CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: ENTERTAINMENT

Una nueva ronda de preguntas. Esta vez acerca de las actividades que hacemos en nuestro tiempo libre.

1.- What do you do for fun?

2.- What do you do in your spare time?

3.- What did you watch on TV yesterday?

4.- What is one of your favorite TV shows?

5.- Do you listen to classical music? Why or why not?

6.- Do you like to watch cartoons?

7.- Have you ever been to Disneyland?

8.- Have you ever been to the theater?

9.- How often do you go to parties?

10.- How often do you read comic books?

11.- How often do you visit museums?

12.- What is the best book you have ever read?

13.- What computer games have you played?

14.- What's your favorite magazine?

15.- What are some things you can do without spending a cent?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: NATURAL DISASTERS

Esta nueva ronda de preguntas está dedicada a los Desastres Naturales.

1.- What is a disaster?

2.- Have you ever been in a disaster?

3.- What are some different kinds of disasters?

4.- What kind of disasters are common in your country?

5.- Are there ways we can prepare ourselves in advance to cope with disasters?

6.- Do some natural disasters occur repeatedly in the same area?

7.- Are you prepared for a disaster?

8.- How do you think you would react in a disaster?

9.- Have you ever been injured?

10.- What are some essential things you would need in your house in order to be prepared for a disaster?

DO, DOES, DID - TEST

En nuestra primera publicación del 2026, ponemos a prueba su conocimiento del uso de este importante verbo auxiliar.

Nota.- Puede solicitar las respuestas en los comentarios.

* El ejercicio consiste en convertir las frases afirmativas a frases negativas e interrogativas (Yes/No Question).

Ejemplo:

- They have eggs for breakfast. (Affirmative)

  They don't have eggs for breakfast (Negative)

  Do they have eggs for breakfast? (Yes/No Question)

1.- He needs a new coat.

2.- They have to work hard.

3.- She does the housework.

4.- She had a heart attack.

5.- John does his homework after dinner.

6.- The children have singing lessons every week.

7.- Mike did his best.

8.- They had a good time.

9.- You did it on purpose.

10.- She used to make her own clothes.

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: CHRISTMAS

Con motivo de la Navidad, un nuevo listado de preguntas para practicar conversación.

1.- Do you celebrate Christmas in your country?

2.- Do you celebrate Christmas in a special or traditional way?

3.- Did you believe in Santa Claus when you were a child?

4.- Do you decorate the outside of your house for Christmas?

5.- Do you eat turkey or pork for your Christmas dinner?

6.- Do you enjoy Christmas time?

7.- Do you sing Christmas songs?

8.- Do you exchange presents with your friends?

9.- Do you go to church on Christmas day?

10.- Do you have a Christmas party?

11.- Do you have a Christmas tree?

12.- Do you see your relatives at Christmas time?

13.- Have you ever celebrated Christmas in a foreign country?

14.- What do you usually do for Christmas?

15.- What is the best Christmas present you have ever gotten?

16.- What is your favorite Christmas song?

17.- What traditions do you have during the Christmas season?

18.- Do people behave differently during Christmas?

19.- Do you do your Christmas shopping?

20.- What was the most regretful thing about this year?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: DATING

Una nueva lista de preguntas. El tema es "Cita Romántica".

1.- Do you believe in love at first sight?

2.- Do you know what a 'blind date' is? 

3.- Have you ever been on a blind date?

4.- Have you ever been on a date?

5.- How old were you when you went on your first date?

6.- Describe a perfect date.

7.- Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

8.- What does he/she look like?

9.- Where did you meet your him/her?

10.- How old were you when you had your first boyfriend or girlfriend?

11.- When should you introduce your boyfriend/girlfriend to your parents?

12.- Do you like to flirt?

13.- Have you ever had a crush on someone?

14.- What do you think about internet dating?

15.- Have you ever met the man/woman of your dreams when you were on vacation?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: COUNTRIES

Una nueva ronda de preguntas para mejorar la conversación en inglés.

1.- Is your country the best place for you to live?

