Verb Patterns-1

Corporate Sales & Ambitions

Level B1 – Gerunds, Infinitives, Modals & Tenses
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Sarah works in sales 💼 at TechCorp 🏢. She has worked there for three years ⏳, and she truly enjoys meeting 🤝 new clients. Every day, she considers looking 🔍 for new opportunities 💡 to grow the business 📈, but she keeps staying motivated 💪 by her current team 👥. She has already built a strong reputation ⭐ in the corporate world 🌍.
  • How long has Sarah worked at TechCorp? (Present Perfect)
    Answer: She has worked there for three years.
  • What does she truly enjoy doing? (Gerund)
    Answer: She enjoys meeting new clients.
  • What does she consider doing every day? (Gerund)
    Answer: She considers looking for new opportunities.
  • How long have you worked at your current job or studied at your school? (Present Perfect)
    Example: I have worked at my job for two years.
  • What do you truly enjoy doing in your free time? (Gerund)
    Example: I truly enjoy playing video games on weekends.
  • Are you considering looking for a new job or taking up a new hobby soon? (Gerund)
    Example: Yes, I am considering taking up photography.
Last month 📅, Sarah had a difficult project 😓. Her boss 👩‍💼 asked her to organize a big presentation 📊 for a new software launch 🚀. She quickly figured out a plan 📝 and set up a meeting 🗓️ with the marketing team 🎯. Together, they discussed launching a digital campaign 💻. To prepare, Sarah practiced speaking 🗣️ in front of the mirror 🪞 for hours ⏱️.
  • What did her boss ask her to do? (Infinitive)
    Answer: Her boss asked her to organize a big presentation.
  • Which phrasal verbs describe how she prepared for the project? (Simple Past)
    Answer: She “figured out” a plan and “set up” a meeting.
  • What did the team discuss doing? (Gerund)
    Answer: They discussed launching a digital campaign.
  • Has your boss or teacher ever asked you to organize a big project? (Infinitive)
    Example: Yes, my teacher asked me to organize the science fair.
  • What do you and your friends usually discuss doing on weekends? (Gerund)
    Example: We usually discuss going to the movies or grabbing dinner.
  • Have you ever practiced speaking in front of a mirror? (Gerund)
    Example: Yes, I practiced speaking before my job interview.
During the meeting 🗣️, Sarah was confident 😎. “We need to focus 🎯 on customer needs,” she said. “We must provide excellent service ⭐ if we want to win 🏆.” A colleague asked 🙋‍♂️, “Should we offer a discount 💸 for early sign-ups?” Sarah replied, “I suggest waiting ⏳ until next quarter 📆. We can’t afford to lose 🚫 our premium brand value 💎 right now.”
  • What must the company provide? (Modal verb)
    Answer: They must provide excellent service.
  • What did Sarah suggest doing about the discount? (Gerund)
    Answer: She suggested waiting until next quarter.
  • Why did they decide not to offer the discount immediately? (Infinitive)
    Answer: Because they can’t afford to lose their premium brand value right now.
  • What is something you must provide to be successful in your career? (Modal)
    Example: I must provide excellent communication and hard work.
  • If a friend visits your city, what places do you suggest visiting? (Gerund)
    Example: I suggest visiting the central museum and the big park.
  • Is there something expensive you want, but can’t afford to buy right now? (Infinitive)
    Example: I want a new laptop, but I can’t afford to buy it yet.
Suddenly ⚡, a major client called ☎️ to cancel their contract ❌. Sarah didn’t panic 🧘‍♀️. She promised to look 🔎 into the issue immediately 🏃‍♀️. She wanted to understand 🤔 their reasons before giving up 🏳️. She tried calling them back 📞 several times, hoping to find a solution 🧩.
  • What happened with the major client? (Simple Past)
    Answer: A major client called to cancel their contract.
  • What did Sarah promise to do? (Infinitive / Phrasal Verb)
    Answer: She promised to look into the issue immediately.
  • Why did she want to talk to them? (Infinitive)
    Answer: She wanted to understand their reasons before giving up.
  • Think of a problem you had recently. Did you panic or look into it calmly? (Phrasal Verb)
    Example: My car broke down, but I didn’t panic. I looked into fixing it.
  • What is a promise you made recently? Did you promise to help someone? (Infinitive)
    Example: I promised to help my brother move to his new apartment.
  • What is a difficult subject that you want to understand better? (Infinitive)
    Example: I really want to understand programming better.
Eventually 😌, Sarah managed to fix the problem 🛠️. She offered to give 🎁 them a free system upgrade 🔄, and the client agreed to sign ✍️ a new contract 📜. Now, Sarah feels relieved 😮‍💨. She really appreciates working ❤️ with a company that trusts 🤝 her decisions 🧠.
  • How did Sarah solve the client’s problem? (Infinitive)
    Answer: She offered to give them a free system upgrade.
  • What did the client agree to do? (Infinitive)
    Answer: The client agreed to sign a new contract.
  • What does Sarah appreciate right now? (Gerund)
    Answer: She appreciates working with a company that trusts her decisions.
  • Have you ever offered to help a colleague or friend with a difficult task? (Infinitive)
    Example: Yes, I offered to help my coworker finish a big report.
  • Tell me about a time you agreed to do something you didn’t really want to do. (Infinitive)
    Example: I agreed to work late last Friday, even though I was tired.
  • What kind of people do you appreciate working or studying with? (Gerund)
    Example: I appreciate working with people who are organized and kind.
Next year 🚀, Sarah plans to apply 📝 for a promotion 📈. She hopes to become 👑 the Regional Sales Manager 💼. She will keep learning 📚 new management skills to prepare for the role 🎓. She expects to succeed 🌟 in her career because, as she always says, “I absolutely love working 😍 in sales 💰!”
  • What does Sarah plan to do next year? (Infinitive)
    Answer: She plans to apply for a promotion.
  • What will she keep doing to prepare? (Gerund / Future)
    Answer: She will keep learning new management skills.
  • Does she expect to succeed? Why? (Infinitive / Gerund)
    Answer: Yes, she expects to succeed because she loves working in sales.
  • What do you plan to do next year? (Infinitive)
    Example: I plan to travel to Europe next summer.
  • What new skill will you keep learning in the future? (Gerund)
    Example: I will keep learning English to improve my fluency.
  • What kind of work or hobbies do you absolutely love doing? (Gerund)
    Example: I absolutely love playing the guitar on weekends.

