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1 understand
∎ I understand what you mean je comprends ce que vous voulez dire;∎ is that understood? est-ce compris?;∎ to make oneself understood se faire comprendre;∎ do I make myself understood? (as threat) est-ce que je me suis bien fait comprendre?;∎ she didn't understand a single word elle n'a pas compris un traître mot;∎ I can't understand it! je ne comprends pas!, cela me dépasse!(b) (subject, theory) comprendre, entendre;∎ I don't understand a thing about economics je ne comprends rien à l'économie(c) (character, person) comprendre;∎ he claims his wife doesn't understand him il affirme que sa femme ne le comprend pas;∎ I understand your need to be independent je comprends bien que vous ayez besoin d'être indépendant;∎ we understand each other perfectly nous nous comprenons parfaitement;∎ she didn't understand why no one was interested elle ne comprenait pas pourquoi personne n'était intéressé∎ I understand you need a loan j'ai cru comprendre que ou si j'ai bien compris, vous avez besoin d'un prêt;∎ I understood that I was to be paid for my work j'ai cru comprendre que je devais être payé pour mon travail;∎ am I to understand that they refused? dois-je comprendre qu'ils ont refusé?;∎ they are understood to have fled the country il paraît qu'ils ont fui le pays;∎ we were given to understand that he was very ill on nous a fait comprendre ou donné à entendre qu'il était très malade;∎ so I understand c'est ce que j'ai compris(e) (interpret) entendre;∎ what do you understand by "soon"? qu'est-ce que vous entendez par "bientôt"?;∎ as I understand it, there's nothing to pay d'après ce que j'ai compris, il n'y a rien à payer(f) (leave implicit) entendre, sous-entendre;∎ she let it be understood that she preferred to be alone elle a laissé entendre ou donné à entendre qu'elle préférait être seule;∎ Grammar the object of the sentence is understood l'objet de la phrase est sous-entenducomprendre;∎ of course, I understand bien sûr, je comprends (bien);∎ if you do that once more you're out, understand? faites ça encore une fois et vous êtes viré, compris?;∎ they understand about international finance ils s'y connaissent en finance internationale -
2 understand
1. past tense, past participle - understood; verb1) (to see or know the meaning of (something): I can't understand his absence; Speak slowly to foreigners so that they'll understand you.) comprender, entender2) (to know (eg a person) thoroughly: She understands children/dogs.) comprender, entender3) (to learn or realize (something), eg from information received: At first I didn't understand how ill she was; I understood that you were planning to leave today.) comprender, entender; tener entendido•- understanding
2. noun1) (the power of thinking clearly: a man of great understanding.) inteligencia, entendimiento2) (the ability to sympathize with another person's feelings: His kindness and understanding were a great comfort to her.) comprensión3) (a (state of) informal agreement: The two men have come to / reached an understanding after their disagreement.) entendimiento•- make oneself understood- make understood
understand vb entender / comprenderare you sure that you understand it all? ¿estás seguro de que lo entiendes todo?tr[ʌndə'stænd]1 entender, comprender2 (believe) tener entendido3 (to get on with somebody) entenderse4 (take for granted) sobreentender\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLto give to understand dar a entender1) comprehend: comprender, entenderI don't understand it: no lo entiendothat's understood: eso se comprendeto make oneself understood: hacerse entender2) believe: entenderto give someone to understand: dar a alguien a entender3) infer: tener entendidoI understand that she's leaving: tengo entendido que se vaunderstand vi: comprender, entenderv.• entender v.• sobreentender v.• sobrentender v.'ʌndər'stænd, ˌʌndə'stænd
1.
(past & past p - stood) transitive verb1)a) ( grasp meaning of) entender*I can't understand why he did it — no logro entender or comprender por qué lo hizo
I don't want it to happen again; have I made myself understood? — no quiero que vuelva a suceder ¿está claro?
b) ( interpret) entender*, interpretaras I understand it,... — según tengo entendido,..., por lo que entiendo,..., según creo,...
what do you understand by the term `deprivation'? — ¿qué entiendes tú por `privaciones'?
c) (sympathize, empathize with) comprender, entender*2) (believe, infer)the president is understood to favor the second option — se cree que el presidente prefiere la segunda opción
am I to understand that you won't help? — ¿entonces quiere decir que no me van a ayudar?
I was given to understand I'd get my money back — me dieron a entender que me devolverían el dinero; see also understood II
2.
vi entender*, comprender[ˌʌndǝ'stænd] (pt, pp understood)1. VTI can't understand it! — ¡no lo entiendo!
that's what I can't understand — eso es lo que no logro entender or comprender
I don't want to hear another word about it, (is that) understood? — no quiero que se hable más del tema, ¿entendido or comprendido?
the process is still not fully understood — el proceso todavía no se comprende or entiende del todo
doctors are still trying to understand the disease — los médicos siguen intentando comprender la enfermedad
it must be understood that... — debe entenderse que...
you must understand that we're very busy — debes entender or comprender que estamos muy ocupados
2) (=follow, interpret) entenderdid I understand you correctly? — ¿te entendí bien?
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to make o.s. understood — hacerse entenderdo I make myself understood? — ¿queda claro?
3) (=empathize with) [+ person, point of view, attitude] comprender, entenderhis wife doesn't understand him — su mujer no le comprende or entiende
she understands children — comprende or entiende a los niños
we understand one another — nos comprendemos or entendemos
I (fully) understand your position — comprendo or entiendo (totalmente) su posición
4) (=know) [+ language] entender5) (=believe) tener entendido•
as I understand it, he's trying to set up a meeting — según tengo entendido or según creo está intentando convocar una reuniónit's understood that he had a heart attack — se piensa or cree que sufrió un infarto
am I to understand that...? — ¿debo entender que...?
we confirm our reservation and we understand (that) the rental will be 500 euros — confirmamos nuestra reserva y entendemos que el alquiler será de 500 euros
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to give sb to understand that — dar a algn a entender quewe were given to understand that... — se nos dio a entender que...
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it was understood that he would pay for it — se dio por sentado que él lo pagaría•
he let it be understood that... — dio a entender que...2. VI1) (=comprehend) entender; (more emphatic) comprenderdo you understand? — ¿entiendes or comprendes?
now I understand! — ¡ahora entiendo!, ¡ahora comprendo!
there's to be no noise, (do you) understand? — que no haya ruido, ¿entiendes or comprendes?
