The use of the verbs Ser vs Estar is one of the most important subjects for beginners learning Spanish.
Although it is often regarded as a confusing subject, it is much easier than it seems.
In this lesson we will talk about the ser vs estar rules, the differences between them and the circumstances in which they are used.
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How to Choose between Ser vs Estar?
“Ser, Estar” are both the equivalent in Spanish of the verb “to be”, but they are used in different situations.
For example,
If you want to say: “he is a man”, in Spanish you would say: “el es hombre”
If you want to say: “he is drunk”, in Spanish you would say: “el está borracho”
So, how do we know when to use each verb? When to use Ser vs Estar?
When to use the Verb “Ser“
Ser is used to talk about permanent, essential characteristics related to the subject of a sentence;
It is used to describe what something is.
Ser is also used …
When Talking About the Time (Date / Days of the Week)
When Talking About Possessions
When Talking About The Material Something is Made of
When Talking About Relationships
When Talking About Where an event is happening
When Talking About Someone’s Religion
When Talking About Someone’s Profession or Occupation
When Talking About Someone’s Nationality
When Talking About Someone’s Place of Origin
Ser vs Estar Conjugation Chart:
Ser Conjugation Chart: (To be) – Irregular Verb
Singular:
Yo soy — I am
Tú eres — You are
El / Ella es — He / She is
Plural:
Nosotros somos — We are
Ustedes son — You are
Ellos / Ellas son — They are
When to use the Verb “Estar”
Estar is used to talk about non-permanent or non-essential characteristics related to the subject of a sentence.
It is used to describe how or where something is.
Ser is also used …
When Talking About Locations
When Talking About Ongoing Actions
When Using Adjectives to describe how something is (temporarily)
Ser vs Estar Conjugation Chart:
Estar Conjugation Chart (To be) – Irregular Verb
Singular:
Yo estoy —————— I am
Tú estás ————– You are
El / Ella está——— He/She is
Plural:
Nosotros estamos — We are
Ustedes están ——- You are
Ellos / Ellas están —They are
Let’s look at some examples with the verb Ser:
El gato es blanco – the cat is white
El gato es negro – the cat is black
In the previous two examples about cats, we are talking about a permanent characteristic about a cat, its color.
A cat is not white in the morning and black in the afternoon, it is either black or white.
That is why we use the verb Ser.
El perro es grande – the dog is big
El perro es pequeño – the dog is small
It is a similar case with the previous two sentences. The size of the dog is an essential characteristic of the animal.
A dog does not wake up in the morning being small, then gets big in the afternoon and small again at night.
It is either big or small.
Let’s look at some examples with the verb Estar:
El gato está cansado – the cat is tired
El gato está seco – the cat is dry
In the previous two sentences we can see how the verb Estar is used to talk about non-permanent and non-essential characteristics that may change after a relatively short period of time.
It is being used to talk about how or where something is.
Let’s look at one final example of the use of Ser vs Estar:
El es aburido – he is boring (what he is, he is a boring person)
El está aburido – he is bored (how he currently is, he is currently bored)
In conclusion,
If you are going to talk about what something is (permanent and essential characteristics) then you use the verb Ser.
If you’re going to talk about how or where something is (non-permanent and non-essential characteristics) then you use the verb Estar.
Final “Ser vs Estar” Tip: how do I remember which one to use?
That’s easy, use what you already know and make a mental association, one I like is the phonetic similarity between the verb Estar and the word for those shiny celestial bodies, Stars.
A star does not stay still during the night, they move, they do not hold a permanent position in the sky due to Earth’s rotation.
So, next time you are unsure of which verb you should use, between Ser vs Estar;
just think of a star in the sky, ESTAR in the sky, and how it has a non-permanent place during the night,
that will help you remember.
Do you have any questions?
Please share them in the comments section below, we want to hear from you so we can learn together.
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I am a totally non spanish speaking person. I am in my second semester. This was VERY helpful. Great helpful tips on how to remember, if you have others, just send them to my email address or tell me where to find them.
¡Hola Frances!
You can review some useful resources I’ve published on another site over here:
Email lessons:
https://spanishforyourjob.com
Basics:
https://spanishforyourjob.com/category/basics/
Listening:
https://spanishforyourjob.com/category/podcast/
Hope it’s useful =)
PS What’s your biggest challenge with Spanish? What’s holding you back?