WELCOME... THIS IS GRAMMAR!!! PRESENT CONTINUOUS!!!

Hello everybody and welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English! Previously, we have spoken about the Present Simple tense, which is used to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. Those actions can be habits, hobbies, daily events or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do. The present simple can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things. However, today, I’d like to talk about the Present Continuous.

The structures of the present continuous sentences are:

AFFIRMATIVE

SUBJECT PRONOUN + VERB TO BE + VERB (ING) + COMPLEMENT

I am (I'm) teaching a class

You are (You're) sleeping

He is (He's) watching TV

She is (She's) buying some food

It is (It's) raining

We are (We're) studying English

NEGATIVE

SP + VERB TO BE + NOT + VERB (ING) + COMPLEMENT

I am not (I'm not) teaching a class

You are not (You aren't) sleeping

He is not (He isn't) watching TV

She is not (isn't) buying some food

It is not (It isn't) raining

We are not (We aren't) studying English

YES/NO QUESTIONS

VERB TO BE + SP + VERB (ING) + COMPLEMENT?

Are you teaching a class?

Am I sleeping?

Is he watching TV?

Is she buying some food?

Is it raining?

Are we studying English?

WH/QUESTIONS (WHAT-WHEN-WHERE-WHICH-WHO-WHY-HOW)

WHQ + VERB TO BE + SP + VERB (ING) + COMPLEMENT?

When are you teaching a class?

What am I doing?

Where Is he watching TV?

Why is she buying some food?

Where is it raining?

How are we studying English?

We use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

FOR EXAMPLE:

You are learning English now ----------------- (Tu) estás aprendiendo Inglés ahora

You are not swimming now --------------------- (Tu) no estás nadando ahora

Are you sleeping? --------------------------------- Estás durmiendo?

I am sitting ------------------------------------------ Estoy sentado

I am not standing --------------------------------- No estoy de pie

What are you doing? ---------------------------- Qué estás/estais haciendo?

Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I am studying to become a doctor ----------- Estoy estudiando para convertirme en médico

I am not studying to become a dentist ---- No estoy estudiando para convertirme en dentista

I am reading the book Tom Sawyer ------- Estoy leyendo el libro Tom Sawyer

I am not reading any books right now ----- No estoy leyendo ningún libro por el momento

Are you working on any special projects at work? ----- Estás trabajando en algún proyecto especial en el trabajo?

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I am meeting some friends after work ----- Me estaré reuniendo con algunos amigos luego del trabajo

I am not going to the party tonight ----------- No iré a la fiesta esta noche

Is he visiting his parents next weekend? --- Está visitando a sus padres la próxima semana?

The Present Continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Present Simple, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or constantly between be and verb+ing.

FOR EXAMPLE:
She is always coming to class late ----------- Ella siempre llega tarde a clase

He is constantly talking -------------------------- El está hablando constantemente

REMEMBER!!! It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Present Continuous with these verbs, you must use Present Simple.

FOR EXAMPLE:

She is loving this chocolate ice cream. Not Correct

She loves this chocolate ice cream. Correct

Well people! As far as I concerned, We're done!!! I hope this info can be useful for all of you!

C Ya!!!

WELCOME... IT'S GRAMMAR TIME!!! PRESENT SIMPLE, PART 1!!!

Welcome back people to this new entry of Montcada in English and thanks for join me in this amazing adventure. Today we are going to talk about the Present Simple.

The present simple is one of the verb forms associated with the present tense in modern English. It is called simple because its basic form consists of a single word (like write or writes), in contrast with other present tense forms such as the present progressive (is writing) and present perfect (has written). For nearly all English verbs the present simple is identical to the base form of the verb, except when the subject is third-person singular, in which case the ending -(e)s is added. There are a few verbs with irregular forms, the most notable: be and the modal verbs such as must, can, could, should, etc, which have only a single form, with no addition of -s for the third person singular.

The structure for affirmative sentences in present simple is:

SUBJECT PRONOUN + MAIN VERB +COMPLEMENT

We use the present simple to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

For example:

I play tennis.

She plays tennis.

The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.

She always forgets her purse.

Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.

The present simple can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

For example:

Cats like milk.

California is in America

Windows are made of glass.

New York is a small city. (It is not important that this fact is untrue).

Speakers occasionally use present simple to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

For example:

The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.

The party starts at 8 o'clock.

Sometimes we can use the present simple to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

For example:

I am here now.

He needs help right now.

He has his passport in his hand.

Is important to know that the time tenses in English have auxiliary verbs. An auxiliary verb is a verb that adds functional or grammatical meaning to the clause in which it appears—for example, to express tense, aspect, modality, voice, emphasis, etc. Auxiliary verbs usually accompany a main verb. The main verb provides the main semantic content of the clause. The auxiliary verb for the present simple tenses is DO. In the present simple sentences, the auxiliary verb is not used. Otherwise, in negative sentences, do (1st person singular, 2nd person singular and plural) or does (3rd person singular) is used with not.

The structure for negative sentences in present simple is:

SUBJECT PRONOUN + DON'T/DOESN'T + MAIN VERB + COMPLEMENT

For example:

I do not play tennis / I don't play tennis.

She doesn't study English / She doesn't study English.

The train does not leave every morning at 8 AM / The train doesn't leave every morning at 8 AM.

We do not play soccer / We don't play soccer.

You do not help me at home / You don't help me at home.

When we use the negative structure of the present simple, the verb returns to its original form.

