Day 4: The two "to be" verbs, ser and estar
An American president once famously said, "It depends on what the meaning of 'is' is." Maybe he studied Spanish, because that is something every Spanish speaker and Spanish language-learner has to consider almost anytime they open their mouth to speak.
In Spanish, there are two ways to say 'is':
If you are talking about how something is at the moment (some impermanent state that it is going through) or where it is, then the 'to be' verb to use is the verb 'estar' and the translation of 'is' is 'está'.
If you are talking about what something is like (some permanent or inherent characteristic of that thing), then the 'to be' verb to use is the verb 'ser' and the translation of 'is' is 'es'.
Su objetivo es alcanzar la paz.
His goal is to achieve peace.
His goal is what it is (it's not going to change), so 'es'.
Es neurocirujano.
He is a neurosurgeon.
That is what he is fundamentally, so 'es'.
El virus es similar a los virus H5N1.
The virus is similar to the H5N1 viruses.
It's similarity is not something about it that will be changing, so 'es'.
Está muy arrepentido.
He is very sorry.
This is about how he is feeling, not about a permanent personal characteristic, so 'está'.
(The distinction between permanent personal characteristics [es] and temporary feelings [está] can be demonstrated with the word 'aburrido': "Ella está aburrida" means that "She is bored" [at the moment] and "Ella es aburrida" means that "She is boring" [always].)
El caso está en un 70% resuelto.
The case is 70% solved.
That is where the case is at the moment, so 'está'. (It might be simpler to think of 'estar' [and therefore 'está'] as describing the state of something in space or in time.)
No está de ánimo para celebrar el Año Nuevo.
She is not feeling like celebrating the New Year.
Again, something changeable (her feeling), so 'está'.
Your mission today, should you choose to accept it, is to go find some Spanish somewhere and see how many times you can see the words 'es' or 'está'. Sometimes you might even be able to understand enough of the rest of the sentence to notice that 'es' is being used for permanent things and 'está' for things that are changeable in time or space.
While you are at it, see what other words you can understand or figure out. Sometimes just knowing English helps (even if sometimes it gets in the way). Other times, seeing words next to a picture can give you a clue.
