IELTS Training: Using Collocations to Boost Your IELTS Score

Classroom - IELTS, Learn English / By Vaikundamoni

Collocations to increase world power for IELTS writing test.

It is noticed that IELTS learners often face difficulties when it comes to collocations which can be defined as the natural combination of words or the correct arrangement of words in a sentence. With regard to the IELTS Writing Task 2, IELTS test takers should make the most of collocations to ace the IELTS Writing test. This means IELTS learners shouldn’t learn individual words by themselves and should focus on what other words they are used with. The very first article about collocations on this website will equip you with 20 useful collocations to build up your vocabulary & maximize your IELTS score. It is widely acknowledged that collocations play an important role in second language learning, particularly at the intermediate and advanced levels. Collocations enhance improvement of learners’ oral communication, listening comprehension, and reading speed, and that teaching collocation enables learners to be aware of language chunks used by native speakers in speech and writing. Here are 20 collocations that you can use to improve your essay in IELTS Writing Task 2 1-To play/have a(n) important/key/vital/crucial role in (doing) sth: to play an important part in sth

University education plays a crucial role in improving the quality of human workforce.

2-To make significant/substantial/valuable/ great/outstanding contribution to sth

The medical advances have made outstanding contributions to the public’s health care.

3-To solve the problem

Whoever created this problem should solve it.

4-To be key factors influencing something

The number of the vehicles used is the key factors influencing pollution.

5-To reap the benefits (of sth) – gain benefit from something/ make the most of something

The customers reap the benefits of globalization.

6- To be a contributing factor: to be one of the main causes of sth

The vaccination program has been a contributing factor in the improvement of health standards.

7-To contribute to sth

Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths a year in the US.

8-To gain/derive benefit (from sth)

Many students derived enormous benefit from the course.

9-To have a right to do sth = to be entitled to do sth

Everyone should have the right to freedom of expression.
Full-time employees are entitled to receive health insurance.

10-To benefit greatly/enormously/considerably … from sth

Many thousands have benefited considerably from the new treatment.

11-To have/enjoy/achieve a huge/great success in doing sth

We want all our students to achieve a huge success in the exam

12- To launch a full-scale investigation into sth

The authorities are planning to launch a full-scale investigation into the crash.

13- To meet the need of/demand

The charity exists to meet the needs of elderly people.

14-To fulfil a role/duty/function/ an aim/a goal/an objective/dream/ambition/hope

Visiting Disneyland has fulfilled a boyhood dream.

15-To fulfil a requirement/condition/obligation

Britain was accused of failing to fulfill its obligation under the EU Treaty.

16-To fulfil a promise/pledge = to keep a promise

I’d like to see him fulfill his promise to reorganize the army.

17-To satisfy sb’s needs/demands/desires/requirements

The program is designed to satisfy the needs of adult learners.

18-To have/gain knowledge/understanding of sth

The need to gain knowledge about birth control.

19- To have/make common cause (with/against)

S officials expect other Western governments to make common cause with them over the arrests.

20- To cause somebody to do something

What caused you to change your mind ?

Using Collocations to Boost Your IELTS Score

The correct use of collocations is an essential part of improving your English level and boosting your IELTS score. Using collocations correctly allows you to write and speak more like a native speaker and they are also one of the things that examiners look out for when marking your tests. Learning new words as part of a collocation is a much more effective way of improving our vocabulary than simply learning single words by themselves. Collocations are two or more words that naturally go together. They sound ‘correct’ to a native speaker. Using other combinations that do not form natural collocations might sound ‘incorrect’.

Examples

We could describe a night out as ‘great fun’, but we would not describe it as ‘big fun’. Similarly, we could describe the rain as being ‘heavy’, but we would not say that it is ‘weighty’ or ‘big’ rain. There are many different types of collocations that you should be aware of. Below are the main ones and some examples. Please note that this is not a list of collocations that you should use in your test, just some examples to help you understand what collocations are.

Adverb + Adjective

It’s vitally important to learn collocations.

Using Collocations to Boost Your IELTS Score

Examples

Adverb + Adjective

It’s vitally important to learn collocations. I’m terribly sorry to bother you. The baby was fast asleep. It would be utterly stupid not to learn collocations. I’m completely satisfied with his explanation. Note that the adverb can often be replaced with the simpler words ‘very’ or ‘really’. Try to avoid these and use a more advanced collocation, like the ones above.

Adjective + Noun

There’s been heavy rain all day in Ireland. There’s a strong chance I’ll get a high score. I’m under severe pressure to get the job finished this week. It’s been a hard day at the office. The patient was in excruciating pain when they arrived.

Noun + Noun

I experience a surge of anger when I saw what he’d done. We gave her a round of applause after the speech. I normally just drink a pint of beer when I go out.

Noun + Verb

A lion roars, they do not shout. The children played as the snow began to fall. The price of heating oil falls as temperatures rise.

Verb + Noun

Will someone please answer the phone? Click on the link below to send me an email. You can arrange an appointment with the doctor online.

How Can Collocations Improve My IELTS Score?

IELTS examiners will be listening out for effective use of collocations when you are doing your speaking test. They will also look for good use of them in your writing test. In short, appropriate and accurate use of them will help boost your score. Does that mean that you should learn a long list of them? NO! Instead, you should make collocations part of your vocabulary building process. When you learn a new word, you should find out which words it collocates with. A quick Google search will help you find all the main collocations easily. You can then write down example sentences containing the collocations. This will help you remember the word more effectively, so you will be broadening your vocabulary and this will help you in all parts of the test.

