The Official 'Ask Dave' Section ----

Question

Hey Dave,

Could you please explain the use of the word eres, as in "Tu eres." I understand that it means you (familiar) are, but is this the SER or ESTAR form? And if it's the SER form, what is the ESTAR form? (Or vice-versa.) I'm puzzled on this one!

Thanks!

Drew

Answer

Hola Drew,

Good question.

The phrase “tú eres” means “you are” if you are talking about permanent characteristics (see examples below):

     You are tall – (Tú) eres alto/a
     You are smart – (Tú) eres inteligente
     You are strong – (Tú) eres fuerte
      (The “tú” is optional).

"Eres” is a conjugation of the verb “ser”.

The “tú” form of “estar” is “estás”. This means “you are” when talking about temporary characteristics. Just remember, the “t” in “estás” stands for “temporary”. Here are a few examples using “estás”.

     You are happy – (Tú) estás feliz
     Are you ready? – ¿Estás (tú) listo/a?
     You are sick – (Tú) estás enfermo/a

For more in-depth information on “ser” and “estar” and all of their conjugations, take a look at section “9. Characteristics” in your complete Visual Link Spanish™ course. It covers each in-depth and gives you a full idea of how they work. It also helps you to understand the difference between “temporary” and “permanent” characteristics. If you don't have the complete Visual Link Spanish™ course, click here for your current sale price!!. Hopefully this answers your question.

Gracias,

Dave

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Words of the Week -----
Taken from our complete CD-ROM course. (Click for a discount)

Weekly Spanish Lesson ----

For this week's lesson, click below to learn some basics to becoming acquainted. You'll hear María and watch a fun, interactive lesson.

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Culture ----- Share Your Food - Especially Jell-O Pudding®

When I was about 10 years old, living in the U.S., I went to a movie with a friend. I didn't have any money for the snack bar, but he seemed to have an unlimited supply. He bought a large drink, large popcorn and big bag of licorice but didn't offer to share any with me. He went through the entire movie eating in front of me but never offered me a thing. I don't remember anything about the movie, but I do remember that he didn't share even a single piece of popcorn with me.

I learned a great lesson that day which was re-emphasized when I later lived in Latin America. The small amount of possessions and food that many Latin people have, they will usually share with you. Many invite you to dinner when they scarcely have enough food to feed even their own families. If you become friends with them, many will give you gifts or just about anything they have. They are a very generous and giving people. Of course there are exceptions, but this is generally the case from my experience.

I learned this cultural lesson the hard way. In Latin American, they don't eat much sugar and I have a huge sweet tooth. After living there for a month or two, I developed an incredible craving for anything with a decent amount of sugar. I wrote my parents and had them send whatever they could. They sent a box of Jell-O Pudding® which was one of my favorite snacks.

I was so excited to finally receive something sweet, that when the Jell-O Pudding® arrived, I couldn't wait to eat it. Since many apartments don't have a kitchen, including the one I lived in, I went to the home of our pensión (the native family we paid to make breakfast and dinner for us). They gave me some milk, and I mixed up the Jell-O Pudding®. I was in heaven! Two months of cravings had come to an end! The family wasn't around when I ate it. I did share some of the pudding with the native friend I was with, but I failed to offer any to the family who had so generously given me the milk. They came into the room just as I was finishing the last bite of the Jell-O Pudding®. They all asked excitedly, "So do we get to try some of your American dessert?" A feeling of shame and embarrassment came over me as I realized that I had selfishly devoured the pudding without offering to share any with them. The situation was worse than I had realized; because in their culture you should share whatever you have - especially food. I felt horrible and vowed always to share from that point on.

It was a great cultural lesson for me, and one that I have tried to adopt into my life. After that experience, I have always offered to share candy, food or things I have bought with Latin people (and Americans). I have tried to be very careful not to buy anything in front of them unless I could share it with them. And they, because of their Latin Culture, have done the same for me.

To give you another brief example of this cultural difference, I had a native friend who didn't have much money but loved to buy ice cream cones and would always offer to buy me one when he bought his. As you immerse yourself into the Latin culture, it's important to accept their offers to share with you, but to also to share with them when you get the chance.

This is a great trait to develop, regardless of the country or culture you live in. It is something that is simply nice to do and will help win you more friends. Please let me know if any of you around the world have had experiences similar to this.

Moral of the Story: If you don't want to offend Latin Americans, don't buy things or eat food in front of them. Remember that their culture is to share, give, and be generous.

Sneak peek at next week: "Usted Habla Muy Bien"

¡Hasta la vista! ("Until I see you again!" [Literally: "Until the sight!")

David S. Clark -- President / Director
Visual Link Spanish™
Fun, Interactive Spanish Courses
http://www.learnspanishtoday.com
dave@learnspanishtoday.com

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Responses to Past Newsletters:



Note: Formatting on responses may have been changed to fit your screen.
Response #1

Hola Dave,

Spanish is my first language, since I was born and grew up in Puerto Rico. I was used to hear people answer back to their name with the word "Dime" in regular conversations, as a way to say "Tell me, I am listening." But never heard it as a way to answer the phone, so it must be quite a regional custom in Cuba. However, there is another regional way to answer that seem to be common among mexicans. If I call their name, they say "Mande", as if expecting a command from someone in authority.

I guess there is always something new to learn about our many latinamerican ways.

Magali

Response #2

Thank you for your wonderful course. I too have spent a lot of money on other courses, and this has been the best and the one with the quickest results. Thank you once again.

Judit Z

Response #3

'DIME' means talk to me in cuba when they answer the phone i have been there 15 times there dialect and accent is quite unique

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