UNIDAD 1.

Present tenses. Meeting people at work.

Works in the I.T. Industry.

Ciclo: Técnico Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones

Multiplataforma.
Módulo: Lengua extranjera profesional: inglés 1.
Curso: 2021/2022
Contenido
1. Present Simple---------------------------------------Pag 3
2. Present Continuous-----------------------------------Pag 7
3. Introductions at the workplace-----------------------Pag 9
4. Works in the I.T. Industry -------------------------Pag 17

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 1. PRESENT TENSES
The general structure of a sentence is SUBJECT+ VERB+ COMPLEMENT.

Present Simple

We need to distinguish between the construction of the verb to be and the rest of the verbs:

a) The verb to be

TYPE OF STRUCTURE CONTRACTED

SENTENCE STRUCTURE
I + am I’m
You +are You’re
Affirmative He/she/it +is He’s/ she’s/ it’s
We +are We’re
You +are You’re
They + are They’re
I + am not I’m not
You+ are not You aren’t
Negative He/ she/ it + is not He/she/it isn’t
We+ are not We aren’t
You +are You aren’t
They + are not They aren’t

The verb “to be” means ser o estar in Spanish:

➔ I am a vocational training student = yo soy estudiante de formación profesional
➔ She is really stressed= ella está muy estresada.
There are TWO different TYPES OF QUESTIONS:

1) Close questions or Yes/No questions

This type of questions only has two possible answers: YES or NO. That’s why
they are called close questions.

STRUCTURE: TO BE+SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT?

➔ Are you in this class? = ¿estás en clase?

➔ Is he your workmate? = ¿es el tu compañero?
➔ Are they students? = ¿son ellos estudiantes?

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 2) Open questions or Wh-word questions

These questions have endless answers so they are open, you can choose how to
answer them. They always start with a question word, also known as a wh-word.

STRUCTURE: WH-WORD+ TO BE+SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT?

➔ What is your name? = ¿cuál es tu nombre?

➔ How old are you? = ¿cuántos años tienes?
➔ Where are you from? = ¿de dónde eres?
➔ Who is your favourite actor? = ¿quién es tu actor favorito?

b) All the other verbs

REMEMBER!! The verb to be is especial so the following instructions are for all the other
verbs except the verb to be.

TYPE OF STRUCTURE CONTRACTED

SENTENCE STRUCTURE
I + verb in infinitive There’s none
You + verb in infinitive
Affirmative He/She/It →
We+ verb in infinitive
You+ verb in infinitive
They+ verb in infinitive
We need to add DO or DOES + not: I + don’t + verb in
infinitive
I + do not + verb in infinitive
You + don’t + verb in
Negative You + do not + verb in infinitive
infinitive
He/She/it + does not + verb in infinitive
He/She/it + doesn’t+
We + do not + verb in infinitive verb in infinitive

You + do not + verb in infinitive We + don’t+ verb in

infinitive
They + do not + verb in infinitive
You + don’t+ verb in
infinitive
They + don’t + verb in
infinitive

The structure of the affirmative sentence is different when the subject is He/She/ It. In

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that case, we need to add -s to the end of the verb. Let’s see some examples:
I drive a bus → He drives a bus
You sleep eight hours a day → She sleeps eight hours a day
They write an email to their superior → The team writes an email to their superior

BUT we have to add -es!

• When the verb ends in a vowel as in do or use
• When the verb ends in <s> or <ss> as in focus or miss
• When the verb ends in <sh> as in wash or mash
• When the verb ends in <ch> as in watch or teach
• When the verb ends in <x> as in mix or fix
IF the verb ends in -y, we have to change it to -ies: study – studies, cry – cries, fly – flies.
➔ They do their homework → She does her homework
➔ You use a special pen to write → That man uses a special pen to write
➔ I never miss the bus → My friend never misses the bus
➔ You watch a TV series on Netflix→ He watches a TV series on Netflix
➔ They push the door → that boy pushes the door
➔ You relax on Sunday morning → my sister relaxes on Sunday morning
WATCH OUT! We do not add -es to the verb when the sentence is negative or is a question.
➔ She goes to class → she doesn’t go to class
➔ He ties his shoes → he doesn’t tie his shoe
➔ The psychologist studies his patients’ behaviour → Does he study his patients’
behaviour?
Same as with the verb “to be”, there are TWO types of QUESTIONS:
1) Close questions

STRUCTURE: DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB IN INFINITIVE +

COMPLEMENT(S)?

