The present perfect continuous is used for:

1. An unfinished but repeated or long-lasting action:
   

   Who has been drinking my whisky? (= the bottle is half empty)

2. A recent action:
   

   I've been writing a letter.

3. An action whose duration is not important:
   

   I've been working in the garden.

Like + V-ing / like + Vto-inf
What's the difference between "I like going" and "I like to go"?

• like + gerund is used to talk about things we really like or enjoy:
  

  I like going to the disco

• like + TO + infinitive is used to talk about things we consider advisable or important:
  

  I like to go to the dentist's once a year.

When does the verb "have" need DO or DID?

(Puedes leer un resumen en español de cuándo se usa DO con el verbo have).

The verb HAVE is really 4 different verbs:

1. HAVE (="tomar", "tener" not = "poseer", etc.) is a main verb (it needs DO/DOES/DID in negative and interrogative):

   Do you have tea with your breakfast? No, I don't have tea, I usually have coffee.
   When do you usually have a shower?

2. HAVE (GOT) (= "tener" = "poseer") is an auxiliary in the present (it can take N'T in the negative), but a main verb in the past:

   • Present (like an auxiliary verb):
   Affirmative: I have (got) a red car. / I've got a red car.
   Negative: I haven't (got) a motorbike.
   Interrogative: Have you got a motorbike?
   
   
   • Past (like a main verb):
   Affirmative: I had a tricycle when I was little.
   Negative: I didn't have a bicycle.
   Interrogative: Did you have rollerskates?
   

   However, in formal or written English and in American English it is usually a main verb, even in the present:

   Do you have a red car? No, I don't have a car, I have a motorbike.

3. HAVE (GOT) TO (=tener que) is a modal auxiliary verb, but it usually behaves as a main verb, except in affirmative sentences, where it behaves both as an auxiliary and as a main verb:

   I've got to do some exercises, but I don't have to finish them today. Do you have to do them?
   No, but I have to study for the exam.

   In formal or written English and in American English it is also a main verb:

   Do you have to finish that composition today? No, I don't have to finish it today, but I have to finish it by Thursday.

4. HAVE + past participle is an auxiliary verb (=haber):

   I have done the first exercise. I haven't done the second exercise. Have you done it?
   I had seen that film before. Had you seen it?

When is the verb "have" followed by GOT?

• We normally use GOT when it is difficult to distinguish between HAS and IS, for example, when HAS (or HAVE) is contracted:
  
  He's a very nice dog. = Es un perro muy majo.
  He's got a very nice dog. = Tiene un perro muy majo.
  
  They're very good friends. = Son muy buenos amigos.
  They've got very good friends. = Tienen muy buenos amigos.
  
  The captain says the sergeant's to see him immediately. = Dice el capitán que el sargento ha de verle inmediatamente.
  The captain says he's got to see you immediately. = Dice el capitán que tiene que verte inmediatamente.


• In colloquial British English you can omit GOT in questions (in the present only):
  
  Have you a pen?
  
  
• In colloquial American English you can omit HAVE in questions (in the present only):
  
  You got a pen?
  
  

What's the difference between "on", "in" and "at"?

Prepositions can have a lot of different meanings, and they are often different in Spanish and English. Look at these examples:

un vaso de vino = a glass of wine
una carta de Londres = a letter from London
un libro de animales = a book about animals

Each preposition has its own "collocations" (the words that appear together in a sentence), and often there are no rules: we have to learn how to use each one, what words it collocates with, and how their meanings change.

In the case of "on", "in" and "at", there are two main cases: when they are place prepositions and when they are time prepositions:

• Time prepositions (preposiciones de tiempo):

  ON: days of the week: on Monday, on weekdays; specific dates: on the eleventh, on Christmas Eve.
  IN: months: in March; years: in 1999; seasons: in the winter; parts of the day (except "at night"): in the morning; historical periods: in the Bronze Age.
  AT: times: at six o'clock, at midnight; periods of time that have a name: at Christmas, at Easter, at the weekend.
  
