Grammar - "Usually" and "Used to"

We use frequency adverb "usually" and the verb "used to" to reference to an habit or a daily routine (actual or past).

• Usually, is used in the present (I usually...).
• Used to, is used to reference actions ended in the past (I used to...).

Next, we are going to see how they are grammatically used in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

*Take care using "used to" in negative and interrogative sentences.

USE OF "USUALLY" & "USED TO"

1. Use of “Usually” in afirmative, negative and interrogative sentences

• Affirmative: I usually read at leat 3 hours a day.
• Negative: She doesn’t usually go out during the week.
• Interrogative: Does he usually do exercise?

2. Use of “Used to” in afirmative, negative and interrogative sentences

• Affirmative: I used to play basketaball when I was a teen.
• Negative: She didn’t use to drink when she was at university 18.
• Interrogative: Did you use to play the piano.

*NOTE: Have you ever seen written "didn't used to" or "Did you used to"?
It is possible, indeed in American English Language "used to" form is used in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences. However, this is not usual in British English Language.

(Source)

Vocabulary "Friendship"

Some vocabulary about "friendship":

• argue - discutir.
• close friend - amigos íntimos.
• colleage - compañero.
• get on very well - llevarse bien.
• have a lot in common - tener mucho en común.
• keep in touch - mantener el contacto.
• known - conocido.
• lost touch - perder contacto.
• meet - conocerse.

Typical questions in dialogues:

• How long have you known him/her?
• Where did you meet?
• Why do you get on well?
• What do you have in common?
• Do you ever argue? What about?
• How often do you see each other?
• How do you keep in touch the rest of the time?
• Have you ever lost touch? Why? When?
• Do you think you'll stay friends?

Here is a website which helps you to find out friends and lets you read what people you've lost touch with are doing now (Friends reunited).

Song "Our house"

Here is the song we have listened to today, its name is "Our house" and it was the British group Madness's biggest international hit.

And now, here you have the mp3 song to help you fill the gaps.

Solution: 1.ʎɐpunS 2.pǝɹıT 3.sɹıɐʇsuʍoD 4.ɹǝɥʇoɹB 5.sʎɐʍlA 6.ɯnM 7.ǝʇɐL 8.ʇɹıɥS 9.looɥɔS 10.ʎddɐH

Vocabulary - Houses

Here you have vocabulary about houses, first you have vocabulary about sorts of houses, and after, vocabulary about objects you can find in anyone's house ...

The House

• The House• The Garden/The Yard• Indoors• The Den• The Dining Room• The Kitchen• The Kitchen II• The Bedroom• The Bathroom• The Bathroom 2• The Utility Room

And here are another words to remember:

• airy - espacioso, aireado, ventilado
• area - zona, area.
• bother(to) - molestar.
• bothered - incomodo. molesto, enfadado, enojado.
• by the sea - cerca del mar.
• on the coast - en la costa.
• countryside - campo.
• domer / garret - buhardilla.
• domer window - ventana de buhardilla.
• golden - dorado.
• hi-tech flat - pisos que contienen elementos de alta tecnología (p.e. domótica).
• penthouse - ático.
• to run out of st - quedarse sin algo (p.e. run out of food).
• wooden - de madera.

And here you can find more interesting vocabulary.

Describing my room

Another video about describing, this time he is describing his room.

Describing my house

Describing my house - NB1 Elementary - EOI Getafe

Mercedes describes her house. Her English is very fluent!

Thanks for sharing! 

English at EOI Getafe

Practising the conditional forms

Today we have been practising the conditional forms, try to answer this questions:

"If you could live in another period of time for its fashion, when would you choose and why?"

"If you could come back in another life, who (or what) would you like to be?"

"If you could change one part of your body, what would it be?"

"What would you wear if you were invited on a date by someone you really liked?"

And we have revised the grammar bank on page 136 and vocabulary bank on page 151.

People talking about different topics

In TED Ideas worth spreading you have an incredible site where listen to 

people talking about different topics.

You can select subtitle's language and you can also select the talk you want 

filtering, for example, by topic or length. It's amazing!!

List of links for learning English on the Internet

In the following link you will find an useful and complete list of links for learning English on the Internet.

We haven't tested all of the links so some of them might be broke but, 
is sure that the site where you are in will be interesting.

Steady job/ Steady phone (Vocabulary)

"Lo único que tengo ahora es un trabajo estable"

steady job - trabajo estable

---

steady phone - teléfono fijo

Time clauses

(Here you can find some exercises)

Conditional forms and exercises

We have learnt the conditional forms:

Type 0. If + Present tense + Present tense i.e.: 

• If I press the button, the bell rings. / The bell rings if I press the button.
• Si pulso el botón el timbre suena.

Type 1. If + Present tense + Future tense i.e.: 

• If you study, you will pass your exam.
• Si estudias pasarás tú examen.

Type 2. If + Past simple tense + Conditional simple i.e.: 

• If you studied, you would pass your exam.
• Si estudiaras pasarías tú examen.

Type 3. If + Past perfect + Perfect infinitive i.e.: 

• If you had studied, you would have passed your exam.
• Si hubieras estudiado habrías pasado tú examen.

Besides, you will be able to know more about this topic in the following links and have to do the exercises related to it at home:

• Unit 38. If I do ... and If I did ...
• Unit 39. If I knew ... I wish I knew.
• Unit 40. If I had known... I wish I had known ...

We haven't to know anything about "I wish I knew" form so you don't need to study nothing about the part of this unit related to it.

Other ways to certificate your English level

Some people don't know that they can get English certifications by other ways so I have written this information for them.

This is a table of equivalences between English level and certifications you can get:

CEFR:  Common European  Framework of Reference	EOI: Escuela Oficial de Idiomas	Certificados Cambridge y British Council
C2		CPE
C1		CAE
B2	Nivel Avanzado  (5º)	FCE
B1	Nivel Intermedio (3º)	PET

Moreover, you can get information related to Cambridge English exams in the links below:

• KET (Key English Test) - (English version)
• PET (Preliminary English Test) - (English version)
• FCE (First Certificate in English) - (English version)
• CAE (Certificate in Advanced English) - (English version)
• CPE (Certificate of Proeficiency in English) - (English version)

By the way, here you can obtain a table of equivalences made by U.H.U. and, if you have any doubt you can navigate throw this link to get more information about this topic.

I really hope that this information will be useful for some of us.

Exercise about writing informal letters

Today, We have done a exercise about writing an informal letter, you can download it on the link below:

Here is some vocabulary about the text:

• secluded  /sɪˈkluːdɪd/ - apartado.
• greenery /ˈgriːnərɪ/ - vegetación.
• marshmallows /ˈmɑːʃˈmæləʊ/ - merengue, nube, malvavisco.
• hilarious /hɪˈlɛərɪəs/ - divertidísimo.
• boast /bəʊst/ - presumir.

Free English UNED courses

They are available a couple of free courses relative to English Language 

at 's online platform:

• Aprende las mil palabras más usadas y sus posibilidades comunicativas. (Begginer level)
• Inglés Profesional / Professional English. (Suggested B1 level)

I think It would be good for us and so I publish it here.

Vocabulary about Education

Homework

Today we have been talking about topics related to Education (N.E.F. on page 52 - Back to school, aged 35), and in the following link you will find homeworks for next day:

Revising modal verbs

Homework

Exercises for revise modal verbs:

· Must, have to, should
· Must, may, might, can't
· Can, could, be able to