➔ Does he work here? = ¿trabaja el aquí?

➔ Do they know where their seats are? = ¿sabes dónde están sus sitios?
➔ Do you have any question for me? = ¿tienes alguna pregunta para mi?
➔ Does she need any help? = ¿necesita ella alguna ayuda?
➔ Does your dog bark at night? = ¿ladra tu perro por la noche?
➔ Do Martians exist? = ¿existen los marcianos?

2) Open questions

STRUCTURE: WH-WORD + DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB IN INFINITIVE +

COMPLEMENT(S)?

➔ Where do you come from? = ¿de donde vienes?

➔ When does the lesson start? = ¿cuándo empieza la lección/clase?
➔ How do you spell your surname? = cómo deletreas tu apellido?
➔ What does she like to do in her free time? = ¿qué le gusta hacer en su tiempo
libre?

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 ➔ Who do you look like? = ¿a quién te pareces?
➔ Which brand do you prefer: apple or xiaomi? = ¿qué marca prefieres: Apple o
Xiaomi?
➔ How long does your test last? = ¿cuánto dura tu test?
USES OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE:
- To say that something happens all the time or repeatedly
➔ Home help assistants look after elderly people = los auxiliaries de ayuda a
domicilio cuidan de la gente mayor.
- To express general truths or facts
➔ Diamonds are the hardest rocks in the world = los diamantes son las rocas más
duras del mundo.
- To talk about habits and routines. In this case, we tend to use adverbs of frequency to
specify how frequently we do this activity.
➔ That talk show usually holds debates about current affairs = ese talk show
normalmente hace debates sobre asuntos de interés público.
➔ I usually wake up at quarter to seven on weekdays = normalmente me despierto
a las siete menos cuarto entre semana.
- To talk about timetables and schedules
➔ The flight lands at six o’clock in the afternoon. = el avión aterriza a las seis en
punto de la tarde.
- As the historical present
➔ Christopher Columbus discovers America in 1492 and that is the beginning of
colonialism. = Cristobal Colón descubre America en 1492 y eso es el comienzo
del colonialismo.
Present Continuous

TYPE OF STRUCTURE CONTRACTED

SENTENCE STRUCTURE
I + am+ verb- ing I ‘m+ verb- ing
You + are + verb -ing You’re + verb -ing
Affirmative He/She/It + is + verb -ing He/She/It’s + verb -ing
We + are + verb -ing We’re + verb -ing
You + are + verb -ing You’re + verb -ing
They + are + verb -ing They’re + verb -ing
I + am not + verb- ing I + am not + verb- ing
You + are not + verb -ing You + aren’t + verb -ing
Negative He/She/It + is not+ verb -ing He/She/It + isn’t + verb
-ing
We + are not + verb -ing
We + aren’t+ verb -ing
You + are not + verb -ing

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 They + are not + verb -ing You + aren’t + verb -ing
They + aren’t + verb -
ing

SPELLINNG RULES!
- If the verb ends in -e, drop the -e and add -ing as in write – writing
- In the verb ends in -y, keep the -y and we add- ing as in study – studying
- If the verb end in -ie, change the -ie for an -y and add -ing as in die – dying
- If the verb has one or two syllables and end in a CVC pattern, double the last
consonant and add -ing as in swim – swimming

TYPE OF QUESTION STRUCTURE

Am/are/is + subject + verb -ing +
complement?

Close questions - Are you looking at me?

¿me estás mirando?
- Is the lady asking for help?
¿está la señora pidiendo ayuda?
- Are they doing the test?
¿están haciendo el exámen?

Wh-word + am/are/is + subject + verb-

ing + complement?

Open questions - What are you doing?

¿que estás haciendo?
- Where is he going?
¿dónde está yendo el?
- How are you doing?
¿cómo estás?

