Ser and Estar: An endless topic about Spanish language

It is true that for native Spanish speakers ser and estar are not a problem, but most native speakers are not able to explain the differences between ser and estar because both words are naturally integrated in their brains. Meanwhile, for non-native speakers this difference is essential for their Spanish learning. 

As a tutor, I know that even people fluent in Spanish still make mistakes when using ser or estar.  I deeply believe that apart from the grammar rules, reading and memory are fundamental to understand the use of ser and estar. Reading is necessary because you see in (real) texts the way they are used and memory is essential because when you read, repeat or hear several times phrases with ser and estar, the uses stick into your mind.

The previous paragraph is supported by one experience I had with a Canadian student. He was angry because he was struggling with this topic. I remembered he said to me: “Why do you say estar muerto (to be dead)? He is dead and the state will not change, it should be es muerto.” Based on the rules he was right because the rule says that esta” is for temporal (or changing) things and ser for permanent ones. To be dead (estar muerto) is a permanent state and consequently it should be ser muerto. I was trying to explain him about state changes, from alive to dead, but it didn´t help. It was clear to him that he had to accept that most of the time exceptions are the rule.

As you see even for tutors it is sometimes not easy to give logic answers. However, I think that for most grammar issues there are always logic reasons and rules are good. On the other hand, language is a living thing dependent on people and people are unexpected, consequently language is unexpected. 

After this experience I changed my mind and now I think that reading followed by a text analysis would help students grasp the idea better. As an example here is an extract from a Peruvian newspaper. Let's analyze the use of ser:

“Me encantan las playas de Perú más que las de Chile porque son más calentitas*. Es otro tipo de veraneo. Mientras en Chile las playas son más fresquitas, acá son más chiquititas pero tienen su onda, pues puedes tomar una cerveza en la playa tranquilamente sin que nadie te moleste. Con un rico ceviche, el ambiente es más relajado”... [I love beaches in Peru because they are warmer than Chilean beaches. It’s another summer. While in Chile beaches are cooler, here are smaller but with their own beauty, since you can drink peacefully a beer without being disturbed. With a delicious ceviche the environment is more relaxed]

*-ito,-ita: suffixes for diminutive in Spanish,e.g. niño = niñ+ito (male)/niñ+ita (female), caliente = calentito/-ita, fresco = fresquito/-ita, chico=chiquito/-ita

Ser is used mostly to describe people, things, places, events and the previous extract is a good example of this main characteristic. Some questions may clarify this aspect:   

1.    ¿Por qué le encantan las playas? (Why does she love Peruvian beaches?)

 

Porque son más calentitas. (Because they are [generally] hotter. The person is describing and making a comparison between Peruvian and Chilean beaches)

2.    ¿Cómo son las playas en Chile? (How are beaches in Chile?)

… en Chile las playas son más fresquitas … (in Chile beaches are cooler …) 

3.    ¿Cómo es el ambiente? (How is the environment?)

Con un rico ceviche, el ambiente es más relajado (With a ceviche [traditional dish] the environment is more relaxed)

Let´s see another extract of the same article:

¿Y el pisco es peruano o chileno? […] “Yo pienso que son dos productos totalmente distintos. Si yo pienso que el pisco es realmente peruano [...].

Ser used for origin: ¿Y el pisco es peruano o chileno? (And is it pisco [traditional drink] Peruvian or Chilean?)

Ser used for describing: “… pienso que son dos productos totalmente distintos” (I think they are totally different)

Source: http://peru21.pe/cultura/sandra-silva-chilena-que-siempre-celebra-28-julio-pisco-sour-2223682?href=cat0pos2

A brief example with estar from an article about health in the website of a Peruvian radio and television company:

“Cada vez está más claro que las bacterias intestinales pueden comunicarse con el cerebro humano: Esas bacterias liberan compuestos que actúan como neurotransmisores [...] Aún no estamos seguros exactamente de cómo se envían esos mensajes, pero los estamos siguiendo por sus efectos”, explican los autores del trabajo. [It is increasingly clear that intestinal bacteria can communicate with the human brain: these bacteria release compounds that act as neurotransmitters … We cannot be yet sure about how these communications take place, but we are following their effects”, authors explain]