2) (=believe)she was, I understand, a Catholic — según tengo entendido era católica
3) (=accept sb's position) entender; (esp in more complex situation) comprenderhe'll understand — lo entenderá or comprenderá
don't worry, I quite understand — no te preocupes, lo entiendo or comprendo perfectamente
* * *['ʌndər'stænd, ˌʌndə'stænd]
1.
(past & past p - stood) transitive verb1)a) ( grasp meaning of) entender*I can't understand why he did it — no logro entender or comprender por qué lo hizo
I don't want it to happen again; have I made myself understood? — no quiero que vuelva a suceder ¿está claro?
b) ( interpret) entender*, interpretaras I understand it,... — según tengo entendido,..., por lo que entiendo,..., según creo,...
what do you understand by the term `deprivation'? — ¿qué entiendes tú por `privaciones'?
c) (sympathize, empathize with) comprender, entender*2) (believe, infer)the president is understood to favor the second option — se cree que el presidente prefiere la segunda opción
am I to understand that you won't help? — ¿entonces quiere decir que no me van a ayudar?
I was given to understand I'd get my money back — me dieron a entender que me devolverían el dinero; see also understood II
2.
vi entender*, comprender -
3 be
'bi: ɡi:( abbreviation) (Bachelor of Engineering; first degree in Engineering.) licenciatura en Ingenieríabe vb1. serwhat time is it? It's 3 o'clock ¿qué hora es? Son las treswho is it? It's me ¿quién es? Soy yo2. estarhow are you? I'm fine ¿cómo estás? estoy bienwhere is Pauline? ¿dónde está Pauline?how far is it? ¿a qué distancia está?what day is it today? ¿qué día es hoy? / ¿a qué día estamos?3. tenerhow old are you? I'm 16 ¿cuántos años tienes? tengo 16 años4. costar / valer / serhow much is it? ¿cuánto cuesta? / ¿cuánto vale? / ¿cuánto es?the tickets are £15 each las entradas valen 15 libras cada una5. hacer6. haberhow many children are there? ¿cuántos niños hay?Se usa también para construir el tiempo verbal llamado present continuous que indica una acción que está pasando en estos momentoswhat are you doing? ¿qué estás haciendo? / ¿qué haces?look, it's snowing mira, está nevando
be sustantivo femenino: name of the letter b, often called be largaor grande to distinguish it from v 'be' also found in these entries: Spanish: A - abasto - abate - abismo - abotargarse - abreviar - abrirse - absoluta - absoluto - abultar - abundar - aburrir - aburrirse - acabose - acariciar - acaso - acertar - achantarse - acometer - acostada - acostado - acostumbrar - acostumbrada - acostumbrado - acreditar - activa - activo - adelantar - adelantarse - adentro - adivinarse - admirarse - adolecer - aferrarse - afianzarse - aficionada - aficionado - afligirse - agonizar - agotarse - agradecer - agua - ahogarse - ahora - aire - ajo - ala - alarmarse - alcanzar - alegrarse English: aback - abate - about - absent - accordance - account for - accountable - accustom - acquaint - action - addicted - address - adequate - adjust - admit - affiliated - afford - afraid - agenda - agree - agreement - ahead - air - airsick - alert - alive - alone - along - aloof - alphabetically - always - am - ambition - amenable - amusing - anathema - annoyance - anomaly - anxious - apologetic - appal - appall - are - arm - around - arrears - as - ashamed - aspire - assertbetr[biː]intransitive verb (pres 1ª pers am, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl are, 3ª pers sing is; pt 1ª y 3ª pers sing was, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl; pp been)2 (essential quality) ser3 (nationality) ser4 (occupation) ser5 (origin) ser6 (ownership) ser7 (authorship) ser8 (composition) ser9 (use) ser10 (location) estar11 (temporary state) estar■ how are you? ¿cómo estás?12 (age) tener13 (price) costar, valer■ a single ticket is £9.50 un billete de ida cuesta £9.5014 tener■ he's hot/cold tiene calor/frío■ we're hungry/thirsty tenemos hambre/sed1 (passive) ser■ she was arrested at the border fue detenida en la frontera, la detuvieron en la frontera■ he's hated by everybody es odiado por todos, todos lo odian■ he was discharged fue dado de alta, lo dieron de alta■ the house has been sold la casa ha sido vendida, la casa se ha vendido, han vendido la casa■ thirty children were injured treinta niños fueron heridos, treinta niños resultaron heridos■ the two areas of the town are divided by a wall las dos zonas de la ciudad están divididas por un muro1 (obligation) deber, tener que1 (future)phrase there is / there are1 hay■ is there much traffic ¿hay mucho tráfico?1 había■ were there many people? ¿había mucha gente?1 habrá1 habría■ if Mike came, there would be ten of us si viniera Mike, seríamos diez\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLto be about to «+ inf» estar para + inf, estar a punto de + infto be or not to be ser o no serbe ['bi:] v, was ['wəz, 'wɑz] ; were ['wər] ; been ['bɪn] ; being ; am ['æm] ; is ['ɪz] ; are ['ɑr] viJosé is a doctor: José es doctorI'm Ana's sister: soy la hermana de Anathe tree is tall: el árbol es altoyou're silly!: ¡eres tonto!she's from Managua: es de Managuait's mine: es míomy mother is at home: mi madre está en casathe cups are on the table: las tazas están en la mesato be or not to be: ser, o no serI think, therefore I am: pienso, luego existohow are you?: ¿cómo estás?I'm cold: tengo fríoshe's 10 years old: tiene 10 añosthey're both sick: están enfermos los dosbe v impersit's eight o'clock: son las ochoit's Friday: hoy es viernesit's sunny: hace solit's very dark outside: está bien oscuro afuerabe v auxwhat are you doing? -I'm working: ¿qué haces? -estoy trabajandoit was finished yesterday: fue acabado ayer, se acabó ayerit was cooked in the oven: se cocinó en el hornocan she be trusted?: ¿se puede confiar en ella?you are to stay here: debes quedarte aquíhe was to come yesterday: se esperaba que viniese ayerbev.(§ p.,p.p.: was, were, been) = estar v.(§pres: estoy, estás...) pret: estuv-•)• ser v.(§pres: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son) subj: se-imp: er-fu-•)biːˌ weak form bi
1.
