¡Estamos Bien! We’re fine!
We saw in a previous post that “we are”/ “we’re” is rendered as SOMOS in Spanish, but if it were always that easy, we’d all be able to learn Spanish at the drop of a sombrero.
The fact of the matter is that there are times it is SOMOS and there are times it isn’t!
In this post we’re going to look now at the times when ‘we are’ is ESTAMOS.
“We are” or “We’re”
ESTAMOS
You might need to have a quick revision of the difference between SER (SOMOS) and ESTAR (ESTAMOS) before continuing here.
See previous post to jog your memory about this major grammatical point in Spanish. To be or not to be…
It’s lovely when people ask you how you and your friends or you and your family are getting on in life. You might fancy replying ; We’re fine.
So far so good. if it’s in Spanish it might be a bit more challenging.
We’re fine:
ESTAMOS BIEN.
Conversations go on, …and on and then you might want to say: “We’re happy enough”
ESTAMOS CONTENTAS
Then perhaps:
“We’re cool, we’re chilling. ”
ESTAMOS TRANQUILAS
But not everything is sunshine and flowers…
Scenario: There may be moment you need to be more truthful with
“We’re bored!”
ESTAMOS ABURRIDAS
Scenario: you both have had a bad day running around the house after the kids:
“We’re tired.”
ESTAMOS CANSADAS
Question Time
It’s question time, but when could you ever need to know how to say “Where are we?” Well just imagine the scenario…
Scenario: You are lost, completely lost in the middle of nowhere with your mate who has no idea what’s going on either. you look at each other in horror and ask; “Where are we?”
¿DÓNDE ESTAMOS?
If you’re lucky you both/all might have ended up in a sort of square, a typical central area for meeting and enjoying the atmosphere in a lot of Spanish speaking countries.
“We’re in the square”
ESTAMOS EN LA PLAZA
Scenario: A friend calls you up to see where the gang is hanging out and asks where you are. You are all on the beach taking in some lovely Spanish sun and you’d reply:
“We’re on the beach”
ESTAMOS EN LA PLAYA
Let’s get negative
Just to clarify you might have to insist :
“We aren’t at home” or “We’re not at home” or “We are not at home”
[NOTICE THREE WAYS OF SAYING EXACTLY SAME THING IN ENGLISH AND ONLY ONE IN SPANISH]
NO ESTAMOS EN CASA
OR
“We aren’t at the shop” or “we’re not at the shop” or “we are not at the shop”
NO ESTAMOS EN LA TIENDA
It’s a bit tricky ( impossible ?) to imagine all the scenarios that a learner might need on their language journey.
CALL TO ACTION
But don’t be lazy and rely on MY sentences. Use all the resources you can find on-line to elaborate your VERY OWN style and phrases you can see yourself needing in Spanish. See SpanishDict.com
Make up your own sentences/ phrases that you envisage yourself needing in a Spanish-speaking situation.
If you need help tailoring your Spanish to your particular needs, leave a comment and I can help you make your OWN Spanish sentences.
I really hope this helps…
Speak Out in Spanish! 