Verbal Periphrasis – Free Exercise

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Exercises B1

Choose the correct word to complete each verbal periphrasis.

  1. Ayer tuve un mal día y no estaba celebrar nada.Yesterday I had a bad day and I didn’t feel like celebrating anything.
  2. Después de preguntarle mil veces, mi hermano acabó contar la verdad.After asking him a thousand times my brother finally told me the truth.
  3. El perro comenzó ladrar cuando sonó el timbre.The dog started to bark when the bell rang.
  4. Tenéis llamar a la profesora para cancelar la clase.You have to call the teacher to cancel the class.
  5. Las clases vienen costar unos 18 euros la hora.The classes came to 18 euros an hour.
  6. Estás a punto conseguir tu sueño.You are about to achieve your dream.
  7. Mañana nos pondremos pintar la casa.Tomorrow we are going to get to painting the house.
  8. El mes pasado nos dio ir a clases de baile.Last month we felt like going to dance classes.
  9. He escribir un texto para mañana.I have to write a text for tomorrow.
  10. No vuelvan llegar tarde a clase o se quedarán fuera.Don’t be late for class again or you will have to wait outside.

Choose the correct verbal periphrasis. You can only use each periphrasis once.

  1. Nosotros antes de las 3 de la tarde.We will start eating before three in the afternoon.
  2. No a mamá en este tono.Don’t speak to your mother in this tone again.
  3. Creo que hoy más temprano.I think that today I should go to bed earlier.
  4. Si lo todo y con seguridad, entonces aprobarás el examen.If you have learned everything with confidence, you will pass the exam.
  5. Mi hermana en aquella empresa.My sister has stopped working in that company.
  6. Este acontecimiento en nuestra memoria para siempre.This event will be saved in our memories forever.
  7. ¿Por qué del cine?Why did you leave the cinema crying?
  8. La profesora de un posible examen desde hacía semanas.The teacher had been warning us about a possible exam for weeks.
  9. Mis padres se perdieron por la ciudad, así que un taxi.My parents got lost in the city, so they ended up taking a taxi.
  10. ¿Por qué otra película?Why did you want to see a different film?

Conjuga la perífrasis en el tiempo verbal correspondiente.

  1. Ayer (ir a ir/yo)   a casa de Jorge, pero no me dio tiempo.[Yesterday I was going to go to Jorge’s house, but I didn’t have time.]|1st person singular of the imperfect, signal word → ayer
  2. Lucía (echarse a reír)   con este vídeo cuando lo vea mañana.[Lucia will laugh at this video when she sees it tomorrow.]|3rd person singular of the future tense, signal word → mañana
  3. Antes de acostarnos, mi madre nos (soler contar)   un cuento.[Before we go to bed my mother usually tells us stories.|Before we went to bed my mother used to tell us stories.]|3rd person singular of the present tense: the speaker is still a child|3rd person of the imperfect tense: the speaker is talking about the past
  4. Cuando termine la fiesta, (hay que recoger)   todo.[When the party is over you will have to tidy everything up.]|future simple form of haber, signal word → cuando: the party is not over yet
  5. ¿Por qué no (poder comprar/vosotros)   ayer los regalos?[Why couldn’t you buy the presents yesterday?]|2nd person plural of the past perfect tense, signal word → ayer to talk about the recent past|2nd person plural of the preterite tense, signal word → ayer
  6. Los perros no (parar de ladrar)   cuando están en el jardín.[The dogs don’t stop barking when they are in the garden.]|3rd person plural of the present tense
  7. (deber ordenar/tú)   tu cuarto si quieres salir con tus amigos.[You have to clean your room if you want to go out with your friends.]|2nd person singular of the present tense|2nd person singular of the conditional, signal word → si, introduces a conditional sentence
  8. Mi hermano (andar limpiar)   su cuarto cuando llegaron sus amigos.[My sister was cleaning her room when her friends arrived.]|3rd person singular of the past perfect tense → both actions took place in the past and the main action (cleaning) was in process when the second action (the arrival) occurred.
  9. El año pasado me (dar por estudiar)   chino.[Last year I felt like studying Chinese.]|1st person singular of the preterite, signal word → el año pasado
  10. Si él fuese más trabajador, (llegar a ser)   el jefe de la empresa.[If he was more hardworking he would become head of the company.]|3rd person singular of the conditional, signal word → si fuese: introduces a conditional sentence.