This tip “estoy por” is the second part of a two part series on the words: ser, estar, por y para.
In this episode of the podcast you will learn about the other two words: estar y por. If you haven’t listened to the first part, which was episode 9 – para ser, then make sure you go back and listen to that episode first before you listen to this one. Similar to the first episode I provide a list of common expressions that will allow you to convey ideas straight from English in a conversational way.
So for this tip you will learn:
- Some common expressions for using estar
- Some common expressions for using por
Mentioned in this episode:
– Part one of this two part series – the previous episode on these is Para Ser – In Order To Be
Expression examples from the episode:
How are you? – Cómo estás?
I am well – Estoy bien
I am very well – Estoy muy bien
I am happy – Estoy contento
I am very happy – Estoy muy contento
I am happy (female) – Estoy contenta
How is she? – Cómo está ella?
She is happy – Ella está contenta
I am busy – Estoy ocupado
I am very busy – Estoy muy ocupado
I am tired – Estoy cansado
The food is good – La comida está buena
The food is really good – La comida está muy buena
Now – Ahora
Right now – Ahora mismo
Now I am busy – Ahora estoy ocupado
Right now I am busy – Ahora mismo estoy muy ocupado
Right now I am very happy – Ahora mismo estoy muy contento
Why? – Por qué?
Because – porque
Why are you really happy? – Por que estas muy contento?
Because I like the food – Porque me gusta la comida
Because now I can speak Spanish – Porque ahora puedo hablar Español
Because I like to speak with you – Porque me gusta hablar contigo
Because I like to speak Spanish with you – Porque me gusta hablar Español contigo
Do you want to speak with me? – Quieres hablar conmigo?
I can’t because I am busy – no puedo porque estoy ocupado
speaking – hablando
working – trabajando
eating – comiendo
living – viviendo
I am speaking – Estoy hablando
I am speaking with you – Estoy hablando contigo
Right now I am speaking with you – Ahora mismo estoy hablando contigo
Do you want to speak with me? – Quieres hablar conmigo?
I can’t because I am working – No puedo porque estoy trabajando
Why are you busy? – Por que estas ocupado?
Because I’am working – Porque estoy trabajando
Porque ahora mismo estoy trabajando
I’m up for – Estoy por
What do you what to do? – Que quieres hacer?
I’m up for going for dinner – Estoy por ir a comer
I’m up for going to a café – Estoy por ir a una cafeteria
Where are you? – Donde estas?
I’m at home – Estoy en casa
I’m on the street – Estoy en la calle
I’m at the library close to my house – Estoy en una biblioteca cerca de mi casa
Thanks for the coffee – Gracias por el café
Thanks for the food – Gracias por la comida
Thanks for your help – Gracias por tu ayuda
Thanks for the conversation – Gracias por la conversación
Quote from this podcast episode:
“Me daba vergüenza estar así por un hombre, ser tan infeliz y volverme dichosa sin que dependiera para nada de mí” – Ángeles Mastretta
How can you use ‘estar’ y ‘por’?
Podcast: Play in new window
Kiera says
Could you please explain why the quote uses “ser tan feliz” instead of “estar tan feliz”? Thanks so much for these excellent pod casts!
Andrew Barr says
Hi Kiera, thanks for the question! And sorry for the slow reply.
Feliz is an adjective that gets used with both ser and estar.
You will hear feliz used more commonly with estar because feliz (happy) is an emotion that changes (Estoy triste—I’m sad, Estoy feliz—I’m happy).
But, feliz does get used with ser in common speech. It is similar to when people say “I’m not happy in my job” in English. Although their emotions may change moment to moment, they are in a (semi) permanent state of unhappiness because they don’t like their job. Similarly, in the quote, the writer uses ser with feliz to express a (semi) permanent state of unhappiness or depression.
Kiera says
Thanks for your response Andrew! It actually spurred me to look into it a bit online and I actually found a Spanish self-help article really useful: “hay una gran diferencia entre ESTAR feliz y SER feliz; el estar feliz es algo momentáneo mientras que el ser feliz es una decisión y un proceso de vida”
Also, greetings from Patagonia where the impending winter is looking less scary thanks to recently discovering your podcasts. Listening to Australian Spanish lessons has totally reinvigorated our study!
Andrew Barr says
Thanks for the feedback Kiera. A winter in Patagonia does sound intimidating but I would imagine that it’s still a beautiful place to be. And practice your Spanish.
Andrew Barr says
Thanks for the feedback Kiera. A winter in Patagonia sounds intimidating but I would imagine that it is still a beautiful place to be, and practice your Spanish. It’s great to hear you have been reinvigorated by the podcast!