What is the difference between SER and ESTAR?
There are two verbs that mean “to be” in Spanish, ser and estar.
SER is used to talk about WHAT something is, and is used to describe Dates, Occupations, Characteristics, Time, Origins and Relations (D.O.C.T.O.R) eg, permanent states.
ESTAR is used to talk about HOW something is, so we use it for Positions, Locations, Actions, Conditions and Emotions (P.L.A.C.E) eg, temporary states.
Read and analyse each sentence and look for patterns.
| SER ( to BE ) | ESTAR ( to BE ) | ||
| SINGULAR | SINGULAR | SINGULAR | SINGULAR |
| Yo soy | I am | Yo estoy | I am |
| Tu eres | You are | Tu estas | You are |
| El es | He is | El esta | He is |
| Ella es | She is | Ella esta | She is |
| Usted es | You are | Usted esta | You are |
| - | - | - | - |
| PLURAL | PLURAL | PLURAL | PLURAL |
| Nosotros somos | We are | Nosotros estamos | We are |
| Vosotros sois | You are | Vosotros estais | You are |
| Ellos son | They are | Ellos estan | They are |
| Ellas son | They are | Ellas estan | They are |
| Ustedes son | You are | Ustedes estan | You are |
I am from London is "Yo soy de Londres", but, I am tired is "Yo estoy cansado" and athough both these formats are correct, normally when speaking Spanish, there is no need to use the Yo as soy and estoy are used to represent "I" (first person singular)
yo is first person singular.
tú is second person singular.
él, ella and usted are all third person singular.
nosotros is first person plural.
vosotros is second person plural (only used in Spain).
ellos, ellas and ustedes are third person plural.
Tu eres de Madrid and Usted es de Madrid are both stating, You are from Madrid, but if you use Tu eres de Madrid or Usted es de Madrid, but use intonation in your voice and make it sound as if your not stating, but actually asking a question, Tu eres de Madrid? and Usted es de Madrid? change to Are you from Madrid?
So why Tu eres and Usted es, when they obviously mean the same thing? "Usted es" is a respectful way of asking someone a question, where as "Tu eres" is more informal, and would be used when talking to friends, family or aquaintances, eg, Usted es mi medico?
EXAMPLES:
We are in Madrid, but we are from Barcelona.
Estamos en Madrid, pero somos de Barcelona.
Estamos uses estar because its a temporary state (location) but somos uses ser, because it is a permanent state (origin)
Example 1: Talking about a person
SER
Carmen is a happy person.
Carmen es una persona muy alegre.
Being a happy person describes Carmen’s personality, so is considered permanent, so we use ser.
ESTAR
María is in a good mood.
María está de buen humor.
Moods change throughout the day, so we use estar because it relates to a condition.
Example 2: Talking about the location of an event
SER
The soccer game is in the Stadium.
El juego de fútbol es en el estadio.
Here we are referring to where the event is taking place.
ESTAR
The Stadium is downtown.
El estadio está en el centro de la ciudad.
Here we are referring to the physical location of the stadium (which sounds permanent, but we use Estar for locations).
Example 3: Describing a relationship between two people
SER
Carlos and Gabriela are spouses.
Carlos y Gabriela son esposos.
In this case, we are describing their relationship to each other.
ESTAR Carlos and Gabriela are married. Carlos y Gabriela están casados. Here, we talk about their marital status, which is a condition or a state.
Example 4: Describing appearance
SER
She is very pretty.
Ella es muy bonita.
This is considered a permanent characteristic of the subject.
ESTAR
She is very beautiful tonight.
Ella está muy hermosa esta noche.
With the addition of "esta noche" you make the statement seem temporary, because tomorrow, she may not be considered "very beautiful".
Example 5: Location
SER
We are from NYC.
Nosotros somos de NYC.
I am giving the subject an origin (permanent).
ESTAR
We are on a journey to Australia.
Nosotros estamos en un viaje por Australia.
