Essential English: Verbs, Questions, Time, Numbers & More

Posted on Jul 29, 2025 in Chemistry

The Verb “To Be” (Ser/Estar)

The verb “to be” is fundamental in English, equivalent to “ser” or “estar” in Spanish/Catalan.

Conjugation: Affirmative and Negative Forms

AffirmativeNegativeContraction
I amI am notI’m not
You areYou are notYou aren’t
He/She/It isHe/She/It is notHe/She/It isn’t
We areWe are notWe aren’t
You areYou are notYou aren’t
They areThey are notThey aren’t

Essential Questions for Introductions

Here are some common questions to ask when getting to know someone:

  • What is your name? (Spanish: ¿Cuál es tu nombre?)
  • Surname (family name) (Spanish: Primer apellido)
  • Have you got a nickname? (Spanish: ¿Tienes algún apodo?)
  • How old are you? (Spanish: ¿Cuántos años tienes?)
    • Example Answer: I’m 18 years old. (Spanish: Tengo 18 años.)
  • Where are you from? (Spanish: ¿De dónde eres?)

Time and Date Vocabulary

Common Time Periods and Holidays

  • Night (Catalan: Nit)
  • Midnight (Catalan: Mitjanit)
  • The weekend (Catalan: El cap de setmana)
  • Easter (Catalan: El dia de Pasqua)
  • Christmas (Catalan: El dia de Nadal)

Weekdays

Learn the days of the week:

  • Monday (Catalan: Dilluns)
  • Tuesday (Catalan: Dimarts)
  • Wednesday (Catalan: Dimecres)
  • Thursday (Catalan: Dijous)
  • Friday (Catalan: Divendres)
  • Saturday (Catalan: Dissabte)
  • Sunday (Catalan: Diumenge)

Months of the Year

The twelve months in English:

  • January (Catalan: Gener)
  • February (Catalan: Febrer)
  • March (Catalan: Març)
  • April (Catalan: Abril)
  • May (Catalan: Maig)
  • June (Catalan: Juny)
  • July (Catalan: Juliol)
  • August (Catalan: Agost)
  • September (Catalan: Setembre)
  • October (Catalan: Octubre)
  • November (Catalan: Novembre)
  • December (Catalan: Desembre)

Telling Time in English

Understanding how to tell time is crucial. Here are common phrases:

Examples of Times

  • 12:11 → It’s eleven past twelve.
  • 1:15 → It’s quarter past one.
  • 2:20 → It’s twenty past two.
  • 3:18 → It’s eighteen past three.
  • 4:07 → It’s seven past four.
  • 5:50 → It’s ten to six.
  • 6:35 → It’s twenty-five to seven.
  • 7:42 → It’s eighteen to eight.
  • 8:45 → It’s quarter to nine.
  • 9:50 → It’s ten to ten.
  • 10:55 → It’s five to eleven.
  • 11:00 → It’s eleven o’clock.
  • 13:50 (1:50 PM) → It’s ten to two.
  • 12:05 → It’s five past twelve.
  • 15:15 (3:15 PM) → It’s a quarter past three.
  • 9:55 → It’s five to ten.
  • 4:30 → It’s half past four.
  • 17:53 (5:53 PM) → It’s seven to six.
  • 11:35 → It’s twenty-five to twelve.
  • 20:12 (8:12 PM) → It’s twelve past eight.

Time Progression Examples (1:00 to 2:00)

  • 1:00 → It’s one o’clock.
  • 1:05 → It’s five past one.
  • 1:10 → It’s ten past one.
  • 1:15 → It’s a quarter past one.
  • 1:20 → It’s twenty past one.
  • 1:25 → It’s twenty-five past one.
  • 1:30 → It’s half past one.
  • 1:35 → It’s twenty-five to two.
  • 1:40 → It’s twenty to two.
  • 1:45 → It’s a quarter to two.
  • 1:50 → It’s ten to two.
  • 1:55 → It’s five to two.
  • 2:00 → It’s two o’clock.

Numbers in English

Number Endings

Understanding common number endings helps with pronunciation and recognition:

  • -teen (for numbers 13-19, e.g., thirteen, nineteen)
  • -ty (for tens, e.g., twenty, thirty, ninety)
    • Example: 32 → thirty-two

Asking About the Time

Common ways to ask what time it is:

  • What time is it, please? (Catalan: Quina hora és, per favor?)
  • What’s the time, please? (Catalan: Quina hora és, si us plau?)
  • Can you tell me the time, please? (Catalan: Em pots dir l’hora, si us plau?)

Responding to Time Questions

When responding, you typically use “It’s…” followed by the time.

  • Example: “It’s half past four.”
  • Example: “It’s ten to six.”

