Practiquemos Ser y Estar. / Let's Practice the Verb To Be

Question

Translate the last sentence above into Spanish and suggest a new sentence in English using the verb to be (any tense and any pronoun can be used). I'll get us started:

You treat me as if I were crazy.

Me tratas como si estuviera loco.

New sentence: She is as stubborn as a mule!

good practice! :) - vanecessary, Apr 19, 2012

Good post franco! - pmikan-pam, Apr 19, 2012

Good idea, Franco! - annierats, Aug 29, 2012

...next phrase: to be or not to be :D - inkubzz, Aug 29, 2012

Answer 1

Ella es tan terca como una mula.

New: That cake was very delicious.

I'm sorry but it's too late here in my area and I cannot write anything clever:) - Silvia_Tcherneva, Apr 17, 2012

Está perfecto tu ejercicio. ¡Gracias por participar! - francobollo, Apr 17, 2012

you have a typo "una" not "uma" - gringojrf, Apr 17, 2012

umm. This cake indicates the continued existance of the cake while was indicates past tense. I think it would be better to say "That cake was very delicious". - gringojrf, Apr 17, 2012

Thank you so much, Gringo! I'm already too tired to think on my own language:)) Gracias, Franco! - Silvia_Tcherneva, Apr 17, 2012

Answer 2

Este pastel fue muy delicioso. Este pastel fue bién rico. Two ways to say it.

NEW: Being nice is often dificult.

estaba muy delicioso o estaba muy rico - francobollo, Apr 17, 2012

Okay. Two questions. Why estar and not ser, and why imperfect and not preterite? Being delicious is a permanent state not a temporary condition. It also was a one time event that began and ended in the past. So why not ser and preterite? - gringojrf, Apr 17, 2012

Great question. You use estar becuase there is no certainty a cake would be delicious (it could be nasty.. LOL). You use estaba because you are narrating, which calls for the imperfect. - francobollo, Apr 19, 2012

Not always when narrating i dont think. you would say fue emocionante and not estaba emocionante - warrenmarshall, Apr 19, 2012

My money goes on ' estuvo delicioso'. - annierats, Aug 29, 2012

I have a question. Does it change things that gringo was speaking about 'this' cake which he knows was delicious because he ate it rather than some other piece that he hadn't tasted? - 0095ca4c, Aug 29, 2012

Okay. I was thinking that I just ate the last bite and my comment was made immediately after swallowing it. So I know it was delicious. It is a fact to me and I am talking about a specific piece of cake not acake in general. So I used ser and preterite - gringojrf, Aug 30, 2012

This is a good example of why I will never be "fluent" in Spanish. jajaja. - gringojrf, Aug 30, 2012

Gringo, I think we should put it up as a separate question.. Because.: El pastel es delicioso. So why not fue? - annierats, Aug 30, 2012

Answer 3

Están siendo muy irresponsables.

NEW: They will be gone by the time we arrive.

Answer 4

Ser amable puede ser difícil

New: They are being irresponsible (Edited by Francobollo)

thanks frank! - Rey_Mysterio, Apr 17, 2012

Answer 5

Translation:

Una vez estaban navegando cerca de la isla, uno de ellos dijo que había visto una sirena.

New Sentence:

He was really afraid that both his sisters were in the hospital.

navegando cerca de la isla .... Great work Margherite! - francobollo, Sep 1, 2012

Gracias francobollo! :-) - 0095ca4c, Sep 2, 2012

Answer 6

Translation:

Quizás no estén seguros si Chad sea un país árabe o no, pero puedo ayudarlos.

New Sentence:

My father was wondering if your friend is an international scholar.

¿"Seguros"? :-) Me gusta que seas la persona que me respondió :-) - Fidalgo, Aug 31, 2012

Gracias por tu ayuda ! :-) - 0095ca4c, Sep 2, 2012

Answer 7

Translation: ¿Sabes donde está Suecia?

New Sentence: Has your aunt been ill for some time?

Question, can I say the same translation like this? - Sabes donde queda la suecia? - 0095ca4c, Aug 29, 2012

"suecia" -> "Suecia" - Fidalgo, Aug 29, 2012

Gracias Fidalguinho! I always make mistakes with capitalization. - 0095ca4c, Aug 29, 2012

No, I think Sweden ghas no chioce in the matter, it's stuck up north. - annierats, Aug 29, 2012

Answer 8

Given: It is just how it is.

Eso es.

New: Do you know where Sweden is?

Yes I do. I've never been, but I would like to go. - 0095ca4c, Aug 29, 2012

It's rather expensive, like impossibly so.. But very clean and tidy. Like Canada, but smaller. - annierats, Aug 29, 2012

More espensive than England? - 0095ca4c, Aug 29, 2012

Answer 9

New: Will you be at home tomorrow?

¿Mañana estarás en casa?

Nueva frase

Have you ever been to their hometown?

Answer 10

Podría llegar a ser primer ministro.

New sentence: Are you always this hardheaded?

Creo que esta foto se merece recibir muchos votos ¡Qué bien! - Fidalgo, Aug 29, 2012

Answer 11

Estarán saliendo por el tiempo llegamos Se habrán ido para el momento en que lleguemos.

New sentence: They were a happy family.

I'd say; "Se habrán ido para el momento en que lleguemos". - francobollo, Apr 19, 2012

Answer 12

Given: Are you always this hardheaded?

¿Siempre eres tan realista? // cabezón?

New: Will you be at home tomorrow?

I'd say: Siempre eres tan testarudo? - francobollo, Aug 30, 2012

Thanks Franco, I don't know.. - annierats, Aug 30, 2012

I've jsut trealized I have no idea what ' hard-headed' means in English. Stubborn? - annierats, Aug 30, 2012

Yes - stubborn. And cabezón in Spanish is correct, but colloquial. - francobollo, Sep 1, 2012

Answer 13

NEW: My favorite color is green, but his is blue.

Mi color favorito es el verde, pero lo suyo es el azul.

Nueva frase

I think they have been to an island called "Awful" 5 times to look for monsters.

I'd say: "pero el suyo es el azul". - francobollo, Sep 1, 2012

Answer 14

New: Unfortunatly, there were no monsters on the island and the B&B was monstrously expensive

Por desgracia, no había ningún monstruo en la isla y el "Bed and Breakfast” era terriblemente caro.

Nueva frase

Once they were sailing around the island, one of them said that he had seen a mermaid.

there 'were' no - no había :) - Kiwi-Girl, Aug 30, 2012

Muchas gracias a vos :) No lo leía cuidadosamente - Fidalgo, Aug 30, 2012

Answer 15

Given: I think they have been to an island called "Awful" 5 times to look for monsters.

Creo que han visitado una isla llamada ' Horible' cinco veces, esperando a ver los monstruos.

New: Unfortunatly, there were no monsters on the island and the B&B was monstrously expensive .