February 1 Class: Present Perfect vs Simple Past

Present Perfect vs Simple Past Strangers on a Plane Transitional moments in English grammar When does the present perfect change to the simple past? Nicole Morgan is sitting on a plane. She is flying back to Australia, her native land. She has been living in Spain for 10 years but now she intends to leave the country for good. She has a job offer in Melbourne and she has accepted it. She is sitting next to a Spanish man who is travelling to Australia on business. The departure of the flight is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. In this conversation, the time is 10:55 a.m. In this conversation, the time is 11:25 a.m. Spaniard: How long have you been in Spain? Spaniard: How long were you in Spain? Nicole: I've been here for 10 years. Nicole: I was there for 10 years. Spaniard: Have you been in Madrid the whole time? Spaniard: Were you in Madrid the whole time? Nicole: Well, really I've never lived in Madrid. I've been living the entire 10 years in Guadalajara. Nicole: Well, really I never lived in Madrid. I lived the entire 10 years in Guadalajara. Spaniard: Has it been a good experience for you? Spaniard: Was it a good experience for you? Nicole: Yes, it's been a wonderful experience. I've met a lot of people and I've made a lot of friends. Nicole: Yes, it was a wonderful experience. I met a lot of people and I made a lot of friends. Fijaos que nada más despegar el avión, el tiempo del verbo cambia. Cinco minutos antes del despegue se emplea lo que en inglés se llama el presente perfecto y, nada más despegar, se abandona este tiempo en busca del pasado simple. El pasado simple entra en escena en el momento en que las acciones en cuestión dejan de tener validez en el presente. Por esto nos extraña a los angloparlantes cuando oímos a una persona, ya en la oficina, decir "No he dormido bien esta noche". En inglés decimos "I didn't sleep well last night" (No dormí bien anoche). Lo decimos así porque ya estamos en la oficina y ya es por la mañana. La noche ya no está vigente. ¿Quierés más inglés? Apúntate al Vaughan Classroom online para seguir aprendiendo. Más info.

Letter from Richard Vaughan

Estimado amigo y alumno: A partir de ahora, las cartas y videos de Richard Vaughan estarán disponibles en el curso online de Vaughan Classroom; un curso diferente, eficaz y muy divertido con audio y videos inéditos que contienen lo mejor del sistema de aprendizaje Vaughan... Descubre el nuevo Vaughan Classroom aquí

Las 4 joyas del Vaughan Classroom

Repasa estos cuatro puntos del Vaughan Classroom para aumentar tu vocabulario. Truco: para aprender una palabra nueva, repítela hasta la saciedad. Key Learning: Agree - jamás se dice "I am agree" / "Are you agree?". Decimos I Agree / Do you agree? One expression: They made a killing. Hicieron un gran negocio. One phrasal verb: To work out - Salir (más barato). It works out cheaper going by public transport. Sale más barato ir en transporte público. One adjective: Skint - Sin Blanca. When I was a student, I was always skint.