Las contracciones unen dos palabras con apóstrofo (’) para hablar/escribir de forma natural: I am → I’m, do not → don’t. Muy comunes en inglés cotidiano.
1) To be — afirmativas y negativas
| Sujeto | Largo | Contracción | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | I am | I’m | I’m ready. |
| you | you are | you’re | You’re kind. |
| he | he is | he’s | He’s here. |
| she | she is | she’s | She’s a nurse. |
| it | it is | it’s | It’s late. |
| we | we are | we’re | We’re at home. |
| they | they are | they’re | They’re friends. |
| Negativas: is not → isn’t, are not → aren’t, I am not → I’m not (no *amn’t*). | |||
2) Auxiliares comunes: have, will, would
have → ’ve (I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve) has → ’s (he’s, she’s, it’s) had / would → ’d (I’d…) will → ’ll (I’ll, you’ll…) | Largo | Contracción | Ejemplo | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have | I’ve | I’ve seen it. | Present perfect |
| she has | she’s | She’s finished. | ’s = is o has según contexto |
| we will | we’ll | We’ll call you. | Futuro |
| I would | I’d | I’d like a coffee. | ’d = would o had |
3) Contracciones con not
do not → don’t does not → doesn’t did not → didn’t cannot → can’t will not → won’t must not → mustn’t should not → shouldn’t Irregularidades: will not → won’t; cannot suele escribirse can’t (no *cannot’t*).
4) Ortografía y uso
- El apóstrofo
’reemplaza letras omitidas: don’t (= do + not). - It’s = it is/it has; its = posesivo (sin apóstrofo).
- You’re = you are; your = tu(s).
- En textos muy formales se evitan; en conversación/mensajería se usan casi siempre.
Consejo: si dudas, expande mentalmente la contracción: “you’re” → “you are”. ¿Suena bien? Entonces va con apóstrofo.
5) Mini-práctica
- Convierte a contracción: We are → ______ ; She will → ______ ; They have → ______.
- Expande: It’s cold → ______ ; I’d like tea → ______ ; He isn’t here → ______.
- Corrige:
Yourwelcome → ______ ;Itsraining → ______ ;We wontgo → ______.
Soluciones sugeridas: we’re, she’ll, they’ve · it is, I would, he is not · You’re, It’s, We won’t.