Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El ingrediente es fresco.

In Spanish, ser is generally used to describe inherent or permanent qualities, like describing something as inherently fresh. If you used estar, it would imply a temporary state, such as an ingredient that has just been made fresh or is fresh at this particular moment.

Could we ever use estar if we wanted to emphasize the temporary condition of the ingredient?

Yes, you could say El ingrediente está fresco if you want to stress that it has just been prepared or is fresh at that specific moment. However, El ingrediente es fresco sounds more like a general statement about its freshness or quality.

Is ingrediente masculine or feminine in Spanish?

Ingrediente is a masculine noun, which is why it uses the masculine article el in El ingrediente es fresco.

Do we always use fresco to mean fresh, or can it also mean cool?

Fresco can mean both fresh and cool depending on context. In reference to food, it typically means fresh. If you say something like Hace fresco, you’re talking about a cool temperature.

Can the word fresco agree with a feminine noun?

Yes. For a feminine noun such as la verdura, you would say La verdura es fresca. The adjective must match the gender (and number) of the noun.