Lesson 9 · pre-A1
Why English speakers say *soy cansado* when they're tired
English "to be" covers both who you are and how you feel, so learners pick the first Spanish "be" they know, ser, and say soy cansado for "I'm tired". But that quietly claims tiredness is a permanent trait, as if you were a tired kind of person.
For feelings and passing states, Spanish wants estar: estoy cansado, estoy bien. Ser is for what you fundamentally are; estar is for how you are right now. Hold that split and this whole level gets easier.
Two details ride along. estoy cansado agrees in gender: a woman says estoy cansada. And the formal usted, which means "you", surprisingly takes the third-person verb: ¿cómo está usted?, not estás. English speakers expect a dedicated "you" form and stumble here; just remember usted borrows the he/she ending.
- ¿Cómo estás? — Estoy bien, gracias.
- Estoy cansada. (a woman)
- ¿Cómo está usted, señora Ortega?
Say it with me: Estoy cansado. Estoy bien. Feelings pass, so they take estar, and let it end in -a if that's you: estoy cansada.
Phrases from this lesson
- buenos días, ¿cómo está usted? — good morning, how are you? (usted) With usted the verb is third-person (está), even though it means 'you'; the casual equivalent is ¿cómo estás?
- estoy cansado / estoy mal — I'm tired / I'm not well Temporary states use estar, not ser; 'soy cansado' wrongly implies a permanent characteristic. A woman says cansada.
- ¿su nombre, por favor? — your name, please? (usted; su = your, formal) su is the formal 'your' (with usted); the casual equivalent would be tu nombre.