Mastering English: Conditionals, Passive Voice, and Phrasal Verbs
Posted on Jan 8, 2026 in English
Key English Vocabulary and Phrasal Verbs
- Bring back – Devolver, traer de vuelta
- Carry out – Llevar a cabo
- Cheer up – Animarse
- Come up with – Proponer, ocurrírsele
- Conductor – Director de orquesta
- Ethnic diversity – Diversidad étnica
- Extremism – Extremismo
- Find out – Averiguar
- Get back to – Volver a (contactar, responder)
- Get away – Escaparse
- Human interest stories – Historias humanas/interesantes
- Lead guitarist – Guitarrista principal
- Live gig – Concierto en vivo
- Live in camps to make a better life – Vivir en campamentos para tener una vida mejor
- Look up – Buscar
- Make a better life – Mejorar la vida (Note: Corrected from ‘make a better live’)
- Musical score – Partitura musical
- Noise pollution – Contaminación acústica
- Outdoor stage – Escenario al aire libre
- Performance – Actuación
- Poverty – Pobreza
- Press photographer – Fotógrafo de prensa
- Put up with (tolerate) – Aguantar, tolerar
- Reaction of local people – Reacción de la gente local
- Shut down – Cerrar, clausurar
- Social issues – Problemas sociales
- Stage (outdoor stage) – Escenario (escenario al aire libre)
- Switch off – Apagar
- Take in (provide accommodation) – Acoger (ofrecer alojamiento)
- Take up – Retomar, empezar
- Thrown into the sea – Arrojado al mar
- Track – Pista (de música)
- Turn out – Resultar ser
- Turn up – Aparecer, llegar
- War, prepared to risk everything – Guerra, dispuesto a arriesgarlo todo
Real English: Informal and Common Expressions
- Dance their hearts out – Bailar con todas sus ganas
- Give something back – Devolver algo (a la comunidad, por ejemplo)
- Got a point – Tener razón
- Has not a clue – No tener ni idea
- Make a real difference – Marcar una verdadera diferencia
- Miss the point – No entender el punto
- Nail it – Clavarlo, hacerlo perfecto
- Put your dancing shoes on – ¡Prepárate para bailar!
- Ring a bell – Sonar familiar
- Sound like a broken record – Sonar como disco rayado
- Do your bit – Poner de tu parte
English Conditional Sentences Structure
| Type | Structure (If Clause, Main Clause) | Usage | Example |
|---|
| Zero Conditional | If + Present Simple, Present Simple | General facts or truths | If you touch fire, it burns |
| First Conditional | If + Present Simple, Will + Infinitive | Real or probable future events | If it rains, I’ll stay |
| Second Conditional | If + Past Simple, Would + Infinitive | Hypothetical present/future situations | If I had money, I’d travel |
| Third Conditional | If + Past Perfect, Would have + Past Participle | Hypothetical past situations (regrets) | If I had studied, I’d have passed |
| Mixed Conditional | If + Past Perfect, Would + Infinitive | Past condition + present result | If I had slept, I’d feel better |
Passive Voice Structures Across Tenses
| Tense | Structure | English Example | Spanish Translation |
|---|
| Present Simple | am/is/are + past participle | The book is read by many students. | El libro es leído por muchos estudiantes. |
| Past Simple | was/were + past participle | The house was built in 1990. | La casa fue construida en 1990. |
| Future Simple | will be + past participle | The cake will be made tomorrow. | El pastel será hecho mañana. |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are being + past participle | A song is being played. | Una canción está siendo tocada. |
| Past Continuous | was/were being + past participle | The wall was being painted. | La pared estaba siendo pintada. |
| Present Perfect | has/have been + past participle | The car has been repaired. | El coche ha sido reparado. |
| Past Perfect | had been + past participle | The letter had been sent. | La carta había sido enviada. |
| Future Perfect | will have been + past participle | The work will have been finished. | El trabajo habrá sido terminado. |
| Modal + Passive | modal + be + past participle | The rules must be followed. | Las reglas deben ser seguidas. |
