Normas básicas / Basic rules
1- nada de pedir que se te hagan/corrijan redacciones o se ocultará. // No essays. We are not here to do your homework
2- postead sobre el tema antes de preguntar alguna duda o se ocultará. // You must write about the topic. If you want to ask something you must contribute to the thread
3- nada de preguntar sobre resources o se ocultará //Do not ask for resources
#150 Thanks!
I think you translate some expressions directly from Spanish which sound weird in English
Could you point them? I wanna improve them 
#151 I'm not an expert myself but when I read your text it feels a bit weird and I always can think of the Spanish sentence you were probably trying to translate. Don't worry too much about it because I think everybody would understand what you were trying to say and if you keep practicing you will improve your expression little by little.
I can tell you a couple of things I saw in your posts and some others that I think are pretty common for Spanish speakers though.
We use too much the present perfect tense (I think this is the name) or similar.
I have improved a lot on these last months
is good becaus it's still happening but
I have thought sometimes
would be better in past tense.
We also use too much the infinitive tense, as it would be the direct translation from Spanish. For instance in
at the time of speak/write
you should use the ing ending.
But like I said, I'm not a grammar expert and I still do many mistakes myself so other people would be able to help you better. But I'll try to participate in this thread more often to help you guys practice if you want.
So because I've seen most of you struggling with phrasal verbs, I've decided to make a post:
Phrasal verbs
Explanation
A phrasal verb is usually a word phrase of a verb+preposition/adverb. Sometimes can be two prepositions or a preposition + adverb. The preposition or adverb changes completely the meaning of the verb, but it doesn't change how we use them in other tenses; i.e: if we use come up in the present, we'll use came up in the past.
There are some phrasal verbs that are very common, some that are very simple and the preposition/adverb doesn't change the meaning at all (look up only points direction) and some that are idiomatic phrases on their own.
How do you study them?
You don't. The more you read/watch, the more you'll encounter them in informal situations (TV series, movies, books, etc.) It's impossible to learn them by heart because they are everywhere.
What I would do is either fill them in under the same verb (all the pv with cut) or under the same preposition/adverb (all the pv with off as a preposition or around as an adverb).
If you keep a list or you write them down always accompany them with their meaning and try to create a sentence or two using them. Do not copy the sentence, try to come up with one on your own
Resources
An extensive list of PV
A direct download of a very well done list with phrasal verbs under groups. This one contains no explanation but sentences.
PDF with 200 common PV. Meaning and sentence.
Free (childish) app (android). You play as a mole and you have to fill in the gaps with the correct PV
Very good APP (android) with quizzes. It also tells you if you can separate it or not. Highly recommended.
Exercises
Cambridge PDF with full explanation, exercises and key.
34 pages of PV exercises, explanations and so on. Very good.
Another PDF with more exercises and key.
Practice
Maybe you knew all thi, maybe you didn't.
Here's what I want:
Let's try and tell a story. You can make it up, it can be true; truth is I don't care but it must contain phrasal verbs you didn't know. You have to use as many as you can. I don't have any way of knowing you used the ones you didn't know but, hey, it's you who is trying to learn; not me.
I'll let you guys start because this post is already too long. If you have more resources or anything, tell me.
I don't think I have problems with this since I can't figure it out the ones I don't know out of context but I'll tell what happened to me last night in order to contribute:
A friend of mine who is based in Cambridge came up here to visit his family and we had been looking into a chance to meet, so yesterday was the only available day and I gathered up a couple more of friends at my place. We were looking into something to do when one of us came across a game where we could use our phones to draw stuff and play guesses pictionary style. That paid off since it was really fun and we were getting really wasted in addition (forgot to mention the presence of mandatory celebration beers). In one of this sudden bursts of laugh that friend from Cambridge swallowed an olive whole (with bone of course), or better said it was propelled into his throat to the verge of choking. And I say 'the verge' because it was somewhere around the esophagus but couldn't go up or down. And I have to tell you that we noticed that at the end of the round because the prideful bastard stood up like a champ to finish it off xD then he spurted out that he needed help. He had to go to the hospital since he couldn't threw up, neither we could do the Heimlich maneuver because he weren't actually choking. But hey, he's fine and opioid treated now!
#153 Hey, you seem to know a lot, do you know more or less how many phrasal verbs does a native speaker know? I have at home a phrasal verbs guide that contains like 3000 of them or more, but I'm wondering if it would be enough with just learning the list with the 200 most common ones that you posted. I'd like to be someday completely fluent to a near to native level though, so I don't wanna miss anything, but at the same time it's a very tiresome job to learn them all.
