Now I ..., then I ...

Listen to some phrases and notice how the -ED is pronounced. Pay special attention to the way the last sound of the verb is linked to the first sound of the next word: all the examples link final consonant to initial vowel.

The verbs in phrases 1-10 end in a voiceless sound, so the past is pronounced /t/; in 11-20 the final sound is voiced, so the -ED is /-d/

1. WORK AT HOME ... ... 
2. LIKE ORANGES ... ... 
3. ASK EASY QUESTIONS ... ... 
4. LOOK AT EVERYTHING ... ... 
5. COOK EVERY DAY ... ... 
6. WATCH IT EVERY DAY ... ... 
7. PRACTISE IN THE MORNING ... ... 
8. TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ... ... 
9.  FINISH AT SIX ... ...
10. DANCE ON SUNDAYS ... ... 
11. ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS ... ...
12. PLAY IN THE GARDEN ... ... 
13. REMEMBER EVERYTHING ... ...  
14. OPEN IT AT NIGHT ... ...
15. LIVE IN SPAIN ... ... 
16. CLOSE IT IF I’M TIRED ... ... 
17. PHONE IN THE AFTERNOON ... ...
18. STUDY IN MY ROOM ... ...
19. STAY IN VALLADOLID ... ...
20. TRAVEL IN SUMMER ... ... 

Finally, in the following examples, the infinitive of the verb already ends in /-d/ or /-t/, so you add an extra syllable when you pronounce the past tense. You will hear the present/infinitive and the past followed by the word IT. The verbs are: hate, visit, decide, want, need, paint, start, suggest

A recipe

You can listen to the recipe on page 55 of your book here.

Practice: exercises on pages 135 and 137

Here's the key to the exercises I mention in the title of this post.

Translation 8

Some time ago, I asked you to translate these sentences:


1.    El campo es un lugar maravilloso para relajarse.

2.    Uno de mis lugares preferidos es mi pueblo. Suele ser un lugar muy tranquilo, pero en verano está lleno de gente.

3.    Voy allí todos los años con mis suegros.

4.    Nos alojamos en un hotelito enfrente del ayuntamiento.

5.    ¿Los tiene en azul?  --A ver… sí, aquí tiene.

6.    ¿Dónde me puedo cortar el pelo? (W. c. I g. a h.? pista en el ejercicio 2 de la página 46)

7.    Fui a la tintorería porque mi traje estaba sucio.

8.    Este año voy a dejar de fumar.

9.    No estoy seguro, pero creo que te equivocas (=no tienes razón).

10.   A mi novia le encantaría viajar a los Estados Unidos.


Here's the key, together with some comments. 

Some, any, no

SOME- is used mostly in positive sentences: The translation is algo, alguien, algunos, en algún sitio, etc. Sometimes the word is not translated.

We bought some presents.
They've got some work to do
There's somebody standing by the window.
I'm hungry. I want something to eat.
I left it somewhere in this room.

ANY- is used mostly in in negatives and questions. It is not a good idea to think of one translation for ANY-, because depending on the context it will be translated as algo, alguien, etc. (usually in questions) OR nada, nadie, en ninguna parte, etc. (negatives). Sometimes it is not translated at all.

Notice that in sentences 1-5 ANY- is not a negative: it appears in negative sentences, it is used with a negative verb (or a negative word like never) and it is perhaps translated as nada, nadie, etc., BUT it's the verb that carries the negative element, not the word ANY-:

1.We didn't buy any presents.
2. They never do any work.
3.There isn't anyone standing by the window.
4.I don't want anything to eat.
5. I can't find it anywhere.

Did you buy any presents?
Do they do any work?
Is there anyone standing by the window?
Have you got anything made of wood?
Have you seen it anywhere?

There are three types of questions where SOME- is used:
Offers: Would you like some more milk?
Requests: Can I have some chocolate?
We expect the answer to be YES: Are you waiting for someone?


NO- carries a negative meaning too, so it cannot be used with isn't, aren't don't, never, etc. because you can't have two negatives in the same sentence. When you use NO-, the verb is positive.
They have no children = they haven't got any children.
There is no money in the box = there isn't any money in the box.
I said nothing = I didn't say anything.
They've got nowhere to live = they haven't got anywhere to live.


If the negative is in the subject, there is only one option:
Nobody came before six.         Anybody didn't come before six.


ANY- in positive sentences?
Yes, this is possible, but the meaning is completely different: cualquiera, cualquier cosa, en cualquier lugar, etc.
Anyone can do that. =Eso lo hace cualquiera.
Take any flowers you like! = Coge la flor que quieras.
It could be anywhere = Podría estar en cualquier parte.
What would you like to drink?  --Anything = Cualquier cosa. (=I would like to eat anything)


Compare the last sentence with:
What would you like to drink?  --Nothing   =Nada.


By the way, SOMEONE = SOMEBODY; ANYONE = ANYBODY, NO-ONE = NOBODY

Every day

A common spelling mistake is to write "everyday" as one word when we want to say "todos los días". Note that this phrase is just like every morning, every Tuesday, every year, every night, every woman, every child:
EVERY + singular noun = todos los ...(días, mañanas, martes, años, noches, mujeres, niños).

Do not say all the days or all the mornings, all the years, all the nights.

ALL DAY (singular!) means todo el día, no todos los días and all days is not correct.

He plays tennis everyday.
He plays tennis every day (TWO WORDS!) = juega al tenis todos los días
He plays tennis all day = juega al tenis todo el día


There is an adjective EVERYDAY (one word), but it has a different meaning (= cotidiano, corriente) and you are not very likely to come across it (=es improbable que os topéis con él):
A dictionary for everyday use = un diccionario para uso diario

Phonetics website

I have recently found this page, which I think you will find interesting. It has different games and exercises to help you learn and practise the phonetic symbols. How about bookmarking the page (=apuntarla en vuestra lista de favoritos)?

http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/

BE, not HAVE!

As you know, in Spanish we use "tener" to talk about age, but in English we use BE:

Tiene veintitantos= he's in his twenties.
Tenía más de treinta años = he was over thirty (years old).

Here are some other common expressions where you need BE (and not HAVE). The reason is that in Spanish we say tener + sustantivo, but in English it's BE + adjective:

-Tiene frío = She's cold.
-Tenían calor = they were hot (en realidad no sabemos decir "calor". Literalmente decimos
"estaban calientes").
-Tenía razón = she was right.
-No tienes razón =You're wrong.

Finally, remember the expression "tener prisa": to be in a hurry

I have to go now. I'm in a hurry.