2)a) (followed by an adjective)she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente
he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso
he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego
have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!
the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?
she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo
Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero
to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien
3)a) (followed by a noun) ser*who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?
it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel
if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría
b) ( play the role of) hacer* de4)how are you? — ¿cómo estás?
I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor
she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada
I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño
b) ( talking about age) tener*how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?
he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor
c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor
they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una
how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?
5)a) (exist, live)I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo
to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien
b) ( in expressions of time)don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)
I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy
how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?
c) ( take place) ser*6) (be situated, present) estar*where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?
where are you? — ¿dónde estás?
what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?
who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?
how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?
7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?
2.
v impers1)a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor
it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!
I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...
b) ( in expressions of time) ser*hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)
c) ( talking about distance) estar*it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí
2)a) (introducing person, object) ser*it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo
b) (in conditional use) ser*if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado
3.
v aux1) to be -inga) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + gerwhat was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?
she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...
how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?
b) ( with future reference)he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana
when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?
2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903
she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...
it is known that... — se sabe que...
3) to be to + infa) ( with future reference)if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...
b) ( expressing possibility)what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?
c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inftell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí
am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?
4) ( in hypotheses)what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?
5)she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?
so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas
are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)
she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no
[biː] (present am, is or are pt was or were pp been)I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?
1. INTRANSITIVE VERB1) (linking nouns, noun phrases, pronouns) serit's me! — ¡soy yo!
who wants to be Hamlet? — ¿quién quiere hacer de or ser Hamlet?
if I were you... — yo en tu lugar..., yo que tú... *
2) (possession) serUse [estar] with past participles used as adjectives describing the results of an action or process:it's round/enormous — es redondo/enorme
4) (changeable or temporary state) estarshe's bored/ill — está aburrida/enferma
how are you? — ¿cómo estás?, ¿qué tal estás?
how are you now? — ¿qué tal te encuentras ahora?
In certain expressions where English uses [be] + adjective to describe feelings ([be cold]/[hot]/[hungry]/[thirsty]), Spanish uses [tener] with a noun:I'm very well, thanks — estoy muy bien, gracias
I'm cold/hot — tengo frío/calor
I'm hungry/thirsty — tengo hambre/sed
afraid, sleepy, rightbe good! — ¡pórtate bien!
5) (age)"how old is she?" - "she's nine" — -¿cuántos años tiene? -tiene nueve años
6) (=take place) ser7) (=be situated) estarit's on the table — está sobre or en la mesa
where is the Town Hall? — ¿dónde está or queda el ayuntamiento?
it's 5 km to the village — el pueblo está or queda a 5 kilómetros
we've been here for ages — hace mucho tiempo que estamos aquí, llevamos aquí mucho tiempo, estamos aquí desde hace mucho tiempo
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here you are(, take it) — aquí tienes(, tómalo)•
there's the church — ahí está la iglesiaa) (referring to weather) hacerit's hot/cold — hace calor/frío
b) (referring to time, date etc) serwake up, it's morning — despierta, es de día
what's the date (today)? — ¿qué fecha es hoy?
But note the following alternatives with [estar]:it's 3 May or the 3rd of May — es 3 de mayo
it's 3 May or the 3rd of May — estamos a 3 de mayo
c) (asking and giving opinion) seris it certain that...? — ¿es verdad or cierto que...?
is it fair that she should be punished while...? — ¿es justo que se la castigue mientras que...?
it is possible that he'll come — es posible que venga, puede (ser) que venga
it is unbelievable that... — es increíble que...
it's not clear whether... — no está claro si...
d) (emphatic) serwhy is it that she's so successful? — ¿cómo es que tiene tanto éxito?, ¿por qué tiene tanto éxito?
it was then that... — fue entonces cuando...
9) (=exist) haberthere is/are — hay
what is (there) in that room? — ¿qué hay en esa habitación?
is there anyone at home? — ¿hay alguien en casa?
there being no alternative solution... — al no haber or no habiendo otra solución...
let there be light! — ¡hágase la luz!
See:THERE IS, THERE ARE in there10) (=cost)how much was it? — ¿cuánto costó?
the book is £20 — el libro vale or cuesta 20 libras
how much is it? — ¿cuánto es?; (when paying) ¿qué le debo? frm
11) (=visit)has the postman been? — ¿ha venido el cartero?
have you ever been to Glasgow? — ¿has estado en Glasgow alguna vez?
12) (in noun compounds) futuro•
my wife to be — mi futura esposa•
been and * —you've been and done it now! — ¡buena la has hecho! *
that dog of yours has been and dug up my flowers! — ¡tu perro ha ido y me ha destrozado las flores!
•
you're busy enough as it is — estás bastante ocupado ya con lo que tienes, ya tienes suficiente trabajo•
if it hadn't been for..., if it hadn't been for you or frm had it not been for you, we would have lost — si no hubiera sido por ti or de no haber sido por ti, habríamos perdido•
let me be! — ¡déjame en paz!•
if that's what you want to do, then so be it — si eso es lo que quieres hacer, adelante•
what is it to you? * — ¿a ti qué te importa?2. AUXILIARY VERB1) (forming passive) serThe passive is not used as often in Spanish as in English, active and reflexive constructions often being preferred:it is said that... — dicen que..., se dice que...
she was killed in a car crash — murió en un accidente de coche, resultó muerta en un accidente de coche frm
what's to be done? — ¿qué hay que hacer?
•
it's a film not to be missed — es una película que no hay que perderse•
we searched everywhere for him, but he was nowhere to be seen — lo buscamos por todas partes pero no lo encontramos en ningún sitio2) (forming continuous) estarUse the present simple to talk about planned future events and the construction to talk about intention:what are you doing? — ¿qué estás haciendo?, ¿qué haces?
"it's a pity you aren't coming with us" - "but I am coming!" — -¡qué pena que no vengas con nosotros! -¡sí que voy!
will you be seeing her tomorrow? — ¿la verás or la vas a ver mañana?
will you be needing more? — ¿vas a necesitar más?
The imperfect tense can be used for continuous action in the past: for, sinceI'll be seeing you — hasta luego, nos vemos (esp LAm)
a)"he's going to complain about you" - "oh, is he?" — -va a quejarse de ti -¿ah, sí?
"I'm worried" - "so am I" — -estoy preocupado -yo también
"I'm not ready" - "neither am I" — -no estoy listo -yo tampoco
"you're tired" - "no, I'm not" — -estás cansado -no, ¡qué va!