Source: http://www.rpp.com.pe/2015-06-24-consumir-alimentos-ricos-en-grasa-y-azucar-deteriora-la-funcion-cognitiva-noticia_810480.html 

 

Estar is mostly used for indicating moods, states in a specific period of time and actions in progress. Our paragraph can be analyzed as follows:

1.    Cada vez está más claro que = Now it is increasingly clear (than before);

2.    Aún no estamos seguros exactamente de = We cannot be yet sure about (not yet); the temporal state is clear noted.

3.    pero los estamos siguiendo por sus efectos = but we are following their effects (an action in progress; typical use of estar + gerund)
 

This is just a simple attempt to analyze the uses of ser and estar. Of course, there are much more examples in several situations. I just wanted to provide you with a little help.

You can send me your doubts and I will try to clarify them!

Thanks for visiting me!

 Rosa

Self-education

Yesterday I was delighted by my American student who explained me some aspects about English writing style. I was delighted by his attitude and self-confidence. He told me he learnt on his own because his school teacher was not good.
His experience resembles me the experiences of other people I have been following because of their knowledge. A couple of them were (and still are) autodidacts.
The traditional education system did really not fit well for one of them. This person found in books and other personal experiences another source of knowledge, a knowledge containing spiritual awareness that allows him understand better this crazy world.
The other case surprised me since I discovered that a great Peruvian historian was a autodidact. Maria Rostworsky

 is one of the most important Peruvian historians and the author of "Historia del Tahuantinsuyu" (History of Tahuantinsuyu), one of the most important books about Peruvian history. Maria was born in Peru from a Peruvian mother and a Polish father. 

These two people prove me that with a real commitment and responsability a high quality education is possible.
Unfortunately, it is true that education is a big business in many countries and not everyone can afford a good university or to pay a master or a diploma specialization. Well, if this is not possible for you or you just do not agree with the current education system, just look for other information available in Internet, look for MOOCs and contact other people that may help you building your learning path. A learning path should never end and a book will always be a great friend.

If you are interested in Maria Rostworoski, here is a link with more details about her, http://www.librosperuanos.com/autores/autor/2344/Rostworowski-Maria. The info is in Spanish, so if you want to practice your Spanish, just take a look and see how much you are able to understand. If you need help, just drop me a line.

 About Maria Rostworoski, Peruvian program "Sucedió en el Perú" (Ocurred in Peru)

Thanks for reading me!

Rosa

English for teaching Spanish

Based on my personal experience, I think that a Spanish teacher should at least be

able to speak and understand another language. English is currently the language most people use while being overseas. In every country there are many English institutes, so, English should be, at least, this “other” language that every Spanish teacher should know. Moreover, if you understand how other language works, then you will be able to understand yours better.

Children listen first, then they repeat; later on they are more conscious about meanings. But, adults are more aware about meanings, so, if they listen something new in a new language, they will try first to know what that expression means; and, afterwards, they will identify it when listening to it again. What I mean is that during listening you are identifying sounds, then, when someone tells you what does the expression means, the relationship between sound and words is created.

Based on this short explanation, when you help the student to identify the structure using English, they will be able to grasp it easier or, at least, they will have a basic idea about the similarities between the two languages. Of course, there are always exceptions that must be considered.

For me, a good example is the Spanish Pretérito Perfecto (Haber + Participle form of the verb); in English its equivalent is the Present Perfect (Have + Past participle):

-"I have gone to the mountains" ] A says to B what he/she has previously done. A hasn´t seen B for a while.

- "(Yo) he (have) ido (gone) a las montañas" } We use the same structure for the same situation in Spanish.

Both, the English and the Spanish structures are used for the same purpose: to express states or actions started at some point in the past but whose effects are still considered or seen so far.

Another example would be the following:

Luisa has been making a diet for two months. She is thinner. Everybody can see the results and you would say in English "Maria has lost weight."

In Spanish, we would also use the same structure for the same situation: "María ha (has) perdido (lost) peso".

So, if you are able to explain the students these similarities, it might help them to understand Spanish and, of course, his/her own language. So far, it has proven very useful for me, but it doesn´t mean that I speak English the whole session. I use it when I deem it necessary.

There are many ways for teaching languages, but the main idea is to be able to give the students what they need according to their doubts, questions, requirements, etc. The point is to guide them the best possible way. That´s all we have to do.