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Italian: Present Perfect

Classroom - Italian, Learn Italian / By Vaikundamoni

Present Perfect Sentences in Italian Now, this article deals with the usage of ‘Passato Prossimo’, i.e., the present perfect tense which will help you in strengthening your grammar even further so that you come to more fully enjoy the beauty of the language.

The present perfect tense is used in the following situations:

an action which took place a short time ago.
an action which took place some time ago and the results of the action can still be felt in the present
an experience in your life
an action which has finished but the time period (e.g. this year , this week, today) hasn’t finished yet

The present perfect is formed in the following way:

il presente indicativo dei verbi essere o avere

Auxiliary to have/ to be in the present form

il participio passato del verbo in questione Past participle

Steps

1

Present perfect tense or passato prossimo refers to that action which has already taken place in the past but has still has its effect in the present. For example: I have eaten.
2
Now, in Italian the passato prossimo is formed with the present indicative of essere or avere + the past participle of the main verb.
- For example: Io ho mangiato (I have eaten)
3
Many verbs have a regular form of the past participle.
- ARE – cantare (to sing) – cantato
- ERE – credere (to believe) – creduto
- IRE – dormire (to sleep) – dormito
4
Some of the common irregular past participle are :
- aprire (to open) – aperto
- bere (to drink) – bevuto
- chiedere (to ask) – chiesto
- chiudere (to close) – chiuso
- dire (to say/tell) – detto
- fare (to do/make) – fatto
- prendere (to take) – preso
- scrivere (to write) – scritto
- tradurre (to translate) – tradotto
- vivere (to live) – vissuto
- vedere (to see) – visto (veduto)
5
Also, there are certain rules that must be kept in mind. These can be called ‘Past participle agreement’.
- I.e., when ‘essere’ (to be) is used the past participle agrees with the subject, both in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine).
- For example: Gloria è andata in discoteca sabato sera. (Gloria went to the disco Saturday evening)
- In the above example since Gloria is female, the past participle ‘andare’ becomes ‘andata’. If it had been a male then it would have been ‘andato’.
- Another example: Siamo tornati dalle vacanze da poco e ora non abbiamo voglia di lavorare. (We returned from vacation recently and now we don’t want to work)
- In the above example since the past participle ‘tornare’ is in the plural form.
- When ‘avere’ is used there is usually no need for past participle agreement.
- For example: Cinzia ha ordinato una birra gelata. (Cinzia has ordered a really cold beer)
- When past participle follows a direct object pronoun the agreement is optional.
- For example: Vi hanno sentito/ti cantare giovedi sera a teatro. (They heard you sing at the theatre on Thursday evening)
6

But there is an exception. When the pronouns lo, la, l’, li, and le, are used with ‘avere’, then the agreement is necessary.

COMMON EXPRESSIONS USED WITH IL PASSATO PROSSIMO

ieri	yesterday
ieri pomeriggio	yesterday afternoon
ieri sera	last night
il mese scorso	last month
l’altro giorno	the other day
stamattina	this morning
tre giorni fa	three days ago

Conjugating regular Italian verbs in the Passato Prossimo

The Passato Prossimo is most often used like what we would call the “Simple Past” or “Present Perfect”. It is formed by using either the verb essere or avere in the present tense followed by the past participle of the verb you want to use. For Example if you wanted to say “I ate” you would first conjugate avere in the present tense and then follow it with mangiato, the past participle for mangiare. With the subject pronoun included it would look like this;

Io ho mangiato (I ate or I have eaten) Regular past participles are easy to form. You simple remove the infinitive ending and apply the past participle ending as shown below; Verbs ending in ARE use ATO, for example; mangiare – are = mangi + ato = mangiato Verbs ending in ERE use UTO, for example; credere – ere = cred + uto = creduto Verbs ending in IRE use ITO, for example; finire – ire = fin + ito = finito There are many verbs that use an irregular past participle. These you will need to commit to memory.

Verbs ending in ARE ato

Verbs ending in ERE uto

Verbs ending in IRE ito

To conjugate the regular ARE verbs in the passato prossimo = conjugated auxiliary verb + (infinitive verb – infinitive ending = verb stem + past participle ending) = conjugated verb. Example; Abbiamo (to have for we) + [Parlare (To Speak) – are = Parl + ato (past pariciple ending)] = Abbiamo Parlato (We spoke or we have spoken) Parlare conjugated in the passato prossimo

Io Tu Lui/Lei Noi Voi Loro

Ho parlato Hai parlato Ha parlato Abbiamo parlato Avete parlato Hanno parlato

I spoke or have spoken You spoke or have spoken He/She/It spoke or has spoken We spoke or have spoken Y’all spoke or have spoken They spoke or have spoken

To conjugate the regular ERE verbs in the passato prossimo = conjugated auxiliary verb + (infinitive verb – infinitive ending = verb stem + past participle ending) = conjugated verb. Example; Abbiamo (to have for we) + [Credere (To Believe) – ere = Cred + uto (past pariciple ending)] = Abbiamo Creduto (We believed or we have believed) Credere conjugated in the passato prossimo

Io Tu Lui/Lei Noi Voi Loro

Ho creduto Hai creduto Ha creduto Abbiamo creduto Avete creduto Hanno creduto

I believed or have believed You believed or have believed He/She/It believed or has believed We believed or have believed Y’all believed or have believed They believed or have believed

To conjugate the regular IRE verbs in thepassato prossimo = conjugated auxiliary verb + (infinitive verb – infinitive ending = verb stem + past participle ending) = conjugated verb. Example; Abbiamo (to have for we) + [Sentire (To Hear) – ire = Sent + ito (past pariciple ending)] = Abbiamo Sentito (We heard or we have heard) Credere conjugated in the passato prossimo

