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Five-minute Spanish Lessons - Lesson 4.Verb "be" versus "have" / Verbo "ser"/"estar" contra "tener"Both learners of Spanish and English can get confused about which verb to choose in the foreign language. Here are some examples of use together with common colloquial expressions. One difference learners of English often fail to realize is that "tener + noun" in Spanish is often "be" + adjective in English: Tengo un hambre (noun) que me muero. I'm starving. (adjective) But after "of" there is a noun in English: Me muero de hambre. Tengo hambre de algo dulce / salado. I feel like something sweet / savoury. Also note this translation: Nadar mucho da hambre. Swimming a lot makes you hungry. Tengo un montón de frío. I'm really cold. Also with stress on the Spanish "un" it is common to hear: Tengo un frío (noun) (que me muero). I am so cold / I'm freezing. (adjectives) But the Spanish will use "ser" if we are talking about personality: Ese Juan es tan frío. Realmente, no me gusta nada. Juan is such a cold person. I really don't like him. And "estar", if we talk about the way someone treats us: Estuvo muy frío con su novia. No se cómo le soporta He was very cold towards his girlfriend. I don't know how she puts up with him. The Spanish tend to use the direct article (el, la, los, las) when referring to parts of the body: Tengo los pies fríos. My feet are cold. or... Or, again for emphasis we can say: Tengo un frío en los pies. My feet are absolutely freezing cold. Tengo un dolor en la cabeza que me revienta. I've got a splitting headache. Tengo tanto calor que me desmayo. I'm so hot I think I'm going to faint. or... You will be familiar with: ¿Cuántos años tienes? How old are you? But watch out, learners of Spanish, if you are talking about a baby or a puppy etc. Then you should say: Ay, qué cosa más linda. ¿Cuánto tiempo tiene? Oh, what a sweet little thing. How old is he / she?
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