are you sleeping?

Question

when i am asking someone a question? in the "are you" form. do the ser or estar come into use?

Answer 1

You use estar i.e. ¿Estás durmiendo? Are you sleeping? Lo estuve antes que me despiertas. I was until you woke me up.

Answer 2

The choice between ser/estar has nothing to do with whether it's a statement or a question. Look in the reference section for discussions of ser/estar.

¿Duermes? / ¿Estás dormido? / ¿Estás durmiendo? are all possible.

thanks will do - JayR130, Sep 5, 2010

Answer 3

You use 'ser' for more permanent things such as description of personalities.... for temporary things such as what you're doing at the moment, you use 'estar' unless you're all the time asleep joking

Answer 4

Yes you will need to use 'ser' or 'estar' the verbs 'to be' because when they are conjugate in the present they are as follows:

I am / am I = (Yo) Soy (ser) (Yo) Estoy (estar)

You are / Are you

He is / Is she

They are / Are They

We are / Are we

This link may help you see which one you would need in this case: Ser or Estar