So people, as far as I'm concerned, I'm done! I hope this information can be useful for all of you!

C Ya!!!

WELCOME... IT'S GRAMMAR TIME!!! VERB TO BE, PART 2: YES/NO QUESTIONS!!!

Hi everybody and welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English. Our very first post was dedicated to the most common verb in the English Language: to be. We explained both affirmative and negative forms, their structure and their use. Today I'd love to talk about how to use the verb to be to ask questions.

First of all it is important to understand that In English -- as in almost every language -- there are two ways of asking questions: YES/NO questions and WH Questions. We will focus this time in the first ones. In linguistics, a YES/NO question, formally known as a polar question, is the one whose expected answer is either yes or no.

So how can we ask YES/NO questions with the verb to be?

QUESTION: VERB TO BE + SUBJECT PRONOUN + COMPLEMENT ?

ANSWER: YES, S.P. + V.TO BE / NO, S.P. + V.TO BE + NOT

For example:

Are you Martin? -------------------------------------- Eres Martin?

Yes, I am ---------------------------------------------- Si soy yo.

Are you Peter? ---------------------------------------- Eres Pedro?

No, I am not / No, I'm not --------------------------- No lo soy.

Are you British? -------------------------------------- Ustedes/Vosotros son/sois Británicos?

Yes, we are -------------------------------------------- Si somos.

Are you Canadians? ---------------------------------- Ustedes/Vosotros son/sois Canadienses?

No, we are not / No, we're not / No, we aren't ---- No somos.

Although it is logical, usually when questiona are asked with you (both forms singular or plural), answers are given with I or we.

When questions are asked in the third person, answers are given in the same way.

For example:

Is he Romina? ----------------------------------------- Ella es Romina?

Yes, she is --------------------------------------------- Si es.

Is she Laura? ------------------------------------------ Ella es Laura?

No, she is not / No, she's not / No she isn't ------- No es.

Is he American? -------------------------------------- El es Americano?

Yes, he is ---------------------------------------------- Si es.

Is he a doctor? ---------------------------------------- El es doctor/médico?

No, he is not / No, he's not / No, he isn't ---------- No somos.

So people, as far as I'm concerned, I'm done! I hope this information can be useful for all of you!

C Ya!!!

WELCOME... THIS IS MONTCADA IN ENGLISH!!! VERB TO BE, PART 1

Hello everybody!!! Welcome to this brand new experience called Montcada in English!!! First of all I would like to thank Montcada Radio and Phimister's Language School for all the support to this wonderful project. In fact, the name of this blog comes from the eponymous radio show, which is broadcasted every single Monday from 19:30 to 20:00 in Montcada Radio. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I would like to start this very first post with the most common verb in English Language: VERB TO BE!!!

SUBJECT PRONOUN + VERB TO BE + COMPLEMENT

The verb to be is one of the most common verbs, not only in its use but is probably the most studied verb (considering that a lot of people start to study English and then they give up). Back to the explanation, verb to be has many different forms and meanings.

In Spanish means SER or ESTAR and we conjugate the verb in this way:

I am ------------------------------ Yo soy/estoy

You are -------------------------- Tu eres/estás   Ustedes/Vosotros son/sois están/estáis

He is ----------------------------- Él es/está

She is ---------------------------- Ella es/está

It is ------------------------------- Él/Ella/Ello/La/Lo/Le es/está

We are --------------------------- Nosotros somos/estamos

They are ------------------------- Ellos son/están

When we use the verb to be as ser, is because we are talking about names, professions, nationalities, etc.

For example:

I am Martin  ---------------- (Yo) soy Martin

You are American --------- (Tu) eres Americano

He is a doctor -------------- (Él) es un doctor

She is Karen ---------------- (Ella) es Karen

It is my dog ----------------- (Él) es mi perro

We are teachers ------------ (Nosotros) somos maestros

They are British ------------ (Ellos) son Británicos

When we use the verb to be as estar, is because we are talking about actions or locations.

For example:

I am here -------------------- (Yo) estoy aquí

You are in Catalonia ------ (Tu) estás en Cataluña

He is sleeping -------------- (Él) está durmiendo

She is in my house -------- (Ella) está en mi casa

It is raining ----------------- Está lloviendo

We are eating -------------- (Nosotros) estamos comiendo

They are in the mall ------ (Ellos) están en el centro comercial

Because of its highly irregular forms, the verb to be can be used also in specific situations such as expressing sensations or when we want to talk about our age, giving to the verb a completly different meaning.

If I say: I am 20 years old it doesn’t mean that soy 20 años or estoy 20 años. It means tengo 20 años.

In other particular situations, it can be translated as HACER.

For example:

It is hot --------------------- Hace calor

For negative sentences we have to add not between the verb and the complement

S.P. + VERB TO BE + NOT + COMPLEMENT

For example:

I am not in your house

You are not eating

He is not American

She is not British

It is not snowing

We are not students

They are sleeping

Is quite common in English grammar contract words. Normally this contractions are used in spoken English but no in written (at least in formal writing). We contract verb to be sentences in this way:

I am sleeping - I'm sleeping

I am not Chuck - I'm not Chuck

You are my friend - You're my friend

You are not studying - You're not studying / You aren't studying

She is ill - She's ill

He is not working at the moment - He's not working / He isn't working at the moment...

And so on.

So people, as far as I am concerned, I am done! I hope this information can be useful for all of you!

C Ya!!!