos son atractivos. -¡Sí! ¡Lo son!
Subtítulo 20, Two Canadian Girls - in Venice
Play Caption
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -
Éste es el sentido de nuestra libertad y nuestro credo-
why men and women and children of every race and every faith
es la razón por la cual hombres, mujeres y niños de todas las razas y credos
can join in celebration across this magnificent mall...
pueden unirse a celebrar en este lugar magnífico...
Subtítulo 74-76, Barack Obama's Inauguration Day - Obama's Speech
Play Caption
Podrás haber notado que "woman" no sólo tiene un plural irregular, sino que también cambia su pronunciación. "Woman" ['wʊmən] se convierte en "women" ['wɪmɪn] en plural. Descubra aquí la pronunciación correcta de las woman y de las women.
Or, "It's cold. My hair's all over the place and my feet are wet".
O: "Hace frío. Mi pelo está todo despeinado y mis pies están húmedos."
Subtítulo 31, English - Common Phrases
Play Caption
Algunos sustantivos permanecen sin cambios en plural. Estos son a menudo nombres de animales:
deer (ciervo, ciervos)
fish (pez, peces)
sheep (oveja, ovejas)
These fishes are an ace investment.
Estos peces son una inversión superior.
Once people see these little beauties, I'll be rollin' in the dough.
Una vez que la gente vea estas pequeñas bellezas, estaré rodando en la pasta.
Subtítulo 13-14, Dream to Believe - aka Flying
Play Caption
En conclusión, recordemos que los sustantivos regulares forman el plural añadiendo una "s" al final de la palabra, pero es necesario distinguir las diferentes maneras de pronunciar esta "s".
Hay tres maneras diferentes: [s], el sonido viene de la boca (por ejemplo, gatos); [z] es un sonido vibrato y viene de la garganta (por ejemplo, perros); y finalmente[əs] que tiene un sonido similar al "iz" (por ejemplo, platos).
Pero, ¿cómo sabemos qué sonido es correcto si nos encontramos frente a un plural regular que termina en "-s"?
Sigrid, en el vídeo El alfabeto: la letra S, te ayudará a responder a esta pregunta. Mientras tanto, trata de memorizar estas reglas: cuando la palabra termina en "p”, “t”, “k”, “f”, “th”, la "s" se pronuncia como [s]; cuando la palabra termina en "b”, “d”, “g”, “v”, “th”, “m”, “n”, “ng”, “l”, “r", el sonido de la "s" corresponde a [z]; con las palabras terminadas en "s”, “z”, “sh”, “sian”, “ch”, “j", el sonido de la "s" será [əs].
Sigue revisando nuestras ediciones y recuerda ejercitarse a diario buscando palabras y formando oraciones en las que apliques lo aprendido.
(Versión en español: Antonio Fuentes)
El sustantivo es una categoría gramatical que sirve para dar nombre (nombrar) a todo tipo de sujeto: personas, seres vivos, cosas o conceptos abstractos. La formación plural de un sustantivo es diferente en cada idioma.
En inglés, la mayoría de los sustantivos forman el plural agregando una “-s” al final de la palabra:
pen: pens (bolígrafos)
spoon: spoons (cucharas)
table: tables (mesas)
letter: letters (cartas)
window: windows (ventanas)
Los sustantivos terminados en “-tch”, “-ch”, “-s”, “-ss”, o “-x” forman el plural agregando el sufijo “-es”:
tax: taxes (impuestos)
match: matches (partidos)
bus: buses (autobuses)
business: businesses (negocios)
sandwich: sandwiches (emparedados)
Algunos sustantivos terminados con “-f” forman el plural perdiendo la “f” y añadiendo el sufijo “-ves”:
shelf: shelves (repisas)
knife: knives (cuchillos)
self: selves (mismos)
thief: thieves (ladrones)
I have one scarf around my neck and two scarves in my hands.
Tengo una bufanda alrededor del cuello y dos bufandas.
Subtítulo 20, The Alphabet - the Letter F
Play Caption
Algunos sustantivos terminan con “-y” seguida de una consonate. Para formar el plural en este caso, se cambia “-y” por “-ies”:
baby: babies (bebés)
university: universities (universidades)
sky: skies (cielos)
Bear cubs love to snuggle just like human babies.
A los oseznos les encanta acurrucarse tal como a los bebés.
Subtítulo 37, Nature & Wildlife - Search for the Ghost Bear
Play Caption
And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities
Y transformaremos nuestras escuelas y nuestras universidades
to meet the demands of a new age.
para alcanzar las exigencias de una nueva era.
Subtítulo 37-38, Barack Obama's Inauguration Day - Obama's Speech
Play Caption
Sin embargo, cuando “-y” es precedida por otra vocal, entonces el plural se forma agregando la terminación “-s”:
boy: boys (muchachos)
monkey: monkeys (monos)
Los sustantivos terminados en “o" se consideran irregulares, ya que algunos toman la terminación “-s”, mientras que otros “-es”:
photo: photos (fotos)
hero: heroes (héroes)
How can Zero be a hero?
