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Questions & Answers about El vaso está vacío.
Why is the verb estar used here (with está) instead of ser?
In Spanish, estar describes temporary states or conditions. Since being empty is a temporary condition of the glass, you say El vaso está vacío. Using ser (El vaso es vacío) would imply it’s an inherent or permanent characteristic, which doesn’t make sense for “empty.”
What’s the general difference between ser and estar?
- Ser is for permanent or defining qualities, origin, time, professions, and essential characteristics.
- Estar is for temporary states or conditions, locations, ongoing actions (with gerunds), and certain fixed expressions.
Why does vacío have an accent mark on the í?
Spanish accent rules place stress on the penultimate syllable if the word ends in a vowel, n, or s. But vacío is a three-syllable word (va-cí-o) and the natural stress would fall on va. The accent on í shows that stress actually falls on the second syllable: va-CÍ-o.
Why does the adjective vacío come after the noun instead of before it?
Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish follow the noun they modify. So vaso vacío (“empty glass”) is standard. Placing the adjective before (vacío vaso) is nonstandard or poetic and can change the emphasis.
Why is the definite article el used? Could I say un vaso está vacío?
- El makes the glass specific: “the glass is empty.”
- Un would mean “a glass is empty,” referring to any glass in general. Use el when both speaker and listener know which glass you mean.
What exactly does vaso mean? Is it the same as a drinking glass in English?
Yes, vaso refers to a drinking vessel (made of glass, plastic, metal, etc.). It does not mean a flower vase (that’s jarrón or florero), nor does it refer to window glass.
How do you pronounce vacío correctly?
Pronounce it as ba-SEE-oh:
- v sounds like an English b (lightly)
- stress on the CÍ syllable because of the accent
- the í is a strong, clear vowel
If I want to specify what it’s empty of (for example, water), how would I say that?
By default El vaso está vacío means “the glass is empty” of any contents. To specify water you can say:
- El vaso está vacío de agua.
- Or more naturally: El vaso no tiene agua.