LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

●   Last (next) week – la semana pasada (la próxima) Last year . El año pasado Next year . El año próximo (que viene) I did it last Tuesday . Lo hice el martes pasado ● THE.   Comparemos: (En general) English is difficult. Sugar is good. I study French. BUT: (Particular, especial) The English I study is American. The sugar you bought is expensive. The French she speaks is easy to understand. Supongo que por influencia del español, oímos a norteamericanos decir: The animals are happier in the forest, e n vez de Animals are happier in the forest

If we are in a joking mood, if we wish to be facetious, we can state that "English is an international language nobody can pronounce well." Remember Bernard Shaw and his preface to Pygmalion where he put his finger on the problem, and twisted it. Just one example: THE has at least three different pronunciations (Keep in mind that the combination /th/ in this case is a voiced ( sonora ) interdental sound (interdental, not dental)): Before a consonant THA: the man, the cat, the horse, the carpet. Often we hear only the TH sound: th man, th cat, th horse, th carpet. Before a vowel THI: the old man, the excellent wine, the empire. Pay attention to how natives make the sounds.

"THE": • Se emplea como en castellano: El árbol, The tree . El coche, The car . • No se usa para las partes del cuerpo: My hand hurts, Me duele la mano. I've lost all my hair , He perdido todo el pelo.(¡Soy un pelao!) • Tampoco para sustantivos cuando generalizamos: Women are wonderful , Las mujeres (todas, generalizando, claro) son maravillosas. Sugar is not good , El azúcar no es bueno. La gente es buena, People are good . • Se emplea con sustantivos específicos: The women we saw yesterday have left , Las mujeres que vimos ayer se han marchado. The coffee you took was not yours , El café que te llevaste no era tuyo. • No se emplea con títulos: El profesor Smith está enfermo, Professor Smith is ill . El Dr. Johnson está en París, Dr. Johnson is in Paris . • No se emplea para los días de la semana: El lunes, On Monday . El martes no vendré, I will not come Tuesday . Con los días de la semana podemos emplear on o nada: I will come on Monay o I will come Monday . •...