2.- What is special about your country?

3.- Would you like to go and live in another country?

4.- What countries would you like to travel to for a vacation?

5.- What countries have you visited?

6.- What countries would you not like to visit and why?

7.- What country would you like to visit?

8.- What country would you like to live in and why?

9.- What country would you like to work in?

10.- What country/ countries neighbor your country?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: COMPUTERS

Esta nueva lista de preguntas tiene por tema un elemento de uso cotidiano.

1.- What Internet websites do you visit regularly?

2.- What is your favorite website?

3.- Do you have a laptop or a desktop computer? Why?

4.- Where do you use your computer?

5.- Do you have a web page?

6.- What do you use a computer for?

7.- What software do you use the most often?

8.- How many times a day do you access your e mail?

9.- If you could buy a new computer, what would you like to buy?

10.- What is the difference between software and hardware?

11.- What is multimedia?

12.- Do you remember the first time you used a computer or the Internet?

13.- What are some good things about having a computer?

14.- What are some bad things about having a computer?

15.- What computer games have you played?

16.- How often do you perform a backup?

17.- What do you do when your computer doesn't work properly?

18.- Do you want a more powerful computer? If so, what computer do you want?

19.- Have you tried Mac-OS, Windows and Linux?

20.- What is artificial intelligence?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY

Un nuevo listado de preguntas para mejorar nuestra conversación en inglés. Esta vez dedicado a la Universidad.

NOTA.- Esta vez hay el doble de preguntas por ser de nivel Intermedio.

1.- What is the name of your college or university?

2.- How did you decide which college to attend?

3.- What is your typical day at college like?

4.- What are three big differences between your college life so far and your high school days?

5.- Are you a member of any student groups? Which ones? What do you do?

6.- Are you more independent from your parents now than you were in high school?

7.- What's the best advice you would tell a brother/sister or friend who is now entering college?

8.- What are some advantages of studying alone? Disadvantages?

9.- What are some advantages of studying in groups? Disadvantages?

10.- What must you do to receive a college diploma?

11.- Which do you prefer more, morning or afternoon classes? Why?

***After Graduation Questions

12.- What is your fondest memory of your college experience?

13.- What is your worst memory of your college experience?

14.- Were there any subjects that you just couldn't seem to master?

15.- Were you a good student or did you slack off and procrastinate?

16.- Did you have any college romances?

17.- What was the hardest thing about going to college?

18.- Where did you get the money to attend college?

19.- Do you feel it is necessary for young people to attend college these days?

20.- How can we make the cost of education more affordable to the general public?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: CLOTHES AND FASHION

 

Una nueva lista de preguntas para practicar conversación.

1.- Do you like shopping for new clothes?

2.- Do you think it is important to be in fashion?

3.- Do you wear jewelry?

4.- What did you wear yesterday? Describe

5.- What do you think about high heel shoes?

6.- What is your shoe size?

7.- Where do you usually buy clothes?

8.- Do you think that the clothes we wear reflect what is inside us?

9.- What do you think about secondhand clothes?

10.- Have you ever bought imitation brand clothes?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: THE CITY

Una nueva lista de preguntas para mejorar la conversación. En esta ocasión, hablamos acerca de la ciudad.

1.- What city do you live in?

2.- Can you describe the city?

3.- What are some of the advantages of living in a city?

4.- What are some of the disadvantages of living in a city?

5.- Do you know the neighbors who live near you?

6.- Can you suggest some good tourist sites to visit in your city?

7.- Who are some famous personalities from your city?

8.- Is your city very cosmopolitan?

9.- Did you grow up in the city or in the country?

10.- What are some differences between living in the city and living in the country?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: CHILDHOOD

 

Las preguntas de este nuevo artículo, están dirigidas al tema de la niñez.

1.- Where were you born?

2.- When were you born?

3.- What was your favorite game?

4.- Did you have a lot of friends?

5.- Can you tell us about your best friend?

6.- Were your parents super protective?

7.- Did you play outside?

8.- What kind of food you didn't like?