Io Tu Lui/Lei Noi Voi Loro

Ho sentito Hai sentito Ha sentito Abbiamo sentito Avete sentito Hanno sentito

I heard or have heard You heard or have heard He/She/It heard or has heard We heard or have heard Y’all heard or have heard They heard or have hear

Choosing the correct auxiliary verb when using Passato Prossimo

The book “English Grammar for Students of Italian” says regarding auxiliary verb selection for the Passato Prossimo: “1. All transitive verbs (the verbs which can take a direct object…) use the auxiliary avere. 2. All reflexive verbs use the auxiliary essere … 3. Intrasitive verbs … can use avere or essere …” Due to the third point, some memory work is required to determine which verbs use essere. You can find a list of common verbs conjugated with Essere in the Passato Prossimo on page 53 of the book Verb Drills by Paola Nanni-Tate It is important to note here than when you use a verb in the Passato Prossimo with the verb essere, the past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number. For example the verb andare or “to go” Lui è andato (he went) or Lei è andata (she went) Gli uomini sono andanti (the men went) or Le donne sono andate (the women went) As is always the case with gender when the plural subject is a mix of masculine and feminine you use the masculine. Now lets look at the verb Andare in the passato prossimo = conjugated auxiliary verb + (infinitive verb – infinitive ending = verb stem + past participle ending that agrees in gender and number) = conjugated verb. Example; siamo (to be for we) + [Andare (To go) – are = And + ati (past pariciple ending for masculine plural)] = Siamo Andati (We went or we have gone) Andare conjugated in the passato prossimo

Io Tu Lui/Lei Noi Voi Loro

Sono andato or andata Sei andato or andata È andato or andata Siamo andati or andate Siete andati or andate Sono andati or andate

I went or have gone You went or have gone He/She/It went or has gone We went or have gone Y’all went or have gone They went or have gone

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Italian: Present Continuous Tense

Classroom - Italian, Learn Italian / By Vaikundamoni

The present continuous tense in Italian The present simple tense in Italian can mean both ”I do” and “I am doing”. But there is also a present continuous or progressive form, equivalent to English “I am ….ing”: To form this tense you use: the present tense of stare [not essere] sto stai sta stiamo state stanno plus the present participle, sometimes called the gerund. Grammaticians argue about the term “gerund” so we will call it the present participle. You form it like this: – are verbs camminare –-> camminando – ere verbs vendere –-> vendendo – ire verbs finire –-> finendo There are some irregular forms: fare [to do / make] – facendo dire [to say] – dicendo bere [to drink] – bevendo The present participle does not agree [ie., there are no feminine or plural forms]. We use this tense to express what someone is in the process of doing at this moment: Cosa stai facendo? – What are you doing? Sto lavorando – I’m working Sta dormendo – He is sleeping Stiamo finendo ora ! – We’re finishing now! Note that we cannot use this tense to express the future in the way that we use the present continuous in English. [“ I’m holidaying in France next year.”] This tense is used less than the present continuous in English and if you are in doubt, we advise you to use the present simple tense. But you will hear people use this form. Now you try: Put the verbs in brackets into the present participle form: ria sta [scrivere] ____________ una lettera. Stiamo [guardare] ____________ il telegiornale. Sto [aspettare] ____________ il treno. Cosa stai [leggere] ____________? I ragazzi stanno [partire] ____________ ora. Now put the correct form of the present tense of stare in the gaps: Giovanni ______ mangiando. Io ____ finendo il lavoro. I bambini ______ dormendo. Cosa _______ facendo, ragazzi? Dove _____ andando, Maria? [tu form]

Il gerundio (the gerund) refers to the use of a verb in its –ing form. For example ‘I am writing’, I was thinking, he is talking, etc. In Italian il gerundio (the gerund) is characterised by the following endings:

Verbs ending in –are = ando e.g. mangiando (eating) from the verb mangiare (to eat)

Verbs ending in –ere and –ire = endo e.g. cuocendo (cooking) from the verb cuocere (to cook), pulendo (cleaning) from the verb pulire (to clean).

Now let’s look at the most common uses of il gerundio in Italian:

1. Presente Continuato (Present Continuous)

The gerund is used with the present tense of verb stare (to be/to stay) to form the present continuous:

stiamo mangiando = we are eating

Giovanni sta riposando = Giovanni is resting

cosa state facendo? = what are you doing? (you plural)

stai lavorando? = are you working? (you singular, informal)

sto pulendo le finestre = I’m cleaning the windows

le patate stanno cuocendo = the potatoes are cooking

N.B. The present continuous is not considered an official Italian tense, and when I was a child we were not allowed to use it in writing, we had to use the simple present instead. Nowadays the present continuous is interchangeable with the simple present to describe what is happening in this exact moment, e.g.:

cosa state facendo or cosa fate? = what are you doing? (literally: what do you do?)

stai lavorando? or lavori? = are you working? (literally: you work?)

sto pulendo le finestre or pulisco le finestre = I’m cleaning the windows (literally: I clean the windows)

Note that this tense form is used less frequently in Italian than in English. It’s normal to hear the simple present used instead of the progressive form we’re studying here. For example: “Vado, ciao!” (“I’m going, bye!”) rather than “Sto andando, ciao!”, which would sound rather fussy. Nevertheless, the progressive present form is used to specify/emphasise that an action that is taking place at the time of speaking, for example: Lisa sta leggendo. I bambini stanno giocando. Sto facendo la fila. The tense form is constructed using the verb ‘stare’ as an auxiliary, along with the present participle (gerundio) form of the base verb. ‘Stare’ conjugates like this: io sto tu stai lui/lei sta noi stiamo voi state loro stanno And what about the present participle? No worries. As in English, it’s easy. Verbs ending in -are form the present participle by adding the suffix -ando to the root of the verb. For example: lavorare-lavorando giocare-giocando guidare-guidando Verbs ending in -ere/-ire form the present participle by adding the suffix -endo to the root of the verb, as in these examples: leggere-leggendo tenere-tenendo venire-venendo dormire-dormendo The following three verbs are the only irregular ones: fare-facendo dire-dicendo bere-bevendo]]>

