GRAMMAR - PAST SIMPLE: IRREGULAR VERBS CHART

INFINITIVE	PAST SIMPLE	PAST PARTICIPLE	SPANISH TRANSLATION
be	was/were	been	ser/estar
begin	began	begun	empezar
break	broke	broken	romper
bring	brought	brought	traer
build	built	built	construir
burn	burnt	burnt	quemar
buy	bought	bought	comprar
can	could	been able to	poder
catch	caught	caught	coger
choose	chose	chosen	elegir
come	came	come	venir
cost	cost	cost	costar
cut	cut	cut	cortar
do	did	done	hacer
dream	dreamt	dreamt	soñar
drink	drank	drunk	beber
drive	drove	driven	conducir
eat	ate	eaten	comer
fall	fell	fallen	caer(se)
feel	felt	felt	sentir(se)
fight	fought	fought	luchar/ pelear
fly	flew	flown	volar
forget	forgot	forgotten	olvidar
get	got	got	obtener
give	gave	given	dar
go	went	gone	ir(se)
have	had	had	tener/haber
hear	heard	heard	oir
know	knew	known	saber
learn	learnt	learnt	aprender
leave	left	left	irse/dejar
lose	lost	lost	perder
make	made	made	hacer
must	had to	had to	tener que
pay	paid	paid	pagar
put	put	put	poner
read	read	read	leer
run	ran	run	correr
say	said	said	decir
see	saw	seen	ver
show	showed	shown	mostrar/enseñar
sing	sang	sung	cantar
sleep	slept	slept	dormir
speak	spoke	spoken	hablar
spend	spent	spent	gastar
take	took	taken	tomar
teach	taught	taught	enseñar
think	thought	thought	pensar
understand	understood	understood	entender
win	won	won	ganar

GRAMMAR - MODAL VERBS

1.  CAN, CAN’T (CANNOT) -  ABILITY/POSSIBILITY/PERMISSION/REQUESTS

AFFIRMATIVE	NEGATIVE	INTERROGATIVE
I can read.	I can’t / cannot  swim.	Can I go to the toilet?
You can read.	You can’t / cannot  swim.	Can you go to the toilet?
He /she /it can read.	He /she /it can’t / cannot  swim.	Can he /she / it go to the toilet?
We can read.	We can’t / cannot  swim.	Can we go to the toilet?
You can read.	You can’t / cannot  swim.	Can you go to the toilet?
They can read.	They can’t / cannot  swim.	Can they go to the toilet?

               

SHORT ANSWERS (+, -)

Yes, subject + CAN.

No, subject + CAN’T.

"BE ALLOWED TO": Only form which is used to ask for permission in all tenses. "CAN" is only used in the Present Simple and "COULD" is only used in the Past Simple and in the Conditional tense.

"BE ABLE TO": Only form which is used to express ability in all tenses. "CAN" is only grammatically possible in the Present Simple and "COULD" is only grammatically possible in the Past Simple and in the Conditional tense.


2  MUST: OBLIGATION (Affirmative)   ≠  MUSTN'T: PROHIBITION (Negative) - RULES

I must study.	I mustn’t / must not smoke.
You must study.	You mustn’t / must not smoke.
He / she / it must study.	He / she / it mustn’t / must not smoke.
We must study.	We mustn’t / must not smoke.
You must study.	You mustn’t / must not smoke.
They must study.	They mustn’t / must not smoke.

MUST: 

- Formal writing.

- "Internal" obligation (personal opinion, family, friends). // Also: Strong recommendation.

- "Must" in questions: It is grammatically correct, but "have to" is more frequently used in interrogative sentences.

- Attention: It is only used in the Present Simple.  For the other tenses, use "HAVE TO".

HAVE TO: 

- More frequent in conversation.

- "External" obligation (somebody in authority, at work, law).

- Attention: "Have got to" is also possible, but it is more informal than "have to". 