9.- What was your favorite toy when you were a child?

10.- What were your favorite cartoons and TV shows?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS: READING

En esta nueva lista de preguntas de esta serie, nos centramos en uno de los pasatiempos más comunes: la lectura.

1.- Do you like reading?

2.- What is your favorite book?

3.- What genre of book do you enjoy most?

4.- What was the last book that you read?

5.- Who is your favorite author?

6.- How many books have you read in your life?

7.- How often do you go to the library?

8.- Is there a book that you have read more than once?

9.- Do you often read book before going to bed?

10.- Have you ever lent books to your friends and never got them back?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS BIRTHDAYS

 

Una nueva entrega de Conversation Questions, esta vez con el tema de los Cumpleaños.

1.- When is your birthday?

2.- How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

3.- Have you ever had a surprise party?

4.- What is the best birthday gift you have ever received?

5.- What is the worst birthday gift you have ever received?

6.- What is your best birthday memory?

7.- What is your worst birthday memory?

8.- Is the cost of a present important to you?

9.- Which is a better present, a well-chosen gift or money?

10.- Do you know of any big events that happened the year you were born?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - BEACH

 

En esta nueva entrega, hacemos y respondemos preguntas acerca de la playa.

1.- Can you swim?

2.- What do you wear to the beach?

3.- Do you think sunblock is important? Why?

4.- Do you like to suntan?

5.- Do you prefer calm sea or big waves?

6.- Have you ever used a surf board?

7.- When was the last time you went to the beach?

8.- Have you ever played sports at the beach?

9.- Have you ever been fishing on the beach?

10.- Have you ever been to a famous beach?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - ART

En la tercera edición de CONVERSATION QUESTIONS, tratamos acerca del Arte.

NOTA.- El objetivo es mejorar nuestra expresión oral. Por eso la mayoría de las preguntas tienen la palabra "Why?" agregada.

1.- What is art?

2.- Do you enjoy your art class at school? Why?

3.- Have you ever visited an art museum? Why?

4.- Do you think music and dancing are forms of art? Why?

5.- Who are some famous artists in your country?

6.- Do you consider photography an art form? Why?

7.- Do you think graffiti is art? Why?

8.- Have you ever gone to an exhibition? Why?

9.- Does art imitate life? Why?

10.- Are movies a form of art? Why?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - PETS

Continuamos con nuestra serie dedicada a CONVERSATION QUESTIONS. En esta ocasión preguntas sobre "mascotas".

I.- If you have a pet

1.- Do you have a pet?

2.- How old is it?

3.- Where did you get it from?

4.- Who takes care of it?

5.- What does it look like (color, breed, etc.)?

6.- Do you play with it?

7.- What is it's name?

8.- How did you choose this name?

9.- Do you ever talk to your pet?

10.- Do you love your pet?

II.- If you don't have a pet

1.- Would you ever consider getting a pet?

2.- Have you ever had a pet?

3.- Have you ever had any pets?

4.- If you don't keep pets, please explain why?

III.- More questions

1.- What are the pros and cons of keeping a pet?

2.- What is the best pet to own?

3.- What kind of pet would you like to have in the future?

4.- Do you prefer dogs or cats?

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - ANGER

En esta ocasión, el tema es "Anger".

Son sólo 5 preguntas pero, en las respuestas podemos dar o solicitar mayor información.

- What makes you angry?

- When was the last time you got angry?

- What do you usually do when you get angry?

- What are the situations that make you angry?

- Is anger ever justified?

Recomendaciones

1) Ve al grano en las respuestas.

Por ejemplo:

Pregunta

- What makes you angry?

Respuesta

- Injustice makes me angry.

2) Algunas de estas preguntas requieren de respuestas a modo de historias.

Ejemplo:

Pregunta

- When was the last time you got angry?

Respuesta

- Last time I got angry was at school. I was 12 years old and a classmate took my lunch. So I went to him very angry and started a fight. Finally, he apologized and since then we became friends.

CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - HOME

 

Para mejorar nuestro nivel de conversación en inglés, podemos practicar respondiendo preguntas desde las más simples hasta las que requieran respuestas con mayor información.

