Question about ser/estar usage in this phrase translation
¿Qué es la manera apropiada para traducir la siguiente frase?
The man is being kissed.
o El hombre es besado.
o El hombre está besado.
o El hombre es siendo besado.
o El hombre está siendo besado.
¿Cuál es la mas apropiada'
12 Answers
"El hombre está siendo besado" es la traducción literal de esta frase.
Natasha said:
¿Quiénes? Pues, ¡supongo que sea posible que muchas personas le están besando! Sin embargo, ¿no es mejor así?
Está besando al hombre.
Gus is right, and I prefer his option myself in this case. The 3rd person plural in Spanish can be used to express impersonality. In "llaman a la puerta" you don't really know whether there is one, or several person knocking at the door, so effectively, the subject is indeterminate, like in a passive construction.
Replying to Heidita (reply button being stupid again): OK, that makes more sense. Way to go Gus!!
Guillermo said:
"El hombre está siendo besado" es la traducción literal de esta frase.
As guillermo says: this is the literal translation I would venture that nobody would say that.
Se está besando al hombre.
Están besando al hombre.
Natasha:
El hombre se besa. = The man is kissing himself.
Le besa al hombre. = He /she is kissing the man.
Está besando al hombre. = He /she is kissing the man.
So none of these reflects the impersonal idea of the original sentence.
Natasha said:
Mark Baker said:
Thanks Natasha.
>
yea, this is right too, but the example does not specifies if one or more persons are kiising the man
Natasha said:
Gus said:
estan besando al hombre
¿Quiénes? Pues, ¡supongo que sea posible que muchas personas le están besando! Sin embargo, ¿no es mejor así'Está besando al hombre.
>
Gus said:
estan besando al hombre
¿Quiénes? Pues, ¡supongo que sea posible que muchas personas le están besando! Sin embargo, ¿no es mejor así?
Está besando al hombre.
estan besando al hombre
Mark Baker said:
Natasha said:
P.S. The "present progressive" in Spanish (I'm sorry, I don't know what the Spanish terminology is) is never formed with es (etc.) but always with está, estás (etc.).Está cantando.NOT "Es cantando".
In the reference section esta is used when describing an action so I would say esta.....Natasha can you tell me whether adding 'do' to busar makes the verb ending 'ed'.... ie 'kissed' Thanks
I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying about "esta."
To make the past participle in Spanish:
-ar verbs: take the stem and add -ado
relajar / relajado
-er verbs: add -ido
comer / comido
-ir verbs: add -ido
venir / venido
If you look on the conjugation page for any verb, you will see this under "participio pasado."
Natasha said:
P.S. The "present progressive" in Spanish (I'm sorry, I don't know what the Spanish terminology is) is never formed with es (etc.) but always with está, estás (etc.).Está cantando.NOT "Es cantando".
In the reference section esta is used when describing an action so I would say esta.....Natasha can you tell me whether adding 'do' to busar makes the verb ending 'ed'.... ie 'kissed' Thanks
P.S. The "present progressive" in Spanish (I'm sorry, I don't know what the Spanish terminology is) is never formed with es (etc.) but always with está, estás (etc.).
Está cantando.
NOT "Es cantando".
I don't think any of these are natural-sounding Spanish. You need something more like:
El hombre se besa.
Le besa al hombre.
I think. These seem to be one of Lazarus' specialty . . . we'll see what other people say.
