¿To be or not To be? Parte I.
By Os
To be, or not to be; that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles…
¿To be or not To be? That is NOT the question.
¿Ser or Estar? ¡That’s the question!
Today it’s not about Hamlet or Shakespeare. Today it’s about the verb TO BE.
There are two different ways to say “To be” in Spanish. Way number 1 and way number 2. You have to learn both:
To be #1 & To be #2
To be #1 = Ser. & To be #2 = Estar.
Thus, there are two different ways to say “I am”, “You are”, “S/He is”, “We are”, “You guys are” and “They are” in Spanish. Way number 1 and way number 2. Those ways are NOT interchangeable.
Now, let’s learn the “to be” words, Ser & Estar.
Ser = To be #1
Soy I am #1
Es you are, he is, she is, it is #1
Son you guys are #1, they are #1
Somos we are #1
Estar = To be #2
Estoy I am #2
Está you are, he is, she is, it is #2
Están you guys are, they are #2
Estamos we are #2
Let’s put everything in boxes.
Ser = To be #1
|
I soy |
we somos |
|
you, s/he es |
you all, they son |
Estar = To be #2
|
I estoy |
we estamos |
|
you, s/he está |
you all, they están |
Now, let’s put everything together and in the same box. You only got 10 words to remember. You will just have to watch closely. Trust me. It’s worth it!
|
ESTAR |
TO BE |
SER |
|
Estoy |
I’m |
Soy |
|
Está |
you’re, s/he’s |
Es |
|
Estamos |
we’re |
Somos |
|
Están |
y’all are, they’re |
Son |
¿To be or not To be? That is NOT the question.
¿Ser or Estar? That’s half of the question…
¿When to use Ser and when to use Estar?
¡That’s the REAL question!
We will answer that next month. In the meantime, you have to learn and memorize the “to be” words. And even more important you have to realize and be aware that there are two ways, two forms, two different action words, two different verbs which work in the same way that the verb TO BE works in English. SER & ESTAR. ESTAR & SER.
They are NOT interchangeable, sometimes you have to use the way #1 and sometimes only the way #2 is the correct one. We will talk more about it next month.
¡Hasta entonces amigos!
Os is a certified and experienced teacher of español.
Call him… you can start to learn NOW.
SPANISH PURAVIDA (506) 88-222-936 www.OsCostaRica.com