Italian Simple Present Tense

Classroom - Italian, Learn Italian / By Vaikundamoni

Present Tense The present tense in Italian is essentially the same as in English. The only difference is that it can also be used as the present continuous, so “I do” and “I am doing” are conjugated the same way. The English present continuous, however, is expressed in a better way by a more complex construction with the verb “stare” and the “gerundio” form (the English -ing form). Also note that the subject pronoun can be dropped from a conjugated verb because the ending of the conjugated verb communicates the subject of the action. Present Tense Conjugations 1, 2, & 3 To conjugate regular verbs follow this method: 1) Drop the ending from the infinitive to give the stem. Exx. lavorare (to work) → lavor- 2) Add the correct ending: Exx. lavorare → lavor- → lavoro

person	-are	-ere	-ire

io	-o	-o	-o
tu	-i	-i	-i
lui/lei	-a	-e	-e
noi	-iamo	-iamo	-iamo
voi	-ate	-ete	-ite
loro	-ano	-ono	-ono

So, for example, parlare (to speak) would be conjugated as follows:

(Io) parlo (“I speak / am speaking”)

(Tu) parli (“You speak / you are speaking”)

(Egli/ella/Lei/Lui) parla

(Noi) parliamo

(Voi) parlate

(Essi/Loro) parlano

Note: Egli, ella, and essi are older versions of lui, lei, and loro, respectively, but are still used occasionally today.

3rd Conjugation Verbs taking “-isc-”

Many 3rd Conjugation verbs add the letters -isc- between the stem and the ending for the present tense. This is constructed as follows: finire(to end/finish)

person	ire

io	-isco	io finisco
tu	-isci	tu finisci
lui/lei/Lei	-isce	lui/lei/Lei finisce
noi	-iamo	noi finiamo
voi	-ite	voi finite
loro	-iscono	loro finiscono

Remember that, when followed by i or e, -sc- sounds like the English ‘shake’ (/ʃ/) (; if a, o or u follow, it will be read as “sk” (/sk/).

In Italian, the present indicative tense works much like the present tense in English. To conjugate Italian verbs in the present indicative tense, you first need to understand that Italian infinitives (the “to” form, as in to die, to sleep, to dream) end in one of three ways — and that you conjugate the verb based on that ending:

Verbs that end in -are
Verbs that end in -ere
Verbs that end in -ire

The endings of regular verbs don’t change. Master the endings for each mode and tense, and you’re good to go! Keep in mind that verbs agree with subjects and subject pronouns (io, tu, lui/lei/Lei, noi, voi, loro/Loro):

Common Regular Italian Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense
Subject Pronoun	Lavorare (to work)	Prendere (to take; to order)	Partire (to leave)	Capire (to understand)
io	lavoro	prendo	parto	capisco
tu	lavori	prendi	parti	capisci
lui/lei/Lei	lavora	prende	parte	capisce
noi	lavoriamo	prendiamo	partiamo	capiamo
voi	lavorate	prendete	partite	capite
loro/Loro	lavorano	prendono	partono	capiscono

Unfortunately, there are also irregular verbs, which you have to memorize. You’ll find that the more you practice them, the easier it is to use them in conversation:

Common Irregular Italian Verbs in the Present Indicative Tense
Subject Pronoun	Andare (to go)	Bere (to drink)	Dare (to give)	Fare (to do)	Stare (to stay)	Venire (to come)
io	vado	bevo	do	faccio	sto	vengo
tu	vai	bevi	dai	fai	stai	vieni
lui/lei/Lei	va	beve	dà	fa	sta	viene
noi	andiamo	beviamo	diamo	facciamo	stiamo	veniamo
voi	andate	bevete	date	fate	state	venite
loro/Loro	vanno	bevono	danno	fanno	stanno	vengono

The Passato Prossimo

The Passato Prossimo is one of the most commonly used past tenses in Italian. It is a compound tense, therefore the auxiliary verbs avere and essere are used in conjugation. Note that the following conjugations are both irregular. Avere- to have

Io ho

Tu hai

Lui/Lei ha

Noi abbiamo

Voi avete

Loro hanno

Essere- to be

Io sono

Tu sei

Lui/Lei è

Noi siamo

Voi siete

Loro sono

Italian verbs with infinitives ending in -ere are called second-conjugation (seconda coniugazione) or -ere verbs. The present tense of a regular -ere verb is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the appropriate endings (-o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono) to the stem. For an example on how to conjugate a regular second-conjugation verb, take a look the following table.

PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION OF SCRIVERE (TO WRITE)
PERSON	SINGULAR	PLURAL
I	(io) scrivo (I write)	(noi) scriviamo (we write)
II	(tu) scrivi (you write, familiar)	(voi) scrivete (you write, familiar)
III	(Lei) scrive (you write, formal)	(Loro) scrivono (you write, formal)
	(lui/lei) scrive (he/she writes)	(loro) scrivono (they write)

Second-conjugation (-ere) verbs account for approximately one-quarter of all Italian verbs. Although many have some sort of irregular structure, there are also many regular verbs (see the following table for examples) which are conjugated in the same way as scrivere.

