Auxiliary
verbs (Verbos auxiliares)
Spanish has three auxiliary verbs: haber
to
have and ser
/ estar
to
be.
Haber
In its semantic usage of to have, own, possess
haber is replaced in the modern language by the verb tener.
Haber is used grammatically, with the past participle, to form the compound
tenses.
Haber is used impersonally, in 3rd p. sg. only; it has a specific form
for present indicative, hay there is,
cf.:
-
En su ciudad natal, Córdoba, no hay mar.
In his native city, Córdoba, there is
no sea.
-
Todavía hay alguna posibilidad de convencerlo.
There is still some possibility to convince him.
-
Había guardias a la salida.
There was a guard on the exit.
-
Seguro que también habrá mujeres.
Maybe there will be women also.
The impersonal form hay que + infinitive has a modal meaning,
it
is necessary that / to..., cf.:
-
Hay que ordenar nuestras cosas.
It is necessary that we arrange our affairs.
Ser and Estar
Spanish has two auxiliaries
meaning "to be" which are not interchangeable, but are subtly differentiated,
cf.:
La Señora
es
linda.
The Lady is pretty.
La Señora
está
linda. The
Lady looks pretty (at this specific moment).
El niño es
listo.
The
child is smart.
El niño está
listo. The
child is ready.
Mi madre es aburrida.
My
mother is boring (she is a boring person).
Mi madre está
aburrida. My
mother is bored.
Mi hijito es vivo.
My
little son is smart.
Mi hijito está
vivo. My
little son is alive.
See Adjectives with
Ser and Estar.
Usage
of Ser
Semantically, ser is
used to describe essential or inherent characteristics or qualities:
1. Basic aspects
(color, shape, material of which something is made out of, size, physical
characteristics, and personality), cf.:
-
La nieve es
blanca.
The snow is white.
-
La tierra es
redonda.
The earth is round.
-
El saco es
de lana.
The jacket is wool.
-
Yo soy alta.
I am tall.
-
Mi socio es
extrovertido.
My partner is outgoing.
2. Possession, cf.:
-
El auto es mío.
The car is mine.
3. Relationship, cf.:
-
Ella es mi prima.
She is my cousin.
4. Profession, cf.:
-
Son cirujanos plásticos.
They are plastic
surgeons.
5. Nationality, cf.:
-
Soy argentina.
I am Argentine.
6. Origin, cf.:
-
El interventor es
de Buenos Aires.
The auditor is from
Buenos Aires.
7. Marital status, cf.:
-
Ella es divorciada.
She is divorced.
8. Expressions of time
and dates, cf.:
-
Es la una.
It's one o'clock.
-
Hoy es jueves.
Today is Thursday.
9. Events taking place,
cf.:
-
La fiesta es esta
noche.
The party is tonight.
Grammatically, ser is used on two occasions:
1. Passive
voice (ser + past participle), cf.:
-
La casa fue incendiada.
The house (was)
burned down.
2. Noun and adjective
complement (A complement completes the sentence by describing or defining
the subject), cf.:
-
Mi suegra es una
abuela maravillosa.
My mother-in-law
is a wonderful grandma.
-
Ella es Ana.
She is Ana.
-
El compasivo es él.
The compassionate
one is he.
The verb ser is used
also in impersonal expressions, cf.:
-
Es imposible hablar
con ellos.
It's impossible
talking to them.
Usage
of Estar
Semantically, estar
is used to express aspects that are not inherent and may be changed:
1. Location or position
of people and things, cf.:
-
El restaurante está
en la esquina.
The restaurant is
at the corner.
-
Los inversores estarán
en Venezuela.
The investors will
be in Venezuela.
2. Transitory, unusual,
recently changed or constantly changing state or condition, cf.:
-
Pablo estuvo enfermo.
Pablo was sick.
-
El café está
frío.
The coffee is cold.
3. Results of an action,
cf.:
-
Nuestros problemas
estarán resueltos pronto.
Our problems will
be solved soon.
4. State or condition
of a subject, cf.:
-
El rehén está
vivo.
The hostage is alive.
Grammatically, estar
is used with the Gerund to form progressive verbs, cf.:
-
El lunes estaremos
celebrando nuestro triunfo.
On Monday we'll
be celebrating our triumph.
See Periphrastic constructions.
Weather expressions
are constructed with estar, cf.:
-
Está lloviendo.
It's raining.
The verb occur in many
idiomatic expressions, cf.:
-
estar acostumbrado
to be accustomed to
-
estar conforme
to be satisfied, in agreement
-
estar de acuerdo
to be in agreement
-
estar de buen
(mal) humor to be in a good
(bad) mood
-
estar apurado
(a) to be in a hurry
-
estar de vacaciones
to be on vacation
-
estar de vuelta
to be back
-
estar listo (a)
to be ready
-
estar de moda
to be in fashion
-
estar de viaje
to be on a trip
-
estar embarazada
to be pregnant
-
estar de rodillas
to be kneeling
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