USES OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

- To talk about an unfinished action in progress at the time of speaking
➔ She is driving to work = ella está conduciendo al trabajo.
- To talk about an unfinished action but not necessarily at that specific moment, but in
the present
➔ I’m reading Game of Thrones last book = estoy leyendo el último libro de
Juego de Tronos
- To talk about temporary routines
➔ I usually go to work by car but this week I’m taking the train = normalmente
voy a trabajar en coche pero esta semana estoy cogiendo el tren.
- Using always, to express complaints
➔ You are always interrupting me!= ¡siempre me estás interrumpiendo!
- To talk about arranged future plans

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 ➔ I’m meeting my optician tomorrow at five to get my eyes tested = voy al
oftalmólogo mañana a las cinco para revisarme la vista.
- To talk about ongoing changes with the verbs: get, change, become, increase, rise, fall,
grow, improve, begin and start.
➔ The population is increasing dramatically = La población está
incrementándose de dramáticamente.

Differences between present simple and present continuous

(chart taken from English Grammar in Use: intermediate)

I always do my laundry vs. I’m always doing her laundry; she never does it herself.

- In the first sentence, we are stating a fact, an action that we do regularly.

- In the second sentence, we are complaining about a recurrent, annoying habit.

Stative verbs (verbos de estado)

There are certain verbs that we do not usually use in its continuous form. However, some of
them can be used in simple and continuous forms, but the meaning of the sentence changes.
Let’s compare these two sentences:

- I think Mary is Canadian = Creo que Mary es canadiense.

- I’m thinking about what happened yesterday = Estoy pensando sobre lo que pasó ayer.

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In the first sentence, think means “believe” or “have an opinion” whereas in the second
sentence think means “to consider”

- I think Mary is Canadian → I believe she is Canadian

- I’m thinking about what happened yesterday → I’m considering yesterday’s
troublesome situation
The following verbs are not used in continuous tenses because they express state and not
action:

like, love, hate, detest, want, need, prefer, know, realise, suppose, mean, understand,
believe, remember, belong, fit, contain, consist, seem, see, hear, smell, taste

Watch out! We can use “feel” in present simple or present continuous in questions but we
always answer in present simple:

➔ How are you feeling? / How do you feel? = ¿cómo te encuentras?

➔ I feel tired = me siento cansada.

Expressing simultaneity

We use the adverb “while” to express that two actions are taking place at the same time. Look
at this example:

➔ I am cooking dinner and She is watching TV→ I’m cooking dinner while she is
watching TV. = Yo estoy cocinando mientras ella está viendo la tele.

2. INTRODUCTIONS AT THE WORKPLACE

a) Formal vs. Informal register

When you start working in a professional environment, you will have to deal with
both your colleagues and your patients. Learning how to address them politely is
fundamental in order not to come across as rude and impolite. There are different
pronouns in Spanish that marks the difference between “tu” and “usted”. However,
there is no such thing in English. It is the choices in our language that will determine if
we are in a formal or an informal situation.

One of the tells to know if we are addressing someone as “tu” or “usted” is the use of
modal verbs. Take for instance, the use of can, which implies that your addressee is at
the same level as you are; that person is your workmate or colleague. If you use “may”
or “could”, it means the person you are speaking to is not considered your equal; that
person’s position is higher than yours (your boss) or you don’t know that person and
want to treat them politely (a patient).

Look at the difference between can, could and may:

➔ How can I help? = ¿Cómo puedo ayudarte?

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 ➔ How could/may I help you, sir/madam? = ¿cómo puedo ayudarle,
señor/señora?
The modal verbs used to express “social distancing” are:

- Shall – formal and polite offerings in first person (I or we)

➔ Shall we start?
➔ Shall I get you a drink?
- Could and may – formal and polite offerings as well as asking for permission
➔ Could I have some coffee, please?
➔ May I smoke here?
➔ May I remove my mask, please?
- Would – formal and polite offerings
➔ Would you like me to help you?
➔ Would you like some water?

b) Introducing yourself
When you meet someone for the first time in a work environment, you should use a
formal register. You should say: It’s a pleasure to meet you or pleased to meet you.
The answer you should give is pleased to meet you, too.
If you are in a relaxed, informal context, you can say: good to meet you! Or I’m glad
to meet you!
However, if you have already been introduced to the interlocutor – it’s not your first
meeting – you can just ask: “how are you?” and if you are asked that question, the
answer is “I’m fine, thank you” or “I’m good, thank you”. You can also add “nice to
see you, (again)!” or “It’s a pleasure to see you again!”

