Learn how to express a temporary condition using the Spanish verb that means "to be"
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| INTRODUCTION | |
| Fernando: Welcome everyone. This is Absolute Beginner Season 1, Lesson 14; Are You Getting Sleepy? Can Spanish Help? | |
| JP: First, I want to welcome everyone to the new SpanishPod101. We’re learning Spanish with fun and effective lessons. And hopefully, giving you some cultural insights. Now Fernando, before we listen to the dialogue, tell us what we’re going to learn today. | |
| Fernando: In this lesson, you will learn about the verb: estar, to describe temporary states and conditions. This conversation takes pace at a party and the conversation is between Patricia and Diego. The speakers will be using the familiar register. | |
| JP: Let’s listen to this dialogue. | |
Lesson conversation |
|
|---|---|
| Diego: ¿Estás bien? | |
| Patricia: No, estoy muy cansada. | |
| Diego: Ok, ¿quieres ir a casa? | |
| Patricia: Sí, vámonos. | |
| JP: Let’s hear it again, dramatic speed. | |
| Diego: ¿Estás bien? | |
| Patricia: No, estoy muy cansada. | |
| Diego: Ok, ¿quieres ir a casa? | |
| Patricia: Sí, vámonos. | |
| JP: One more time with the translation. | |
| Diego: ¿Estás bien? | |
| JP: Are you alright? | |
| Patricia: No, estoy muy cansada. | |
| Fernando: No, I’m very tired. | |
| Diego: Ok, ¿quieres ir a casa? | |
| JP: Okay, do you want to go home? | |
| Patricia: Sí, vámonos. | |
| Fernando: Yes. Let’s go. | |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER | |
| JP: We’re back and it looks like Patricia is done for the night. | |
| Fernando: That’s what Diego is about to find out by asking: ¿Estás bien? | |
| JP: ¿Estás bien? Okay, this is a question of concern, right? ¿Estás bien?, Are you okay? And Patricia says, “No, I’m very tired.” | |
| Fernando: No, estoy muy cansada. | |
| JP: Okay. Fernando, what’s the word of tired? | |
| Fernando: cansada | |
| JP: Cansada, okay. It means tired. She actually says I’m very tired. | |
| Fernando: Estoy muy cansada. | |
| JP: Estoy muy cansada, okay. | |
| Fernando: Very, yes. | |
| JP: Very tired, muy cansada. Now, you noticed that in both of lines of dialogue, we’re using the same verb which is: estar, right? Diego said, “Are you okay?” | |
| Fernando: ¿Estás bien? | |
| JP: ¿Estás bien?, that’s the verb: estar, estás. And then Patricia says, “I’m tired.” | |
| Fernando: Estoy muy cansada. | |
| JP: Estoy muy cansada. So those two forms: estás, estoy, are both forms of: estar. Alright. Let’s move on. So Patricia says she’s tired, so Diego says, “Well, do you want to go home?” | |
| Fernando: Ok, ¿quieres ir a casa? | |
| JP: Ok, ¿quieres ir a casa? Now, Fernando, okay looks like English to me. Is that Spanish also? | |
| Fernando: It’s Spanish. | |
| JP: Okay. | |
| Fernando: It’s universal actually. | |
| JP: Okay. And then he asked, “Do you want to go home?” | |
| Fernando: ¿quieres ir a casa? | |
| JP: ¿Quieres ir a casa? Now that word for home is: casa, right? | |
| Fernando: Yes. | |
| JP: And to go home? | |
| Fernando: ir a casa | |
| JP: Ir a casa. That verb, ir, means to go. Now his question is do you want to go home? So how do we say do you want? | |
| Fernando: quieres | |
| JP: Quieres. Okay. Now this is the verb: querer, which is to want and the second person singular form is you want: quieres, okay. Let’s put it together. Okay, do you want to go home? | |
| Fernando: ¿Quieres ir a casa? | |
| JP: And Patricia says. | |
| Fernando: Sí, vámonos. | |
| JP: Sí, vámonos. A lot of English speakers now this expression, vámonos, right? | |
| Fernando: vámonos | |
| JP: Right. This means let’s get out of here. Let’s leave, alright. It’s the verb: irse, which mean to get out or to leave. Fernando, let’s go to the vocabulary section. | |
| VOCAB LIST | |
| Fernando: estar | |
| JP: To be. | |
| Fernando: es-tar, estar. Cansado. | |
| JP: Tired. | |
| Fernando: can-sa-do, cansado. Ir a casa. | |
| JP: To go home. | |
| Fernando: ir a ca-sa, ir a casa. Vamonos. | |
| JP: Let’s leave. | |
| Fernando: va-mo-nos, vamonos. | |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES | |
| JP: Alright, Fernando, let’s take a closer look at these vocabulary words. | |
| Fernando: Let’s start with: estar. | |
| JP: Estar. Okay, estar, means to be and it’s one of two verbs in Spanish that means to be. Estar, is the version of to be that you use when you want to describe temporary states and conditions. So something that’s not a part of somebody’s identity. For example, being tired. | |
| Fernando: Estar cansado. | |
| JP: Estar cansado, is to be tired. | |
| Fernando: Cansado, which actually is the next word. | |
| JP: Okay. Cansado, means tired. Cansado. As I was saying about: estar, being tired is not a part of your identity, right? It’s a temporary state, it’s a temporary condition. You’ll have a glass of water, go to sleep and you’ll wake up fresh in the morning, hopefully. | |
| Fernando: Hopefully. | |
| JP: So that’s why we use cansado with estar, because tiredness is something that comes and goes. It’s not permanent. It’s just temporary. | |
| Fernando: Ir a casa. | |
| JP: Ir a casa, to go home. Now, Diego, very... | |
| Fernando: Gentlemanly, perhaps. | |
| JP: In a very gentlemanly way asked Patricia if she wanted to go home. | |
| Fernando: ¿Quieres ir a casa? | |
| JP: ¿Quieres ir a casa?, Okay. So you heard the whole phrase: ir a casa, there as an infinitive phrase to go home, ir a casa. That word “casa” at the end actually means house. | |
| Fernando: Vamonos | |
| JP: Vamonos, let’s get out of here. | |
| Fernando: Let’s go. | |
