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1.7: Un verbo en inglés, dos diferentes verbos en español - To Be or not To Be, Ser y Estar.

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    202095
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    To be is translated as “ser” or “estar” in Spanish. Both verbs, as you recall, have unique conjugations. Let’s review the different situation that go to help us to use correctly each one of this verbs.

    SER is one of the most important Spanish verbs. To make it simple for you to remember when to use, read the following memory aid or mnemonic where the first letter of each situation or reason spells a word when you look at them vertically.

    D Date Hoy es martes.
    O Occupation Yo soy estudiante.
    C

    Characteristics

    (permanent characteristics, personality traits, origin)

    Mi mamá es bonita.

    Nosotros somos peruanos.

    Vosotros sois simpáticos.

    T Time Son las 2:00 P.M.
    O Ownership/ possession

    Los libros son míos.

    Ese es tu libro.

    R

    Reaction / opinion

    (Cognates: es fabuloso, es importante, es posible…)

    ¡El helado es delicioso!

    Es importante estudiar.

    E Event taking place El concierto es en Wadsworth.
    E

    Essence

    (what something is made of)

    El libro es de papel.

    ESTAR: When we want to talk about how we are feeling and where we are, always use the verb estar. (It rhymes!) The reasons why you will use ESTAR in a sentence may be easily recalled by remembering this mnemonic device or memory tool: HEALTH.

    H Health Estoy bien. Estás enfermo. Estáis mal.
    E Emotion Está feliz. Estamos contentos.
    A Attitude Están seguros. (They are certain.)
    L Location Estoy en Geneseo.
    T Temporary Condition

    La sopa está fría (no me gusta).

    (Something contrary to what you expected.)

    H Happening now

    Estamos aprendiendo español.

    This is the present progressive which combines the use of the present tense conjugation of estar with a gerund form (ing).

    Practiquemos

    Fill in the space with the correct form of the verb SER or ESTAR en el presente del indicativo.

    1. Mi amigo ________ muy enfermo hoy.
    2. El chico __________ estudiando ahora en la biblioteca.
    3. Miguel _____ mexicano.
    4. Yo ______ de Rochester.
    5. Ella ________ muy paciente, generosa y bonita.
    6. La mesa ______ de madera. (The table is made of wood, composed of wood)
    7. Hoy ____ lunes, el primero de enero.
    8. Ahora, _______ las dos de la tarde.
    9. Ahora, _______ la una y media.
    10. Mis amigos _________ en casa ahora, en este (this) momento.

    Remember this useful tip:

    We use the ver SER for permanent things: Yo soy alto.

    We use the verb ESTAR for temporal things: Tú estás en Colombia.

    Leamos y comprendamos

    Read the dialogue about what Elisa is doing to prepare for her return to school. Based on your understanding of what you read, fill in the notes about the
    Indicative Present Progressive in the table that follows this paragraph.

    Estoy pensando(1) en ir a Lima, Perú por un semestre, pero en este momento también me estoy preparando(2) para mi regreso a la universidad. Estoy poniendo(3) mis libros en mi mochila mientras mi mamá está lavando(4) mi ropa. (¡Qué linda es mi mamá!). Mis hermanos están descansando(5). Uno está bebiendo(6) café y otro está mirando(7) la televisión. Mi hermana está durmiendo(8) como siempre. Ellos no están ayudando(9). Mi papá está planeando(10) el viaje a la universidad. Él está leyendo(11) el mapa y está escribiendo(12) dos rutas para llegar para evitar el tráfico. Estamos saliendo(13) en una hora y no estoy lista.

    Completemos: In the following table, identify all the instances that are in bold in the dialogue that we read about what Elisa is doing to prepare for her return to school. Next identify the main verb as in the example below. Identify if it is an AR, ER or IR verb in the third column and lastly identify the formation of the progressive form. For the two instances of progressives in purple see if you can figure out why they are different in the gerund formation.

    # Present progressive Main Verb AR/ER/IR Progressive Form Formation
    1 Estoy pensando Pensar AR Estar conjugated + Main verb Root+ando
    2        
    3        
    4        
    5        
    6        
    7        
    8        
    9        
    10        
    11        
    12        
    13        

    The present progressive is formed by conjugating ESTAR in the present tense for the subject and then forming a gerund for the main verb. Summarize the gerund formation steps below:

    AR verbs: _________________________________________________________________

    ER verbs: _________________________________________________________________

    IR verbs: _________________________________________________________________

    Irregular IR verbs: __________________________________________________________

    Verbs that would have 3 vowels in a row, as leer, need to be changed how? ___________________________________________________________________________________

    Emphasis can be expressed in various ways such as in the case above about what is happening at this moment. When showing possession there are many ways to express the concept including one that really emphasizes the possessor.