Estar or ser?

Question

Could you translate the phrase "Those smiles were contagious". I am not sure if I should use estar or ser.

Welcome to SpanishDict. As Ken has stated, post your answer and we will be happy to check it for you. - rac1, May 29, 2017

Answer 1

Ayitsama:

You need to tell us which you would choose. Write your sentence in Spanish. Explain why you chose ser vs. estar. Then we can either confirm your Spanish and your reasoning or we will tell you if you chose incorrectly and why. We follow this approach in order to help you learn.

I suggest you read the SD article "ser vs. estar" which you can find under the Main Menu: Learning Guide - Verb articles.

Here's a hint:

Her smile is contagious. (ser) This is the way she (almost always) smiles. It is part of her essence...just as much as being tall and blond.

Normally she is sad. But today her smile is contagious. (estar) Having such a smile is unusual for her. It was just for today...it isn't part of her essence....just the state (estado from estar) that she was in today.

One more example:

José está aburrido.

Jose is bored (right now)

José es aburrido.

José is a boring person.

Answer 2

Open this link and read it may help.

Answer 3

Use Ser.

We prefer members to make an effort mate otherwise they will never learn . And please do not override the moderators suggestion as in the comments by rac1. - ray76, May 30, 2017