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Soy vs Estoy vs Tengo - is this correct?Ask about definitions or translations for Spanish or English words. |
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Soy vs Estoy vs Tengo - is this correct?
I'm fairly new to Spanish and have been working on understanding the correct ages of Soy, Estoy and Tengo.
As far as I understand: Tengo is an irregular usage, generally meaning "I have" but used where I might assume "I am" would be used, such as "tengo frio" (I am cold). These don't really have any rules but just have to be memorized. Is this correct? Does anyone have or know of a list of times when "tengo" is used? Soy is used to described what something is, more of a "permanent" state of something (or at least not as impermanent as something like emotions). Its more along the lines of "this is who I am". Such as "Soy de Las Vegas." But why is it sometimes "soy" and sometimes "yo soy"? Estoy is used to described how or where something is, the condition in that moment or the experience of that moment. It's the more impermanent qualities of something, along the lines of "this is where I am/what I'm experiencing right now". Is "yo estoy" ever used (and if so when and why)? Please correct anything or clarify anything you see or think I may be misunderstanding. I appreciate it! |
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¿Cómo estás Tara? Estoy bien. Being well is temporary. You would not say Soy bien. "Soy un hombre sincero de donde crece la palma." Jose Martí Cuban poet "I am a sincere man from where the palm trees grow."(Cuba) Being a man is permanent. Estoy cansado. I'm tired. Being tired is a temporary state. Tengo frio, calor etc. etc. I have cold, hot. I am cold, hot. This is the way it is said in Spanish and all the Latin languages. Italian for example: Ho freddo. Ho caldo. I have cold, hot. yo=I, tú=you, usted=you(formal), nosotros=we, ellos, ellas=they, ustedes=you plural Ser - to be - permanent state Yo soy, tu eres usted, el ella es, nosotros somos, ustedes, ellos ellas son Estar - to be - temporary state Yo estoy, tu estas, usted, el ella esta, nosotros estamos, ustedes, ellos ellas son Tener=To have Yo tengo, tu tienes, usted, el, ella tiene, nosotros tenemos, ustedes, ellos, ellas tienen Ser, estar o tener For each blank, give the correct form of ser, estar or tener for each question. Put only one answer in each blank. Use lower case only. David ________ alto y guapo. ¿Y ________ Uds. estudiantes? El hombre ________ aquí. Ella no ________ de aquí. Yo no ________ médico. El ________ los ojos azules y el pelo largo. Las muchachas no ________ buenas estudiantes. Nosotros ________ cansadas porque no dormimos mucho. ¿Cómo ________ tú? Bien, gracias. Las chicas ________ de Mazatlán. Ellas no ________ el pelo rizado. ¿Qué hora ________? Tengo un examen mañana. Por eso ________ muy nervioso. Ellas ________ morenas. Mi abuelo ________ muerto. (This is a tricky one.) Last edited by Villa; January 27, 2013 at 01:20 PM. |
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And what I said about the "yo" applied here, as well. |
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I think part of the problem is that you're learning some things in their conjugated form. "No entiendo" is already conjugated into the first person. Basically you're conjugating the verb "entender". You're just gonna have to learn the uses of "tener" as they translate to the English "I am". For instance "tengo frío/I'm cold", "tengo hambre/I'm hungry", "tengo sed/I'm thirsty", "tengo sueño/I'm tired". Remember, the hardest things to learn is that stuff doesn't always directly translate. That's been one of my biggest obsticles as I continue to learn. Good luck! Hope I didn't confuse you more.
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To be = ser or estar right? How come now you are saying something like I am don't understand? See the mixing? One thing you should be doing is to check the way to conjugate verbs in Spanish, the page is here, somewhere... Now, try again and don't mix the terms.... one thing is to be and the other is to have.... One thing at a time. |
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1. Understanding 2. Speaking 3. Reading 4. Writing So in order to understand Spanish you have to listen to Spanish a lot. 99.99% of language is spoken not written. Once you understand Spanish then you'll be able to speak it without having to think so much. Sure you also need to study Spanish but unless you are listening to Spanish then it will take you much more time to learn. Get audio Spanish courses, Spanish music CDs, audio Spanish books, listen to Spanish on the radio. One of the best things you can do is watch TV in Spanish. Even if you don't understand your brain is picking things up subconciously. I watch 4 TV novelas a day. I watch one every hour from 7 to 10 at night 5 days a week. If I go somewhere I record them and watch them later. I also watch or listen to the news in Spanish and watch other TV shows in Spanish. I also have Spanish TV novelas on DVDs and movies in Spanish. Of course you need to find Spanish speakers to talk to. Here in California 50% of the people speak Spanish. I went to eat Chinese food yesterday and the Chinese waiter spoke fluent Spanish. He lived in Argentina for 4 years and then has lived here in California for years and speaks Spanish with somebody every day. Last edited by Villa; January 28, 2013 at 11:42 AM. |
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There's a small town here in oregon called Cornelius which has a large Hispanic population. There's a small teriyaki restaurant that is owned by a Chinese family and the owner speaks nearly fluent Spanish. So she speaks Spanish, mandarin, and English. It's very true what Villa said, if you basically immerse yourself in it, you'll pick things up without realizing it sometimes.
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Last edited by Villa; January 28, 2013 at 12:50 PM. |
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It could be Yo no entiendo then, no? Quote:
The immersion and "order of learning" makes so much sense now that you mention it. We're traveling full-time currently and I'm limited on resources right now for various reasons, but I'll try to find some options until we have better wifi that will allow me to watch some videos. (Can't wait to be able to use a library again! I did go to a Mexican restaurant last night but our server didn't speak Spanish. LOL) Thank you also for the reminder that things simply won't translate exactly. Such an obvious thing to forget, that the whole world is based off our English grammar rules! Going to give this a try even though it feels waaaaay over my head at the present moment. Quote:
Last edited by Rusty; January 28, 2013 at 03:20 PM. Reason: merged back-to-back posts |
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