"you're not eating enough" - "yes I am" — -no comes lo suficiente -que sí
"they're getting married" - "oh, are they?" — (showing surprise) -se casan -¿ah, sí? or -¡no me digas!
"he isn't very happy" - "oh, isn't he?" — -no está muy contento -¿ah, no?
"he's always late, isn't he?" - "yes, he is" — -siempre llega tarde, ¿verdad? -(pues) sí
"is it what you expected?" - "no, it isn't" — -¿es esto lo que esperabas? -(pues) no
"she's pretty" - "no, she isn't" — -es guapa -¡qué va!
he's handsome, isn't he? — es guapo, ¿verdad?, es guapo, ¿no?, es guapo, ¿no es cierto?
it was fun, wasn't it? — fue divertido, ¿verdad?, fue divertido, ¿no?
she wasn't happy, was she? — no era feliz, ¿verdad?
so he's back again, is he? — así que ha vuelto, ¿eh?
you're not ill, are you? — ¿no estarás enfermo?
3. MODAL VERB(with infinitive construction)1) (=must, have to)he's not to open it — no debe abrirlo, que no lo abra
I am to do it — he de hacerlo yo, soy yo el que debe hacerlo
I wasn't to tell you his name — no podía or debía decirte su nombre
2) (=should) deberam I to understand that...? — ¿debo entender que...?
she wrote "My Life", not to be confused with Bernstein's book of the same name — escribió "Mi Vida", que no debe confundirse con la obra de Bernstein que lleva el mismo título
he was to have come yesterday — tenía que or debía haber venido ayer
3) (=will)4) (=can)if it was or were to snow... — si nevase or nevara...
BEif I were to leave the job, would you replace me? — si yo dejara el puesto, ¿me sustituirías?
"Ser" or "estar"?
You can use "ser": ► when defining or identifying by linking two nouns or noun phrases:
Paris is the capital of France París es la capital de Francia
He was the most hated man in the village Era el hombre más odiado del pueblo ► to describe essential or inherent characteristics (e.g. colour, material, nationality, race, shape, size {etc}):
His mother is German Su madre es alemana
She was blonde Era rubia ► with most impersonal expressions not involving past participles:
It is important to be on time Es importante llegar a tiempo
Está claro que is an exception:
It is obvious you don't understand Está claro que no lo entiendes ► when telling the time or talking about time or age:
It is ten o'clock Son las diez
It's very late. Let's go home Es muy tarde. Vamos a casa
He lived in the country when he was young Vivió en el campo cuando era joven ► to indicate possession or duty:
It's mine Es mío
This is your responsibility Este asunto es responsabilidad tuya ► with events in the sense of "take place":
The 1992 Olympic Games were in Barcelona Los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 fueron en Barcelona
"Where is the exam?" - "It's in Room 1" "¿Dónde es el examen?" - "Es en el Aula Número 1" NOTE: Compare this usage with that of estar (see below) to talk about location of places, objects and people.
You can use "estar": ► to talk about location of places, objects and people:
"Where is Zaragoza?" - "It's in Spain" "¿Dónde está Zaragoza?" - "Está en España"
Your glasses are on the bedside table Tus gafas están en la mesilla de noche NOTE: But use ser with events in the sense of "take place" (see above)}. ► to talk about changeable state, condition or mood:
The teacher is ill La profesora está enferma
The coffee's cold El café está frío
How happy I am! ¡Qué contento estoy! NOTE: Feliz, however, which is seen as more permanent than contento, is used mainly with ser. ► to form progressive tenses:
We're having lunch. Is it ok if I call you later? Estamos comiendo. Te llamaré luego, ¿vale?
Both "ser" and "estar" can be used with past participles ► Use ser in {passive} constructions:
This play was written by Lorca Esta obra fue escrita por Lorca
He was shot dead (by a terrorist group) Fue asesinado a tiros (por un grupo terrorista) NOTE: The passive is not used as often in Spanish as it is in English. ► Use estar with past participles to describe the {results} of a previous action or event:
We threw them away because they were broken Los tiramos a la basura porque estaban rotos
He's dead Está muerto ► Compare the use of ser + ((past participle)) which describes {action} and estar + ((past participle)) which describes {result} in the following:
The window was broken by the firemen La ventana fue rota por los bomberos
The window was broken La ventana estaba rota
It was painted around 1925 Fue pintado hacia 1925
The floor is painted a dark colour El suelo está pintado de color oscuro ► Ser and estar are both used in impersonal expressions with past participles. As above, the use of ser implies {action} while the use of estar implies {result}:
It is understood that the work was never finished Es sabido que el trabajo nunca se llegó a terminar
It is a proven fact that vaccinations save many lives Está demostrado que las vacunas salvan muchas vidas
"Ser" and "estar" with adjectives ► Some adjectives can be used with both ser and estar but the meaning changes completely depending on the verb:
He's clever Es listo
Are you ready? ¿Estás listo?
Chemistry is boring La química es aburrida
I'm bored Estoy aburrido ► Other adjectives can also be used with both verbs but the use of ser describes a {characteristic} while the use of estar implies a {change}:
He's very handsome Es muy guapo
You look great in that dress! Estás muy guapa con ese vestido
He's slim Es delgado
You're (looking) very slim ¡Estás muy delgada! For further uses and examples, see main entry* * *[biːˌ] weak form [bi]
1.
2)a) (followed by an adjective)she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente
he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso
he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego
have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!
the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?
she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo
Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero
to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien
3)a) (followed by a noun) ser*who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?
it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel
if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría
b) ( play the role of) hacer* de4)how are you? — ¿cómo estás?
I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor
she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada
I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño
b) ( talking about age) tener*how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?
he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor
c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor
they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una
how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?
5)a) (exist, live)I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo
to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien
b) ( in expressions of time)don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)
I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy
how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?
c) ( take place) ser*6) (be situated, present) estar*where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?
where are you? — ¿dónde estás?
what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?
who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?
how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?
7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?
2.
v impers1)a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor
it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!
I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...
b) ( in expressions of time) ser*hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)
c) ( talking about distance) estar*it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí
2)a) (introducing person, object) ser*it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo
b) (in conditional use) ser*if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado
3.
v aux1) to be -inga) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + gerwhat was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?
she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...
how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?
b) ( with future reference)he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana
when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?