I hope you find this text interesting and helpful.

Regards from Lima, Perú!

Rosa

Solo importa la unión

La semana pasada hubo una gran oferta de vinos en un supermercado muy famoso en Lima y como me gustan los vinos, aunque conozco muy poco de uvas y de sus propiedades, decidí ir a ver.
Los vinos que he probado son diversos, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot, etc. No sé aún distinguirlos, pero disfruto cuando los tomo.
Como dato adicional, les puedo comentar que en Lima a mucha gente le gusta el vino dulce.

Mi contacto inicial con la bebida de la vid fue la "cachina", la primera extracción de la uva. Para mí era común tomar cachina en fiestas familiares. Mi tío Rigoberto, cuñado de mi madre, es de Ica, zona vitivinícola del Perú, entonces, gracias a él y a sus familiares, conocí esta deliciosa bebida. Lamentablemente, la cachina está siendo desplazada por el pisco, bedida tradicional y de bandera del Perú, pero, todavía es posible disfrutarla.

Vuelvo al día en el supermercado. Ya tenía una idea de los vinos que quería, entonces, cuando los elegí, me di cuenta de algo: compré dos vinos de Argentina, uno de Chile y otro de Perú. Mi mente relacionó de inmediato este hecho con el fútbol y toda la polémica que hace poco se generó por la Copa América Chile. Chile ganó y a muchos, me incluyó, les pareció algo injusto por algunas decisiones de los árbitros durante los partidos. No obstante, después del torbellino futbolero, me puse a pensar en algo fundamental que dijo el gran cantautor Facundo Cabral y que parafraseo: "Hay que unir y no desunir".

El fútbol es en esencia  un deporte y, como tal, debe ser diversión. Intoxicarlo con ideas de nacionalismo es deformar su naturaleza. Se debe celebrar la actividad, no los resultados. Inafortunadamente, ahora el fútbol es un gran negocio y, por consiguiente, debe ser rentable. Esta rentabilidad se basa en ideas de nacionalismo y, a veces, creo que el nacionalismo exacerbado desune y no une. La esencia del ser humano siempre es integrar. Por eso es lindo ver cuando los jugadores se abrazan, son iguales. Los hinchas son iguales, pero sus banderas no. Sé que hay gente que va y disfruta el espectáculo y acepta sin reparos (bueno, siempre hay algo de sentimientos encontrados) el resultado final. No hay mayor consecuencia. Sin embargo, otras personas sufren, maldicen y ven en otro partido una oportunidad de venganza. A este sentimiento me refiero.

Vuelvo a mis vinos y pienso en Facundo. Para mis adentros digo: "He unido parte de Sudamérica en estos vinos". Sé que los disfrutaré independientemente de su origen. Desde hace poco he decidido que soy ciudadana universal que nació en Perú.

Es difícil pero este pequeño detalle en mi vida siempre reafirma lo dicho por Facundo Cabral, siempre hay que buscar unir y no desunir.

¡Gracias por tomarse el tiempo de leerme!

Rosa

Is Grammar important for learning a new language?

I deeply think that it really is. To understand which are the functions of words and, then to be able to identify these functions in a text, it may allow a better and easier comprenhension of another language. This is true for Spanish, for example.
Since English and Spanish are similar, basic notions of Grammar would be extremely useful to grasp the basic Spanish notions, for example:

- Mi carro (my car) [Possessive]
- Este es para mí. (this is for me) [pronoun acting as an object of a preposition]

Or a simple notion of "noun" (nombre o sustantivo in Spanish), for example: love, peace, house,  Rosa, he, they, you, Peru, Germany, etc.

I realized about this fact when I was explaining some basic notions of English to some technicias in Peru. They could not explain what a noun, adjective or adverb were, and I thought that they learned Grammar at their school. Unfortunately, it was not the case or they just forgot it.
After some days, I found myself explaining to them these ideas in Spanish first. It was really helpful and a rewarding experience for me.

Based on my experience, I can claim that Grammar is really helpful. Tutors should always ask students if Grammar explanation is necessary. Some students have told me that they can understand now how their own language works because of the Spanish grammar they are learning. This is amazing!

Everything has an order in the world and of course, a language has its order and rules. Grammar is for me like a puzzle, once you know how each piece works then everything becomes clear and the puzzle takes form little by little. In this process, practice (patience and affection for the language) is mandatory.

