ser & estar
when do i use the word ser or estar? does it matter which one i use'
10 Answers
TAT said:
how do i make sentences. for example, what gos first the subject or the noun''? why is spanish backwards''?
Or why is English backwards? -one could ask-.
how do i make sentences. for example, what gos first the subject or the noun''? why is spanish backwards''?
Emmanuel Guzman said:
estar " use when speaking to some one like you are mad at a girl. Example : estar una perra es Mala : To be a bitch is bad. us speaking of self " Soy ser un mariposa en el cielo " I am to be a butterfly in the sky. hope this helps you. hit me up anytime mama
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estar " use when speaking to some one like you are mad at a girl. Example : estar una perra es Mala : To be a bitch is bad. us speaking of self " Soy ser un mariposa en el cielo " I am to be a butterfly in the sky. hope this helps you. hit me up anytime mama
PUNISHER said:
man im glad that i replyed here otherwise i wouldnt get the the valuable information from you lazarus 1907, waw i didnt know about that, what i wrote is what i knew untill your reply came out. thanks alot
Most Spanish teachers (including myself) give your rule at some point, and get inevitably hammered with countless questions from students about this and that exception. Nowadays, in foreign languages' teacher training, the "temporary / permanent" rule is almost considered taboo.
Many book writers and teachers (and native speakers) are still unaware of this.
man im glad that i replyed here otherwise i wouldnt get the the valuable information from you lazarus 1907,
waw i didnt know about that, what i wrote is what i knew untill your reply came out. thanks alot
lazarus1907 said:
PUNISHER said:
ser = for long term or things that dont change (soy alto)estar = temporarly or things that could change in the same day or a short period (estoy cansado) this is a simple explaination from my little knowlege about it, im sure the big guys will show up and give more information and correct the onse that i gave if im wrong
Punisher, this rule you're quoting is, among all the rules about SER & ESTAR, the one that statistically fails most often. I recommend you to avoid this "rule" at all costs. You can use SER for things that last a millisecond, and ESTAR for things that will remain the same way forever. It all has to do with the way we perceive things, and there is always a cultural ingredient involved in that.The best rule so far is:SER is used to identify, define or classify.ESTAR is used for states in general, in relationship with places and moments in time.People are classified according to their sex, colour,... but not according to their "crazyness", as this is viewed as something that happens to people at some point in life, and not what defines who you are. You say:Marcos está muerto.but this doesn't define who the person is: being dead does not describe who Marcos really is or was. In any case, being dead is NOT a temporal state. So, who belongs to the "dead" classification of people? Easy: vampires and zombies. Only they are "dead kind of people".
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PUNISHER said:
ser = for long term or things that dont change (soy alto) estar = temporarly or things that could change in the same day or a short period (estoy cansado) this is a simple explaination from my little knowlege about it, im sure the big guys will show up and give more information and correct the onse that i gave if im wrong
Punisher, this rule you're quoting is, among all the rules about SER & ESTAR, the one that statistically fails most often. I recommend you to avoid this "rule" at all costs. You can use SER for things that last a millisecond, and ESTAR for things that will remain the same way forever. It all has to do with the way we perceive things, and there is always a cultural ingredient involved in that.
The best rule so far is:
SER is used to identify, define or classify.
ESTAR is used for states in general, in relationship with places and moments in time.
People are classified according to their sex, colour,... but not according to their "crazyness", as this is viewed as something that happens to people at some point in life, and not what defines who you are. You say:
Marcos está muerto.
but this doesn't define who the person is: being dead does not describe who Marcos really is or was. In any case, being dead is NOT a temporal state. So, who belongs to the "dead" classification of people? Easy: vampires and zombies. Only they are "dead kind of people".
Estoy loco may not convey that meaning. Actually I think loco is used a lot with Volver as well as Estar. Look up loco in our dictionary and see if they have a phrase that conveys your meaning more precisely.
http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/loco
TAT said:
oh... so how would i put im acting crazy''? estar loco'?
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oh... so how would i put im acting crazy''? estar loco''
ser = for long term or things that dont change (soy alto)
estar = temporarly or things that could change in the same day or a short period (estoy cansado)
this is a simple explaination from my little knowlege about it, im sure the big guys will show up and give more information and correct the onse that i gave if im wrong
Search the threads and you'll find numerous discussions on their use.
There is also a reference topic on this.
http://www.spanishdict.com/reference/grammar/ser-and-estar as well as a lesson on the Learn page.
http://www.spanishdict.com/learn/spanish1/learn-spanish-111-ser-vs-...