Esta es nuestra primera lista de una nueva serie de artículos de "Conversation Questions".

A.- About homes

1.- How many rooms are there in your house?

2.- Can you describe your house?

3.- What is your favourite room? Why?

4.- What's in your bedroom?

5.- Do you like your neighbourhood? Why? / Why not?

6.- Do you get along well with your neighbours?

7.- Who do you live with?

8.- Would you prefer to live in a house or an apartment? Why?

9.- Do you have pets in your home? Describe them

10.- What is your dream house?

B.- Accidents at home

1.- How do you call an ambulance? Give a dialogue example.

2.- What is the phone number for the police?

3.- What is the most dangerous thing in your home?

4.- What's in your first aid kit?

5.- Where would you put your first aid kit?

6.- What do you do if you cut your finger preparing food?

7.- What do you need to do if your child drinks a poisonous liquid?

8.- What can be done in the house to prevent accidents?

C.- Recomendaciones

1) En diálogos y conversaciones, las respuestas deben ser rápidas. Por ello, hay que evitar repetir parte de la pregunta en las respuestas. Esta técnica se utiliza en nivel básico. Por ejemplo:

Pregunta:

- How many rooms are there in your house?

Respuesta:

- In my house there are four rooms. (Nivel básico)

- There are four rooms, one kitchen, two bathrooms and a garden. (Nivel intermedio)

2) Hay que intentar dar la mayor información posible. Evitemos las respuestas cortas porque en algunos casos puede sonar rudo, informal o incluso de mala educación. Por ejemplo:

Pregunta:

- How many rooms are there in your house?

Respuesta:

- Four (Mal)

- There are four rooms in total, one nice kitchen, two bathrooms and a small garden. (Bien)

3) Es muy importante utilizar adjetivos, adverbios, etc., pero sin exagerar. Por ejemplo:

Pregunta:

- How many rooms are there in your house?

Respuesta:

- There are four rooms, two very small rooms, one really big room and one huge room with an awesome bath. (uso excesivo o exagerado de adverbios y adjetivos)

QUESTIONS - PREGUNTAS

Uno de los problemas más comunes de todo alumno de inglés, es el de hacer y/o responder preguntas de distinto tipo.
Esperamos que el siguiente artículo, ayude a resolver sus dudas.

1.- YES / NO QUESTIONS

Este tipo de preguntas son las que utilizan verbos auxiliares y verbos modales.

a) Verbos Auxiliares

* Am, Is, Are, Was, Were (verbo TO BE)

Ejemplos :

- Am I right?

Yes, you are / No, you aren't.

- Are you busy?

Yes I am / No, I am not.

NOTA.- En estos dos primeros ejemplos, cambiamos el sujeto pues suena ilógico preguntarse a sí mismo. Aunque gramaticalmente estaría correcto.

- Is she a nurse?

Yes, she is / No, she isn't.


* Do, Does, Did

Ejemplos :

- Do you have a car?

Yes, I do / No, I don't.

- Does he play the guitar?

Yes, he does / No, he doesn't.

- Did you do your homework?

Yes, I did / No, I didn't.


* Have, Has, Had

Ejemplos :

- Have you had breakfast?

Yes, I have / No, I haven't.

- Has it been a good idea?

Yes, it has / No, it hasn't.

- Had you run 10 km?

Yes, I had / No, I hadn't.


* Will

Ejemplo :

- Will she be there on time?

Yes, she will / No, she won't.

NOTA.- WON'T = Will + Not

Para responder a las preguntas de forma más natural, se utiliza la forma corta (Short Answer), según la estructura y verbo auxiliar de la pregunta.
A veces, se suele responder simplemente con "yes" o "no", aunque ello suene algo rudo.


b) Modal Verbs

* Can, Could

- Can you help me?

Yes, I can / No, I can't.

- Could you tell me the time please?

Yes, I could / No, I couldn't.

* May, Might

- May I help you?

Yes, you may / No, you may not.

