B2 · Unit 21 · 43 words, 2 texts with translation
Disagree at a meeting
Argue and agree at a work meeting and describe your coworkers' personalities. Learn the different Spanish verbs for "become" and more adjectives that change meaning with ser and estar.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Ser and estar: ten more adjectives that change meaning
You already know this: ser says what a person is like in general, estar says how they are right now, and with listo, malo, rico and seguro that changes the meaning (B1, unit 17). Here are ten more words like that.
Why it matters: está orgulloso is praise, es orgulloso is criticism. Pick the wrong verb, and you insult someone.
| with ser — in general | with estar — right now | |
|---|---|---|
| atento | thoughtful, considerate toward people | paying attention, listening carefully |
| callado | quiet (by nature) | silent, not talking |
| orgulloso | proud, arrogant | proud (de + someone or something) |
| interesado | self-serving, always looking for a personal gain | interested (en + something) |
| molesto | annoying, bothersome (more often about a noise or a habit) | upset, annoyed |
| despierto | sharp, quick-witted | awake |
| vivo | lively, quick | alive |
| verde | green | unripe; about a plan or a newcomer — "half-baked", not ready yet |
| moreno | dark-haired, dark-skinned | tanned |
| grave | serious, dangerous (about a problem or an illness) | in serious condition (about a patient) |
Examples:
- Sonia es muy atenta: siempre pregunta por mi madre. — Sonia is very thoughtful: she always asks about my mom.
- Estad atentos: esto es importante. — Pay attention: this is important (to several people).
- Óscar es callado, pero hoy está más callado que nunca. — Óscar is a quiet person, but today he's quieter than ever.
- El plan todavía está verde. — The plan is still half-baked.
- No es grave: mañana vuelve a la oficina. — It's nothing serious: he's back at the office tomorrow.
Common mistake. Spanish orgulloso is one word for both "proud of someone" and "arrogant", so the whole difference is in the verb. To praise someone, say está orgulloso de ti — he's proud of you; if you say es orgulloso, it comes out as "he's arrogant". The same goes for interesado: estoy interesada en el trabajo — I'm interested in the job (woman speaking), but soy interesada means "I'm self-serving".
Ser and estar: where the meeting is, a temporary job, fue cerrado and está cerrado
Here are three cases where the English "is" won't tell you which verb to use.
1. Where and when an event happens: ser. You already know that where a person or a thing is takes estar (A1, unit 4). But a meeting, a party, an exam or a concert isn't a thing, it's an event: it "takes place". For the place and time of an event, Spanish uses ser.
- La reunión es en la sala 2. — The meeting is in room 2.
- La sala 2 está en la segunda planta. — Room 2 is on the second floor.
- ¿Dónde es la fiesta? — Where's the party?
A quick test: if you can say "takes place" or "is held", it's an event, so use ser.
2. A temporary job: estar de + job, without an article. Es camarero — he's a waiter, that's his profession. Está de camarero — he's working as a waiter for now: a side job, filling in for someone, or just until he finds something else.
- Hugo está de camarero los sábados. — Hugo works as a waiter on Saturdays.
- Esta semana estoy de jefa: Nuria está enferma. — This week I'm filling in as the boss: Nuria is sick (woman speaking).
3. Fue cerrado and está cerrado. Estar + past participle is a result you can see (B1, unit 17). Ser + past participle is the action itself: someone did it. This is the language of the news (B2, unit 6).
- El bar fue cerrado por la policía en marzo. — The bar was closed by the police in March. (The action.)
- El bar está cerrado desde marzo. — The bar has been closed since March. (The result.)
- Cuando llegué, la puerta estaba cerrada. — When I arrived, the door was closed. (Also a result, just in the past.)
Common mistake. In English, "was closed" covers both the action and the result. In Spanish, first ask yourself: did someone close it — fue cerrado (in conversation it's simpler to say lo cerraron), or was it just standing there closed — estaba cerrado?
Saying "become": hacerse, volverse, convertirse en, llegar a ser
You already know ponerse + adjective: a quick, short change of mood or look, as in me puse nerviosa or se puso rojo (A2, unit 10). Other kinds of change use other verbs.
Why it matters: English says "became a lawyer", "became arrogant" and "became the best on the team" with the same verb. Spanish needs a different verb for each.
| Verb | What comes after it | What kind of change |
|---|---|---|
| ponerse | adjective | for a short time: mood, face color, how you feel |
| volverse | adjective | character changed — for a long time, as if by itself |
| hacerse | noun without an article, or adjective | gradually or through your own effort: job, friendship, age, money |
| convertirse en | noun | turned into someone or something else |
| llegar a ser | noun or adjective | got there after a long road |
Examples:
- Germán se puso rojo y salió de la sala. — Germán turned red and left the room.
- Desde que es jefe, se ha vuelto muy arrogante. — Since he's been the boss, he's become very arrogant.
- Estudió por las noches y se hizo abogada. — She studied at night and became a lawyer.
- Sonia y yo nos hicimos amigas enseguida. — Sonia and I became friends right away (woman speaking).
- El becario se ha convertido en el mejor del equipo. — The intern has become the best on the team.
- Empezó de camarera y llegó a ser directora. — She started as a waitress and worked her way up to director.