I am giving the subject a current location (temporary).
Example 6: Marital status
SER
She is a mother.
Ella es una madre.
This is a permanent characteristic of the subject, and will never change.
ESTAR
She is married.
Ella está casada.
This is a non permanent (temporary) characteristic because it could change, eg, She is divorced (Ella está
Example 7: Talking about fruits
SER
The apple is green. (colour of the fruit)
La manzana es verde.
Here we give a characteristic of the fruit. It’s not green just for a moment, that’s part of what it is.
ESTAR
The apple is green. (it’s not ripe)
La manzana está verde.
Because its not ripe, the apple is only temporarily green in this case.
Example 8: Locality and nationality
SER
I am from Colombia.
Yo soy de Colombia.
We are talking about a characteristic, where I am from. The country or nationality.
ESTAR
I am in Spain.
Yo estoy en España.
We are talking about a condition. I am in a place (country) at the current moment.
Example 9: Food.
SER
The soup is tasty at that restaurant.
En ese restaurante la sopa es muy sabrosa.
We are giving a characteristic to the soup from that restaurant specifically.
ESTAR The soup is cold.
La sopa esta fría.
We are talking about the state of the soup, which in this case is cold.
Example 10: Describing people using temperature words.
SER
She is cold. (Her personality)
Ella es fría.
In this case when you use verb SER and the adjective COLD the sentence takes a figurative connotation meaning that she has a cold personality, without feelings.
ESTAR She is cold. (Her body temperature)
Ella está fría.
In this case when you use verb ESTAR and the adjective COLD the sentence takes the literal meaning of the word cold related to very low temperature. Her body is cold.
Example 11: Talking about dead people.
SER
Santiago is a dead man.
Santiago es hombre muerto.
Somebody very dangerous has threatened Santiago’s life. He’s not actually dead yet but probably he will be soon. In this case you should use SER, and the complement “hombre muerto”
ESTAR John Lennon is dead.
John Lennon está muerto.
We have learnt that SER is used for permanent Examples and ESTAR for transitory Examples, that is generally the rule. But rules usually have exceptions and this is one of those. Being dead is a permanent state. But the right verb to use is ESTAR. You cannot say “John Lennon es muerto”
Example 12: Talking about being young. SER My grandpa is young, he’s only 45. Mi abuelo es joven, apenas tiene 45 años. In this case you use verb SER when you want to say that the person is actually young. ESTAR My grandfather is young for his age. Mi abuelo está joven para su edad. In this case you use ESTAR when you want to say that the person looks younger than his/her age.
Example 13: Exercises. SER Renata is a very athletic person. Renata es una persona muy deportiva. This is part of who Renata is as a person, not a temporary state, so we use SER. ESTAR Renata is very tired of doing exercises. Renata está muy cansada de hacer ejercicio. In this example’ we are talking about what Renata feel because of what she is doing or what she was doing.
Example 14: Talking about Paula SER Paula is beautiful. Paula es hermosa. In this example we’re talking only about Paula’s permanent beauty. ESTAR Paula is beautiful today. Paula está hermosa hoy. In this example we talk about describing in a particular moment in Paula’s beauty.
Example 15: Places. SER Edward is from Venezuela. Edward es de Venezuela. Edward is from Venezuela, meaning that’s a permanent part of who he is. ESTAR Edward is in Barcelona. Edward está en Barcelona. Edward is in Barcelona right now, but he won’t always be. It’s not part of him.
Example 16: To identify a person. SER Who is the teacher? ¿Quién es la profesora? We are asking about a person’s profession, when we use Ser, as it’s considered a part of who they are. ESTAR Where is the teacher? ¿Dónde está la profesora? This is the standard way to ask where someone is (which is temporary).
Example 17: Permanent or temporary states of an object.
SER
The ice is cold.
El hielo es frío.
The ice is always cold because if it wasn’t cold, it wouldn’t be ice. Coldness is part of what it is.