- Might I borrow your pen?

Yes, you might / No, you might not

* Shall, Should

- Shall we start the meeting?

Yes, we shall / No, we shan't.

NOTA.- SHAN'T = Shall + Not

Should I go to the dentist?

Yes, you should / No, you shouldn't

* Would

- Would you speak slowly, please?

Yes, I would / No, I wouldn't

* Must

- Must I explain it again?

Yes, you must / No, you mustn't.

En este caso, se suele omitir el verbo modal en las respuestas cortas, pero se agregan expresiones adecuadas en cada caso.
Esto se hace para que la comunicación sea fluída.

- Can you help me?

Yes, What can I do for you?

- Could you tell me the time please?

Yes, it's 10:30.


2.- WH-QUESTIONS

En este caso, tenemos que conocer todas las palabras de pregunta. En un artículo anterior,  explicamos como hacerlo.
Además, debemos tener en cuenta el verbo auxiliar o modal, existente en la pregunta.

* What (Qué, Cuál)

- What is your name?

My name is ....

* Where (Dónde)

- Where do you live?

I live in/at .....

* When (Cuándo)

- When is your birthday?

My birthday is in/on .....

* Who (Quién)

- Who is that man?

That man / It is my friend

* Why (Por qué)

- Why are you happy?

Because I won the lottery

* How (Cómo, Cuán)

- How are you?

I'm fine/ok/not bad (etc.). Thank you / Thanks.

* How many (Cuántos) (plural)

- How many students are there in your class?

There are 23 students in my class.

* How much (Cuánto) (singular o incontable)

- How much does it cost?

It costs 12 euros.

* How far (Cuán lejos)

- How far is the city centre?

It is / It's 2 km. far.

* How tall (Cuán alto)

- How tall are you?

I am / I'm 1.67 metres tall.

* How long (Cuánto tiempo)

- How long have you been living here?

I have / I've been living here for 5 years.

NOTA.- También se utiliza para medidas de longitud.

* How often (Cuán frecuente)

- How often do you play football?

I play football once a week.

* Which (Cuál) (para elegir entre dos o más opciones)

- Which car will you buy?

I will / I'll buy the red one.

TRUCO INGLESPEDIA.- Hacer una pequeña lista con preguntas y respuestas muy comunes y fáciles de recordar. Muchas de ellas son las que piden información personal.
Además, debemos saber que el orden de una pregunta con Wh-Question es :

Wh-Question + Verbo Aux. + Sujeto + Verbo Principal.


3.- VERBAL TENSES

Aunque no lo parezca, es muy sencillo si nos fijamos en los movimientos del sujeto y los verbos auxiliares.

a) SIMPLE PRESENT

- John is a doctor

Is john /he a doctor?

Yes, he is / No, he isn't.

- You are in a hurry

Are you in a hurry?

Yes, you are / No, you aren't.

NOTA.- La expresión "to be in a hurry" significa "estar apurad@" o "con prisa".

- Matt goes to school

Does Matt go to school?

Yes, he does / No, he doesn't.

- You live in London

Do you live in London?

Yes, you do / No you don't.

TRUCO INGLESPEDIA.- Como vemos, la clave está en el sujeto y el verbo auxiliar. Pero, además, en este tiempo verbal se suele omitir la "-s", "-es", "-ies" a los verbos conjugados en tercera persona. Para recordarlo con eficacia, nos tenemos que fijar en la conjugación del verbo TO BE en la tercera persona.

He, She, It - is

A partir de aquí, debemos recordar que todos los verbos en 3ra persona y en presente simple, acaban en "-s" como "Is".

b) SIMPLE PAST

* Did

En este caso, debemos tener en cuenta el cambio que sufre el verbo principal del pasado al presente en la pregunta. Esto sucede porque DID ya nos indica que la frase o pregunta está en pasado. La parte fácil, es que utilizamos DID en todos los sujetos.

- I went to the cinema yesterday

Did you go to the cinema yesterday?

Yes, I did / No, I didn't.

