Ser versus estar

Question

y eso estaba bastante triste.Isn't being sad a feeling, so why not "estar" instead of "ser"? Thanks.

Answer

Hi Rosemary,

I know that lovely Inma will explain this properly for you and correct me if I'm wrong (or another student) but I'll give you my thoughts on this...

In this passage the person isn't saying that he/she felt sad. In the dream he heard people saying some nice 'things' about him. The bad 'thing', the 'eso'= that 'thing', that he heard was (era) quite sad.

Ser would be used here since triste/sad is describing the characteristic of 'that thing'. If this sentence was in the present tense, we would say, "that is quite sad" = "eso es(ser) bastante triste". We wouldn't use estar and say "eso está bastante triste".

I hope this makes some sense to you in its/my simplest terms. I struggle with Ser and Estar a lot Rosemary. 😊

This might help- Ser vs Estar in Spanish: Using ser in Spanish (not estar) to express an essential or permanent characteristic

Answer

Thank you! I misread it exactly like you said -- he/she felt sad. I wouldn't have NEVER figured that out. I appreciate you taking the time to explain.

Answer

So glad to help Rosemary, any time! 😊

Answer

Hola Rosemary
Just to confirm that Clara's answer is absolutely correct and spot on interpretation.
Ser and estar are pretty difficult to master. 
Here's a reminder on all our lessons for ser/estar. What about adding them gradually to your notebooks and test against them? 
ser / estar 
Saludos