ser vs siendo

Question

This question was asked once before LINK but I couldn't make out the distinctions between the two sentences in the explanation given at the LINK:

continúa siendo critica = remains critical

continúa ser critica = continues to be critical

Is there a difference between the two sentences? I think the first can also be "continues being critical" and the second is "continues to be critical". Is one generally preferred over the other, or are there specific instances when one construct is used instead of the other? Thanks.

Listen to JulianChivi's answer, I'm not sure mine is correct. He's a native speaker and he says there is no difference. - Jubilado, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 1

I would guess your examples relate to a person´s physical condition, so in this context there isn´t any difference in meaning between the two.

But there are other word orders where only one of the two can be used, ie: Los resultados de las pruebas médicas vienen siendo muy buenos para el paciente (the results of the medical tests are very good for the pacient). With this sentence structure we cannot use the infinitive.

Gracias. - Jubilado, Jun 28, 2013

Thanks to both JulianChivi and Jubilado... - cdunn3, Jun 28, 2013

Answer 2

In the first sentence the emphasis is on critica. In the second the emphasis is on ser. In English is sounds the opposite. In Spanish ser in the second sentence is like the English gerund "being". That (to me anyway) is where the confusion lies.