How do I differentiate the use of 'Es' and 'Está'?
To illustrate my point,
La lámpara está en la mesa.
El espojo de mi tía es mi tío.
In both cases, 'es' and 'está' seem to mean 'is'.
I don't assume that they are interchangable right?
Thank you for taking time to answer my question.
4 Answers
Hello! Welcome to SpanishDict! Happy New Year!
Please, take a look at this page, everything will be clearer to you!
The verb to be can be translated as ser/estar. Ser means that something is in a permanent way, aludes to an internal charasteristic of something. Estar is not permanet, can be for just a moment or for a period of time. In spanish are different verbs. A few examples: Ella es linda (she is a beautyful girl) Ella está linda (she has a nice dress, or make up today, and you can see something different now than in the past). "Estar" has relationship with an specific moment or a place: Él es de España (he is from Spain), él está en la playa (he is at the beach, at this moment)
Thanks for your help. The guide was really useful.
Here is a link to a video from the "Learn Spanish" section that may also help. It takes about 10 minutes to watch, but it may clear up some of your questions.
Most English speakers trying to learn Spanish believe this is one of the most difficult tasks in learning the language. Many of us struggle with it for years.
Hope that helps!