Aquí utilizamos el verbo irregular GO. Este tipo de verbos cambia su forma total o parcialmente.
Para formar el pasado de los verbos regulares, tenemos que agregar "-d", "-ed" o "-ied".

- I played football last week.

Did you play football last week?

Yes, I did / No, I didn't.

* Was, Were

Se trata del verbo TO BE en pasado. Lo más fácil, es recordar que WERE trabaja en el pasado con los sujetos que en el presente trabajan con ARE (we, you, they). El resto, trabaja con WAS.

- James was at home last night.

Was James / he at home last night?

Yes, he was / No, he wasn't.

- The children were at the zoo yesterday.

Were the children / they at the zoo yesterday?

Yes, they were / No, they weren't.

c) PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Para este tiempo verbal, es esencial saber conjugar el verbo TO BE.

- John is working now.

Is John / he working now?

Yes, he is / No, he isn't.

El movimiento está en el intercambio de posición de sujeto y verbo auxiliar (TO BE).

d) PAST CONTINUOUS

Es igual a la forma presente, salvo que el verbo TO BE se encuentra en pasado, WAS, WERE.

- Jane was dancing all night.

Was Jane / she dancing all night?

Yes, she was / No, she wasn't.

e) PRESENT PERFECT

En este caso, debemos tener en cuenta la conjugación del verbo HAVE. Al actuar como verbo auxiliar, HAVE no significa "tener", sino "haber".

- They have been to London twice.

Have they been to London twice?

Yes, they have / No, they haven't.

- Peter has studied languages since 2010.

Has Peter / he studied languages since 2010?

Yes he has / No, he hasn't.

Recordemos que en el caso de los verbos irregulares, la conjugación pertenece a la fila siguiente al de la conjugación en pasado simple de la tabla de verbos irregulares.
Si el verbo es regular, actúa como en el pasado simple.

f) PAST PERFECT

Es similar al PRESENT PERFECT, salvo que se coloca HAD para todos los sujetos.

- The record store had closed when I arrived.

Had the record store / it closed when you arrived?

Yes, it had / No, it hadn't.

g) PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Este tiempo verbal contiene el auxiliar HAVE (conjugado de acuerdo al sujeto) la palabra BEEN (traducido como "sido" o "estado") y el verbo principal en gerundio.

- She has been working all day.

Has she been working all day?

Yes, she has / No, she hasn't.

h) PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Igual que el anterior, salvo que utilizamos HAD (pasado) en lugar de HAVE (presente).

- It had been raining.

Had it been raining?

Yes, it had / No, it hadn't.

i) FUTURE SIMPLE (WILL)

En este caso, WILL se conjuga igual para todos los sujetos, y es seguido del verbo principal SIN "to".

- I will go to the football match tomorrow.

Will you go to the football match tomorrow?

Yes, I will / No, I won't.

NOTA.- WON'T = Will + Not

j) FUTURE SIMPLE (GOING TO)

Aquí reemplazamos WILL por GOING TO y colocamos el verbo TO BE delante por estar el auxiliar GO en gerundio.

- I am / I'm going to play tennis next saturday.

Are you going to play tennis next saturday?

Yes, I am / No, I am / I'm not.

k) FUTURE CONTINUOUS

Aquí las piezas fundamentales son WILL BE (No cambia con ningún sujeto)+ el verbo principal en gerundio.

- I will be loving you forever.

Will you be loving me forever?

Yes I will / No, I won't.

l) FUTURE PERFECT

En este tiempo verbal, podríamos traducir WILL HAVE como (p.e.) "habrá", "habré", "habrán", "habremos". El verbo principal es en pretérito.

- Mr. Smith will have retired by the end of this year.

Will Mr. Smith have retired by the end of this year?

Yes, he will / No, he won't.

m) FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

En este tiempo verbal, tenemos 3 palabras clave que NO cambian conel sujeto. Ellos son WILL HAVE BEEN.

- Next month, I will have been teaching English for 10 years.

Will you have been teaching English for 10 years?

Yes I will / No, I won't.