Examples:

1st time introduction 2nd time introduction

A: I would like to introduce you to Mr. Mr. Smith: how are you?
Smith You: I’m fine, thank you. And you?
You: How do you do? Mr. Smith: I’m good, thank you.
Mr. Smith: How do you do? You: Nice to see you again!
You: Pleased to meet you!
Mr. Smith: Pleased to meet you, too!

Unless the interlocutor allows us to treat them informally, we must refer to them as
Mr. (if it’s a man) or Mrs. (if it’s a married woman). In case we don’t know if a
woman is married or not or we don’t want to highlight her civil status, we use Ms.
This should be followed by either their surname or their full name. We can’t use them
with only their first name.

Example:
➔ Good morning, Mr. Andrews/ Mr. Peter Andrews
➔ I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Andrews/ Mrs. Alice Andrews
➔ How are you, Ms. Smith/ Ms. Katherine Smith?
If the interlocutor wants us to address them informally, they would tell us to “you can
call me, ______”. In that case, you can switch from a formal register to an informal

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register.

You can see some of the most common expression to exchange courtesies (expresar
cortesía)

Some notes about some of the expressions from the chart above:

- Excuse me is both formal and informal. This expression is used to start a

conversation, to ask for information, to ask for help and to say sorry. A more
formal equivalent of this expression is: “I beg your pardon”, “pardon?” or

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 “pardon me?”, which is used to ask the speaker to repeat their answer in a
polite way and to apologise. Using “what?” to ask for clarification is rude and
it shows annoyance so don’t use it.

➔ A: Excuse me, could you tell me where the train station is, please?
B: Sorry, I don’t know where it is.
➔ Excuse me, are you Mr. O’Reilly?
➔ A: I’m Mrs. Gomez, nice to meet you!
B: I beg your pardon
A: I’m Mrs. Gomez
B: Oh! Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Gomez!
A: Pleased to meet you, too!

- “I’m sorry” and “sorry “are used to express regret in any kind of situation.
Here is chart with some ways of expressing your gratitude divided into informal and
formal:

In order to answer to these expressions, we may any of these:

Here are some expressions to ask for the right to speak:

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 c) Small talks
The small talks are not only ways to exchange courtesies but also ice-breakers to start
any conversation. The most typically British small talk is to talk about their
changeable weather. In contrast, Americans’ preferred small talk is to establish a
geographical location:

➔ British:
o What a horrible weather, isn’t it?
o Is it usually this cold in November?
o Oh dear, it’s raining cats and dogs, isn’t it?
➔ American:
o Oh! You’re from Seville! I’ve got a relative who lived there for a few
years!

Bear in mind that some topics are to be avoided during small talks! Don’t talk about
salaries or politics, especially if you don’t have a close relationship with your interlocutor.

some of the most common small talk topics are the weather, transports, the news, sports,
restaurants and culture:

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d) Introducing yourself and what you do.
In the previous sections of the unit, we have seen how to take part in an introdcution
and how to make small talk. However, you might have to introduce yourself directly.
Depending if you are in an informal or a formal situation, the way you introduce
yourself has to change.

FORMAL SITUATION INFORMAL SITUATION

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is I’m/ I am _______
_______
Hi! I’m ______

My name is________

However, you need to include some personal information when you are introducing
yourself to someone. Some of this information can be, the company you work for,
your job position and what you job entails.

Here are some useful expressions to include in your introduction:

I would/ I’d like to introduce myself. Me gustaría presentarme

I am/ I’m ______ from ________ (name Soy ______ de ______.

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of the company)
I’m Hannah from Google
(Soy Hannah de Google)
I’m a/ the ________ (job position) Soy _______ (puesto de trabajo)

I’m an IT technician.
(Soy técnico informático)
I work for ________ (name of the Trabajo para _______
company)
I work for Google
(Trabajo para Google)
I’m in charge of_______ Estoy a cargo de _____

I’m in charge of keeping websites updated

(Estoy a cargo de mantener páginas webs
actualizadas)
My job is to ______ / My job consists Mi trabajo es/consiste en ______
in_____
My job is to create app updates
(Mi trabajo crear actualizaciones de apps)
My job consists in creating app updates.
(Mi trabajo consiste en crear
actualizaciones de apps)
I work as ________ Trabajo de _____ (puesto de trabajo)

I work as an I.T. Technician

(trabajo de informático/a)

Here is an example of a self- presentation:

➔ I would like to introduce myself. My name is Antonio. I work for Miguel

Servet’s hospital. I’m the I.T. Technician. My job consists in solving issues
with the webpage and the app of the hospital.