I found this video in Youtube about the importance of Grammar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzXMLtrKBqE and I find it extremely interesting. What do you think? I will be glad to read your comments.

Until the next time!

Rosa

A mí me gusta mucho el café, ¿qué te gusta a ti? (I like coffee, what do you like?)

Si hay algo que me gusta mucho, eso es tomar café.

No sé desde cuándo exactamente, pero sí sé que me siento feliz cuando tomo una taza y la acompaño con un postre. Mientras disfruto mi manjar, puedo estar leyendo o simplemente mirando a la gente.
Confieso que empecé a tomarlo sin azúcar gracias a la recomendación de una amiga. Y, en verdad, el sabor del dulce se aprecia más con el amargo del café. ¡Una delicia! No tengo un postre preferido, pero, me agradan mucho los postres de manzana y de chocolate.
Hace tres años y por mi gusto por el café, me inscribí en un curso de Barismo, pero todavía no ha dado resultados. Me encanta el el café, pero a veces creo que nací para tomarlo, no para preparalo profesionalmente. Quizá lo intente más adelante, pero sería un pasatiempo. No obstante, mi sueño es tener mi propia cafetería y compartir momentos agradables con la gente. Me gustaría que la gente se relaje y pase un momento agradable en mi cafetería.
Hasta que mi cafetería sea una realidad, puedo disfrutar de buenos cafés en Lima. Afortunadamente, en Lima ha aumentado el número de cafeterías y, entre ellas, hay más cafeterías que ofrecen café peruano. Las que más visito son Bisetti, Origen tostadores de café, Altomayo, entre otras.
Cuando estoy en casa, preparo mi cafecito en una prensa francesa. Es un placer tomarlo a diario. Me gustaría tener más amigos que tomen café y que lo disfruten tanto como yo.

¿Qué te gusta a ti?

Note for foreigners: If you understand the content in Spanish, I will be very happy if you answer me also in Spanish. In this way, you can practice your Spanish with me.

Aprender un idoma

He aprendido a dar mi opinión con base en mi experiencia. Ya llevo muchos años aprendiendo y practicando con el inglés, pues soy traductora y trabajo como tal. Entonces, cuando se trata de enseñar y aprender otro idioma, pienso en mí.
Empecé a aprender inglés desde los 6 años; realmente no recuerdo nada sobre cómo lo aprendí, pero sí recuerdo mi primer diálogo en inglés:

A: Milk or coffe?
B: Milk, please.
A: Sugar?
B: No, thank you.
A: A sandwich?
B:Yes, please.

Se sabe que los niños aprenden por repeteción y por la facilidad innata que poseen, facilidad que se va perdiendo a medida que crecemos porque nos volvemos más analíticos. Sin embargo, siempre somos capaces de aprender. Para mí la clave son dos cosas: deseo sincero de aprender y que el idioma te guste.

Creo que un nativo que siempre acompañe a un extranjero se puede convertir en un excelente profesor de idiomas sin proponérselo. Este comentario lo escuché muchos años atrás de una profesora de español de la universidad. Tenía muchísima razón. Por naturaleza soy muy conversadora, entonces, he notado que las conversaciones sobre diversos temas, pero, especialmente aquellos que mis alumnos proponen, han sido muy útiles para mejorar el uso de expresiones en español. El proceso que identifico es el siguiente:
1. La persona identifica (pasivo)
2. La persona repite (activo)
3. La persona comprende el porqué (activo)

Honestamente, no soy amiga de clases con un programa hecho, siempre es bueno que el alumno dé el primer paso. Lógicamente, siempre hay que tener una idea previa y saber el interés de tu alumno. Las dudas y consultas siempre aparecerán. Ya que mis clases son personales, puedo conocer mejor a las personas y adaptarme a ellas. Esta adaptación puede demorar o no, eso depende de la personalidad del alumno.

La naturalidad es lo mejor en toda actividad. Hay muchos métodos y formas para enseñar, pero si transmitimos nuestro conocimiento con el corazón, estoy segura de que la persona lo aprenderá. Un tutor simplemente da las herramientas, el alumno las comprende y, luego, las usa.

¿Qué piensas tú?

¡Hasta la próxima!