Words equivalent to English "to be", including "ser", "estar", and all their conjugated forms.
5
votes
4answers
238 views
What is the difference between “ser cierto” and “ser verdad”?
The English "to be true" can be translated to Spanish as either ser cierto or ser verdad. What is the difference between the two? When would you use one instead of the other?
5
votes
3answers
161 views
What is the difference between “ser casado” and “estar casado”?
I have read that both ser and estar can be used with casado to give different connotations to the phrase "to be married." What exactly are the differences, and when would you use each verb?
3
votes
1answer
358 views
Difference between “está” and “esta” or “esté” and “este”?
How do I know if I have to use the one with accent and not the one without accent? Could you provide examples?
16
votes
3answers
414 views
Ser and estar for location
The edge-cases of ser and estar still seem to get me. My understanding is that when speaking of a location, I should use estar.
La biblioteca está aquí.
However, a student I am tutoring had a ...
6
votes
2answers
133 views
Why is 'estoy' used when saying “I'm related to”
I understand
I'm related to David, he's my grandad.
translates as
Estoy relacionado con David, él es mi abuelo.
Why is estoy used and not soy?
It seems to me that the relationship is ...
13
votes
5answers
620 views
Why is 'estar muerto' used instead of 'ser muerto'?
I know it is rather rude to think of it this way and I don't want to offend anyone religiously, but being dead is usually thought of as a very permanent condition in the United States. So why does ...
1
vote
1answer
377 views
Translating “how is …?” and “how was …?”
What are the options for translating the phrase "how is" or "how was," as in:
How's the steak?
How is your day so far?
How is the traffic today?
and
How was your vacation?
How was the meeting?
...
9
votes
3answers
267 views
“De donde fue” instead of “De donde estaba”
In Nicaragua, addresses are usually given as directions from a landmark, for example:
From the stadium, go 5 blocks south, then 3 blocks east
Sometimes the landmark is a place that used to be ...
7
votes
1answer
208 views
“Ser” and “Estar”: Spanish vs. Portuguese
The English verb to be typically translates to either ser or estar in both Spanish and Portuguese.
Is there any instance in which the ser /estar distinction is different between Spanish and ...
7
votes
4answers
231 views
Why should we use estar over ser for being old or fat?
I can understand why we would use estar for temporary states. But there are conditions that people have that are not temporary, such as being old (or for some people, being fat).
¡qué gordo está!
...
14
votes
4answers
1k views
“Está hecho de…” why not “es hecho de”?
I've seen "Está hecho de ..." used to mean "It's made of ...".
Why is the verb estar and not ser? Isn't this an adjective that's permanent and not going to change?
I can understand phrases like "la ...