2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903
she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...
it is known that... — se sabe que...
3) to be to + infa) ( with future reference)if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...
b) ( expressing possibility)what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?
c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inftell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí
am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?
4) ( in hypotheses)what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?
5)she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?
so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas
are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)
she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no
I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?
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4 BE
'bi: ɡi:( abbreviation) (Bachelor of Engineering; first degree in Engineering.) licenciatura en Ingenieríabe vb1. serwhat time is it? It's 3 o'clock ¿qué hora es? Son las treswho is it? It's me ¿quién es? Soy yo2. estarhow are you? I'm fine ¿cómo estás? estoy bienwhere is Pauline? ¿dónde está Pauline?how far is it? ¿a qué distancia está?what day is it today? ¿qué día es hoy? / ¿a qué día estamos?3. tenerhow old are you? I'm 16 ¿cuántos años tienes? tengo 16 años4. costar / valer / serhow much is it? ¿cuánto cuesta? / ¿cuánto vale? / ¿cuánto es?the tickets are £15 each las entradas valen 15 libras cada una5. hacer6. haberhow many children are there? ¿cuántos niños hay?Se usa también para construir el tiempo verbal llamado present continuous que indica una acción que está pasando en estos momentoswhat are you doing? ¿qué estás haciendo? / ¿qué haces?look, it's snowing mira, está nevando
be sustantivo femenino: name of the letter b, often called be largaor grande to distinguish it from v 'be' also found in these entries: Spanish: A - abasto - abate - abismo - abotargarse - abreviar - abrirse - absoluta - absoluto - abultar - abundar - aburrir - aburrirse - acabose - acariciar - acaso - acertar - achantarse - acometer - acostada - acostado - acostumbrar - acostumbrada - acostumbrado - acreditar - activa - activo - adelantar - adelantarse - adentro - adivinarse - admirarse - adolecer - aferrarse - afianzarse - aficionada - aficionado - afligirse - agonizar - agotarse - agradecer - agua - ahogarse - ahora - aire - ajo - ala - alarmarse - alcanzar - alegrarse English: aback - abate - about - absent - accordance - account for - accountable - accustom - acquaint - action - addicted - address - adequate - adjust - admit - affiliated - afford - afraid - agenda - agree - agreement - ahead - air - airsick - alert - alive - alone - along - aloof - alphabetically - always - am - ambition - amenable - amusing - anathema - annoyance - anomaly - anxious - apologetic - appal - appall - are - arm - around - arrears - as - ashamed - aspire - assertbetr[biː]intransitive verb (pres 1ª pers am, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl are, 3ª pers sing is; pt 1ª y 3ª pers sing was, 2ª pers sing y todas del pl; pp been)2 (essential quality) ser3 (nationality) ser4 (occupation) ser5 (origin) ser6 (ownership) ser7 (authorship) ser8 (composition) ser9 (use) ser10 (location) estar11 (temporary state) estar■ how are you? ¿cómo estás?12 (age) tener13 (price) costar, valer■ a single ticket is £9.50 un billete de ida cuesta £9.5014 tener■ he's hot/cold tiene calor/frío■ we're hungry/thirsty tenemos hambre/sed1 (passive) ser■ she was arrested at the border fue detenida en la frontera, la detuvieron en la frontera■ he's hated by everybody es odiado por todos, todos lo odian■ he was discharged fue dado de alta, lo dieron de alta■ the house has been sold la casa ha sido vendida, la casa se ha vendido, han vendido la casa■ thirty children were injured treinta niños fueron heridos, treinta niños resultaron heridos■ the two areas of the town are divided by a wall las dos zonas de la ciudad están divididas por un muro1 (obligation) deber, tener que1 (future)phrase there is / there are1 hay■ is there much traffic ¿hay mucho tráfico?1 había■ were there many people? ¿había mucha gente?1 habrá1 habría■ if Mike came, there would be ten of us si viniera Mike, seríamos diez\SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALLto be about to «+ inf» estar para + inf, estar a punto de + infto be or not to be ser o no serbe ['bi:] v, was ['wəz, 'wɑz] ; were ['wər] ; been ['bɪn] ; being ; am ['æm] ; is ['ɪz] ; are ['ɑr] viJosé is a doctor: José es doctorI'm Ana's sister: soy la hermana de Anathe tree is tall: el árbol es altoyou're silly!: ¡eres tonto!she's from Managua: es de Managuait's mine: es míomy mother is at home: mi madre está en casathe cups are on the table: las tazas están en la mesato be or not to be: ser, o no serI think, therefore I am: pienso, luego existohow are you?: ¿cómo estás?I'm cold: tengo fríoshe's 10 years old: tiene 10 añosthey're both sick: están enfermos los dosbe v impersit's eight o'clock: son las ochoit's Friday: hoy es viernesit's sunny: hace solit's very dark outside: está bien oscuro afuerabe v auxwhat are you doing? -I'm working: ¿qué haces? -estoy trabajandoit was finished yesterday: fue acabado ayer, se acabó ayerit was cooked in the oven: se cocinó en el hornocan she be trusted?: ¿se puede confiar en ella?you are to stay here: debes quedarte aquíhe was to come yesterday: se esperaba que viniese ayerbev.(§ p.,p.p.: was, were, been) = estar v.(§pres: estoy, estás...) pret: estuv-•)• ser v.(§pres: soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son) subj: se-imp: er-fu-•)biːˌ weak form bi
1.
2)a) (followed by an adjective)she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente
he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso
he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego
have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!
the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?
she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo
Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero
to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien
3)a) (followed by a noun) ser*who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?
it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel
if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría
b) ( play the role of) hacer* de4)how are you? — ¿cómo estás?
I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor
she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada
I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño
b) ( talking about age) tener*how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?
he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor
c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor
they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una
how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?
5)a) (exist, live)I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo
to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien
b) ( in expressions of time)don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)
I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy
how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?
c) ( take place) ser*6) (be situated, present) estar*where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?
where are you? — ¿dónde estás?
what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?
who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?
how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?
7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?
2.
v impers1)a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor
it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!
I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...
b) ( in expressions of time) ser*hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)
c) ( talking about distance) estar*it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí
2)a) (introducing person, object) ser*it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo
b) (in conditional use) ser*if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado
3.
v aux1) to be -inga) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + gerwhat was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?
she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...
how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?
b) ( with future reference)he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana
when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?