Cardinal Numbers (0-1,000,000)

Basic counting numbers:

  • 0 → Zero
  • 1 → One
  • 2 → Two
  • 3 → Three
  • 4 → Four
  • 5 → Five
  • 6 → Six
  • 7 → Seven
  • 8 → Eight
  • 9 → Nine
  • 10 → Ten
  • 11 → Eleven
  • 12 → Twelve
  • 13 → Thirteen
  • 14 → Fourteen
  • 15 → Fifteen
  • 16 → Sixteen
  • 17 → Seventeen
  • 18 → Eighteen
  • 19 → Nineteen
  • 20 → Twenty
  • 21 → Twenty-one
  • 30 → Thirty
  • 40 → Forty
  • 50 → Fifty
  • 60 → Sixty
  • 70 → Seventy
  • 80 → Eighty
  • 90 → Ninety
  • 100 → One Hundred
  • 1,000 → One Thousand
  • 10,000 → Ten Thousand
  • 1,000,000 → One Million

Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers indicate position or order (e.g., first, second, third).

  • 1st → First (Spanish: Primero)
  • 2nd → Second (Spanish: Segundo)
  • 3rd → Third (Spanish: Tercero)
  • 4th → Fourth (Spanish: Cuarto)
  • 5th → Fifth (Spanish: Quinto)
  • 6th → Sixth (Spanish: Sexto)
  • 7th → Seventh (Spanish: Séptimo)
  • 8th → Eighth (Spanish: Octavo)
  • 9th → Ninth (Spanish: Noveno)
  • 10th → Tenth (Spanish: Décimo)
  • 11th → Eleventh (Spanish: Undécimo)
  • 12th → Twelfth (Spanish: Duodécimo)
  • 13th → Thirteenth (Spanish: Decimotercero)
  • 14th → Fourteenth (Spanish: Decimocuarto)
  • 15th → Fifteenth (Spanish: Decimoquinto)
  • 16th → Sixteenth (Spanish: Decimosexto)
  • 17th → Seventeenth (Spanish: Decimoséptimo)
  • 18th → Eighteenth (Spanish: Decimoctavo)
  • 19th → Nineteenth (Spanish: Decimonoveno)
  • 20th → Twentieth (Spanish: Vigésimo)
  • 21st → Twenty-first (Spanish: Vigésimo primero)
  • 22nd → Twenty-second (Spanish: Vigésimo segundo)
  • 23rd → Twenty-third (Spanish: Vigésimo tercero)
  • 24th → Twenty-fourth (Spanish: Vigésimo cuarto)
  • 25th → Twenty-fifth (Spanish: Vigésimo quinto)
  • 26th → Twenty-sixth (Spanish: Vigésimo sexto)
  • 27th → Twenty-seventh (Spanish: Vigésimo séptimo)
  • 28th → Twenty-eighth (Spanish: Vigésimo octavo)
  • 29th → Twenty-ninth (Spanish: Vigésimo noveno)
  • 30th → Thirtieth (Spanish: Trigésimo)
  • 31st → Thirty-first (Spanish: Trigésimo primero)

Rules for Ordinal Number Endings

  • For numbers ending in 1 (except 11), add -st (e.g., 1st, 21st, 31st).
  • For numbers ending in 2 (except 12), add -nd (e.g., 2nd, 22nd).
  • For numbers ending in 3 (except 13), add -rd (e.g., 3rd, 23rd).
  • For most other numbers (ending in 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, and 11-19), add -th (e.g., 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 20th).

Basic Personal Information & Greetings

Common Greetings

  • Hello. How are you?
  • Good morning.

Personal Details Vocabulary

  • Nationality: Spanish, German
  • Country: Spain
  • City: Mataró
  • Name: Jessica
  • Surname: Fernandez Perez

Practice Activity: Basic Conversations

Read and practice these short dialogues, correcting the underlined words as you go:

  1. A: Hello, my name is Xia. And what is your name?

  2. A: Good morning, how are you?

    B: Very well, thank you. He is Max, he is German.

    A: Nice to meet you.

  3. A: Xia is from China, but she lives in Madrid.

    B: Okay.

  4. A: I am from Kenya. Where are you from?

    B: I am from Bulgaria.

  5. A: Hello, what is your name?

    B: My name is Akil.

The English Alphabet and Pronunciation

Here are the letters of the English alphabet with common phonetic pronunciations:

  • A → /eɪ/ (ay)
  • B → /biː/ (bee)
  • C → /siː/ (see)
  • D → /diː/ (dee)
  • E → /iː/ (ee)
  • F → /ɛf/ (eff)
  • G → /dʒiː/ (jee)
  • H → /eɪtʃ/ (aitch)
  • I → /aɪ/ (eye)
  • J → /dʒeɪ/ (jay)
  • K → /keɪ/ (kay)
  • L → /ɛl/ (ell)
  • M → /ɛm/ (em)
  • N → /ɛn/ (en)
  • O → /oʊ/ (oh)
  • P → /piː/ (pee)
  • Q → /kjuː/ (cue)
  • R → /ɑːr/ (ar)
  • S → /ɛs/ (ess)
  • T → /tiː/ (tee)
  • U → /juː/ (yoo)
  • V → /viː/ (vee)
  • W → /ˈdʌbəl juː/ (double-yoo)
  • X → /ɛks/ (ex)
  • Y → /waɪ/ (wye)
  • Z → /ziː/ (zee) (British English: /zɛd/ (zed))

Note on Repeated Letters: When a letter is repeated, you can say “double” followed by the letter (e.g., “double L” for “LL” in “hello”).