Lesson 2 - Estar, Ser and Subject Pronouns

Question 1

What is the plural of “yo” (I)

Answer 1

Nosotros (we)

Question 2

What is the plural of “tú” (you) and when is it used?

Answer 2

Ustedes (you) - used with friends and family (used typically in Spain)

Question 3

What is the plural of “él” (he)?

Answer 3

Ellos (they) - used to refer to a group of males or a group that includes males and females

Question 4

What is the plural of ella (she)?

Answer 4

Ellas (they) - used to refer to a group of females only

Question 5

What is the plural of usted (you) and when is it used?

Answer 5

Ustedes (you) - used when meeting people for the first time, in business or with someone you don’t know well.

Question 6

When is “estar” typically used?

Answer 6

It’s used to express four concepts -
location - el restaurante está en la ciudad (the restaurant is in the city)
health - ella está enferma (she is sick)
changing mood or condition (happy/sad/tired/angry) - los hombres están cansados (the men are tired)
personal opinion in terms of taste and appearance (something tastes or looks good) - la comida está buena (the food is good) or ella está hermosa hoy (she looks good today)

Question 7

When is “ser” typically used?

Answer 7

It’s used to express seven concepts -
description - la casa es roja (the house is red)
profession - ellas son maestras excelentes (they are excellent teachers)
point of origin (combined with “de”, meaning from) - de dónde es? (where are you from?) or Soy de Protland (I’m from Portland)
identification - Somos amogos (we are friends)
material (combined with “de”, meaning of) - la mesa es de madera (the table is of wood)
possession / ownership (combined with “de”, meaning of) - los amigos son de Javier (they are friends of Javier / Javier’s friends) or los gatos son del nino (the cats belong to the child)
where an event takes place - la fiesta es en la casa de Jose (the party is / takes place in Joe’s house

Question 8

How do you state possessive words?

Answer 8

There is no apostrophe in Spanish, so when you think of Peter’s cat, you Spanish structure is el gato de Pedro. Another example would be They are Maria’s friends (Los amigos son de Maria).

Question 9

Conjugate “ser” and “estar”

Answer 9

Yo - soy / estoy
Tu - eres / estás
El / Ella - es / está
Nosotros - somos / estamos
Ellos / Ellas - son / están