  Other uses:
  
  IN = dentro de: in two hours
  AT = en: at present, at the/this moment (=en este momento, actualmente), at the/that time (=en aquella época)
  ON = en, a: on some occasions (=el algunas ocasiones), on the next morning (=a la mañana siguiente)
  
  

• Place prepositions (preposiciones de lugar):

  General meanings:
  
  ON = encima de, pegado a: on the table, on the wall, on the ceiling
  IN = dentro de: in the box, in the kitchen, in Scotland, in London, in hospital (ill).
  AT = en (when it is obvious it is inside a building, a workplace, or at home): at home, at work, at school, at the hospital (working)
  
  Descriptions:
  
  AT: at the top / at the bottom / at the background
  ON: on the right / on the left (pero TO the right of / TO the left of)
  IN: in the middle / in the top right corner
  
  Means of transport:
  
  ON: on a bus, on a train, on a plane, on a bicycle, on a horse, on foot
  IN: in the car, in a taxi, in a helicopter
  AT: at the bus-stop, at the station
  
  Other uses:
  
  IN: in Oxford Street, in the newspaper, in the sky
  AT: at 36 Cambridge Street
  ON: on TV, on the radio, on the Internet, on page 10
  

When should I use "for" and "to" when I mean "para"?

• Use TO / IN ORDER TO / SO AS TO in front of a verb (in the infinitive):
  
  Click on the icon to see the image.
  = Pincha en el icono para ver la imagen.
  
  In order to solve this problem we need to work together.
  = Para resolver este problema necesitamos trabajar juntos.
  
  We must meet again so as to agree on a plan of action.
  = Necesitamos reunirnos de nuevo para acordar un plan de acción.


• For negative sentences, use IN ORDER NOT TO / SO AS NOT TO in front of a verb (in the infinitive):
  
  We will need to rest in order not to get exhausted.
  = Necesitaremos descansar para no agotarnos.
  
  They were walking in the river so as not to leave any footprints.
  = Iban caminando por el río para no dejar huellas.


• Use FOR in front of a noun or pronoun:
  
  I have some good news for your mother.
  = Tengo buenas noticias para tu madre.
  
  This present is for you.
  = Este regalo es para ti.


• Use SO THAT in front of a full sentence (with a subject and a verb); the verb in the second sentence is not always translated literally in Spanish, and very often we use CAN:
  
  Come early so that you can find good seats. (= podáis encontrar)
  = Venid temprano para que encontréis buenos asientos.
  
  Hold on tight so that you won't fall. (= "caerás")
  = Agárrate fuerte para que no te caigas.


• You can use FOR in front of a verb (in the GERUND) when you are defining what something is used for (but you can also use TO plus a verb in the infinitive for this):
  
  A computer is used for making fast calculations.
  = Un ordenador se usa para hacer cálculos rápidos.
  
  A computer is used to make fast calculations.
  = Un ordenador se usa para hacer cálculos rápidos.

When should I use "another" instead of "other"?

You can read some class notes and examples about other / another here.

Personal pronouns and possessives

If you need to practise, here you can download a .pdf worksheet with classnotes and exercises about subject and object pronouns and possessive adjectives and pronouns. You can ask your teacher to correct these exercises when you finish them.

Yet / still / already

Here are some classnotes to practise how to use yet / still / already.
This is an exercise about yet / still / already.

Since / for / during / ago

First, read these classnotes about since / for / during / ago.
Then, do this exercise about since / for / during / ago.

Articles — the / Ø / a / an, + some / any

Here is a .pdf worksheet with classnotes and exercises about articles. Here are some class notes with a summary on the use of A / AN / SOME / ANY.

something / anyone / everybody ...

Here are some class notes about compounds of SOME / ANY / NO / EVERY.

How do I transform a sentence to make it negative or interrogative?

Here are some classnotes about making sentences negative, and here are others about making sentences interrogative.

También podéis trabajar con estos videotutoriales en español.
(= You can also work with these videotutorials in Spanish.)

Where can I get some help about basic verb tenses?

Here are some classnotes about basic verb tenses.
Here is a really basic summary of basic verb tenses in a nutshell.

Where can I learn all the verb tenses?

