LESSON XLI.
(Lección cuadragésima primera.)
THE VERB (contd.).
Ser and Estar. Such expressions as "Smoking is prohibited," etc., are translated either "Es prohibido fumar" or "Está prohibido fumar." Both translations are grammatically correct ("Está prohibido fumar" is the general expression in this particular case).
If we say "Es prohibido fumar," we are referring to the "doer" of the action: "Es prohibido por la ley, por la policia, por los jefes, etc., etc."—a case of passive voice.
If we say "Está prohibido fumar" we have no "doer" in our mind, but only the thing itself = a case of "a condition of things" resulting from the action (the prohibition).
=EXAMPLE—=
El fumar es prohibido por el jefe, por esto está prohibido fumar en nuestro despacho: Smoking is prohibited by our employer (viz., our employer prohibits smoking), therefore it is not allowed in our office.
The above example is given for the sake of illustration by contrast; in practice, of course, such oddities are avoided.
The English expressions, "It is I, you, he, we, they, who …" must be rendered in Spanish by "Soy yo, es V., somos nosotros, etc., quien or quienes …"; i.e., the English impersonal "it is" must be made personal in Spanish.
We said that verbs may have a different government in the two languages, as—