¿Cómo puedes er un héroe?
Well, there are all kinds of heroes you know.
Bueno, hay muchos tipos de héroes, ya sabes.
Subtítulos 4-5, Schoolhouse Rock - My Hero, Zero
Play Caption
En algunos casos, ambas terminaciones se consideran correctas:
fresco: frescos, frescoes (frescos)
zero: zeros, zeroes (ceros)
Hay otras maneras de hacer el plural de un sustantivo, pero las veremos en la próxima lección. ¿Eres capaz de formar el plural de las siguientes palabras?
a key (una llave) - two ________
a hobby (una afición) - two_________
a wolf (un lobo) - two_________
a cable (un cable) - two___________
a cup (una taza) - two __________
a batch (un lote) - two________
Esperamos que hayas disfrutado de esta lección.
Te esperamos con mucho más en Yabla.
(Versión en español: Antonio Fuentes)
In English, there are many words that sound and are spelled the same, but they have different meanings. These are called homonyms. It may sound confusing, but in this first lesson in the series, we'll look at some examples to help clarify the differences so that mixing them up can be avoided!
A good example of a homonym is the noun "rose" (the flower) and the verb "rose" (the past tense of "to rise"). Take a look at the two examples of "rose" and their different meanings:
A sprinkling of rose petals.
Caption 32, English Afternoon Tea - Victoria Sponge - The Royal Connection
Play Caption
The verb "to rise" has many meanings, such as "to get out of bed," or to assume a standing position" after lying or sitting down. It can even mean "to return from the dead" as shown in this example:
He was crucified on Good Friday, and on Sunday, after that, he rose again.
Captions 20-21, Holidays and Seasons with Sigrid - Easter
Play Caption
The noun "bank" can mean either a financial institution or "a raised portion of seabed or sloping ground along the edge of a stream, river, or lake."
Two people have a bank account together: a joint account.
Caption 25, The Alphabet - the Letter J
Play Caption
My favorite place, uh, is probably the, uh, BFI on the south bank of the Thames [river] here in London.
Caption 19, Chris - I.T. Professional - Learn About His Work in Information Technology
Play Caption
The word "bow" has a multitude of very different meanings, both as a noun and a verb:
Tie a ribbon in a bow
When you meet the queen, you bow.
Captions 48-49, English with Annette O'Neil - Words
Play Caption
The noun "bow," in this case the bow on a wrapped birthday gift for example and the verb "bow," as in bending from the waist in honor of somebody, are pronounced differently. Watch the video above to hear the pronunciations.
Yeah, I got two orcas off my port bow. [Port bow equals left front side]
Caption 38, National Geographic WILD - Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark
Play Caption
In this case, "bow" is a nautical term meaning the front of a boat or ship.
Bow hairs are being shredded like crazy!
Caption 45, Sting - Symphonicity EPK
Play Caption
Here the noun "bow" referred to is the bow of a violin.
Further Learning
To find more instances of homonyms like these, have a look at Yabla English and see if you can find more examples. Perhaps you know some already that confuse you again and again — the Yabla videos can help you put these words in an everyday context!
This lesson is Part III of a series. Let's continue discussing some of the ways that words are shortened in casual speech in American English that are not used in formal writing. "Colloquial" means "casual" as opposed to "formal," and a "contraction" is just the shortening of words.
Hey, my little old friend, whatcha gonna do?
Caption 12, Royalchord - Good Times
Play Caption
We discussed in a previous lesson that "gonna" is a contraction of "going to," thus "whatcha gonna do" is the colloquial equivalent of "what are you going to do."
'Cause you feel like home
Caption 5, Adele - When We Were Young
Play Caption
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Caption 9, Adele - When We Were Young
Play Caption
'Cause nobody told me that you'd be here
Caption 19, Adele - When We Were Young
Play Caption
Normally the word "cause" is either a verb or noun, meaning the reason that something happens ("What is causing the problem? What is the cause of the problem?"). But in this case with the apostrophe in front of it, it is just a contraction of the preposition "because."
If you had a life we'd ask you to sorta give that life up.
Caption 38, World's Toughest Job - #worldstoughestjob - Official Video
Play Caption
Like many contractions, you can probably easily guess from the sound that "sorta" is a contraction of "sort of."
Lotsa, bands playing there, like, pretty much every night of the week.
Caption 25, Turn Here Productions - Belltown, WA
Play Caption
The contraction "lotsa" is short for the informal "lots of" or "a lot of," meaning the same as the more proper "many," but without even saving any syllables!
C'mon man. -Fallen off over and over and over again.
Caption 30, Chris Sharma - World's best rock climber
Play Caption
You may not even notice when somebody says "come on" quickly in speech, but it's good to know how the contraction is written as well!
Further Learning
Watch this video on Yabla English to learn about more contractions, and search the videos on Yabla English for more examples of these colloquial contractions used in a real world context.