3. HAVE TO, NEED TO (=MUST): OBLIGATION, NECESSITY ≠ DON’T HAVE TO/ NEED TO (“NEEDN’T”): NO OBLIGATION, NO NECESSITY 

HAVE TO / NEED TO	DON’T HAVE TO / DON’T NEED TO (NEEDN'T)
I have to / need to speak English in class.	I don’t have to pay. It’s free. I don’t  need to pay / I needn’t pay.
You have to / need to speak English in class.	You don’t have to pay. It’s free. You don’t  need to pay / You needn’t pay.
He/she/ it has to / needs to speak English in class.	He/she doesn’t have to pay. It’s free.  He doesn’t  need to pay / He needn’t pay.
We have to / need to speak English in class.	We don’t have to pay. It’s free. We don’t  need to pay / We needn’t pay .
You have to / need to speak English in class.	You don’t have to pay. It’s free. You don’t  need to pay / You needn’t pay
They have to / need to speak English in class.	They don’t have to pay. It’s free. They don’t  need to pay / They needn’t pay.

4.  SHOULD, SHOULDN’T (SHOULD NOT)- ADVICE

AFFIRMATIVE	NEGATIVE	INTERROGATIVE
I should do exercise.	I shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should I go to the gym?
You should do exercise.	You shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should you go to the gym?
He/she/it should do exercise.	He/she/it shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should he/she/ it go to the gym?
We should do exercise.	We shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should we go to the gym?
You should do exercise.	You shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should you go to the gym?
They should do exercise.	They shouldn’t / should not eat a lot of sweets.	Should they go to the gym?

                                              

SHORT ANSWERS (+, -)

Yes, subject + SHOULD.

No,subject SHOULDN’T.

OUGHT (NOT) TO + INFINITIVE:

It has got the same meaning as "should", but it is much more formal and it is not frequently used in spoken conversations.

HAD BETTER (NOT) + INFINITIVE: ("más te vale")

It is slightly different to "should" and "ought to", because it implies there is a negative consequence to (not) performing the action.


5  MAY - POSSIBILITY, PERMISSION*        MIGHT- REMOTE POSSIBILITY

I may / may not come.	I might / might not come.
You may / may not come.	You might / might not come.
He / she / it may / may not come.	He / she / it might / might not come.
We may / may not come.	We might / might not come.
You may / may not come.	You might / might not come.
They may / may not come.	They might / might not come.

Also: Request ("May I ...?")

GRAMMAR - ADVERBS OF MANNER

USE: 

Adverbs of manner describe how actions happen or how things are done. But:

BE, BECOME, FEEL, GET, LOOK and SEEM are used with adjectives, not adverbs.

POSITION:

- We put adverbs of manner after the verb when there is no object: She runs rapidly.

 - We put them after the verb + object: Miguel speaks English perfectly.

- With verbs of movement we put them after adverbial phrases of place: I go home early.

- In questions, we put them at the end of the sentence: Doesn’t she play the piano beautifully?

FORMATION:

In general, we form adverbs of manner by adding –ly to the adjective: slow → slowly.

Adjectives ending in consonant + y, change y to i+-ly: happy → happily.

Adjectives ending in –e don’t omit it: brave → bravely. Except: true →truly, due → duly.

Adjectives ending in –able /-ible change the –e to –y: probable → probably.

IRREGULAR ADVERBS: fast → fast, far → far, hard → hard, high → high, late → late, good → well.

Nora drives fast. We travelled far. They work hard. The athlete jumped high. She never comes late. 

Attention! Adjective "good": My friend is a good football player. → Adverb "well": My friend plays football well.

COMPARISON OF ADVERBS:

- Adverbs ending in -ly form the comparative of superiority with MORE and the superlative of superiority with MOST:

slowly → more slowly →  most slowly

happily → more happily → most happily

carefully → more carefully → most carefully

- One-syllable adverbs form the comparative of superiority adding -ER and the superlative of superiority adding -EST:

fast→ faster →  fastest

late→  later → latest

hard→ harder → hardest

high → higher → highest

- Some adverbs form the comparative and superlative forms of superiority irregularly:

badly → worse →  worst

well →  better → best

far → farther /further→ farthest/furthest

- All the adverbs form the comparative of inferiority with LESS and the superlative of inferiority with LEAST:

slowly → less slowly →  least slowly

happily → less happily → least happily

carefully → less carefully → least carefully

fast → less fast →  least fast

- All the adverbs form the comparative of equality using AS... AS

late →  as late as 

badly → as badly as