Estar para/donde/a

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Chip

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I'm interested in knowing which of the following uses of the verb "estar" is gramatically correct. I'm trying to distinguish what is correct from slang, etc.

I appreciate everybody's comments, however, all I ask is if you are not sure please state so - otherwise it will just be the blind leading the blind. :)

Ella esta para el medico.
Ella esta donde el medico.
Ella esta al medico.
Ella esta para donde el medico.

Thanks
 
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Chirimoya

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The only one that sounds sort of right is the second one, and even that one may be colloquial. To say "donde el medico" is common but probably not grammatically correct.
 
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Mujermaravilla

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Chip said:
Ella esta al medico. This one doesn't sound right at all.

Ella esta para el medico.
Ella esta donde el medico.
Ella esta para donde el medico. These three are used but aren't really correct.

The real way is: Ella esta en la oficina del medico. Ella esta en el salon. Ella esta en la playa.

But if you say..... Ella anda para la oficina del medico. Ella anda para la playa. That's correct.
Click to expand...

Hope this helps.
 
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Chip

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Mujermaravilla

I just realized that your responses were imbedded in my original post. Thanks!

Also, would the following then be correct?

Ella esta en el colmado/colgeio/etc.
 
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Talldrink

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Ella esta para el medico. GOOD
Ella esta donde el medico. OK
Ella esta al medico. NOT GOOD
Ella esta para donde el medico. PERFECT

Ella esta A donde el medico. = She is AT the Doctor's.

Ella esta para donde el medico. = She has gone/has left to the Doctor's.

Both are really the same thing...
 
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Talldrink

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PeterInBrat said:
What confuses me is why you say "El esta muerto" ~ Are they not going to be dead tomorrow?
Click to expand...

Peter, this is the same as: He IS dead. which means, he is actively dead, no? so what is your confusion?

El ESTA muerto (ahora) - he is dead (now)
 
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granca

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Sorry but you?ve really confused me. I thought "estar" was a temporary state of being and to me "esta muerto" implies i think but am really not sure. If he really is, should it not be "es muerto"?
 
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Ezequiel

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granca said:
Sorry but you?ve really confused me. I thought "estar" was a temporary state of being and to me "esta muerto" implies i think but am really not sure. If he really is, should it not be "es muerto"?
Click to expand...

Esta Muerto= Is Dead.

Es Muerto------>Doesn't make sense, A Muerto= Has Die.
 
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Chip

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Thanks Talldrink.

Now I'm confused why MM told me something different. I know TD is a native speaker but MM?
 
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granca

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I am greatly confused. If I witness an accident I had presumed I could ask the medico "esta muerto" and he could reply "si, es muerto" or "no, no esta muerto". Distinguishing the difference between permanentt and temporary..
 
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Mujermaravilla

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Chip said:
Mujermaravilla

I just realized that your responses were imbedded in my original post. Thanks!

Also, would the following then be correct?

Ella esta en el colmado/colgeio/etc.
Click to expand...


Yes that's correct

Ella esta en el colmado
Ella esta en el colegio


Think about it.
Donde means where. Donde esta ella? if we say. Ella esta donde fulana.
We are saying she is where fulana is (lives, office, works, etc)
But we wouldn't be able to say Ella esta donde el colmado. El colmado is not a person. That just doesn't even sound right.

Same thing with para. Donde esta ella? ella esta para la playa. She is to the beach. but we couldn't say ella esta para su mama. because you would be saying she is (here, present) for her mother.

That brings us to para donde: Ella esta para donde su mama. That is means, She is to where her (mother lives, mother's home) But, we could not say: Ella esta para donde la playa nor para donde el parque because those are places not person specific.

So you see none of the three could be used in all cases.
(you can argue,( 1) para el medico, (2)para donde el medico, and (3)donde el medico, but "el medico" in those sentences is not the same. In the first one 'el medico' is the office building, where in the last two 'el medico' is the actual person.

Then only way to say it correctly in a way that would fit any place is
esta en el/la....
 
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Ezequiel

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granca said:
I am greatly confused. If I witness an accident I had presumed I could ask the medico "esta muerto" and he could reply "si, es muerto" or "no, no esta muerto". Distinguishing the difference between permanentt and temporary..
Click to expand...

If you ask a doctor "esta muerto doctor?" He has to reply " Si esta Muerto".

As I explained to you in a previous post "Si, es muerto" is wrong and it doesn't make sense in Spanish.

The doctor can reply "Si, ha Muerto" or "Si, el/ella ha muerto".
 
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Norma Rosa

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granca said:
I am greatly confused. If I witness an accident I had presumed I could ask the medico "esta muerto" and he could reply "si, es muerto" or "no, no esta muerto". Distinguishing the difference between permanentt and temporary..
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor by not thinking of ser and estar in terms of temporary or permanent characteristics only, that is an oversimplification. Estar must be used when one is talking about conditions:

La manzana est? verde. (What is the condition of the apple? It is green -not ripe.)
La camisa est? sucia. ( The shirt is dirty: Condition)
El hombre est? muerto. (The man is dead: This is the condition of the body now.)
El hombre estaba vivo. (The man was alive: That was the condition of the body.)
Nosotros estamos vivos. (We are alive: That is our present condition.)

There are many web sites dealing with these two verbs.

Hope this helps.
 
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