Breakdown of Ser ambicioso no es un defecto si también sabes trabajar en equipo.
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Questions & Answers about Ser ambicioso no es un defecto si también sabes trabajar en equipo.
Why does the sentence start with ser ambicioso instead of using a normal subject like la ambición?
Because Spanish can use an infinitive phrase as the subject of a sentence.
So ser ambicioso means to be ambitious / being ambitious, and the whole phrase acts as the subject:
- Ser ambicioso no es un defecto.
= Being ambitious is not a flaw.
This is very common in Spanish:
Spanish often prefers this structure where English might also use being + adjective.
Why is ser used instead of estar?
Because ser is used for qualities, characteristics, or more permanent descriptions, while estar is used for states or conditions.
Here, ambicioso describes a person’s character trait, so ser is the natural choice:
- ser ambicioso = to be ambitious as a trait
- estar ambicioso would sound unusual, because ambition is not normally treated as a temporary state in Spanish
So the sentence is talking about ambition as part of someone’s character, not a temporary mood.
Does ambicioso mean exactly the same as English ambitious?