Here is a simple verb tenses chart that will help you learn all the names and forms of the main verb tenses.

How can I learn about the present simple?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

How can I learn about the present continuous?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

How can I learn about the past simple?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

How can I learn about the past continuous?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

How can I learn about the present perfect?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

How can I learn about the future tenses?

Here are some classnotes in a .pdf document. There are also some exercises, but you will need your teacher to correct them.

Where can I get some detailed help about past tenses?

Read these classnotes about past tenses (past simple, past continuous, present perfect, past perfect).

Where can I get some help about word order?

Here are some classnotes about word order in Spanish for a basic introduction to English grammar. These are intended to be used in the classroom, with your teacher's help.

If you are at home, here are some classnotes and short exercises about word order in Spanish that you can use on your own to learn and practise a bit.

Wh-words

Here is a glossary of the 8 wh-words in English, and another 8 two-word combinations.

Where can I get some help about wh- questions?

Here is some help if you have problems to understand how interrogative sentences work (you can also read these classnotes in Spanish).

When you are ready, do these exercises and check your answers with the answer key provided.

Still not sure? If you need more practice, download some extra exercises about wh- questions with an answer key so that you can correct them yourself.

You can also use an action maze tutorial about transforming affirmative sentences into interrogatives.

How does the passive voice work?

Watch these passive voice videotutorials; you can also do some of the exercises on your own.

Use these classnotes and exercise to learn how to transform a simple sentence into the passive voice.

You can also check the bilingual section classnotes.

How does reported speech work?

Watch or read these reported speech videotutorial and tutorials; you can also do some of the exercises on your own.

In these reported speech tutorials you will find classnotes about reported speech (or indirect speech), and some exercises (without the answer key, so you will need to ask your teacher to correct your answers). There are several separate pages, but you can have them all in this document about estilo indirecto (en español), where you will be able to see all the answers. To understand how reported speech works, you can use this reported speech reference document in English if you find it useful.

You can also download a summary — a 4-page document (in Spanish) with all the rules and many more exercises. If you are working in the summer and your teacher cannot help you, you can also download the answer key.

If you want to learn about reported speech in depth and do some intensive practice, you can use these full classnotes (in Spanish) with complete classnotes and exercises, plus the answer key so that you can correct your answers (14 pages, 155 Kb).

What is the difference between reported speech and passive voice?

Read these classnotes to contrast both types of transformations.

How are question tags used?

Here are some classnotes in English, and some exercises that you can do online:
exercise 1 exercise 2 exercise 3 exercise 4

You can also download the version in Spanish (it is not exactly the same, though).

How do relative clauses work?

Read these classnotes for explanations and examples.

What are conditional sentences like?

Here are some conditional sentences classnotes, with examples of the most typical conditional sentences, some less common types, and a couple of special cases.

When is a verb followed by a gerund or an infinitive?

Here are some basic classnotes about the uses of the gerund and the infinitive.

When a verb comes after a certain verb it can take three forms: gerund, bare infinitive (without TO), or infinitive with TO. Sometimes there are two possibilities, with or without a change in meaning.

Here is a .pdf list of examples with verbs followed by other verbs that you can refer to when you are in doubt; it is not complete, but it includes many of the most common English verbs.

What is the difference between "need", "must" and "have to"?

You can read these classnotes about NEED, MUST and HAVE TO.

Where can I get some detailed help about other modal verbs?

Here are some links to class notes and exercises about modal verbs and a modal verbs chart with examples.

Where can I get some help about comparative and superlative adjectives?

Here are some classnotes about comparative and superlative adjectives. You can also do some exercises here.

How can I know when a verb does not need to change in reported speech?

In reported speech exercises you have to assume that a long time has passed from the time someone said something to the moment when you tell someone else about it. Then, you have two options: either to study the context and decide how long is "a long time", and then imagine that is how long has passed between the two conversations; or, more simply, to follow the rule strictly and change all the verb tenses that can be changed. Even if it is very obvious that there is no need to change a specific verb, it is not wrong if you change it:

He asked me what my name was. = Me preguntó cómo me llamaba. → obviously your name hasn't changed, but you can still change the tense.

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