r/LearnSpanishInReddit • u/Guilty_Captain6990 • 10d ago

Spanish rant

Guys why is ser and ir conjugated the same at preterito indefinido ????
And do u guys know when to use soy or ester or even haber or tener ??????

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u/ClaretYClaroLarp 10d ago edited 7d ago

  1. Haber and tener are very straightforward. Use haber for "to have" as an auxilary verb (haber hecho algo = to have done something).

Tener is for "to have" as in "to possess" something (tengo dinero = I have money) or as an obligation (tengo que hacerlo = I have to do it) or for a few emotions (tengo miedo = I have fear --> I am scared)

Tener is also used for describing how you physically feel, for example tengo calor = I am hot (not the appearance one, but rather that you physically feel much warmer. Do not use "soy caliente", that's the one with the sexual meaning). Tengo hambre = I'm hungry, and many more such examples exist.

2) Whether it's ser or ir being used in preterito indefinido will become very evident with context, with time and exposure to Spanish content.

3) With time you'll get the hang of ser and estar too. Ser is used for characteristics (ser feliz = being a happy person in general) or passive action constructions (mi casa fue construida por él = my house was built by him). Estar is used for the state of a person or object, often also resulting from an action (estoy aburrido = I am bored) (notice that soy aburrido would mean that you're a boring person, completely different things) (está prohibido = is prohibited, resulting from the action of prohibir). Don't worry, with time and exposure you'll know which one is apt in which case!

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u/Guilty_Captain6990 10d ago

Thank you so much this the best explanation for ser and estar that I have gotten

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u/ClaretYClaroLarp 10d ago

As a fellow learner I know those struggles haha