1. Experiences

En esta sección del tema, te familiarizarás con los siguientes aspectos:

Film roll

Fotografía en Flickr de jcoterhals bajo CC

  • Biografías
  • Tiempos del pasado
  • Present Perfect

Actividad de lectura

Jackie Chan

Fotografía en Flickr de PAPYRRARI bajo CC

Jackie Chan is a true action movie star. He has appeared in dozens of movies and is a screen legend. His life is a real sample of the boy with humble origins that has later become an idol.

He was born on April 7, 1954 and he was a Chinese refugee as a result of China's Communist Revolution. His parents worked for the French ambassador, his father as a cook and his mother as a maid. Right from the beginning, Jackie Chan made a display of his energy, his parents nicknamed him "cannonball" because he was always rolling around. He learnt martial arts from his father and soon enrolled in the China Drama Accademy. He started as a stuntman and  he gained the reputation as the best one. However, he was insatisfied because he wanted to be a star. So he began acting in front of the camera.

Chan made two films that were flops and he was about to quit the film industry. Several years later, director Ng Than Chan asked Jackie to appear in the movies 'Sanke in the Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken Master'. Both films were smash hits in the box office and Chan became a star in Hong Kong. When the director tried to tie Chan with an old contract and sent the mafia to threaten him, he set off to Hollywood. He wasn't successful there but he learnt very much about making films and used this knowledge to make successful movies in China. Then, he returned to Hollywod where he then became a worldwide star thanks to the film 'Rush Hour' in 1998.< /p>

Since then, he has acted in more than 100 films and has directed over ten. He has also won many awards. Unfortunately, his risky performances have made his health be weak.

En esta lectura, hay muchas palabras relacionadas con el mundo del cine. Haz click más abajo para conocer el significado de algunas de ellas y otras que te resultarán útiles. 

Importante

En el texto anterior has tenido la oportunidad de leer una breve biografía sobre Jackie Chan. Fíjate en que se han usado principalmente dos tiempos para hablar sobre el pasado de la vida de Chan. Hemos tomado como ejemplo de cada uno appeared y has become, pero en el texto hay numerosas muestras de estos tiempos.  ¿Sabrías reconocer cuáles son? Efectivamente, el Pasado Simple y el Presente Perfecto. En temas anteriores, has profundizado en el uso y forma del primero. El Present Perfect se traduce en español por el Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto (he leído, has llegado...).  En esta sección, vamos a tratar los principales usos y la forma del Presente Perfecto (Present Perfect). Aquí tienes una presentación:


Quizás este video te sea útil para tener una idea más clara sobre el uso de este tiempo:

Importante

Como has visto en el texto inicial, para hablar sobre nuestras experiencias pasadas, sobre nuestra vida usamos el Pasado Simple y el Presente Perfecto. El primero lo preferimos para referirnos a acciones que no tienen conexión con el presente, que están finalizadas.
El Presente Perfecto se usa para hablar de experiencias conectadas con nuestro presente. Normalmente ambos tiempos suelen aparecer juntos. Si el Pasado Simple se traducía en español por el Pretérito Perfecto Simple o Indefinido (leí, hice..), el Presente Perfecto equivale a nuestro Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto (he leído, has hecho..).
Si quieres practicar un poco para familiarizarte y afianzar más tu conocimento sobre estos tiempos pulsa en los enlaces que te damos. Encontrarás ejercicio útiles.
Past Simple Present Perfect Past Simple vs Present Perfect

Caso de estudio

Traduce las siguientes frases. Fíjate en los tiempos empleados:

  1. Mr Harrison has been here.

  2. They arrived in 1990 and they have worked in the film industry.

  3. Michael hasn't found a job.

  4. He has acted in many successful films.

  5. What has happened?

  6. Have you done the exercises?

  7. They have played quite well.

  8. I haven't read Hamlet, and you?

  9. My parents have taken the car.

  10. She has started her English lessons.

Caso de estudio

¿Te atreves a traducir el texto inicial sobre la vida y carrera de Jackie Chan? Comprueba más abajo tus aciertos.