If you need to introduce a third party, that is, you act as the intermediary, here are
some expressions you can use:

Greetings and Farewells/ how to say hello and goodbye in a formal context:

Hello! ¡Hola!
Good morning! ¡Buenos días!

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 Good afternoon! ¡Buenas tardes!
Good evening! ¡Buenas noches! (es el periodo del día que
va desde después de las seis hasta antes
de la cena)
Good night! ¡Buenas noches! (solo como despedida)
Goodbye! ¡adios!
It’s getting late. I really have to go / I’d Se está haciendo tarde/ Se hace tarde. De
better be off soon / it’s time for me to go. verdad tengo que irme/ será mejor que me
vaya pronto/ ya es hora de que me vaya.

Greetings and Farewells in an informal/colloquial context:

Hi! ¡Hola!
Morning! ¡Buenos días!
Afternoon! ¡Buenas tardes!
Evening! ¡Buenas noches!
Bye! / Bye-bye! ¡Adiós!
How are you doing? / How are things ¿cómo te va? / ¿cómo te van las cosas?
going?
What’s going on? ¿Qué pasa? / ¿Qué tal?
How are things? ¿cómo van las cosas?
What’s up? ¿Qué pasa? / ¿Qué tal?
How are you getting on? ¿Qué pasa? / ¿Qué tal? / ¿cómo vas?
What’s new? ¿Qué hay de nuevo?
How’s it going? ¿Qué pasa? / ¿Qué tal? / ¿cómo vas?
Cheerio! ¡Adiós!
Cheers! ¡Adiós!
So long! ¡Adiós!
See you! / See you later! / See you soon! ¡Hasta luego! / ¡Nos vemos luego! / ¡Nos
vemos pronto!
Until/ ‘till tomorrow Hasta mañana
See you tomorrow/ next week/ next Nos vemos mañana/ la semana que viene/
month… etc. el mes que viene… etc.
See you at noon/at midnight/ at night/at ¡Nos vemos al mediodía/a medianoche/
_____ o’clock/ in the morning/ in the por a noche/ a _____ en punto/ por la
afternoon/ in the evening! mañana/ por la tarde/ por la tarde-noche!
Till next time! ¡Hasta la próxima!
Have a nice day! ¡Qué tengas / que pases un buen día!

3. WORKS IN THE I.T. INDUSTRY

Information technology (IT) is the technology (hardware and software) required for the
processing of data and other information. It deals with the use of electronic computers and
Computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit and securely retrieve
information.
People who are specialised in IT are responsible for hardware and software maintenance,
troubleshooting technical issues, as well as the electronic data processing. However, IT

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professionals perform various tasks depending on which field they are in. Programmers code,
test, maintain and repair software applications. System analysts provide support for the
maintenance and development of a program. They are also responsible for the coding and
testing of the different software applications.
The jobs in IT are:
- Database analysts are responsible for looking at data requirements within an
organisation.
- IT support officers help non-expert colleagues with their IT-related problems.
- Network administrators manage the computer system: setting up firewalls, security
levels, wireless connection, usernames, and passwords.
- Network architects design the networks, which is the way computers are connected to
each other.
The IT department is usually divided into three sections: quality assurance, data processing,
and information security. In the first section, the professionals test hardware and provide
technical support. In the second section, the technicians write code and organise data. In the
last section, they encode online data transfers and update security software.
IT departments are usually divided into smaller groups because they deal with tasks more
efficiently than larger groups. Supervisors are in charge of overseeing the work of each
section.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- Evans, Virginia, Dooley, Jenny, Wright, Stanley. Careeer Paths: Information

Technology. 2014. Express Publishing.
- Murphy, Raymond. English Grammar in Use: intermediate. 2012. Cambridge University
Press.
- Olejniczak, Maja. English for Information Technology. 2011. Pearson Longman.

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