Essential Vocabulary and Grammar for Technical Fields
Essential Technical Vocabulary
Office and General Terms
- Run out: Terminarse
- Trip: Saltar (Interruptor)
- Fit: Colocar
- Stationary cupboard: Armario de material de oficina
- Seize up: Atascarse
- Personal database: Base de datos del personal
- Folder: Carpeta
- Toner Cartridge: Cartucho de tinta
- Loose connection: Conexión floja
- Faulty: Defectuoso
- Blown: Explotar
- Fuse: Fusible
- Report: Informe
- Seal: Sello/Junta
- Snap off: Resquebrajarse
- Leak: Fuga
- Pressure: Presión
- Remove: Eliminar
- Collect: Recoger
- Resources: Recursos
- Replacement: Recambio
- Reboot: Reiniciar
- Bearings: Rodamientos
- Shift supervisor: Supervisor de turno
- Bolt: Tornillo
- At the same time: Al mismo tiempo
- Email attachment: Archivo adjunto
- Start-up disk: Disco de arranque
- Get rid of: Deshacerse de algo
- Supplier: Proveedor
- Network: Red
- Restore: Restaurar
- Lower version: Versión anterior
- Switch off: Apagar
- Damage: Daño
- Unplug: Desenchufar
- Ladder: Escalera de mano
- Label: Etiqueta
- Basics: Básico
Safety and Workplace Procedures
- Goggles: Gafas de seguridad
- Pneumatic drill: Taladro neumático
- Not allowed: No permitido
- Compulsory/Obligatory: Obligatorio
- Hazards: Peligros
- Safety procedures: Procedimientos de seguridad
- Start a fire: Iniciar un fuego
- Slippery: Resbaladizo
- Slip over: Resbalar
- Machine hall: Sala de máquinas
- Warning signal: Señal de aviso
- Welding: Soldadura
- Ear plugs: Tapones de oídos
- Be careful: Tener cuidado
- Firefighters: Bomberos
- First aid box: Botiquín
- Fire drills: Simulacros de incendio
- Plaster: Tirita
- Fire extinguisher: Extintor
- Gloves: Guantes
- Minor injuries: Lesiones leves
- Fumes: Humos
- Inhale: Inhalar
- Naked flames: Llamas
- Location: Localización
- Greasy patch: Mancha de grasa
- Ignite: Prender (fuego)
- Bleed: Sangrar
- Trip over: Tropezarse
- Bits of wood: Trozos de madera
- Bandage: Venda
Environmental Terms
- Heat: Calentar
- Fossil fuels: Combustibles fósiles
- Energy consumption: Consumo de energía
- Melt down: Derretir
- Packaging: Empaquetado
- Alternative sources: Fuentes alternativas
- Sources of energy: Fuentes de energía
- Exhaust gases: Gases
- Minimize: Minimizar
- Environmentally-friendly: Respetuoso con el medio ambiente
- Recycling: Reciclaje
- Recycle: Reciclar
- Save energy: Ahorrar energía
- Amount: Cantidad
- Polluted: Contaminado
- Pollutants: Contaminantes
- Harmful: Perjudicial
- Dispose of/Get rid of: Deshacerse de
- Solvents: Disolventes
- Landfill: Vertedero
- Manufacturers: Fabricantes
- Laws: Leyes
- Fine: Multa
- Smog: Niebla tóxica
- Effluent treatment plant: Depuradora
- Lead: Plomo
- Budget: Presupuesto
- Cut down: Reducir
Grammar Essentials
Relative Pronouns
| Who | Which | Whose | Whom | That |
| People | Things and animals | Possessions | Object pronoun for people | Object pronoun for things |
Passive Voice
| Present Passive | Past Passive | Future Passive | Present Perfect Passive | Past Perfect Passive |
| Am/is/are + Past Participle | Was/were + Past Participle | Will be + Past Participle | Have/has + been + Past Participle | Had + been + Past Participle |
Conditional Sentences
| 0 Conditional | 1st Conditional | 2nd Conditional | 3rd Conditional |
| If + present, present | If + present, will + verb | If + past simple, would + verb | If + had + past participle, would + have + past participle |
Modal Verbs
1. CAN: Ability, permission. (e.g., I can play the piano. He can speak Chinese. You can’t drive. When I was five I couldn’t ride a bike, but I could talk. Can you write poetry?)
2. MUST: Obligation. (e.g., You must wear a helmet.)
MUSTN’T: Prohibition. (e.g., You mustn’t smoke here.)
3. SHOULD: Advice. (e.g., You should study every day. If you want to be fit, you should do more exercise, and you shouldn’t eat sweets. Should I bring anything?)