ESTAR The water is cold. El agua está fría. In the case of the water depends if it is on the fridge or under the sun. The state can change, it is temporary.
Example 18: To describe an object. SER The seatbelts are important. Los cinturones de seguridad son importantes. This is stating a quality of the seatbelt: that it’s important. It’s never not important, so this is a characteristic of the seatbelt and thus we use SER. ESTAR The seatbelts are in the car. Los cinturones de seguridad están en el carro. Here we’re talking about where the seatbelt is. We use ESTAR for locations.
Example 19: Permanent state regarding a profession and a place of work. SER I am an astronaut. Soy un astronauta. We use SER for professions because they are considered a “part of” who the person is. ESTAR I am in space. Estoy en el espacio. In this case, we’re talking about where the astronaut is at that time.
Example 20: Talking about a place or a specific characteristic.
SER
I am a sleepy person.
Yo soy una persona dormilona.
Here we are talking about a permanent characteristic of the person, so we use SER.
ESTAR
I am in bed.
Estoy en cama.
Again, locations always use SER. You’re not always in bed.
Example 21: Using Attributes or adjectives and status
SER
The apple is red.
La manzana es roja.
The adjective is used to point out a specific feature about something that makes it unique or stand out from the rest.
ESTAR The apple is ripe.
La manzana está madura.
Here, we use the verb “estar” to indicate the status of something.
Example 22: Permanent or temporary state of being.
SER I am a happy person.
Yo soy una persona feliz.
This is a permanent state of being. Part of someone’s personality. It is just the way that person is most of the time. ESTAR I am happy. Yo estoy feliz. This is a specific mood for a shorter period of time. It is temporary, so the state of happiness could change anytime.
Example 23: Watching the soccer game. ESTAR I am watching the soccer game at the stadium. Yo estoy viendo el juego de fútbol en el estadio. Is referring to an action that is developing in one place, at a determined time, it’s temporary. SER This team is very good. Este equipo es muy bueno. We have to use this verb to explain the quality of the team in the sentence.
Example 24: The boys are eating.
SER
It is pizza what they are having now.
Es pizza lo que ellos comen ahora.
Here we’re explaining what kind of food is it.
ESTAR
They are eating pizza in the park.
Ellos están comiendo pizza en el parque.
Here we’re explaining what they are doing.We always use ESTAR for “-ing” Examples.
Example 25: At a party.
SER
This is a retro party.
Esta fiesta es retro.
We have to use SER to describe what kind party it is.
ESTAR
This party is really fun.
Esta fiesta está realmente divertida.
We have to use ESTAR to describe the moment.
Example 26: Talking about your mother.
SER
She is my mother.
Ella es mi madre.
Shows a mother and son or daughter relationship and this relationship won’t change in time.
ESTAR
My mom is sad.
Mi mamá está triste.
Shows the mood that the mom is right now.
Example 27: Talking about Javier. SER
Javier is catholic.
Javier es católico.
Shows Javier’s religious beliefs.
ESTAR
Javier is at the church.
Javier está en la iglesia.
ESTAR is for locations. I hope you’ve got this by now!
Example 28: Colombia. SER Colombia is a big country. Colombia es un país grande. Here we are talking about an un-changing characteristic of Colombia. It’s not going to change sizes anytime soon. ESTAR Colombia is progressing. Colombia está progresando. Here we are talking about the current state of the country.
Example 29: The restaurant. SER He is waiter. Él es mesero. We use SER because is a characteristic of the person. ESTAR The waiter is writing the order. El mesonero está escribiendo la orden. Here we’re referring to an action in progress.
Example 30: Talking about his girlfriend.
SER
She is fighter.
Ella es peleona.
We use SER because is a characteristic of the person. It’s something that can’t change easily.
ESTAR
My girlfriend is fighting with me.
Mi novia está peleando conmigo.
We use ESTAR in the second sentence because it can change at any moment, and is considered temporary.
