Spanish words of the week: plaza or plazo?
Here is another instalment in our series on pairs of Spanish nouns that, while similar in form, have very different meanings. This week’s pair are plazo and plaza. Read More
French word of the week: lui
This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French pronoun 'lui'. Read More
Auxiliary verbs in English
An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used together with a main verb to show time and continuity. Be and have are the primary auxiliaries. A primary auxiliary is used to construct compound tenses. Be is used to make present continuous and past continuous tenses. I am working. Rob is using the computer. Kevin was teaching in America in… Read More
Spanish words of the week: mota or moto?
Time to brush up your knowledge of the commonest meanings of more nouns that, while similar in form, have very different meanings. This week’s pair are 'moto' and 'mota'. Read More
French word of the week: croire
This series of weekly blogs takes a closer look at words from our French dictionaries. The word we're focusing on this week is the French verb 'croire'. Read More
Main types of verb in English
Most verbs describe an action such as walking, running, or reading. These are called verbs of action. Action verbs can be expressed in all the tenses. John is running for the train. Sophie has just bought a new camera. She is putting on an exhibition of her artwork. Robbie has read the book already. When we need a verb to describe a new activity,… Read More
Learning French: asking permission
May we have your attention for a moment? This month's Learning French blog is all about asking for permission and how you might respond. Read More
Festive Traditions
Christmas is coming … Ah! British Christmas. So cosy, so nostalgic. What’s not to love about this time of year? Christmas cards and carols and Christmas trees and cake and plum pudding and turkey and cranberry sauce and mulled wine and kissing under the mistletoe and Boxing Day walks. And… Read More
Spanish words of the week: cuadro or cuadra?
Our task today is to square up to two more similar-looking Spanish nouns and to identify the commonest uses of each: these are cuadro (masculine) and cuadra (feminine). Read More