Spanish Vocabulary: An Etymological Approach

Section 4.5. Ser and Estar

SECTION . Ser and Estar Distinguishing between the uses of ser and estar is one of the greatest challenges facing the student of Spanish. The Latin origins of these verbs can provide some assistance in understanding their different uses: (a) Ser represents a merger of the Latin verbs “to be” (ESSE) and “to be seated” (SEDERE). ESSE is the ultimate origin of English essence and essential; SEDERE, that of sedentary and residence. (b)Estar comes from the Latin verb “to stand” (STARE), the origin of English state and status and, via Old French, the verb stay. Thus one can think of ser as applying to the essence of an object, a characteristic that is seated or innate, as opposed to the less permanent state (or status) of an object represented by estar. In this section we will introduce some of the very large number of Spanish (and English) words etymologically related to ser and estar. . Ser As noted above, Spanish ser represents an amalgam of Latin esse and sedere, each of which individually contributed numerous words to Spanish and English. A. ESSE Like its English counterpart to be, esse was itself a hybrid composed of elements from different Indo-European roots: most of the forms came from the root *es-, which produced English is, while others—including the future participle futurus—came from the root *bheu-, origin of be. futurus futuro ( porvenir ) future  An initial Indo-European *bh- corresponds to b- in the Germanic languages, but to f- in Latin, hence the correspondence futurus—be; other such Germanic-Latin correspondences are bloom—flower, brother—fraternal, break—fracture, brew—ferment.  Literally “that which is to come” (por  venir). T4311.indb 290 T4311.indb 290 8/31/07 6:44:04 AM 8/31/07 6:44:04 AM SER AND ESTAR  In early Classical Latin, esse had no present participle, although -sens (acc. -sentem) served as a present participle for several of the composite verbs formed from esse (e.g., absens). A later form, ens (acc. entem), is attributed by some to Caesar and is the basis for entem ente being, public entity (esp. TV) entitat-em (acc.) entidad entity (being, corporation or association) Not to be outdone by his contemporary (and political rival), Cicero “invented” another “pseudo” present participle (essens—essentem) and used it to create the noun essentia, in analogy with the manner in which patientia (“patience ”) had been constructed from the present participle patiens of the verb pati (“to suffer”). A new word for “essence” was necessary because the existing one (natura, “nature”) was thought to be too general and imprecise. essentia esencia essence esencial essential esencialmente essentially patientia paciencia patience paciente patient (adj. & n.) pacientemente patiently impaciencia impatience impaciente impatient impacientemente impatiently In medieval times, the term fifth element was coined to refer to the ethereal element that, along with the four basic ones (air, earth, fire, water), permeated all things. quinta essentia quintaesencia quintessence esse joined forces with several prepositions to produce compound verbs, which then served as the basis for various other forms: ab ⴙ esse abesse to be away from: be absent absentia ausencia absence absentem (acc.) ausente absent, absentee ausentar(se) (to) absent oneself, (to) leave absentismo absenteeism [distraído] absentminded T4311.indb 291 T4311.indb 291 8/31/07 6:44:04 AM 8/31/07 6:44:04 AM  SELEC TED TOPICS inter ⴙ esse interesse to be or lie between: be of importance (or interest) interesse interés interest interesar (to) interest, (to) be interesting interesante interesting interesado (p.p.) interested, selfish desinterés disinterest (impartiality; lack of interest) desinteresado disinterested (impartial; uninterested) prae ⴙ esse praeesse to be before: preside, be present praesentia presencia presence presenciar (to) be present at, (to) witness praesentem (acc.) presente present, present tense [regalo] present (gift) [regalar] (to) give a present, (to) regale presentar (to) present presentación presentation presentador presenter (TV, radio, etc.) presentable presentable impresentable unpresentable (not fit to be presented) re- representar (to) represent, (to) perform (play) representación representation, performance (theater) representativo representative (adj.) representante (m./f.) representative (person) pro ⴙ esse prodesse to be at hand: be useful or profitable The associated adjective prode is the source of English pride, proud, prude, prowess, and improve (which has no etymological connection with prove). With the exception of proeza, Spanish has drawn these words from other sources: proeza heroic deed ( hazaña) [prowess] orgullo pride [† orgueil] orgulloso proud  Spanish presente can also mean “present (gift...