COMMON SECOND-CONJUGATION VERBS
accendere	to light, ignite; turn/switch on
battere	to beat, to hit
cadere	to fall
chiedere	to ask
conoscere	to know
correre	to run
credere	to believe
descrivere	to describe
eleggere	to elect
leggere	to read
mettere	to put, to place
mordere	to bite
nascere	to be born
offendere	to offend
perdere	to lose
rimanere	to remain, to stay
ridere	to laugh
rompere	to break
vendere	to sell
sopravvivere	to survive

While the infinitive forms of both first- and third-conjugation Italian verbs always have the accent on the final -are or -ire, second-conjugation verbs are often pronounced with the accent on the third-to-last syllable, as in prendere (PREHN-deh-ray).

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Spanish Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense

Classroom - Spanish, Learn Spanish / By Vaikundamoni

Spanish Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense

The most common set of verbs in Spanish and perhaps the most important set of verbs that need to be learned first is the present indicative tense. Although there are conjugations that are easier to learn, the present indicative tense is used the most. Native English speakers conjugate regular verbs all the time without thinking about it, for the past tense add a “d” or “ed” to the end of a verb, and for the present tense, add an “s” or “es” to indicate a person or thing is performing an action.

BASIC SPANISH CONJUGATION RULES

The conjugation of Spanish verbs is a little trickier than in English. A speaker needs to consider several different tenses, moods, gender and agreement in person according to what needs to be conveyed in the sentence. Spanish verb endings can indicate when the action occurs, and also give the listener a better idea of who or what is performing the action. The present tense means that the action is occurring now. The indicative mood means that the sentence is a statement of fact. To conjugate a verb in the present indicative, remove the infinitive ending of the regular verb, in this case -ar, -er or -ir, and replace it with an ending that gives an indication as to “the person” that is performing the action of the verb.

REGULAR VERB CONJUGATION

In English and in Spanish, the infinitive form of the verb is the base verb, the standard form of the verb. In the case of English, “to speak,” is the infinitive form of the action of speaking.

The Spanish translation of “to speak,” is hablar. Hablar is a regular verb in Spanish, which means its endings can change in a predictive pattern according to tense, person and mood.

For example, hablar is the infinitive of a common regular verb ending in -ar. Remove the -ar, which leaves the stem of the verb habl-.

If the person “speaking” in the sentence is in the first person, that would mean the sentence would be conjugated to be “I speak.” In Spanish, when conjugating or changing the stem into a first-person verb, take the stem and add -o, forming the word hablo. “I speak” is Yo hablo.

To say “you speak,” which is the singular, informal, second person, add -as to the stem, forming the word hablas. “You speak” is Tu hablas. The endings are slightly different for verbs that end in -er and -ir, but the principle is the same. Remove the infinitive ending, then add the appropriate ending to the remaining stem.

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -AR VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

Person	-Ar Ending	Example: Hablar	Translation: To Speak
yo	-o	hablo	I speak
tú	-as	hablas	you (informal) speak
él, ella, usted	-a	habla	he/she speak, you (formal) speak
nosotros, nosotras	-amos	hablamos	we speak
vosotros, vosotras	-áis	habláis	you speak (informal)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	-an	hablan	they speak, you (formal) speak

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -ER VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

Person	-Er Ending	Example: Aprender	Translation: To Learn
yo	-o	aprendo	I learn
tú	-es	aprendes	you (informal) learn
él, ella, usted	-e	aprende	he/she learns, you (formal) learn
nosotros, nosotras	-emos	aprendemos	we learn
vosotros, vosotras	-éis	aprendéis	you learn (informal)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	-en	aprenden	they learn, you (formal) learn

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -IR VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

Person	-Ir Ending	Example: Vivir	Translation: To Live
yo	-o	vivo	I live
tú	-es	vives	you (informal) live
él, ella, usted	-e	vive	he/she lives, you (formal) live
nosotros, nosotras	-imos	vivimos	we live
vosotros, vosotras	-ís	vivis	you live (informal)
ellos, ellas, ustedes	-en	viven	they live, you (formal) live

IRREGULAR VERB CONJUGATION

Although most verbs conjugate regularly, the most common verbs in Spanish usually do not. This is similar to English, where the most common verbs such as “to be” and “to go” are also irregular verbs.

PRESENT INDICATIVE CONJUGATIONS OF COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS

Infinitive	Translation	Conjugations
dar	to give	yo doy, tú das, usted/él/ella da, nosotros/nosotras damos, vosotros/vosotras dais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dan
estar	to be	yo estoy, tú estás, usted/él/ella está, nosotros/nosotras estamos, vosotros/vosotras estáis, ustedes/ellos/ellas están
hacer	to make	yo hago, tú haces, usted/él/ella hace, nosotros/nosotras hacemos, vosotros/vosotras hacéis, ustedes/ellos/ellas hacen
ir	to go	yo voy, tú vas, usted/él/ella va, nosotros/nosotras vamos, vosotros/vosotras vais, ustedes/ellos/ellas van
poder	to be able to	yo puedo, tú puedes, usted/él/ella puedes, nosotros/nosotras podemos, vosotros/vosotras podéis, ustedes/ellos/ellas pueden
ser	to be	yo soy, tú eres, usted/él/ella es, nosotros/nosotras somos, vosotros/vosotras sois, ustedes/ellos/ellas son
tener	to have	yo tengo, tú tienes, usted/él/ella tiene, nosotros/nosotras tenemos, vosotros/vosotras tenéis, ustedes/ellos/ellas tienen

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Separable verbs in German

Classroom - German, General, Learn German / By Vaikundamoni

Separable verbs in German (Trennbare Verben) One of the things that is the most surprising (and exasperating) when you start learning German is the idea of a separable verb. We’re going to look at what they are and how to conjugate them in more detail. They are similar to phrasal verbs in English.