TRUCO INGLESPEDIA.- En los tiempos perfectos, la clave está en :

- Present Perfect = HAVE se debe conjugar en presente.

- Present Perfect Continuous = El gerundio se forma de igual forma que en el Present Continuous.

- Past Perfect = Se usa HAD para todos los sujetos.

- Past Perfect Continuous = Igual al presente pero con HAD en lugar de HAVE.

- Future Perfect = WILL no cambia, al igual que en el futuro simple.


4.- ERRORES COMUNES

Algunos de los más típicos son :

a) Verbos Auxiliares.- NO conjugarlo de acuerdo a cada sujeto.

- Is you English? (MAL)

Are you English? (BIEN)

- Do John play the guitar? (MAL)

Does John play the guitar? (BIEN)

- Have she studied last night? (MAL)

Has she studied last night? (BIEN)

b) Modal Verbs.- NO se utilizan correctamente (formal / informal) o se utilizan palabras alternativas.

- Is possible I help you? (MAL)

Can I help you? (BIEN)

- Mr. Brown, can you wait? (MAL) (RUDE)

Mr. Brown, could you wait, please? (BIEN) (POLITE)

- Have I go to the hospital? I'm bleeding. (MAL)

Must I go to the hospital? I'm bleeding. (BIEN)

Otro error es el de utilizar un verbo auxiliar además de un verbo modal.

- Do you can go? (MAL)

Can you go? (BIEN)

NOTA.- Nunca se deben mezclar de forma seguida (posición), verbos auxiliares con modales.

c) Wh-Questions.- En este caso, el principal error radica en confundir unos por otros.

- Which is your name? (MAL)

What is your name? (BIEN)

- When is the meeting next week? (MAL)

Where is the meeting next week? (BIEN) o

When is the meeting? (BIEN)

Otro error es NO conjugar bien el verbo auxiliar.

- What are your name? (MAL)

What is / What's your name? (BIEN)

- Who is you? (MAL)

Who are you? (BIEN)

Por último, otro error típico es NO colocar el verbo auxiliar o cambiarlo de sitio.

- What this is? (MAL)

What is this? (BIEN)

- What you do? (MAL)

What do you do? (BIEN)

d) Verbal Tenses.- Un error común es confundir las estructuras.

- Is Mr. Brown travel? (MAL)

Is Mr. Brown travelling? (BIEN) (Present Continuous)

-Did you went to the cinema yesterday? (MAL)

Did you go to the cinema yesterday? (BIEN)

- Have you studied in London last year? (MAL)

Did you study in London last year? (BIEN) (Simple Past)


5.- CONSEJOS

a) Saber conjugar correctamente los verbos auxiliares. Hacer una pequeña tabla de cada una de ellas, sería lo mejor. Los principales son : TO BE, HAVE y DO - DOES.

b) Conocer bien las WH-QUESTIONS. No sólo es importante para utilizarlos como preguntas, sino también para utilizarlos como RELATIVE PONOUNS.

c) Conocer y ubicar cada palabra por su tipo en lugar de por su traducción o significado por separado. Al hacerlo, nos ahorraremos tiempo y dolores de cabeza, intentando traducir o interpretar una frase.

d) Aprender bien todas y cada una de las estructuras que se nos presenten, de acuerdo a nuestro nivel.

e) Actualmente, NO se utilizan todos los tiempos verbales existentes en inglés. Tampoco en nuestro idioma. Por ello, debemos utilizar sólo lo necesario en cada caso.

JOKES

Una de las formas más efectivas de entender un idioma es, mediante los chistes.
Si ud. logra entender un chiste (JOKE), su conocimiento del idioma será notorio.

En las siguientes lineas, seleccionamos una serie de JOKES que le ayudarán a mejorar su comprensión del Inglés.

