"pero el vidrio ... roto"

Question

In the gap should I use está or es? I think "es" but someone said it is está. Does using está imply the glass is temporarily broken? And using es is just picking up on the point that it is broken? How do I know which case to choose?!?

Answer 1

OK, so "la ventana está cerrada", right? And "el vidrio está roto", is that correct? You would need forms of "estar" there because you are referring to the condition of the window and the condition of the glass. You are keeping your focus on the condition; you are not referring to the action of the window being closed (example: "the window was closed by another passenger" - la ventana fue cerrada por otro pasajero - imagine the passenger getting up and closing the window) nor are you referring to the action of the glass being broken (example: "the glass was broken by the wind of the storm" - el vidrio fue roto por los vientos de la tormenta - imagine the force of the wind strking the glass and shattering it.) When you use a form of "ser" with a past participle (such as "cerrado" or "roto"), you are keeping your focus on the action that caused the closing or the breakage. ... In contrast, if you use a form of "estar" with a past participle, you are merely telling the condition of the noun. In effect, it's like saying "el chico está enfermo" except it's with a past participle telling the condition of a thing.

I am hopeful this helps. Sometimes it's beneficial to take a mental break from trying to figure out a confusing grammatical point. If your brain "está roto" over this right now, let it go until tomorrow (unless you have a test, of course.) Approach it again with a rested brain (el cerebro estará descansado); if it's still confusing, please ask again.

Answer 2

I agree that it's "El vidrio está roto."

Answer 3

HI blueshift, welcome to the forum

El vidrio está roto.

The subjunctive normally depends on whether you declare a fact, like here, or not.

Have a look at this, it will help you clear things up.

i had a look at the video and your link but i'm still puzzled =(. The window is broken, that is it's condition and thus i logically think it should be "es". As you say, if i'm delaring a fact, wouldn't you use the "ser" verb? Thanks =) - blueshift86, Nov 15, 2009

Answer 4

Excellent site provided by Heidita. For those of us who grew up speaking English, the part on the site provided by Heidita that you want to focus on is the concept of "the glass was broken" (meaning its condition) vs. "the glass was broken" (meaning there was an action that broke it). I know it may seem like we are splitting hairs here, but let's take another example using a different topic just to give your brain cells a rest regarding broken glass.

How about: "The door was open". If you mean to say that "the door was open" because Juan opened it, you would say "La puerta fue abierta (por Juan)". On the other hand, "the door was open (and a nice breeze came in", you would say "La puerta estaba abierta (y como consecuencia entraba el aire fresco)".

Getting back to the glass..."El vidrio fue roto por la pelota de béisbol" - the glass was broken by the [action of] the baseball. or... "El vidrio estaba roto (and it was useless).

Hiciste una buena pregunta!

mountain girl thanks for that. I read and re-read but i'm no less perplexed:S. from what i understand of my sheet: "the woman sat next to the window. The window is closed, but the glass is broken" (so it lets in cold air). - blueshift86, Nov 15, 2009