Why is 'estudientes' identification and not profession?

[AlwaysLost]

Not like it really really matters because I get the correct form of ser either way, but why is it that a 'profesor' is a profession, but not a student. Why would student be listed as an identification?

[Rusty]

I'm not aware of the classifications you've been studying, not that that matters, but I would say the difference could be that we aren't gaining money when we're a student (estudiante). There aren't professional students, although we jokingly use that term to describe someone who has been studying for a long time.

Soy estudiante. = I am a student.
Soy profesor. = I am a professor.

[AlwaysLost]

It's one of those workbook things it wants me to know the different reasons why I would use ser over estar.


Along those same lines... Why is "Personal opinion of appearance" considered Estar, but "La cuidad es hermosa" uses ser? From the workbook I see Ser to be used for: color, size, strength, personality... Personal opinion of appearance is specifically listed away from ser as something you would use estar with. "La cuidad está hermosa"

Actually they did the same thing with the next line too. Personal opinion of food is using ser "la comida es deliciosa." Wonder if this is an error?

Thankyou for the help either way.

[poli]

La ciudad está hermosa hoy con el sol y las rosas
La comida es sabrosa if you want to say meals are delicious (in general meals are delicious as a characteristic--not one in particular)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Rusty and Poli.

@Always: There are no errors. We use "ser" when talking about an inherent quality of the thing or person and "estar" when its situation is not something intrinsic to the thing or person and when a "foreign" process made it be what it is now.
That is why we say "estar muerto", when this situation isn't going to change.

· La comida es deliciosa. -> (As Poli said, food is delicious always... all of it. It's a characteristic that cannot be separated from food.
· La comida está deliciosa. -> This food I'm tasting is delicious. The preparation of it made it delicious.

· La ciudad es hermosa. -> The city is beautiful because it is an intrinsic feature of it.
· La ciudad está hermosa. -> I probably didn't find it beautiful before, or it wasn't, or probably won't be beautiful in the future. but this is a characteristic it has for me now.

- Vi una foto de mi actriz favorita y está muy fea. -
I saw a picture of my favourite actress and she looks so ugly. -> I didn't find her ugly before, but now I do... probably she had a bad plastic surgery or wrong make-up.
- Esa actriz no me gusta. Es muy fea.
I don't like that actress, she's very ugly. -> I find this actress ugly, no matter what; this is to me an intrinsic feature of hers.


Take a look at the thread on "ser" and "estar" here for more explanations and examples.