es
/es/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'it is' is translated into Spanish as es.
es is used to describe permanent characteristics, identities or essential qualities of a person or thing.
Which one should you use?
Use es when describing things that are permanent or essential. In contrast, está is used to describe temporary states or locations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Spain, you may hear tá used instead of está in casual speech, though this does not apply to the specific use of es.
How does it change in a sentence?
es is the third-person singular form of the verb ser (to be). In Spanish, the subject pronoun for 'it' is often omitted because the conjugation es already implies a third-person singular subject.
How do you pronounce it?
/es/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use es to describe where something is located. However, you should use está to express location.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word es is a distant relative of the Sanskrit word ásti, as both share a common ancestor from ancient Proto-Indo-European.
- If you use es to describe someone's current mood, like 'it is happy' (referring to a person), you are unintentionally saying that the person is a 'happy person' by nature rather than just feeling happy right now.
- The verb ser, from which es comes, is used for professions, such as saying es médico for 'he is a doctor', because a career is viewed as a defining identity.
Examples in context
- Es lo que es.It is what it is.Tatoeba #2760065 by hayastan, translation #2528426 by CK
- Sé lo que es.I know what it is.Tatoeba #4554901 by swyter, translation #2376292 by CK
- Ya no es útil.It is no longer useful.Tatoeba #13649076 by Seael, translation #13649074 by Aghanim
- El libro es interesante.The book is interesting.
- La conferencia está a punto de comenzar.The conference is about to start.
- El restaurante se encuentra en el centro de la ciudad.The restaurant is located in the city center.
- La fiesta es genial.The party is great.
- El gato está durmiendo.The cat is sleeping.
- 1427 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are looking at a piece of modern art in a gallery.
- MateoEs muy extraño.It is very strange.
- LucíaSí, es una obra moderna.Yes, it is a modern work.
- Mateo¿Es arte?Is it art?
- LucíaEs lo que ella decidió.It is what she decided.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