Introduction to Separable Verbs

For these verbs, the particle is separated and placed at the end of the clause for simple verb tenses (as long as the clause is not subordinate or relative). Let´s look at the separable verb “absagen” (cancel) as an example. The verb is formed by the particle ab and the verb sagen. “Sagen” alone means to say, but together with the particle “ab” it means “cancel”.

Er sagt ein Konzert ab He cancelled the concert

As you can observe in this example, the particle “ab” is placed at the end of the clause. This property of separating only takes place in verb tenses that do not have an auxiliary verb (helping verb).

Präsens (present)

Person	Conjugation	Translation
ich	sag-e […] ab	I cancel
du	sag-st […] ab	you cancel
er/sie/es	sag-t […] ab	he/she/it cancels
wir	sag-en […] ab	we cancel
ihr	sag-t […] ab	you cancel (speaking to a group)
sie	sag-en […] ab	they cancel

Präteritum (past simple)

Person	Conjugation	Translation
ich	sag-t-e […] ab	I cancelled
du	sag-te-st[…] ab	you cancelled
er/sie/es	sag-t-e […] ab	he/she/it cancelled
wir	sag-t-en […] ab	we cancelled
ihr	sag-te-t […] ab	you cancelled
sie	sag-t-en […] ab	they cancelled

Imperativ (Imperative)

Person	Conjugation	Translation
2nd person singular	sag […] ab	cancel
1st person plural	sag-en wir […] ab	Let’s cancel
2nd person plural	sag-t […] ab	cancel
polite form (Sie)	sag-en Sie […] ab	cancel

The construction of the “Partizip II”

To make the Partizip II for the separable verb, you do the same as you would for the “Partizip II” for verbs that are not separted and add the particle as a prefix.

Infinitive	Partizip II	Translation
absagen	abgesagt	cancelled
aufmachen	aufgemacht	opened
umsteigen	umgestiegen	changed
zumachen	zugemacht	closed

Separable Verbs in Subordinate Clauses

For subordinate clauses, separable verbs behave like normal verbs, meaning that they aren´t separate:

Sie hat erzählt, dass er ein Konzert absagt She said that he’s cancelling a concert

Separable Verbs in Relative Clauses

In relative clauses the separable verbs do not split:

Ich schickte dir eine SMS, die nie ankam I sent you a text that never arrived

Separable verbs in Clauses “(um)” + “zu”

Compound clauses with “(um) + zu”, the separable verbs are split by placing the preposition zu between the particle and the verb:

Es ist schwer, das Spiel wegzulegen It’s difficult to put down this game

Separable particles

Sometimes, particles change the meaning of the verb they accompany just slightly, other times drastically. Separable particles are:

Separable particles
ab- an- auf- aus- auseinander- bei- dar-	durch- ein- entgegen- entlang- fehl- fest-	her- herein- los- mit- nach- über- um- unter-	vor- vorbei- weg- weiter- wieder- zu- zurück-

“ab-“

absagen [cancel]
abschrauben [unscrew]
absegeln [sail away]
abbiegen [turn]

“an-“

anleiten [guide]
anmelden [register]
anrufen [call]
anfangen [start]
anhalten [stop]
ankommen [arrive]
anbieten [offer]
anpassen [adapt]
anschließen [connect]

“auf-“

aufheizen [heat up]
aufhaben [wear]
aufstehen [to stand up]

“aus-“

aussteigen [to get off/to exit (the bus)]
aussehen [to look/to apear] (Ex: “She looks beautiful” NOT “She looks at a map)”

“auseinander-“

auseinandersetzen to deal with/to argue with]

“bei-“

beitragen [contribute]

“dar-“

darstellen [to represent]

“durch-“

durchlesen [to read through]
durchgehen [to pass through]

The particle “durch-” is sometimes not separable. For example: durchqueren[to traverse]

“ein-“

einsteigen [to step into/to enter (on the bus)]
einkaufen [to go shopping]
einschalten [to turn on]
einladen [to invite]It is not always separable

“entgegen-“

entgegenstellen [to oppose]

“entlang-“

entlangfahren [to drive along]

“fehl-“

fehlschlagen [to backfire]

“fest-“

festlegen [to determine]

“her-“

herstellen [to manufacture]

“herein-“

hereintreten [to step in]

“los-“

losgehen [to get going]

“mit-“

mitmachen [to participate]

“nach-“

nacharbeiten [to rework]

“über-“

überstreifen [to shuffle on/slip over]

The particle “über” is normally not separable. For example: überdenken [reconsider]

“um-“

umsteigen [change (trains)]

“unter-“

unterlegen [to place underneath]

The particle “unter-” is sometimes not separable.

“vor-“

vorlesen [to read aloud]
vorsehen [to provide]

“vorbei-“

vorbeimarschieren [to march by]

“weg-“

wegnehmen [to take away]

“weiter-“

weiterentwickeln [to perfect/improve]

“wieder-“

wiedergeben [to return (something)] It is not always separable:wiederholen [to repeat] (not separable)

“zu-“

zumachen [to close]

“zurück-“

zurückkommen [to come back]

The special case of particle placement

As we said, the separable particle of the verb is placed at the end of the sentence:

Geht er ins Kino mit? Is he going to the movie theater?

But if a complement is taken for granted (it doesn’t provide new information) in street German (although this is not correct) is placed at the end, leaving the particle inside the sentence so that we hear:

Geht er mit ins Kino? Is he going to the movie theater?

Verbs:Präsens – Trennbare Verben

One facet of verbs is that they can be preceded by prefixes, small units of language that somehow modify or enhance the meaning of basic verbs. Although there are some patterns as to how these prefixes affect the verbs’ meaning, for the most part you just need to learn the individual verbs.

