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LOS VERBOS SER,
ESTAR, HABER, TENER
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First of all, let's remind ourselves about the
meaning of each of these verbs:
| SER |
TO BE (referred to permanent states) |
| ESTAR |
TO BE (referred to temporary states) |
| HABER |
TO HAVE (as in TO EXIST) |
| TENER |
TO HAVE (as in TO POSSES) |
Typically, these verbs are used in different contexts.
| SER -> |
It is used followed by adjectives to describe characteristics |
| ESTAR -> |
It is used followed by a preposition (en) to indicate location |
| HABER -> |
It is used followed by a noun to indicate existence |
| TENER -> |
It is used followed by a noun to express possession |
| Examples: |
La mesa es blanca, grande y de madera |
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Beijing está en China |
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Hay flores en el jardín |
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Mi hermano tiene un coche |
We also use these verbs for other purposes:
| SER -> |
Also used to express nationality, occupation and to describe and evaluate. |
| ESTAR -> |
Also used to express temporary conditions as well as physical and mental
states |
| HABER -> |
Also used in "past perfect" tenses to indicate the person doing
the actions |
| TENER -> |
For certain descriptions of people (hair, eyes, etc.),to express physical
and mental states with nouns and to say the age |
| Examples: |
Yo soy española |
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Mi padre es abogado |
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Estos zapatos son cómodos |
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Mi madre está enferma |
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Ella está preocupada |
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Yo no he desayunado |
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Ella ya había terminado de estudiar |
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Ana tiene el pelo negro y los ojos azules |
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Tenemos hambre y sed |
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Luis tiene 20 años |
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