2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903
she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...
it is known that... — se sabe que...
3) to be to + infa) ( with future reference)if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...
b) ( expressing possibility)what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?
c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inftell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí
am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?
4) ( in hypotheses)what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?
5)she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?
so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas
are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)
she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no
I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?
N ABBR(Econ) = bill of exchange L/C* * *[biːˌ] weak form [bi]
1.
2)a) (followed by an adjective)she's French/intelligent — es francesa/inteligente
he's worried/furious — está preocupado/furioso
he's blind — es or (Esp tb) está ciego
have you never had gazpacho? it's delicious! — ¿nunca has comido gazpacho? es delicioso!
the gazpacho is delicious, did you make it yourself? — el gazpacho está delicioso ¿lo hiciste tú?
she was very rude to me — estuvo or fue muy grosera conmigo
Tony is married/divorced/single — Tony está or (esp AmL) es casado/divorciado/soltero
to be married to somebody — estar* casado con alguien
3)a) (followed by a noun) ser*who was Prime Minister at the time? — ¿quién era Primer Ministro en ese momento?
it's me/Daniel — soy yo/es Daniel
if I were you, I'd stay — yo que tú or yo en tu lugar me quedaría
b) ( play the role of) hacer* de4)how are you? — ¿cómo estás?
I'm much better — estoy or me encuentro mucho mejor
she's pregnant/tired — está embarazada/cansada
I'm cold/hot/hungry/thirsty/sleepy — tengo frío/calor/hambre/sed/sueño
b) ( talking about age) tener*how old are you? — ¿cuántos años tienes?
he's a lot older/younger — es mucho mayor/menor
c) (giving cost, measurement, weight)how much is that? - that'll be $15, please — ¿cuánto es? - (son) 15 dólares, por favor
they are $15 each — cuestan or valen 15 dólares cada una
how tall/heavy is he? — ¿cuánto mide/pesa?
5)a) (exist, live)I think, therefore I am — pienso, luego existo
to let something/somebody be — dejar tranquilo or en paz algo/a alguien
b) ( in expressions of time)don't be too long — no tardes mucho, no (te) demores mucho (esp AmL)
I'm drying my hair, I won't be long — me estoy secando el pelo, enseguida estoy
how long will dinner be? — ¿cuánto falta para la cena?
c) ( take place) ser*6) (be situated, present) estar*where is the library? — ¿dónde está or queda la biblioteca?
where are you? — ¿dónde estás?
what's in that box? — ¿qué hay en esa caja?
who's in the movie? — ¿quién actúa or trabaja en la película?
how long are you in Chicago (for)? — (colloq) ¿cuánto (tiempo) te vas a quedar en Chicago ?
7) (only in perfect tenses) ( visit) estar*have you been to the exhibition yet? — ¿ya has estado en or has ido a la exposición?
2.
v impers1)a) (talking about physical conditions, circumstances)it's sunny/cold/hot — hace sol/frío/calor
it's so noisy/quiet in here! — qué ruido/silencio hay aquí!
I have enough problems as it is, without you... — yo ya tengo suficientes problemas sin que tú encima...
b) ( in expressions of time) ser*hi, Joe, it's been a long time — qué tal, Joe, tanto tiempo (sin verte)
c) ( talking about distance) estar*it's 500 miles from here to Detroit — Detroit queda or está a 500 millas de aquí
2)a) (introducing person, object) ser*it was me who told them — fui yo quien se lo dije or dijo, fui yo el que se lo dije or dijo
b) (in conditional use) ser*if it hadn't been o had it not been for Juan, we would have been killed — si no hubiera sido por Juan or de no ser por Juan, nos habríamos matado
3.
v aux1) to be -inga) ( used to describe action in progress) estar* + gerwhat was I saying? — ¿qué estaba diciendo?
she was leaving when... — se iba cuando...
how long have you been waiting? — ¿cuánto (tiempo) hace que esperas?, ¿cuánto (tiempo) llevas esperando?
b) ( with future reference)he is o will be arriving tomorrow — llega mañana
when are you seeing her? — ¿cuándo la vas a ver or la verás?
2) (in the passive voice) ser* [The passive voice, however, is less common in Spanish than it is in English]it was built in 1903 — fue construido en 1903, se construyó en 1903, lo construyeron en 1903
she was told that... — le dijeron or se le dijo que...
it is known that... — se sabe que...
3) to be to + infa) ( with future reference)if a solution is to be found... — si se quiere encontrar or si se ha de encontrar una solución...
b) ( expressing possibility)what are we to do? — ¿qué podemos hacer?
c) ( expressing obligation) deber* + inf, tener* que + inf, haber* de + inftell her she's to stay here — dile que debe quedarse or tiene que quedarse aquí, dile que se quede aquí
am I to understand that... ? — ¿debo entender que... ?
4) ( in hypotheses)what would happen if she were o was to die? — ¿qué pasaría si ella muriera?
5)she's right, isn't she? — tiene razón, ¿no? or ¿verdad? or ¿no es cierto?
so that's what you think, is it? — de manera que eso es lo que piensas
are you disappointed? - yes, I am/no, I'm not — ¿estás desilusionado? - sí (, lo estoy)/no (, no lo estoy)
she was told the news, and so was he/but I wasn't — a ella le dieron la noticia, y también a él/pero a mí no
I'm surprised, are/aren't you? — estoy sorprendido, ¿y tú?/¿tú no?
