I

Intermediate Level

Tiempos Verbales

Past Continuous y Present Perfect

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🔄

Past Continuous

Acciones en progreso en un momento del pasado

was/were + ingwhile/whenInterrupted action

🔄 Past Continuous

El Past Continuous describe una acción que estaba en progreso en un momento específico del pasado. Muy frecuentemente se combina con el Past Simple para narrar una acción interrumpida.

📋 Estructura

  • Subject + was/were + verb-ing
  • I/He/She/It → was studying
  • You/We/They → were playing
  • Negativo: was/were + not + -ing
  • Pregunta: Was/Were + subject + -ing?

🕐 Usos y combinaciones

  • Acción en progreso: "At 8pm, I was watching TV"
  • Acción interrumpida (while/when):
    "She was sleeping when the phone rang."
  • Dos acciones simultáneas:
    "While I was cooking, he was reading."
  • While + Past Continuous · When + Past Simple
While + [was/were doing] · When + [Past Simple action happened]

✏️ Exercises

  • Exercise 1 Completa con Past Continuous o Past Simple: While I ___ (study), my sister ___ (call) me. They ___ (play) football when it ___ (start) to rain.
    While I was studying, my sister called me. They were playing football when it started to rain.
  • Exercise 2 Describe qué estabas haciendo ayer a las 7pm usando Past Continuous.
    Respuesta personal. Ej: "At 7pm yesterday, I was having dinner with my family. My brother was watching TV and my mother was washing the dishes."
✅

Present Perfect

Experiencias de vida y acciones con relevancia presente

have/has + PPsince/foralready/yet/just

✅ Present Perfect

El Present Perfect conecta el pasado con el presente. Se usa para experiencias de vida, acciones recientes y situaciones que empezaron en el pasado y siguen en el presente.

📋 Estructura

  • Subject + have/has + Past Participle (PP)
  • I/You/We/They → have visited
  • He/She/It → has eaten
  • Negativo: haven't / hasn't + PP
  • Pregunta: Have/Has + subject + PP?

🔑 Signal words

  • since: punto de inicio → "I've lived here since 2018"
  • for: duración → "I've known her for 5 years"
  • already: afirmativo → "I've already finished"
  • yet: negativo/pregunta → "I haven't started yet"
  • just: muy reciente → "She's just arrived"
  • ever/never: experiencias

✏️ Exercises

  • Exercise 1 Completa: She ___ (live) in Lima since 2015. We ___ (not finish) the project yet. ___ you ever ___ (be) to Machu Picchu?
    She has lived in Lima since 2015. We haven't finished the project yet. Have you ever been to Machu Picchu?
  • Exercise 2 Escribe 3 experiencias de tu vida usando "I have never..." y "I have already..."
    Respuesta personal. Ej: "I have never been abroad." / "I have already visited Cusco twice." / "I have never eaten sushi." / "I have already finished secondary school chapters 1-3."
II

Upper Intermediate

Gramática Avanzada

Modal Verbs y Reported Speech

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🎯

Modal Verbs

Can, must, should, may y sus diferencias

Can/CouldMustShould

🎯 Modal Verbs

Los verbos modales modifican el significado del verbo principal para expresar habilidad, obligación, permiso, posibilidad o consejo. Nunca llevan -s en 3ª persona y van seguidos de infinitivo sin "to".

📋 Modales principales

  • can/could: habilidad/posibilidad. "I can swim. Could you help me?"
  • must: obligación fuerte (interna). "You must study."
  • have to: obligación externa. "I have to wear uniform."
  • should/ought to: consejo. "You should eat vegetables."
  • may/might: posibilidad. "It might rain tomorrow."
  • mustn't vs don't have to: prohibición vs no necesario

🔄 Pasado de modales

  • can → could · must → had to · should → should have
  • "She could speak French as a child."
  • "I had to work late yesterday."
  • "You should have studied more." (reproche)
  • "He might have missed the bus." (posibilidad pasada)

✏️ Exercises

  • Exercise 1 Elige el modal correcto: You ___ (must/should) wear a seatbelt — it's the law. You ___ (mustn't/don't have to) come if you don't want to — it's optional.
    You must wear a seatbelt (obligación legal). You don't have to come (no es necesario, pero no está prohibido).
  • Exercise 2 Da un consejo a un amigo que tiene exámenes la próxima semana usando should, must y shouldn't.
    Ej: "You should start studying now. You must review all your notes. You shouldn't stay up all night before the exam."
💬

Reported Speech

Cómo reportar lo que alguien dijo

say/tellBackshiftPronombres

💬 Reported Speech (Estilo Indirecto)

El Reported Speech se usa para reportar lo que alguien dijo sin citar sus palabras exactas. Los tiempos verbales se "retroceden" (backshift) y cambian los pronombres y referencias de tiempo.

🔄 Cambios de tiempo verbal

  • Present Simple → Past Simple: "I like coffee" → She said she liked coffee
  • Present Continuous → Past Continuous: "I am working" → He said he was working
  • Past Simple → Past Perfect: "I finished" → She said she had finished
  • Will → Would · Can → Could · Must → Had to

📍 Cambios de expresiones

  • today → that day · yesterday → the day before
  • tomorrow → the next day · now → then
  • here → there · this → that
  • say: no necesita objeto ("He said he was tired")
  • tell: necesita objeto ("He told me he was tired")
Direct: "I am happy." → Reported: She said (that) she was happy.

✏️ Exercises

  • Exercise 1 Convierte a estilo indirecto: "I will come tomorrow." (He said...) / "We are studying now." (They said...) / "I can't help you." (She told me...)
    He said he would come the next day. They said they were studying then. She told me she couldn't help me.
III

Advanced Level

Writing — Essay Structure

Cómo escribir un essay en inglés

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📄

Essay Structure in English

Introduction, body paragraphs y conclusion

ThesisTopic sentenceConclusion

📄 How to Write an Essay in English

A well-structured essay has three main parts: introduction (presents the topic and thesis), body (develops arguments with evidence), and conclusion (summarizes and reinforces the thesis).

📖 Essay Structure

  • Introduction: hook (attention-grabber) + background + thesis statement
  • Body paragraph 1: topic sentence + evidence + analysis + transition
  • Body paragraph 2: topic sentence + evidence + analysis
  • Conclusion: restate thesis + summary + final thought

🔗 Useful linking words

  • Addition: furthermore, in addition, moreover, also
  • Contrast: however, on the other hand, although, despite
  • Cause/Effect: therefore, consequently, as a result
  • Examples: for example, for instance, such as
  • Conclusion: in conclusion, to sum up, overall

✏️ Exercises

  • Exercise 1 Write a thesis statement for the topic: "Social media has a negative impact on teenagers."
    Sample thesis: "Although social media can help teenagers stay connected, its negative effects on mental health, academic performance, and sleep habits outweigh the benefits."
  • Exercise 2 — Writing Write a 4-paragraph essay (introduction + 2 body paragraphs + conclusion) about: "Technology in education: benefits and challenges."
    Estructura esperada: Intro: hook sobre tecnología en aulas + thesis con postura. Párrafo 1: beneficios (acceso a información, motivación, personalización). Párrafo 2: desafíos (distracción, desigualdad de acceso, salud visual). Conclusión: balance — tecnología es útil si se usa con guía del docente.