Guía de Gramática (B1)

Explicaciones detalladas con ejemplos de la historia corporativa
⬅️ Volver a la Historia

1. Gerundios e Infinitivos 🔄

En inglés, cuando un verbo sigue directamente a otro verbo, el segundo suele ir en forma de gerundio (-ing) o infinitivo (to + verbo). La elección depende exclusivamente del primer verbo.

👉 Verbos seguidos de Gerundio (ej. enjoy, consider, suggest):
  • She enjoys meeting new clients. (Ella disfruta conocer nuevos clientes.)
  • I suggest waiting until next quarter. (Sugiero esperar hasta el próximo trimestre.)
👉 Verbos seguidos de Infinitivo (ej. ask, want, plan, afford):
  • Her boss asked her to organize a presentation. (Su jefe le pidió organizar una presentación.)
  • We can’t afford to lose premium brand value. (No podemos permitirnos perder valor de marca premium.)
👉 Verbos que aceptan ambos sin cambiar el significado (ej. love, start, continue):
  • I love working / love to work in sales. (Amo trabajar en ventas.)

2. Presente Perfecto (Present Perfect) ⏳

Usamos el Presente Perfecto (have/has + participio pasado) para hablar de experiencias sin especificar exactamente cuándo ocurrieron, o de acciones que empezaron en el pasado y continúan en el presente.
  • She has worked there for three years. (Ella ha trabajado allí por tres años.)
  • She has already built a strong reputation. (Ella ya ha construido una sólida reputación.)

3. Pasado Simple (Simple Past) 📅

Usamos el Pasado Simple para acciones que ocurrieron y terminaron en un momento específico en el pasado. Los verbos regulares terminan en “-ed”, pero hay muchos irregulares.
  • Last month, Sarah had a difficult project. (El mes pasado, Sarah tuvo un proyecto difícil.)
  • A major client called to cancel their contract. (Un cliente importante llamó para cancelar su contrato.)

4. Formas de Futuro (Future Forms) 🚀

Existen varias maneras de hablar del futuro. Se pueden usar verbos en infinitivo que indican planes o intenciones, o directamente verbos modales de futuro como “will”.
  • Planes o intenciones: She plans to apply for a promotion next year. (Ella planea postularse para un ascenso el próximo año.)
  • Promesas o hechos futuros: She will keep learning new skills. (Ella seguirá / mantendrá aprendiendo nuevas habilidades.)

5. Verbos Modales (Modal Verbs) ⭐

Los verbos modales (must, can, should, would, etc.) expresan habilidad, obligación, consejo o posibilidad. Siempre van seguidos de un verbo en su forma base (sin “to”).
  • Obligación fuerte: We must provide excellent service. (Debemos proporcionar un servicio excelente.)
  • Habilidad/Posibilidad (en negativo): We can’t afford to lose money. (No podemos permitirnos perder dinero.)

6. Phrasal Verbs (Verbos Frasales) 🧩

Los Phrasal Verbs son verbos compuestos por un verbo principal más una preposición o adverbio. Su significado a menudo es completamente diferente al del verbo original por sí solo.
  • Set up (organizar / preparar): She set up a meeting. (Ella organizó una reunión.)
  • Look into (investigar): She promised to look into the issue. (Ella prometió investigar el problema.)
  • Figure out (resolver / averiguar): She quickly figured out a plan. (Ella rápidamente ideó/resolvió un plan.)
  • Give up (rendirse): She wanted to understand before giving up. (Ella quería entender antes de rendirse.)

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