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5 Artificial Intelligence
In my opinion, none of [these programs] does even remote justice to the complexity of human mental processes. Unlike men, "artificially intelligent" programs tend to be single minded, undistractable, and unemotional. (Neisser, 1967, p. 9)Future progress in [artificial intelligence] will depend on the development of both practical and theoretical knowledge.... As regards theoretical knowledge, some have sought a unified theory of artificial intelligence. My view is that artificial intelligence is (or soon will be) an engineering discipline since its primary goal is to build things. (Nilsson, 1971, pp. vii-viii)Most workers in AI [artificial intelligence] research and in related fields confess to a pronounced feeling of disappointment in what has been achieved in the last 25 years. Workers entered the field around 1950, and even around 1960, with high hopes that are very far from being realized in 1972. In no part of the field have the discoveries made so far produced the major impact that was then promised.... In the meantime, claims and predictions regarding the potential results of AI research had been publicized which went even farther than the expectations of the majority of workers in the field, whose embarrassments have been added to by the lamentable failure of such inflated predictions....When able and respected scientists write in letters to the present author that AI, the major goal of computing science, represents "another step in the general process of evolution"; that possibilities in the 1980s include an all-purpose intelligence on a human-scale knowledge base; that awe-inspiring possibilities suggest themselves based on machine intelligence exceeding human intelligence by the year 2000 [one has the right to be skeptical]. (Lighthill, 1972, p. 17)4) Just as Astronomy Succeeded Astrology, the Discovery of Intellectual Processes in Machines Should Lead to a Science, EventuallyJust as astronomy succeeded astrology, following Kepler's discovery of planetary regularities, the discoveries of these many principles in empirical explorations on intellectual processes in machines should lead to a science, eventually. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 11)5) Problems in Machine Intelligence Arise Because Things Obvious to Any Person Are Not Represented in the ProgramMany problems arise in experiments on machine intelligence because things obvious to any person are not represented in any program. One can pull with a string, but one cannot push with one.... Simple facts like these caused serious problems when Charniak attempted to extend Bobrow's "Student" program to more realistic applications, and they have not been faced up to until now. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 77)What do we mean by [a symbolic] "description"? We do not mean to suggest that our descriptions must be made of strings of ordinary language words (although they might be). The simplest kind of description is a structure in which some features of a situation are represented by single ("primitive") symbols, and relations between those features are represented by other symbols-or by other features of the way the description is put together. (Minsky & Papert, 1973, p. 11)[AI is] the use of computer programs and programming techniques to cast light on the principles of intelligence in general and human thought in particular. (Boden, 1977, p. 5)The word you look for and hardly ever see in the early AI literature is the word knowledge. They didn't believe you have to know anything, you could always rework it all.... In fact 1967 is the turning point in my mind when there was enough feeling that the old ideas of general principles had to go.... I came up with an argument for what I called the primacy of expertise, and at the time I called the other guys the generalists. (Moses, quoted in McCorduck, 1979, pp. 228-229)9) Artificial Intelligence Is Psychology in a Particularly Pure and Abstract FormThe basic idea of cognitive science is that intelligent beings are semantic engines-in other words, automatic formal systems with interpretations under which they consistently make sense. We can now see why this includes psychology and artificial intelligence on a more or less equal footing: people and intelligent computers (if and when there are any) turn out to be merely different manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon. Moreover, with universal hardware, any semantic engine can in principle be formally imitated by a computer if only the right program can be found. And that will guarantee semantic imitation as well, since (given the appropriate formal behavior) the semantics is "taking care of itself" anyway. Thus we also see why, from this perspective, artificial intelligence can be regarded as psychology in a particularly pure and abstract form. The same fundamental structures are under investigation, but in AI, all the relevant parameters are under direct experimental control (in the programming), without any messy physiology or ethics to get in the way. (Haugeland, 1981b, p. 31)There are many different kinds of reasoning one might imagine:Formal reasoning involves the syntactic manipulation of data structures to deduce new ones following prespecified rules of inference. Mathematical logic is the archetypical formal representation. Procedural reasoning uses simulation to answer questions and solve problems. When we use a program to answer What is the sum of 3 and 4? it uses, or "runs," a procedural model of arithmetic. Reasoning by analogy seems to be a very natural mode of thought for humans but, so far, difficult to accomplish in AI programs. The idea is that when you ask the question Can robins fly? the system might reason that "robins are like sparrows, and I know that sparrows can fly, so robins probably can fly."Generalization and abstraction are also natural reasoning process for humans that are difficult to pin down well enough to implement in a program. If one knows that Robins have wings, that Sparrows have wings, and that Blue jays have wings, eventually one will believe that All birds have wings. This capability may be at the core of most human learning, but it has not yet become a useful technique in AI.... Meta- level reasoning is demonstrated by the way one answers the question What is Paul Newman's telephone number? You might reason that "if I knew Paul Newman's number, I would know that I knew it, because it is a notable fact." This involves using "knowledge about what you know," in particular, about the extent of your knowledge and about the importance of certain facts. Recent research in psychology and AI indicates that meta-level reasoning may play a central role in human cognitive processing. (Barr & Feigenbaum, 1981, pp. 146-147)Suffice it to say that programs already exist that can do things-or, at the very least, appear to be beginning to do things-which ill-informed critics have asserted a priori to be impossible. Examples include: perceiving in a holistic as opposed to an atomistic way; using language creatively; translating sensibly from one language to another by way of a language-neutral semantic representation; planning acts in a broad and sketchy fashion, the details being decided only in execution; distinguishing between different species of emotional reaction according to the psychological context of the subject. (Boden, 1981, p. 33)Can the synthesis of Man and Machine ever be stable, or will the purely organic component become such a hindrance that it has to be discarded? If this eventually happens-and I have... good reasons for thinking that it must-we have nothing to regret and certainly nothing to fear. (Clarke, 1984, p. 243)The thesis of GOFAI... is not that the processes underlying intelligence can be described symbolically... but that they are symbolic. (Haugeland, 1985, p. 113)14) Artificial Intelligence Provides a Useful Approach to Psychological and Psychiatric Theory FormationIt is all very well formulating psychological and psychiatric theories verbally but, when using natural language (even technical jargon), it is difficult to recognise when a theory is complete; oversights are all too easily made, gaps too readily left. This is a point which is generally recognised to be true and it is for precisely this reason that the behavioural sciences attempt to follow the natural sciences in using "classical" mathematics as a more rigorous descriptive language. However, it is an unfortunate fact that, with a few notable exceptions, there has been a marked lack of success in this application. It is my belief that a different approach-a different mathematics-is needed, and that AI provides just this approach. (Hand, quoted in Hand, 1985, pp. 6-7)We might distinguish among four kinds of AI.Research of this kind involves building and programming computers to perform tasks which, to paraphrase Marvin Minsky, would require intelligence if they were done by us. Researchers in nonpsychological AI make no claims whatsoever about the psychological realism of their programs or the devices they build, that is, about whether or not computers perform tasks as humans do.Research here is guided