| JP: Let’s go. Now as I said before, this is the first person plural imperative of the verb: irse. Now a lot of people ask me, “JP, what’s the difference between: vamonos and vamos?” And the difference is vamonos is the verb irse, which means to take off or to get out or to leave. Vamos is the verb ir which means to go. So, vamos, let’s go. Vamonos, let’s get out of here. | |
| Fernando: Well done, JP. | |
| JP: Thanks. Shall we move on to the grammar section? | |
| Fernando: I think we should. | |
Lesson focus |
|
| JP: Now we’re going to talk about the verb: estar, to describe temporary states and conditions. Now we already kind of demonstrated it with the adjective: cansado, right? To be tired. | |
| Fernando: Cansado, estar cansado. | |
| JP: Estar cansado. And we said that being tired is used with, estar, because tiredness is not something that’s part of your identity. It’s something that comes and goes, right? It’s a temporary state or condition. Now, Fernando, I noticed something in the dialogue. Patricia did not actually say: estoy cansadO. She said: estoy cansadA. | |
| Fernando: Because she’s a female. | |
| JP: Okay. So when we use adjectives for temporary states or conditions like: cansado, you got to make sure that adjective agrees with the subject, okay? Since Patricia is the one that’s tired, Patricia is describing herself. She’s going to use a feminine adjective, right, cansada. | |
| Fernando: cansada | |
| JP: Now, we have it listed in the vocabulary traditionally in the masculine form, right? In the dictionary, it’s going to do that as well. But whenever you talk about a woman, you’re going to have to use the feminine form of that adjective, alright. | |
| Fernando: Or if you’re a woman, you don’t want to use... | |
| JP: You, talking about yourself. | |
| Fernando: Yes. | |
| JP: Or other women. | |
| Fernando: Or other women. | |
| JP: Fernando, you would never say that. You would never say: estoy cansada. | |
| Fernando: No. | |
| JP: How would you say it? | |
| Fernando: Estoy cansado. | |
| JP: Estoy cansado. You know what, I’m a little tired too. I think we’re both tired. How do we say this in Spanish? | |
| Fernando: Estamos cansados. | |
| JP: Estamos cansados. Okay. We use: estar, in the plural form, right. Estamos, we are. Now Fernando, say it again that we are tired. | |
| Fernando: Estamos cansados. | |
| JP: Estamos cansados. Fernando, I noticed you put an S on that: cansadoS. | |
| Fernando: You notice a lot of stuff, JP. Yes, that’s right because it’s plural. | |
| JP: Right. I’m tired, you’re tired, we’re both tired. There’s two of us, so we’re going to use the plural: cansados. Estamos cansados. Now you’ll notice that this is a little different from English. In English, our adjectives don’t change. I’m tired, you’re tired, she’s tired, he’s tired. In Spanish, the adjective they use with: estar, is going to reflect the gender, number of the person or people that are tired. So we are tired, estamos cansados. Alright, folks, if we’ve thoroughly confused you with the grammar point, you know what, it might be easier for you to understand if you take a look at it in written form. Luckily, I’ve written the grammar point for you and you can find it in the lesson notes of this lesson. And you can find those lesson notes at our website which is www.SpanishPod101.com. | |
| Fernando: And where you can also leave us a comment, suggestion or question regarding this lesson because we want to hear from you. | |
| JP: Absolutely. For now, it’s time to go so hasta luego. | |
| Fernando: Adiós. |
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28 Comments
HideAre you a tea drinker? What kinds of tea do you drink?
Hola Alex,
Thank you for your comment.
It would be the same "estamos cansados". We use the masculine gender when we have a mixed group.
Sigamos practicando!
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
You say estamos cansados as we are tired but since the adjectives have a gender, if let's say you both and a female colleague are all tired, how do you say that in spanish?
Hola Brain,
No hay de que.
Sigamos con las lecciones y practicando mucho.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Thanks for this lesson
?
Hola Danny,
Thank you for your question.
"ando cansado" implies you were tired and you're still tired.
"estoy cansado" means you are tired.
They mean the same, but the first one not only talks about the present.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
When can I use "ando cansado"? is it the same as "estoy cansado"?
Hola Shani,
Thank you for you comment.
Spanish uses sometime "tener" instead of "ser", this usually happens when you express a state of being.
"Tengo hambre" - I'm hungry.
"Tengo sueño" - I'm sleepy.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
An earlier lesson explained state of being hungry as" tener hambre." In this lesson you use the verb form estar to describe being or feeling tired. I learned these conjugations in high school so I know the uses are different. However, your explanation of a temporary state of being would then make "tener" appropriate for being tired. As in "Tengo sueno." Are both appropriate? How would one know which use is correct? Thanks!
Hola Kim,
¿Cómo estás?
worn out translation in spanish is desgastado, muy gastado.
If you are refering to a car or a thing you can also say "viejo" - old
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
What are the most common ways to express the concept of being worn out, or used up, in Mexico?? If I wanted to say a car has been used to the point of not being any good anymore in English, I would say the car is "worn out". How would I express that same concept in Mexican spanish??