Using Ser to express essential & permanent characteristics

ChristineA2Kwiziq community member

Using Ser to express essential & permanent characteristics

I am a bit upset at the fact that I changed my correct answer to an incorrect answer based on a hint given.   I just finished taking a quiz and the question was:  

Sus padres ________ bastante delgados.

Their parents are quite slim.

(HINT: Their parents have always been slim )

 I knew the answer was "son", however I changed it to "tienen" based on the hint given.  Imagine my dismay when I got the question wrong after knowing the correct answer and changing it because because of the hint.   

Asked 3 years ago
InmaKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hola Christine

I understand you got confused with the verb "have" in the hint, but that hint was necessary to call the students attention towards the verb "ser" - The hint musn't be taken as a literal translation, unless it is explicitly saying so - We had to give that hint to justify the use of "ser" as opposed to "estar"ser referring to an essential/permanent characteristic (this is the case) and estar referring to more subject to change descriptions:

Son delgados.

They are thin. (seen as a permanent characteristic)

Estan delgados.

They are thin. (seen as a result/ subject to change)

I hope this clarified it.

Saludos

BrianB1Kwiziq community member

I think that " lazy" could also be a temporary state . Perhaps after a late night! but not as a permanent characteristic. This is why I used " estar" in this case .

ElizabethA1Kwiziq community member

you are talking about the physical characteristic of "sus padres"

so you use son

Using Ser to express essential & permanent characteristics

I am a bit upset at the fact that I changed my correct answer to an incorrect answer based on a hint given.   I just finished taking a quiz and the question was:  

Sus padres ________ bastante delgados.

Their parents are quite slim.

(HINT: Their parents have always been slim )

 I knew the answer was "son", however I changed it to "tienen" based on the hint given.  Imagine my dismay when I got the question wrong after knowing the correct answer and changing it because because of the hint.   

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