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Meaning Changes - Ser vs. EstarThis is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish. |
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#11
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There are some words in German and English which have almost identical pronunciation (like sour/sauer) and being a little dyslexic, I often confuse the two languages. |
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#12
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No sé si éste sea útil o no, pero una chica mexicana con quien chateo en Skype acaba de poner este vídeo en línea:
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Si cometo errores (o si digo algo que suene muy extraño), házmelo saber de modo que pueda entender y aprender, gracias. |
#13
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ser: Ella es una niña guapísima. (a statement of fact) estar: "Niña, ¡qué guapa estás!" (looks especially beautiful tonight) same 'niña', but special occasion. Last edited by swr999; August 28, 2011 at 02:44 PM. Reason: incorporate Rusty's corrections; some context for 'ser''y |
#14
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Orthographic corrections, for those who might be learning.
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#15
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I've always taken it as the difference in the ways that the sexes hear a statement, not in any way a comment on the nature of the English phrase. Most men figure out to omit the word "today", as it can accidentally turn an intended compliment into an insult. I would like to know from a native Spanish speaking woman how the phrase "estas guapa" would be interpreted. Would you take it as a backhanded insult, or as a compliment. |
#16
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But I'm guessing how a woman would react to something, and I'm old enough to know better..... |
#17
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It seems to me that if one knows that a woman has intentionally dressed up for some reason, then "estás guapa" would suggest that one has noticed and appreciated her effort. Tone of voice and expression undoubtedly help, too.
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#18
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Interspersing (is it that?) "...especialmente..." (or "...particularmente..." in Spanish) would do the trick, both languages
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Sorry, no English spell-checker |
#19
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I agree with wrholt.
If you say "estás guapa", it means you're making a compliment on how the woman looks at a certain moment. Same for "te ves bien/guapa/bonita..." All of these express a compliment for a moment in time. If you say "eres guapa/bonita/linda...", you're making a compliment on the permanent features of the woman. Most women I know, however, if you say "estás guapa", "qué bien te ves" or so, would take it as a compliment and be glad that something made them look better at that moment.
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#20
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It seems as if "estás guapa" would be the correct compliment for a coworker. An added especialmente wouldn't hurt if it is your wife or girlfriend.
There is a decent Wikipedia article that states: The Spanish verb "ser" is etymologically related to the English words "essence" and "is", and estar with "state", "status", "standing", "stance" and "stay". |
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