Estoy pasando tiempo con la familia.

Question

Is that right? Or Soy pasando. "I'm spending time with the family." No particular reason, just wondering :D

Answer 1

AJenny please see Paralee's lesson on Ser v Estar in 1. 11 This will clarify for you the different uses of Ser contrasted with Estar

:) Thanks.. just being curious. I guess I'm getting too ahead of myself. - AJennyPenny, JUN 4, 2010

Answer 2

That's right. Estar, not ser. That's the present progressive. Ser isn't used with these verb conjugations.

Ooh, Cool! :D Thanks so much! So Is Ser more for adjectives? And Estar more for verbs? - AJennyPenny, JUN 4, 2010

Too much information for a comment. I'll post another answer. - KevinB, JUN 4, 2010

Answer 3

OK, this is the other answer I mentioned in the comment. Estar + gerund (ando or iendo verb ending, "ing" in English) is a verb conjugation called the progressive. If estar is conjugated in the present (like you did) it's called the present progressive. It means that the action is currently happening.

There are many threads on this forum regarding the differences between ser and estar as verbs used by themselves. They both generally mean "to be". I like to think of ser as meaning permanently "to be", like "I am American", while estar is more temporary, like, "I am tired". That's very simplistic. It can be confusing, and there are lessons in the Learning section on how to use them.

Ah Thanks again x) This is extremely helpful! I'm learning so much already - AJennyPenny, JUN 4, 2010