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.
“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?
Ser is used to talk about permanent, essential characteristics related to the subject of a sentence;
It is used to describe what something is.
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
Singular:
Yo soy — I am
You are - You are
He / She is - He / She is
Plural:
We are - we are
You are - You are
They / They're - They are
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.
When Talking About Locations
When Talking About Ongoing Actions
When Using Adjectives to describe how something is (temporarily)
Singular:
I'm ------ I am
You're ----- You are
He / She is --- He / She is
Plural:
We are - we are
You are --- You are
They / They are -They are
The cat is white - the cat is white
The cat is black - 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.
The dog is big - the dog is big
The dog is small - 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.
The cat is tired - the cat is tired
The cat is dry - 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)
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.
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.