No es tu culpa si estás cansada; nadie es capaz de trabajar bien sin descanso.

It is not your fault if you are tired; no one is capable of working well without rest.

Breakdown of No es tu culpa si estás cansada; nadie es capaz de trabajar bien sin descanso.

• ser: to be
• tú: you
• bien: well
• estar: to be

Questions & Answers about No es tu culpa si estás cansada; nadie es capaz de trabajar bien sin descanso.

Why is it “estás cansada” and not “eres cansada”?

Spanish uses estar for temporary states or conditions and ser for inherent characteristics.

• Estar cansada = to be tired right now / at this time (a condition that changes).
• Ser cansada is rare and would mean something like “to be a tiring person” (as a characteristic), not “to feel tired.”

So “si estás cansada” correctly talks about your current state of being tired.

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Why is “cansada” feminine? Would it change for a man?

Adjectives in Spanish agree with the gender and number of the person they describe.

• Cansada = feminine singular (talking to a woman).
• Cansado = masculine singular (talking to a man).

So:

• To a woman: No es tu culpa si estás cansada.
• To a man: No es tu culpa si estás cansado.

Everything else in the sentence stays the same.

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Why is it “No es tu culpa” and not “No es culpa tuya”? Are both correct?