Tenerife forum

[clarena]

hello,

I think one of the most important things in spanish is to recognize the difference in between SER o ESTAR; in English TO BE verb.

SER ESTAR

Yo soy Yo estoy
Tu eres Tu estas
El es El esta
Ella es Ella esta
Nosotros somos Nosotros estamos
Vosotros sois Vosotros estais
Ello son Ellos estan

The diference is The SER verb (Verbo Ser) is always the same, invariably.
But Estar verb (Verbo estar) can change.

Example:

Soy morena
Estoy delgada

Eres guapa
Estas acatarrada

El es ingles
Ella esta en Tenerife

Nosotros somos de la peninsula
Nosotros estamos en Tenerife

Ellos son bilingues
Ellos estan hablando ingles
_________________
Clarena Cardenas
Clarenac@hotmail.com

[funky]

Hi Clarena,

First of all, welcome to the forum, its always good to see new people.

I have to say though, that's got to be one of the worst explanations I've heard for the difference between SER and ESTAR (no offence Clarena).

Basically, both mean TO BE (I am, you are, he/she is, they are etc)
but the most common difference between them is that SER generally indicates a more permenant state of affairs, whereas ESTAR indicates a more temporary state OR a perception of the state. e.g....

Estoy borracho - I am drunk (at the moment)
Soy Borracho - I am A drunk (all the time - vagrant etc)

Another common example is "Como Estas" which everyone has heard at some point. This means "How are you?", i.e. how are you at this moment.

If you asked "Como Eres?" it would mean what are you permenantly like, personality wise etc. Also: mi padre es feo = my father is ugly (a fact and a fairly permanent state!).

If you said "Mi padre esta feo" it could mean "my father is looking ugly (today)" or "my father appears rather ugly", but it is not a definite fact.

"La chica esta guapa" - The Girl seems/appears pretty (belief/opinion)
"La chica es guapa" - The Girl IS pretty (fact)

Occupations and Nationality are always stated in the SOY form, e.g. Soy Camarero (I am a waiter) or Soy Ingles (I'm English)

Times, dates and numbers, including temperatures are also in the permanant SOY form, as they are obviously fixed/permanent at the moment they are read/measured. Also asking/saying what something is made of is always in the SOY form.

For those who are interested, there is an excellent site below, where you can go through the various lessons at your own pace (SER and ESTAR included in far more detail than here too!).

http://www.lingolex.com/spanish.htm
_________________
My Paranoia-Management Therapy is going great! Now they're only watching me half the time....

[jamafrind]

Well, this is one aspect of the distinction. However, there is a little more to explain, because there are anomalies, that defy explanation via this route. SER is often used when seeking to define things in their own right i.e. inherent qualities or characteristics, which help to identify one thing, distinct from other things e.g. blue eyes, brown hair, tall, short, happy (as a person). But ESTAR can be used to define qualities at a particular point in time, rather than permanent characteristics (SER); often used to define the current state of something compared to other states of that particular thing. For example; sad, happy etc.

There are exceptions, established over time. For example, you would think that 'death' is a permanent, non-changing quality. Well, the correct usage in spanish, for exampe, to say "he is dead" is: "el esta muerto" and NOT "el es muerto". The reason. 'Death' is an alternative state to how this person can be, the other state being 'alive'. Strange, but true....

PS. excuse the absence of spanish punctuating/accent marks as I don't have the character set loaded yet...

[strippersrus]

soy ingles....estoy bien.....

i'm english.....permenant...

i'm fine....temporay.

that is the easiest way i have ever had it explained to me.....by my spanish amigos...
_________________
Find out more at www.myspacetenerife.com
Stripps

Where the party starts.....
www.tenerifehennights.com

[funky]

[strippersrus]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_________________
Find out more at www.myspacetenerife.com
Stripps

Where the party starts.....
www.tenerifehennights.com

[jenny]

Just an extra note to add to your excellent explanation:

[jamafrind]

Hi Funky, it's all a question a timing. I was actually typing my post in response to the one submitted by Clarena. I guess that there must have been a minor delay in timing between the submission of our posts. So, I wasn't actually referring to yours. If the post of 'professor' does arise, there are others within this forum who have a higher proficiency for the language. As for me, I'll stick to what I do best.... innuendo....

[funky]

Dynamite drop-in there Jenny. I think that should straighten out the SERs from the ESTARs
_________________
My Paranoia-Management Therapy is going great! Now they're only watching me half the time....

[funky]

[jamafrind]

Ah, you have a sense of humour as well, Funky. That will serve you very well here...

[maxine]

Talking about ser and estar, i think you have been sat in my spanish lessons, i have been doing that tonight , it is very mind boggling, its hard to register, seems so much to take in . please tell me it will just click ha ha

[jenny]

Just remember that if it's unchangeable then use SER and if it can change then use ESTAR.

Even if you get them mixed up, you will still be understood and to me that is much more important than never speaking in fear of getting it wrong.