Die sieben Zwerge sehen im Wohnzimmer fern.	The seven dwarves are watching TV in the living room.
Chef spielt ihnen Disneys ‘Snow White’ vor.	Doc is playing them Disney’s Snow White.
Er lädt natürlich auch Schneewittchen ein.	He invites Snow White as well, of course.
Sie bringt frische Kekse und Kräutertee mit.	She brings fresh cookies and herbal tea (to the party).
Als Schneewittchen im Film in den Apfel beißt, fängt Brummbär an, laut zu weinen, und läuft schnell weg … Er kann diese Szene gar nicht ausstehen!	As Snow White bites into the apple in the film, Grumpy starts to cry loudly and runs away … He can’t stand this scene!
Schneewittchen läuft ihm nach, und sie gehen lieber in den schönen Wäldern im Harzgebirge spazieren.	Snow White runs after him, and they go for a walk in the beautiful forests in the Harz mountains instead.

Snow White bites into the apple in the film

I. Prepositions as separable prefixes

Most prepositions can be made into separable prefixes, and most separable prefixes are originally prepositions. These prefixes change the new verb’s meaning in a way that is often related to the original meaning of the preposition. Here are some examples for the most common separable prefixes:

preposition/prefix (general meaning)	example	english
AB– (away)	abfahren absagen	depart cancel
AN– (towards)	ankommen anfangen	arrive begin
AUF– (up, on)	aufstehen aufhören	wake up stop
AUS– (out, also suggests completion)	aussteigen ausstehen	get out (of a bus) stand somebody
EIN– (in)	einsteigen einladen	get in (a bus, train) invite
LOS– (indicates beginning something)	losgehen losbrechen	get started break loose/escape (break out)
MIT– (with, along)	mitbringen mitkommen	bring along come with, come along
NACH– (after, follow)	nachholen nachlaufen	make up (work, homework) run after someone (literally)
VOR– (before, ahead, forward)	vorlesen vorspielen	read out loud play (e.g., a film)
WEG– (away)	wegwerfen weglaufen	throw away run away

II. Other common separable prefix verbs

fernsehen – watch TV	spazierengehen – go for a walk
Rad fahren – ride a bicycle	schwarzarbeiten – work illegally
teilnehmen – participate	schwarzfahren – ride (e.g., a train) without a ticket
kennenlernen – get to know	achtgeben – pay attention

III. Word order and separable prefixes

A. Declarative sentences

The separable prefixes affect word order in basic sentences; they also have slightly different participle forms.

The typical word order in basic German (declarative) sentences is SUBJECT-VERB-VERBAL COMPLEMENTS. While this order stays the same for the most part, the separable prefix of the separable prefix verb goes to the very end of the declarative sentence.

parts of the sentence	subject	verb	other items that complete the verb (e.g., direct object)	separable prefix
declarative sentence	Chef	spielt	Tennis.
declarative sentence with a separable prefix verb	Chef	spielt	den Film	vor.

B. Questions

Separable prefix verbs affect the word order in questions as well:

parts of the sentence	subject/question word	verb	verbal complements/subject	separable prefix
declarative sentence	Chef	spielt	den Film	vor.
Who?	Wer	spielt	den Film	vor?
What?	Was	spielt	Chef	vor?

C. With modal verbs

Modal verbs affect the word order of sentences with separable prefix verbs, too:

parts of the sentence	subject	primary verb	verbal complements/subject	separable prefix/infinitive
declarative sentence	Chef	spielt	den Film	vor.
modal verb: wollen	Chef	will	den Film	vorspielen.
question with modal verb	Was	will	Chef	vorspielen?

D. With subordinating conjunctions

Finally, separable prefix verbs move around when different phrases are connected by subordinating conjunctions (and also by relative pronouns).

subordinating conjunction	subject/question word	verb	verbal complements/subject	separable prefix
	Chef	spielt	den Film	vor.
	Chef	lädt	Schneewittchen	ein.
Bevor (before)	Chef	—	den Film	vorspielt, lädt er Schneewittchen ein.
Nachdem (after)	Chef	—	Schneewittchen	einlädt, spielt er den Film vor.

Brummbär	Ich möchte diesen Film wegwerfen!!! Ich will ihn nie wieder anschauen!	I would like to throw away this film!!! I never want to watch it again!
Schneewittchen	Nachdem du die DVD wegwirfst, lesen wir dein neues Drehbuch für diese Geschichte!	After you throw away the DVD, let’s read your new screen play for this story!
Brummbär	Ahm … Es ist noch nicht fertig. Und weiterhin ist es ein bisschen kitschig … Ahm … Die Hexe kann dich natürlich nicht umbringen, und ich bin der Held, und obwohl du den Prinzen kennenlernst, heiratest du mich … Hmmm …	Ahem … It’s not finished yet. And furthermore, it’s also a bit kitschy… Ahem … The witch of course can’t kill you, and I am the hero, and although you meet the prince, you marry me … Hmmm …
Schneewittchen	Mein lieber Brummbär, du bist echt süß! Aber du solltest deine Karriere nicht aufgeben!	My dear Grumpy, you are really sweet! But you should not give up your (day)job!