1.- SPEAKING AND LANGUAGE JOKES

a) An Englishman went to Spain on a fishing trip. He hired a Spanish guide to help him find the best fishing spots.
Since the Englishman was learning Spanish, he asked the guide to speak to him in Spanish and to correct any mistakes of usage. They were hiking on a mountain trail when a very large, purple and blue fly crossed their path. The Englishmen pointed at the insect with his fishing rod, and said, "Mira el mosca!" The guide, sensing a teaching opportunity, replied, "No, señor, 'la mosca'... es femenina."
 The Englishman looked at him, then back at the fly, and then said, "Good heavens... you must have incredibly good eyesight".


b) Two children are talking.

A: Meet my new born brother.

B: Oh, he is so handsome! What's his name?

A: I don't know. I can't understand a word he says.



2.- GRAMMAR JOKES

a) After an English exam

A: How was the exam?

B: It was easy, but question 5 confused me.

A: What was the question?

B: Question 5 wanted the past tense of "THINK".
     I thought and I thought and I thought, and ended up with writing "THINKED".


b) In the classroom the teacher is asking a student to do something.

Teacher: Tell me a sentence that starts with "I."

Student: I is the ...

Teacher: Stop! Never put "is" after "I." Always put 'am' after "I."

Student: OK. I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.


c) The teacher says: Today, we're going to talk about the tenses. Now, if I say "I am beautiful," which tense is it?

The student says: Obviously it's the past tense.


d)  Why did the boy eat his homework? Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake.

3.- PUNCTUATION JOKES

a) An English teacher wrote these words on the whiteboard: "woman without her man is nothing". The teacher then asked the students to punctuate the words correctly.

The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing."

The women wrote: "Woman! Without her, man is nothing."

b) A sign :

Stop using exclamation marks!!! 

4.- SPELLING JOKES

a) Teacher to a student

Teacher : Glenn, how do you spell "crocodile"?

Glenn : K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L

Teacher : No, that's wrong.

Glenn : Maybe it is wrong. But you asked me, how I spell it.

b) Teacher to a student

Teacher : Donals, what is the chemical formula for water?

Donald : H I J K L M N O

Teacher : What are you talking about?

Donald : Yesterday you said, it's H to O.

c)  English might be the most widespread language in the world but there’s still no ham in hamburger, no egg in eggplant and neither pine nor apple in pineapple.

d) Q: What word of only three syllables contains 26 letters?

A: Alphabet = (26 letters) 

5.- PRONUNCIATION JOKES

a)  Why is the number six so scared? Because seven eight nine!

b) A phone call

A: Hello, are you there?

B: Yes. Who are you, please?

A: I'm Watt.

B: What's your name?

A: Watt's my name.

B: Yes, what's your name?

A: My name is John Watt.

B: John what?

A: Yes, are you Jones?

B: No, I'm Knott.

A: Will you tell me your name then?

B: Will Knott.

A: Why not?

B: My name is Knott.

A: Not what?

B: Not Watt, Knott

A: What? 

.............................

c) Two friends texting

A: I just heard that the actress from "Legally Blonde", Reese "whatever her last name is", got stabbed to death, walking to her car last night.

B: Whitherspoon?

A: No, with a knife !

6.- MORE JOKES

a) A girl to a man.

A: John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly. What do you think, Peter? 

B: I think you are pretty ugly. 

b) A guy says to his friend, "Guess how many coins I have in my pocket."

The friend says, "If I guess right, will you give me one of them?"

The first guy says, "If you guess right, I'll give you both of them."

c) A man receives a phone call from his doctor.

The doctor says, "I have some good news and some bad news."

The man says, "OK, give me the good news first."

The doctor says, "The good news is, you have 24 hours to live."

The man replies, "Oh no! If that's the good news, then what's the bad news?"

The doctor says, "The bad news is, I forgot to call you yesterday."

d) A man inserted an ad in the classifieds: "Wife wanted."

The next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."

e) Some silly questions

1.- Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns, because they taste funny?

2.- Does killing time damage eternity?

3.- Why is it that night falls but day breaks?

4.- If you can't drink and drive, why do bars have parking lots?

Esperamos que lo hayáis logrado.

Para finalizar, os dejamos con un extracto de una divertida serie británica (muy antigua) llamada "Mind Your Language".