On a related note, anybody knows if there is any extensive vocabulary guide for advanced learners containing all the words required to pass the C1 level test, for instance? or something like that, not neccesarily focused on passing the C1 but enough to master the language completely.
I think I improved a lot my phrasal verbs once I stopped seeing them as phrasal verbs. Yes, sometimes you can guess the meaning of the phrasal verb if you know the meaning of the verb that serves as base, but that's not the general case. So, from the point of view of learning more vocabulary, I just don't see the point in seeing them as different from any other verb or word.
Hi guys! I saw that you're talking about phrasal verbs. Nowadays I'm using an app that is very useful to learn them (not all of them, but several). The name of the app is "Phrasal Nerds" and you can download it through Play Store.
The method that uses this app is teaching some phrasal verbs while tells you a story about a mole that is lost. Very helpful and useful. I recommend you this app a lot.
Pd: when you finish a lesson you need to pass a quiz to let you learn the next phrasal verbs.
#154 Nice post! can you do me favour? Could you highlight the PV?
#155 I have no clue. Do you know how much vocabulary do you know in Spanish? I mean not even you can know the whole dictionary so I don't think a native speaker knows every single one of them. I had an app of around 3.000 PV and it's pointless, really.
Do not worry about it, you'll be fluent when you can have a nice chat with an English speaker naturally; you don't need to know every rule, exception and piece of vocabulary to do it.
About the C1: I don't think you need an specific vocabulary list for the C1, you need to learn by repetition how the exam must be done. If you want to acquire vocabulary for C1/C2, read the news. It's there where you can find more complicated structures, vocabulary and so on.
1 - To be honest, I think the second one has to be on Present Perfect due to its use. If I use a past tense (it has to be Past Simple) it looks like: I thought something but it was over shortly after. While if I use Present Perfect it says: I thought something and I am still thinking on that.
Anyway, I agree whit you, sometimes I should use often times the past instead of present perfect.
2 - Totally agree. I sometimes have doubts with it or simply forget it.
#155 Hey, what's up? First: Which book is that? Second, about your question, it is not correct. I mean, Do you think every Spanish person has B2 as native? You can bet they don't. Same for English people. What I try to say is, some people would know more than others, just like any other topic.
But, we should at least know a usual list (like the most used) just to be aware when we heard somebody say something "strange" and we do not understand to it. It will give us mental agility.
#157 I tried that game but I didn't like it too much 
I saw another one which looked pretty good. Was in both platforms (IOs and Android) but right now it is just on IOs. I think it is called "phrasalstein".
Alright thanks for answering. The thing is, I'm already fluent and I have already mastered most of the "common" or everyday use vocabulary, but it's not enough for me to have a basic fluency because I want to come as close as I can to native knowledge. Ideally I'd like to live abroad for a few years, so at this point I'm just looking for more advanced stuff because doing the same things I've done until now won't get me much further. So, I guess I'll do what you said #158 and read the news, and maybe some Tolkien too or something like that 
.
By the way #159, the book you asked me about is "Phrasal verbs inglés-español - Espasa". I haven't read it, but it supposedly has more than 3000 PV with examples. But I'm guessing most of them are so rarely used that not even native speakers know them and thus it's not worth trying to learn them. That's why I was asking more or less how many PV can a native speaker know, because while the exact number certainly varies between different individuals, there must be a number of them that must be known by most of the native speakers, at least with an statistical approach. Same for other kind of words. But yea, I guess it must be hard to draw the line.
#159 I think in that case I would say "I've been thinking", because you started in the past but you are still doing it now. But having actual teachers here I think it's better if you ask them for grammar questions, I still make many mistakes myself.
And my opinion about phrasal verbs is that unless you really want to learn them because you like English language, I wouldn't stress too much about it. I'm glad that the real expert said before that the best way to study phrasal verbs is by reading or listening and I fully agree. Once you get used to them it will be pretty easy to understand their meaning even if you hear them for the first time except for some special cases, just because of the context.
When we study English we tend to think that we need to know everything in order to be fluent. I think the grammar and vocabulary level of Spanish people compared to other countries is pretty good but then we tend to overthink too much and try to say everything perfect, and that's when we screw up (that's the reason why people tend to speak better after having a couple beers). So my advice if you want to get better is that rather than studying 3000 phrasal verbs by heart, I would spend that time reading, watching movies, listening to music or (if you can) speaking to people. I honestly think it will be more useful and much more fun.