Below are some of the most commonly used separable prefix verbs with English equivalents. The first column offers some general meanings associated with the prefixes, but these are only tendencies, not set rules.

preposition/prefix(general meaning)	example	english
AB– (away)	abbrennen abgeben abkürzen abnehmen abschließen abtreiben	burn down turn in (homework), hand over (ticket) shorten lose weight finish, complete abort
AN– (towards)	anerkennen andeuten angeben anklagen ankleiden anschauen anstellen anweisen anwenden	recognize hint at, suggest brag, show off accuse dress watch hire, employ instruct use
AUF– (up, on)	aufatmen aufbleiben aufführen aufklären auflockern aufnehmen aufräumen aufschlagen aufwachsen	breathe a sigh of relief stay up (person), stay open (store) perform (e.g., theater play) inform, enlighten, clear up liven up (a party, person) take a picture of (incl. video images) tidy/clean up (e.g., room) open (eyes, book) grow up
AUS– (out, also suggests completion)	ausbilden ausbrechen ausdrucken ausdrücken ausflippen ausgeben ausgehen auslachen ausmachen ausnutzen ausschließen aussprechen aussterben austauschen	educate, train break out print (e.g., text, picture) express freak out (flip out) publish, hand out go out, date laugh at (someone) turn off (light), put out (fire) take advantage of (person, opportunity) lock out, exclude pronounce die out, go extinct exchange
EIN– (in)	einbrechen einfallen (es ist mir eingefallen) einführen einkaufen einleben (sich) einnehmen einrichten einschätzen einschlafen einschüchtern einwerfen einziehen	break in (horse, into house) occur (to someone), come to mind introduce (a topic) go shopping, buy get used to earn, make money furnish (apartment), arrange (furniture) judge, guess (e.g., at size, value) fall asleep intimidate, bully throw in (e.g., remark, towel) move in (e.g., into a new apartment)
LOS– (beginning something)	losfahren loswerden	get going, leave get rid of, spend, lose
MIT– (with, along)	mitbekommen mitfahren mitfühlen mitmachen mitnehmen mitspielen mitteilen	get out (of a lecture), understand ride along sympathize participate, do something w/someone take along play along (in a sport) inform, share knowledge
NACH– (after, follow)	nachahmen nachdenken (ich möchte darüber ~) nacherzählen nachfolgen nachgeben nachprüfen nachschlagen nachtun nachzählen	imitate think about (I’d like to think about that) retell, relate (a story) follow, succeed (e.g., a king) give in (e.g., to pressure) double check (e.g., essay, homework) look up (e.g., a word in a dictionary) follow somebody’s example re-count (double check numbers)
VOR– (before, ahead, forward)	vorbereiten vorbestellen vorhaben vorkommen vornehmen vorstellen vortragen	prepare order in advance (e.g., books) plan, have in mind come up, happen carry out a task introduce, imagine perform (play), give lecture/opinion
WEG– (away)	wegbleiben wegbringen weggehen wegnehmen wegräumen wegtreten wegziehen	stay away take/bring away go away take away clear away (e.g., mess) step away pull away

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Introducing and Greeting People in English

Classroom - English, Learn English / By Vaikundamoni

Introducing and Greeting People in English

Greeting People: Hello. / Hi.; Good morning.; Good morning. (until 12 o’clock) / Good afternoon.; Good evening [ˈiːv(ə)nɪŋ].
Introducing People: What’s your name?; My name is …; I am …; Haven’t we met (before)?; Yes, I think we have.; No, I don’t think we have.; I think we’ve already met.; I don’t think we’ve met (before).; This is …; Meet …; Have you met …?; Yes, I have.; No, I haven’t.; Yes, I think I have.; No, I don’t think I have.; Hello, … (name); Nice to meet you. (informal); Pleased to meet you.; How do you do? (formal); Nice to see you.; Nice to see you again.
Say Goodbye: (It was) nice meeting you.; Good bye.; Bye. / See you.; See you later.; See you soon.; See you tomorrow.; See you next week.; Good night.
Health: How are you?; How are you today?; Fine, thank you/thanks.; Not too bad.; Very well.; I’m okay / all right.; Not too well, actually.; What’s wrong with you?; What’s the matter with you?; Are you all right?; I’m tired [tʌɪəd].; I’m exhausted [ɪgˈzɔːstɪd].; I’ve got a cold.

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Author name: Vaikundamoni

Collocations to increase world power for IELTS writing test.

Examples

Adverb + Adjective

Examples

Adverb + Adjective

Adjective + Noun

Noun + Noun

Noun + Verb

Verb + Noun

How Can Collocations Improve My IELTS Score?

Steps

COMMON EXPRESSIONS USED WITH IL PASSATO PROSSIMO

Conjugating regular Italian verbs in the Passato Prossimo

Choosing the correct auxiliary verb when using Passato Prossimo

3rd Conjugation Verbs taking “-isc-”

The Passato Prossimo

PRESENT TENSE CONJUGATION OF SCRIVERE (TO WRITE)

COMMON SECOND-CONJUGATION VERBS

Spanish Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense

BASIC SPANISH CONJUGATION RULES

REGULAR VERB CONJUGATION

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -AR VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -ER VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR -IR VERBS IN THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE

IRREGULAR VERB CONJUGATION

PRESENT INDICATIVE CONJUGATIONS OF COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS

Introduction to Separable Verbs

Präsens (present)

Präteritum (past simple)

Imperativ (Imperative)

The construction of the “Partizip II”

Separable Verbs in Subordinate Clauses

Separable Verbs in Relative Clauses

Separable verbs in Clauses “(um)” + “zu”

Separable particles

“ab-“

“an-“

“auf-“

“aus-“

“auseinander-“

“bei-“

“dar-“

“durch-“

“ein-“

“entgegen-“

“entlang-“

“fehl-“

“fest-“

“her-“

“herein-“

“los-“

“mit-“

“nach-“

“über-“

“um-“

“unter-“

“vor-“

“vorbei-“

“weg-“

“weiter-“

“wieder-“

“zu-“

“zurück-“

The special case of particle placement

Introducing and Greeting People in English

Opinions and Statements

Word List on Linking Arguments