by the view that the computer is a useful tool in the study of mind. In particular, we can write computer programs or build devices that simulate alleged psychological processes in humans and then test our predictions about how the alleged processes work. We can weave these programs and devices together with other programs and devices that simulate different alleged mental processes and thereby test the degree to which the AI system as a whole simulates human mentality. According to weak psychological AI, working with computer models is a way of refining and testing hypotheses about processes that are allegedly realized in human minds.... According to this view, our minds are computers and therefore can be duplicated by other computers. Sherry Turkle writes that the "real ambition is of mythic proportions, making a general purpose intelligence, a mind." (Turkle, 1984, p. 240) The authors of a major text announce that "the ultimate goal of AI research is to build a person or, more humbly, an animal." (Charniak & McDermott, 1985, p. 7)Research in this field, like strong psychological AI, takes seriously the functionalist view that mentality can be realized in many different types of physical devices. Suprapsychological AI, however, accuses strong psychological AI of being chauvinisticof being only interested in human intelligence! Suprapsychological AI claims to be interested in all the conceivable ways intelligence can be realized. (Flanagan, 1991, pp. 241-242)16) Determination of Relevance of Rules in Particular ContextsEven if the [rules] were stored in a context-free form the computer still couldn't use them. To do that the computer requires rules enabling it to draw on just those [ rules] which are relevant in each particular context. Determination of relevance will have to be based on further facts and rules, but the question will again arise as to which facts and rules are relevant for making each particular determination. One could always invoke further facts and rules to answer this question, but of course these must be only the relevant ones. And so it goes. It seems that AI workers will never be able to get started here unless they can settle the problem of relevance beforehand by cataloguing types of context and listing just those facts which are relevant in each. (Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986, p. 80)Perhaps the single most important idea to artificial intelligence is that there is no fundamental difference between form and content, that meaning can be captured in a set of symbols such as a semantic net. (G. Johnson, 1986, p. 250)Artificial intelligence is based on the assumption that the mind can be described as some kind of formal system manipulating symbols that stand for things in the world. Thus it doesn't matter what the brain is made of, or what it uses for tokens in the great game of thinking. Using an equivalent set of tokens and rules, we can do thinking with a digital computer, just as we can play chess using cups, salt and pepper shakers, knives, forks, and spoons. Using the right software, one system (the mind) can be mapped into the other (the computer). (G. Johnson, 1986, p. 250)19) A Statement of the Primary and Secondary Purposes of Artificial IntelligenceThe primary goal of Artificial Intelligence is to make machines smarter.The secondary goals of Artificial Intelligence are to understand what intelligence is (the Nobel laureate purpose) and to make machines more useful (the entrepreneurial purpose). (Winston, 1987, p. 1)The theoretical ideas of older branches of engineering are captured in the language of mathematics. We contend that mathematical logic provides the basis for theory in AI. Although many computer scientists already count logic as fundamental to computer science in general, we put forward an even stronger form of the logic-is-important argument....AI deals mainly with the problem of representing and using declarative (as opposed to procedural) knowledge. Declarative knowledge is the kind that is expressed as sentences, and AI needs a language in which to state these sentences. Because the languages in which this knowledge usually is originally captured (natural languages such as English) are not suitable for computer representations, some other language with the appropriate properties must be used. It turns out, we think, that the appropriate properties include at least those that have been uppermost in the minds of logicians in their development of logical languages such as the predicate calculus. Thus, we think that any language for expressing knowledge in AI systems must be at least as expressive as the first-order predicate calculus. (Genesereth & Nilsson, 1987, p. viii)21) Perceptual Structures Can Be Represented as Lists of Elementary PropositionsIn artificial intelligence studies, perceptual structures are represented as assemblages of description lists, the elementary components of which are propositions asserting that certain relations hold among elements. (Chase & Simon, 1988, p. 490)Artificial intelligence (AI) is sometimes defined as the study of how to build and/or program computers to enable them to do the sorts of things that minds can do. Some of these things are commonly regarded as requiring intelligence: offering a medical diagnosis and/or prescription, giving legal or scientific advice, proving theorems in logic or mathematics. Others are not, because they can be done by all normal adults irrespective of educational background (and sometimes by non-human animals too), and typically involve no conscious control: seeing things in sunlight and shadows, finding a path through cluttered terrain, fitting pegs into holes, speaking one's own native tongue, and using one's common sense. Because it covers AI research dealing with both these classes of mental capacity, this definition is preferable to one describing AI as making computers do "things that would require intelligence if done by people." However, it presupposes that computers could do what minds can do, that they might really diagnose, advise, infer, and understand. One could avoid this problematic assumption (and also side-step questions about whether computers do things in the same way as we do) by defining AI instead as "the development of computers whose observable performance has features which in humans we would attribute to mental processes." This bland characterization would be acceptable to some AI workers, especially amongst those focusing on the production of technological tools for commercial purposes. But many others would favour a more controversial definition, seeing AI as the science of intelligence in general-or, more accurately, as the intellectual core of cognitive science. As such, its goal is to provide a systematic theory that can explain (and perhaps enable us to replicate) both the general categories of intentionality and the diverse psychological capacities grounded in them. (Boden, 1990b, pp. 1-2)Because the ability to store data somewhat corresponds to what we call memory in human beings, and because the ability to follow logical procedures somewhat corresponds to what we call reasoning in human beings, many members of the cult have concluded that what computers do somewhat corresponds to what we call thinking. It is no great difficulty to persuade the general public of that conclusion since computers process data very fast in small spaces well below the level of visibility; they do not look like other machines when they are at work. They seem to be running along as smoothly and silently as the brain does when it remembers and reasons and thinks. On the other hand, those who design and build computers know exactly how the machines are working down in the hidden depths of their semiconductors. Computers can be taken apart, scrutinized, and put back together. Their activities can be tracked, analyzed, measured, and thus clearly understood-which is far from possible with the brain. This gives rise to the tempting assumption on the part of the builders and designers that computers can tell us something about brains, indeed, that the computer can serve as a model of the mind, which then comes to be seen as some manner of information processing machine, and possibly not as good at the job as the machine. (Roszak, 1994, pp. xiv-xv)The inner workings of the human mind are far more intricate than the most complicated systems of modern technology. Researchers in the field of artificial intelligence have been attempting to develop programs that will enable computers to display intelligent behavior. Although this field has been an active one for more than thirty-five years and has had many notable successes, AI researchers still do not know how to create a program that matches human intelligence. No existing program can recall facts, solve problems, reason, learn, and process language with human facility. This lack of success has occurred not because computers are inferior to human brains but rather because we do not yet know in sufficient detail how intelligence is organized in the brain. (Anderson, 1995, p. 2)Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science > Artificial Intelligence
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