4. Paco's English is gradually improving (Present continuous)
Paco is gradually improving his level of English
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| Imagen de Alexbrn en Flirx. Licencia C C |
Is Paco's English really improving? Yes, it is. Paco is trying hard to learn English. He is making a great effort to speak English properly. Although his English is quickly getting better, he is taking his time. He is not going to private lessons because he hasn't got time. He is studying hard because he needs English for his trip around the world.
The most important thing is that Paco is enjoying himself learning English. He is learning a lot about both Britain and America.
In this passage you can find some examples of the present continuous tense in affirmative and negative. Can you identify them?
Is Paco's English really improving ? Yes, it is. Paco is trying hard to learn English. He is making a great effort to speak English properly. Although his English is quickly getting better, he is taking his time. He is not going to private classes because he hasn't got time. He is studying hard because he needs English for his trip around the world.
The most important thing is that Paco is enjoying himself learning English. He is learning a lot about both Britain and America.
¿Qué llevas puesto?
One of the most common mistakes some Spanish students tend to make when they study English as a second language is to use the Present Simple tense instead of using the Present Continuous tense when we use the verb to wear, since, unlike Spanish, this verb is used in English with the present continuous.
Let's see an example. We want to ask somebody about the kind of clothes his sister is wearing at the moment. We already know that the verb to wear means in Spanish llevar puesto.
If we make the following question ¿Qué lleva puesto su hermana?, we can make a mistake if we translate it as What does his sister wear now? The right translation is...
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Imagen de Openclips en Openclipart bajo dom. público |
What is his sister wearing now?
She's wearing a red evening dress.
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Ejercicio Resuelto
Filling the gaps. Put the verbs in brackets in the Present Continuous Tense
a) Paco ________ (play) basketball with his friends now.
b) What________(Paco do) tonight?
c) Paco and Andrés ______ (watch) tv together.
d) Paco's father ________ (not play) tennis with him.
e) Sonia ________ (sit) besides Paco.
f) How many other friends_________ (you play) with?
g) Paco_______ (not study) English.
comprueba lo aprendido
Read the sentences below and fill in the missing words in the present continuous tense.
Curiosidad
Is this man wearing a skirt?
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Imagen de bnsonger |
Obviously, he isn't. He is wearing a kilt, which is a knee-length garment, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has been associated with the wider culture of Scotland.
Though the Scottish kilt is most often worn mainly on formal occasions or at sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable informal, and formal, male clothing in recent years.
If you are interested in learning anything else about kilts and William Wallace (Braveheart), have a look here.
Listening exercise: learn English with songs
Click on the picture and watch the video with the song "That's the way it is" by Celine Dion. With this video (click on the photograph) you can practice your listening comprehension. Then click here and complete the filling gap activity.
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| Imagen de Anirudh Koul en wikimedia. C C |