1. November 13, 2009
Topic: FROM RAGS TO RICHES
The story of Zara stores
Language focus: - Present perfect for experience
- ever/never
- Present perfect or Past simple?
2. 1. Have you ever been to a Zara store?
2. When did you last go there?
3. What did you buy?
What tense are questions 2 & 3?
Which questions refer to a specific time in the
past?
Which question is about some time in your life?
So, what’s the difference in meaning between
question 1 and questions 2 & 3?
3. Answers
What tense are questions 2 & 3?
PAST SIMPLE
Which questions refer to a specific time in the
past? QUESTIONS 2 & 3
Which question is about some time in your
life? QUESTION 1
So, what’s the difference in meaning between
question 1 and questions 2 & 3?
QUESTION 1 IS ABOUT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR
LIFE UP TO NOW, QUESTIONS 2&3 REFER TO
PAST FINISHED ACTIONS.
4. Read the text and answer the questions
Have you ever been to a Zara store?
You probably have because it’s one of the fastest-growing chains in the
world. The person behind Zara is Amancio Ortega. He is the richest man
in Spain, but very few people know his face. There are only few official
photographs of him, and he rarely gives interviews. Although he is a
multimillionaire businessman, he doesn’t look like one – he doesn’t like
wearing suits or ties, and prefers to wear jeans and a shirt.
5. 1. Who is Amancio Ortega?
2. What is unusual about him?
6. 1. He is the person behind Zara,
a businessman, the richest
person in Spain.
2. He is a multimillionnaire but he
likes wearing casual clothes.
7. When he was young he worked as a shop
assistant in a clothes store, but he always
dreamed of having his own business. In
1963 he started a small company which
made women’s pyjamas. In 1975, at the age
of 40, he opened his first clothes shop in La
Coruna, a small city in north-west Spain, and
named it Zara. Now you can find Zara shops
all over the world, from New York to Moscow
to Singapore. So why is Zara so successful?
8. 3. What was his first job?
4. When did he open his first Zara
shop?
5. Where are there Zara shops now?
9. 3. He was a shop assistant.
4. In 1975.
5. All over the world, from New
York to Moscow to Singapore.
10. The main reason is that Zara reacts incredibly
quickly to the latest designer fashions, and
produces clothes which are fashionable but
inexpensive. Zara can make a new line of clothes
in three weeks. Other companies normally take
nine months. The clothes also change from week
to week – so customers keep coming back to see
what’s new. It produces 20,000 new designs a
year – and none of them stay in the shops for
more than a month.
So if you’ve seen a new jacket or skirt you like in
a Zara store, hurry up and buy it, because it won’t
be there for long.
12. 6. It reacts to top designer
fashion very quickly and cheaply,
the clothes change every week,
they produce 20,000 new designs
a year.
13. Listening practice
Listen to three people being interviewed about Zara. Complete
the chart with their information.
WOMAN 1 WOMAN 2 MAN
1. Have you ever been to a Zara store?
2. When did you last go there?
3. Where?
4. What did you buy?
5. Are you happy with it?
Look at the red word above: what does it mean?
What are the possible replies?
14. Answer
Woman 1 Woman 2 Man
1. Yes Yes Yes
2. 3 weeks ago Last Saturday In August
3. In London In Paris At Barcelona airport
4. A white jacket a scarf nothing
5. Quite happy Yes --
‘ever’ = at some time in your life up to now. It is used in
questions.
Possible replies:
Yes, I have
No, I haven’t
15. I ______ bought
a skirt at Zara
Active grammar: PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
I ____ been to I _____ bought
a Zara store a skirt at Zara
I _____ been
to a Zara store
+
- Zara ____become
a success story
Zara ____become
a success story
____ you ____ to
a Zara store?
? ____ you _____
a skirt at Zara?
___ Zara ______
a success story?
16. Active grammar: PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
I HAVE been to I HAVE bought
a Zara store a skirt at Zara
I HAVEN’T been
to a Zara store
+
- Zara HASN’T
become a success
story
Zara HAS become
a success story
HAVE you BEEN
to a Zara store?
? HAVE you bought
a skirt at Zara?
HAS Zara become
a success story?
I HAVEN’T bought
a skirt at Zara
17. Focus on language
We form present perfect simple with
________ + ________
We use this tense to talk about
____________
In negative sentences and questions we don’t
use ______ !!
When we mean ‘in your life up to now’ we
use _____ in questions and ______ in
answers
18. Answers
We form present perfect simple with
HAVE/HAS + PAST PARTICIPLE
We use this tense to talk about experiences
in our life without a precise time reference
In negative sentences and questions we don’t
use DO/DOES/DON’T/DOESN’T!!
When we mean ‘in your life up to now’ we
use EVER in questions and NEVER in
answers
19. Further reflection on language
You can find explanations and further practice on
‘present perfect for experience’ in “Working with
Grammar Gold” (Longman) – Unit 12 p. 256 to 264
You can find more info and examples on the
following websites:
http://www.englishgratis.com/1/risorse/grammatica/g
ram-v-20-presentperfect.htm
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/presentperf
ect/menu.php
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfe
ct.html