Gramática: wish, if only, mixed conditional

If Reza hadn’t drunk so much last night, he wouldn’t have a headache now.
hadn’t drunk (past perfect) / would (not) + have (la forma base del verbo)
Craig nearly got married when he was 25 years old. – If he had got married, he would probably have children now. (but he didn’t get married, and he doesn’t have children)
The third conditional imagines a different past with a PAST result. The mixed conditional imagines a different past with a PRESENT result.
Reza would feel fine now if he had drunk less last night.
Contractions: I would feel.. = I’d feel… / I had not drunk… = I hadn’t drunk…
If Reza were a girl, he wouldn’t have gone to a boys school. (present condition – past result)
Reza wouldn’t have drunk so much yesterday if he were a sensible person. (but he isn’t sensible and he did drink a lot yesterday!)
mixed conditional: Yesterday Craig took some ribs (costillas de cerdo) out of the freezer last night. If Craig hadn’t taken the ribs out of the freezer, they wouldn’t be ready to eat now.
To RECAP (resumir):
A mixed conditional can be a (1) past condition with a present result, or a (2) present condition with a past result.
I wish / If only I hadn’t drunk so much yesterday. (expressing regret = lamentarse) (Ojalá….)
If only I had more money. If only I hadn’t drunk so much last night.
I wish I were a rich man! = Ojalá yo fuera un hombre rico!
If only I hadn’t drunk so much last night = Ojalá no hubiera bebido tanto anoche.
If only I’d known…..
Craig wishes he hadn’t hurt people who were close to him. (in the past)
Craig wishes he had an extra room in his flat for guests. (to put up = dar alojamiento a alguien / hospedar a alguien)
Estudiar más sobre los ‘mixed conditionals’ con La Mansión del Inglés.

Vocabulary: More conversation expressions

What would you like to drink? – A nice cup of tea / nothing at the moment, thank you. / mine’s a …..mine’s a whisky / mine’s a beer etc.
Is there a bank near here? – Yes, there’s one near here / No, I’m afraid it’s quite far away / I’m sorry, I’m not from around here
What seems to be the trouble? – It’s my liver! (mi higado) / I’m alright, nothing to worry about
Where does it hurt? – I have a pain / ache (dolor) – earache, backache, toothache – It’s painful (adjective) It hurts – to hurt = verb)
How will you be paying? – In cash, by credit card / by debit card / by bank transfer
Have you been here before? – No, it’s my first time / Yes, I come here often. And you? (“Do you come here often?” – sounds a bit corny (cutre) – to pick someone up = ligar “Do you come here often?” is a classic chat up line / pick up line
How would you like it cooked? (Rare – poco hecho, medium – medio hecho/al punto, well done = muy hecho)

Idioms

“Don’t rock the boat.”Don’t cause any trouble, don’t change the status quo, don’t look for problems etc. “Don’t make waves.”
“All in the same boat” – Estamos todos en la misma situación. The economy is bad and the health service and education is suffering, but we’re all in the same boat.
“Whatever floats your boat.” Lo que te gusta esta bien. Whatever you feel like doing. “What do you want to do tonight?” – “Whatever floats your boat, man.”
“A smart arse” = Un listillo
“A pain in the neck/arse.” = an annoying person or thing.
“That’s how I roll.” = Soy así, Es cómo soy.” Es lo que me gusta hacer. I like to be polite and give people the respect they deserve. That’s how I roll.
(roll = rodar (a ball) or andar – yo ando así. “That’s my style.”

*Dispones de más PODCAST en inglés publicados en los cuadernos anteriores
a los que puedes acceder directamente así como al índice de su contenido.