A tip: if a state goes with estar (está nervioso), you "become" it with ponerse. If it goes with ser (es arrogante), you "become" it with volverse.
Common mistakes. The first one is using hacerse for everything: ✗ se hizo nervioso. A mood takes ponerse: se puso nervioso. The second one is forgetting en: ✗ se convirtió el jefe. After convertirse you always need en and a noun: se convirtió en el jefe.
Words in this unit
hacerse — to become, to get
Mi hermana se hizo médica en Valencia. — My sister became a doctor in Valencia.
volverse — to become, to turn, to go (crazy)
Mi jefe se ha vuelto muy raro últimamente. — My boss (male) has gotten very weird lately.
convertirse — to turn into, to become
Un pequeño error se convirtió en un problema grande. — A small mistake turned into a big problem.
llegar a ser — to become (in the end), to get to be
Quiere llegar a ser directora de la empresa. — She wants to become director of the company.
el conflicto — conflict
Hay un conflicto entre los dos departamentos. — There's a conflict between the two departments.
el desacuerdo — disagreement
Hay un desacuerdo entre los jefes. — There's a disagreement between the bosses.
punto de vista — point of view
Desde mi punto de vista, la idea es buena. — From my point of view, the idea is good.
criticar — to criticize
Mi jefe siempre critica mis informes. — My boss always criticizes my reports.
colaborar — to collaborate, to help
Colaboro con el equipo de ventas. — I collaborate with the sales team.
protestar — to protest, to complain
Los empleados protestan por el horario nuevo. — The employees are complaining about the new schedule.
interrumpir — to interrupt
Perdona, no quiero interrumpirte, pero tengo una pregunta. — Sorry, I don't want to interrupt you, but I have a question.
intervenir — to speak (at a meeting), to step in, to intervene
Quiero intervenir en la reunión. — I want to speak at the meeting.
exponer — to present, to explain (an idea)
Hoy expongo mi idea al equipo. — Today I'm presenting my idea to the team.
oponerse — to be against, to oppose
Me opongo a esa idea. — I'm against that idea.
contradecir — to contradict
No quiero contradecirte, pero creo que no es así. — I don't want to contradict you, but I think that's not the case.
ceder — to give in, to give up (a seat)
No quiero ceder en este punto. — I don't want to give in on this point.
dar la razón — to admit someone is right, to agree with someone
Mi jefa me ha dado la razón en la reunión. — My boss (female) admitted I was right at the meeting.
llevar la contraria — to disagree with someone (on purpose), to contradict
Mi hermano siempre me lleva la contraria. — My brother always disagrees with me.
la estrategia — strategy
Necesitamos una estrategia nueva. — We need a new strategy.
la reputación — reputation
La empresa tiene muy buena reputación. — The company has a very good reputation.
competente — competent, capable
Mi jefa es muy competente. — My boss (female) is very competent.
competitivo — competitive
Mi hermano es muy competitivo: siempre quiere ganar. — My brother is very competitive: he always wants to win.
ambicioso — ambitious
Mi compañera es muy ambiciosa. — My coworker (female) is very ambitious.
negativo — negative
Es una persona muy negativa. — He's a very negative person.
impulsivo — impulsive
Soy impulsivo: compro sin pensar. — I'm impulsive: I buy things without thinking (man speaking).
perfeccionista — perfectionist
Mi jefa es muy perfeccionista. — My boss (female) is a real perfectionist.
arrogante — arrogant
Su compañero es un poco arrogante. — His coworker is a little arrogant.
susceptible — touchy, easily offended
Mi compañero es muy susceptible: se enfada por todo. — My coworker is very touchy: he gets upset about everything.
diplomático — diplomatic, tactful
Mi jefa es muy diplomática. — My boss (female) is very diplomatic.
físico — physical
El trabajo físico me cansa mucho. — Physical work makes me really tired.
el portátil — laptop
Llevo el portátil a todas las reuniones. — I take my laptop to every meeting.
la pizarra — board, whiteboard
Escribe la idea en la pizarra, por favor. — Write the idea on the board, please.
la diapositiva — slide
Mi presentación tiene diez diapositivas. — My presentation has ten slides.
el gráfico — chart, graph
El gráfico muestra las ventas del año. — The chart shows the sales for the year.
el dispositivo — device
Este dispositivo se queda sin batería muy rápido. — This device runs out of battery really fast.
el compañerismo — team spirit, camaraderie
En mi equipo hay mucho compañerismo. — There's a lot of team spirit on my team.
el becario — intern
Soy becaria en una empresa de publicidad. — I'm an intern at an advertising company (woman speaking).
el novato — newbie, beginner
Soy novato en esta empresa. — I'm a newbie at this company (man speaking).
mandón — bossy
Mi hermana mayor es muy mandona. — My older sister is very bossy.
quejica — whiner, complainer, whiny
Mi compañero es muy quejica. — My coworker is really whiny.
el/la sabelotodo — know-it-all
Mi cuñado es un sabelotodo: opina de todo. — My brother-in-law is a know-it-all: he has an opinion on everything.
perder los papeles — to lose it, to lose your cool
Mi jefe perdió los papeles en la reunión. — My boss lost it at the meeting.
hacer la pelota — to suck up (to someone)
Ese compañero siempre le hace la pelota al jefe. — That coworker always sucks up to the boss.
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