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16. WHAT ARE SOME EQUIVALENTS OF “To BE”?
IN ENGLISH The verb to be has the following forms in the present tense: I am; you are; he, she, it is; we are; you are; they are. It is used in a variety of ways: • for telling time It is 4:00.
• for discussing health John isn’t very well.
• for describing traits and characteristics Mary is tall and blond.
• for telling ages
I am twenty years old.
• for explaining what there is or there are in specific places There are twenty-five students in the class.
IN SPANISH There are various verbs used to express the English verb to be: English Spanish 1 ser (to be) to be f 2. estar (to be) 1 3. tener (to have) there is, there are 4. hay (a form of to have)
Depending on what you want to say, you will have to use one of these four verbs. Here are a few rules to help you select the correct one:
1. To be —* “Ser” You should use ser when you are speaking about the following:
• to tell time
It is four o’clock. time
Son las cuatro. • to show possession (see What is the Possessive?, p. 16)
That car is John’s. possession Ese coche es de Juan.
This book is yours. possession Este libro es tuyo.
• to express nationality and origin
Mary is Spanish; she is from Madrid. nationality origin Maria es espaflola; es de Madrid.
• with nouns to identify someone or something
Mr Robles is an engineer noun of identification
El señor Robles es ingeniero.
That building is the language laboratory. noun of identification
Ese edificio es el laboratorio de lenguas.
• with adjectives to describe traits or characteristics (see What is an Adjective?, p. 102) Mary is tall and blond. Ii’ adjectives describing traits
Maria es alta y rubia.
2. To be —÷ “Estar”
You should use estar when you are speaking about the following:
• to express location
John is in the libra location
Juan estd en la biblioteca.
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The books are on the table.
location Los libros están sobre la mesa.
to discuss health
How are you?
asking about health
tCOmo está Ud.?
Mary is fine but John is sick.
describing health Maria estâ bien pero Juan esti enfermo.
• with adjectives that describe a condition Jam tired and worried.
adjectives of condition Estoy cansada y preocupada.
“Ser” vs. “Estar” The only situation in which both ser and estar can be used is when the verb to be is followed by an adjective. You will need to decide what type of adjective is used in order to correctly select a form of ser or estar.
• adjectives that describe traits and characteristics —* ser
My house is yellow.
trait Mi casa es amarilla. Ser is used because the adjective yellow distinguishes the house from others. It answers the question: Which house is yours?
Mary is thin.
trait Maria es delgada. Ser is used because the adjective thin distinguishes Mary from other females. It answers the question: Which person is Mary? • adjectives that describe conditions — estar
My house is dirty. condition Mi casa está sucia. Estar is used because the adjective diriy describes a special condi- tion, not a normal characteristic of the house. It answers the question: What condition is the house in?
Mary is tired. condition Maria está cansada. Estar is used because the adjective tired describes a special condition not a normal characteristic of Mary. It answers the question: What is Mary’s condition?
3. To be —* “Tener” (to have) The verb tener (to have) is sometimes used in expressions where Eng- lish uses the verb to be. These expressions using tener must be memo- rized. Here are a few examples:
Jam hungry. to be Tengo hambre. to have [“I have hu;ger”]
I am twenty years old. to be Tengo veinte años. to have [“I have twenty years”]
4. There is, there are —* “Hay” The English expressions there is or there are are translated with the Spanish word hay. Hay is used to explain the presence or absence of people or things in a particular place. Hay is invariable, that is, it does not change form since it can be either singular or plural.
There is a book on the table. singular noun
Hay un libro sobre la mesa.
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There are many books on the table. plural noun Hay muchos libros sobre la mesa. You must learn to use this very common expression correctly and avoid using estar when you shouldn’t. To avoid using the wrong form, see if you can replace the “is’s or “are~~ of the English sentence wit “there is” or “there are.” If you can, you must use hay; if you can’t, ten está or están must be used to show location.
On the table is a book. hay You can say: On the table there is a book.
The book is on the table. estI
You can’t say: The book there is on the table.
In the classroom are students. hay
You can say: In the classroom there are students. The chairs and tables are in the classroom.
están
You can’t say: The chairs and tables there are in the classroom. |
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