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Etymologically, why do "ser" and "estar" exist? / Etimológicamente, ¿por qué existen "ser" y "estar"?
This is a canonical question / Esta es una pregunta canónica
Ser and estar both mean "to be" in English. I understand this and also understand when to use each.
Why, however, do these two verbs exist?
Since Portuguese is similar in this respect,…
BladorthinTheGrey
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30
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Preterite of ser and ir
Español
Pretérito de ser:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
Pretérito de ir:
fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron
¿Cómo han evolucionado los verbos "ser" e "ir" para tener la misma conjugación en el pretérito (y también en el…
kodkod
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29
votes
4 answers
Why isn't "good morning" "buenas mañanas"?
"Good afternoon" is "buenas tardes", and "Good night/evening" is "buenas noches".
Then why isn't "good morning" "buenas mañanas" instead of "buenos días"?
Orion
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29
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4 answers
Is "¿Qué hora es?" or "¿Qué horas son?" preferred?
Admittedly, it has been a very long time since I've studied Spanish, but I distinctly recall that we always used "¿Que hora es?" for "what time is it?".
However, on a trip to the Dominican Republic, I asked our tour guide "¿Qué hora es?", and he…
Beofett
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28
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8 answers
¿En qué países la palabra "coger" tiene connotaciones sexuales?
En algunos países hispanoparlantes la palabra coger tiene connotaciones sexuales. La RAE indica "Realizar el acto sexual", pero el problema es que es una expresión malsonante, marcada fuertemente como palabra tabú y conviene evitarla (salvo que…
Diego
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28
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6 answers
What does "lo" in "(no) lo es" refer to?
English:
In this sentence, for example:
El dinero no lo es todo en la vida.
What does this "lo" refer to?
Can it be omitted ("El dinero no es todo")?
Español:
En esta frase, por ejemplo:
El dinero no lo es todo en la vida.
¿A qué se refiere…
kodkod
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28
votes
6 answers
When to use "ya" and "todavía"
What are the rules for when to use ya and todavía? (Or ya no and todavía no)?
In many contexts, ya translates to yet or already, and todavía translates to still, but this simple understanding has gotten me confused many times. And asking multiple…
Flimzy
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27
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4 answers
Why is "Santiago" the equivalent of "James"?
Most Spanish names are quite similar to the equivalent in English, such as:
Juan → John
Pedro → Peter
Maria → Mary
But what's up with this one?
Santiago → James
What's the connection? How do the twain meet?
Are there other unusual…
B. Clay Shannon-B. Crow Raven
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27
votes
10 answers
How to pronounce 'C++' in Spanish
I'm doing a presentation in Spanish class, and I'll be mentioning the programming language C++. I'm not sure if it should be pronounced the same way as in English, or if there's a different way to phrase it. How should I pronounce it?
Levi C. Olson
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27
votes
8 answers
Is there a difference between "claro" and "por supuesto"?
Both "claro" (or "claro que sí") and "por supuesto" appear to be used to say 'of course' in one way or another.
Are there any differences in how they are used? Is one formal and the other informal? Or are they interchangeable?
stevvve
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27
votes
16 answers
Resources for learning Spanish / Recursos para aprender español
This is a canonical question / Esta es una pregunta canónica
This is a specifically created Community Wiki which gathers resources for learning Spanish and it has been approved by the Community itself.
Alphabetical Index
Click the links to visit…
fedorqui
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votes
4 answers
I forgot how to say "I forgot"
Okay, so I didn't really forget how to say it... I just wanted a clever question title.
In my Spanish class I was taught that olvidarse is reflexive:
Me olvidé (de la cita).
Me olvidé (las llaves).
Google translate agrees with this…
Flimzy
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26
votes
4 answers
Why is "la Gestapo" feminine?
Why is the word Gestapo feminine? Almost all other (non-abbreviated) loanwords I can think of ending in -o have been absorbed as masculine. Is it because it is associated with policía?
jacobo
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26
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9 answers
How should I translate "table" (as in a data table)?
What should be the correct word in Spanish to translate "table" (as in an arrangement of text or data in rows and columns)?
Somewhere I've read that "cuadro" should be preferred to "tabla", but which one would native speakers would actually use?
Juan A. Navarro
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26
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3 answers
Differences betwen "ahí", "allí", and "allá"
I am confused with the uses of ahí, allí, and allá.
It seems they are used according to different situations.
Could you please tell me what are the differences are and provide some examples?
user468