Está and es

Question

Hi users! I have a question so I am confused because on my Spanish hw there was a sentence in English that said: "This is a very difficult test" and I had to translate it in Spanish, but there are two choices that I got confused on. (Sorry if this doesn't make sense) I wrote in Spanish: El examen es muy dificíl. But there is an answer choice of está as well: El examen está muy dificíl. I don't know if both are considered "right" or if one of the two is better. (Es/está)

Welcome to SpanishDict. We will not tell you the answer. You must make an attempt first. - rac1, Jan 19, 2017

Answer 1

"This is a very difficult test."

Esta es una prueba muy difícil. (Examen is a much longer test like a final exam.)

Only "es" can be used here. If you want to say "this test is very difficult" there are two options.

To simply state a fact "Esta prueba es muy difícil". This is something that the teacher might say.

To state a strong opinion: "¡Esta prueba *está muuuuuyy difícil!*" This is what one of the students might say

Thanks, that is the sense I thought estar would give it. :) - bosquederoble, Jan 20, 2017

Answer 2

Although I agree with bosquederoble that the situation calls for ser and not estar, I disagree that what you wrote is correct. From my perspective, El examen es muy dificíl is a poor translation of This is a very difficult test. Translate back the other way, into English from El examen es muy dificíl, and see whether you agree with me.

Yes, there is some difference between the exam is very difficult and this is a very difficult test, although I think the information conveyed is conceptually similar. :) - bosquederoble, Jan 19, 2017

Answer 3

I will take this as your attempt:

I wrote in Spanish: El examen es muy dificíl.

This is basically a ser (es) vs. estar (está) question.

Ser refers to defining characteristics, estar to conditions, states.

Difícil is normally considered to be a characteristic and match with ser.

There may be some place a native could use it with estar, to connote some subtle meaning different than simply difficult, but as a learner, you should learn that it goes with ser.

If you look at our dictionary you will note in the examples many uses of it in conjunction with ser and none with estar.

So what you wrote is correct.

http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/difícil

:) - rac1, Jan 19, 2017

My "take" is a little different. See my post. - Daniela2041, Jan 20, 2017