17 días después
2 meses después
Hi everybody, Merry Christmas!
I have a question: have anybody studied the English phonetic? I have curiosity about this and I think it can help to me with some difficult words.
#163 I did study phonetics, but sometimes it was rather boring because I had to learn this chart by heart:
Most of the time was amusing, because I tried to read everything written in phonetics to see if I could guess the word.
#16421415:Most of the time was amusing, because I tried to read everything written in phonetics to see if I could guess the word.
Yeah that's one of my thoughts and I think it can works pretty well. Did you follow any resource or web-page?
#165 Dictionaries. When I have a doubt on how to pronounce something, I go to the Oxfor dictionary where next to the word appears the phonetic writing and I also listen to it.
#166 Yeah sorry. I meant with the sounds (apart from how it is written). I do also use the dictionaries but sometimes there are some consonants which are quite impossible to me.
In any case, thanks!
Hello, I'm new here! In a few months I will live in other country for 2 months (Erasmus+ internship) and I decided to be serious with my English, for that I changed the language of my smartphone to english and I started to see Netflix's series in english with subtitles on english too. Also I'am using the app Duolingo for practice a bit every day, by the way, What happens with the telegram's group?
#169 If you really want to practice your English by using an internet forum (amongst the things you are already trying) I'd recommend you to use reddit instead of mv or another spanish forums.
The telegram group has been inactive again because I don't have time and most of the people don't start conversations either xD
If someone talks, others follow, for sure.
Nothing, and I mean this in a good way, nothing's going to prepare you for what you'll encounter. What you're doing is pretty good, but when you're there, try not to mix with any Spanish people and you'll see how you pick English in a heartbeat.
#172 Just think that here we probably won't have the level to correct you properly and I include myself even when I'm living and working in England since 2017.
There are subrredits suitable for people looking to practice other languages, exchange, penpals....I'm not saying this won't be helpful but if you want to improve quickly, my advice is to try in a bigger English speaking forum.
#169 I can give it a try even though I'm not an expert myself:
Hello, I'm new here! In a few months I will live in move to (more suitable expression) other another (another = singular; other = plural) country for 2 months (Erasmus+ internship) and I decided to be serious with my English, for that reason (traducción muy literal si solo pones for that, en inglés suena raro, for that reason/that's why/therefore/thus/hence... hay mil expresiones en inglés que te sirva como conector y son más correctos) I changed the language of my smartphone to english and I started to see Netflix's series in english with subtitles on in english too. Also I'am I'm/I am (I guess that was a typo though) using the app Duolingo for practice for practicing/to practice (for + ing / to+ inf) a bit every day, by the way, What happens with the telegram's group?
Anyway, your english level seems properly to go abroad and have a great experience such as an Erasmus+! Just as #171 stated, try to join non-only-spanish groups, so you can get better at english, especially vocabulary/expressions/accent 
#171 About the group I'm a bit introvert sorry u.u I can jumpstart to anything but I'm not the best ice breaker to start topics
Hi everybody.
I like the idea of the telegram's group but, what will be the purpose/use of it? I mean, it is ok if we are going to talk about any topic but, are we going to correct to anybody if they make a mistake in anytime? That can be a huge work to do.
To me it's fine and if I could help to somebody I will do it. I wanna improve too.
#173 maybe you have, an English person is not better in English that someone who has a great level. Just think how Spanish people are with Spanish. Maybe there are, like you said, subreddits to help out, but we can try and help him/her improve at least his/her writing skills xd
#175 be careful with the to+inf because it's not always true.
If a preposition is followed by a verb, then it's prep+v-ing, that includes the preposition of movement "to"(like in I look forward to meeting you).
To inf ≠ to prep.
I usually don't correct any of you because I have encountered many people in my life that didn't like that, and I was their teacher, but if you want to be corrected, your wish is my command!
#176 it's not your fault. I'm the one at fault because I'm the one in charge.
#177 we talked about daily life/things, just like a normal group. We do not tend to correct every silly mistake, that would make the group unbearable to read.
Do any of you have any new year's resolutions?
#175 Thanks for the correction, I should start using phrasal verbs and more different connectors. Changing the subject(What kind of phrasal verb can use here?) , I have the opportunity of do a free exam for B1 or B2 in my school because there have been some calls to present, I'll see if sign up.
#178 resolutions about what?
#179 New Year resolutions refer to the goals you want to accomplish for the next year. Like learning a new language or start going to the gym. Mine is to read at least 5 books throughout the year.
