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- "You and I are friends."
"You and I are friends."
Translation:Tú y yo somos amigos.
49 Comments
885
Somos is the nosotros conjugation of ser. It means "we are" and is used when you're talking about a group that includes the speaker ("we").
Son is the ellos/ellas and ustedes form of ser, so it translates as "they are" or "you are". It's used when you're talking to a group ("you", plural), or about a group that doesn't include the speaker or the listener ("they").
Thank you for this thorough explanation. I answered incorrectly and now it's clear to me why.
- 693
Thank you so much! I have been trying to find the answer to how to know when to use somos/son. Your explanation makes perfect sense! I love reading these chats because usually my question has already been answered!
"You and I" = "we" which requires "somos". Also, the verb to use here is " ser", not "estar".
- 885
A form of ser is used here because the predicate object (the thing to the right of the verb) is a noun. If you have a noun object, you use ser. Estar only takes adjectives (unless it's part of a verbal construction, of course).
Ser is used in DOCTOR:
Description Origin Characteristics Time Occupation Relation
Hence, the use of somos vs estamos
Sorry, but yours doesn't explain much. These links do much better. https://www.duolingo.com/skill/es/To-Be%3A-Ser_Estar/tips-and-notes http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/100040/ser-vs.-estar
Yes. Call it what you will, but in Romance languages, a group is feminine only if it is exclusively comprised of women. If a single man is included, it is masculine. At minimum, this is the case for Spanish and French, but this may also be out of date as it was a rule of thumb I learned in middle school French over a decade ago.
- 255
I was always taught in class that ser was for permanence, whereas estar is for things that may change (rough rule). I'm coming back to learning the grammar again after stepping away from it for years, so I'm just curious why 'we are friends' is not a state that would/could change (therefore using estar).
Are there exceptions that I have missed along the way, or is it that some things just are what they are in Spanish (as with other languages)?
- 513
The temporary vs permanent distinction is vastly over-relied on. It creates a major oversimplification. Here are some links:
https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/ser-vs-estar http://studyspanish.com/grammar/lessons/serest3 A quote from this: “the fundamental difference between ser and estar – essence or condition (“what” something is v. “how” something is.” (the state of things)
http://www.spanish.bz/blog/2004/06/lesson-from-newsletter-49descriptions.htm “Estar + past participle is used to describe the state of things, or how things seem right at the moment (but not necessarily permanently). “
For example,
la puerta está cerrada = the door is closed.
Los perros están perdidos = the dogs are lost
- 513
The permanence vs temporary is vastly overused/ believed. It is a unfortunate simplification.
Here is another version: "The verb estar is used for health and location [in the past tense] while ser is used for everything else. " https://www.brighthubeducation.com/learning-spanish/9061-using-ser-and-estar-in-the-past-tense/
- 395
Is “ustedes y yo son amigos” too much of a stretch? Thought I would try it but the owl hated my attempt.
- 885
You have to see who that resulting group consists of. Since the speaker is including themself in the group they're talking about, the resulting group will be a "we", so you have to use somos here. Basically, "You and I, we are friends."
Which exact translation of "you" you use here doesn't matter. It'll always be somos.
- 885
Somos is the nosotros form, used when "we" are something. Son is the ellos/ellas and ustedes form, used when "they" or "you all" are something.
I used estamos instead of somos and got it wrong. I was working on the basis that friendship is not a permanent state, like being a brother or sister is. You can't stop being a brother or sister, you can certainly stop being someone's friend. estar and ser can be confusing!
If talking about girls who are friends its amigas, if talking about boys who are friends its amigos but if they don't let you know if they are boys/girls then it's not possible to do it right the first time! I agree with you!
We need to learn all the possible translations. And Duolingo needs to provide them. I am not talking about the many ways stuff can be said in English here.
There is no reason why Duolingo shoukd let us know whether the answer should be amigo or amiga. Either should always work. And if either does not then both aren't in the database as correct answers. And whichever isn't needs to be reported so it can be included.
- 885
Nina, saying "usted y yo" is fine here. It might just be a bit uncommon to address someone as usted when you consider them a friend.
- 224
I understand...unless you were trying to be humorous...is that funny in Latin culture?...for example, if I were talking to a male friend and wanted to return something I borrowed from him I would say "here you are SIR, thank you"...in a cute way...does that make sense? or is that just weird in Latin culture? (I understand "sir" mean "senor" however I wanted to stress using the formal language opposed to informal. Thanks for the reply!
- 885
Nina, I wouldn't know, I'm pretty removed from LatAm culture. :´)
You can address your peers formally as a joke in Europe as well, but usually much more rarely, and likely not with this sentence.
First time I used "Tu" - it said I was wrong it is Ustedes Next time I used "Ustedes", it said I was wrong, it's "Tu". Which is it!!!!???? Talk about confusing people!! Maybe this is why they want you to pay for it, so they can give a straight forward answer with specific gender in the question.
- 885
Jerry, the preferred translation here is "Tú y yo somos amigos." You might have had a different error in your answer.
I used Tu y yo somos amigos (can't put the accent marks with this keyboard), just as the preferred translation stated...it still marked it as wrong and wrote down the exact same answer as I had posted. It is an error in the program!
I always thought that the Tu y yo was implied if you use the -amos conjugation. In conversation, could I have just said "Somos amigos"?
- 885
Kevin, you can just say "somos amigos", but adding "tú y yo" makes it more clear who you're talking about. Just like with the English "we", the nosotros form only says that you're talking about two or more people, one of which is you. So it can represent "tú/usted y yo", "él/ella y yo", "ustedes y yo", "ellos/ellas y yo" or any combination thereof.
I used amigas it was marked incorrectly. As no names are given, surely it's correct for you and I to be either male or female friends?
Thank you. I'm not so worried whether Duo marks it correct or not - it's more about my own understanding!
Why not.. "tu y yo eres amigos" ? Somos is for nosotros but the sentence starts with Tu... nosotros isn't even thought of in this sentence
- 269
I put nosotros somos amigos which i think means We are friends. It did not like that. Same meaning?
