The verbs No definition set for verbs Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ser and estar are used to express “to be” in Spanish. Although they may have the same translation in English, they are not interchangeable. One way to think about it is that oftentimes ser is used to express permanent qualities, while estar expresses temporary situations. But what is permanent and what is temporary? Keep reading to find out!
The main differences between ser and estar include that ser is used for permanent qualities, like your name, your place of origin, and your physical appearance, while estar is used to talk about temporary situations, such as how you’re feeling right now or your location. But how about your occupation, ideology, or relationships? To help you decide, let’s learn some basic guidelines, starting with the verb ser !
Ser expresses the following permanent qualities:
Ser is used for identification or to offer a description of people or things. When we want to say who someone is or what something is, or when we want to make descriptions (referring to people’s physical or personality traits, or an object’s color, shape, characteristic, or brand), then we need to use the verb ser . Let’s take a look:
People: Ella es María. She is María. María es delgada y tímida. María is thin (physical traits) and shy (personality). Things: Eso es un computador. That is a computer. El computador es gris, rectangular y moderno. The computer is gray (color), rectangular (shape), and modern (characteristic).We always use the verb ser to talk about occupation, nationality, and ideology. Although these features may change, they are perceived as permanent descriptions of a person or thing. Read the following examples to learn more about María:
María es profesora de español, es colombiana y es católica.
María is a Spanish teacher (occupation), she’s Colombian (nationality), and she’s Catholic (ideology).
We can also use the verb ser to indicate relationships, or how people are connected; for example, when talking about family relationships. Take a look:
Ella es María y él es su esposo Diego.
She is María and he is her husband, Diego.
You can combine the verb ser and the preposition No definition set for preposition Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. de to indicate: origin, material, and possession. Let’s add a bit more information about María.
Translation María es de Bogotá.María i s from Bogotá.
El computador es de metal.The computer is made of metal.
Ese computador es de María.That computer is María’s.
REMINDER: to form the possessive in Spanish, use the formula: object + ser + de + owner
Aside from permanent qualities, the verb ser can be used with time. When we talk about the time (hour), days, and the date, holidays or anniversaries, most of the time we use the verb ser . This may sound counterintuitive since time flies and is not permanent, but this is how it is. Let’s see a couple of examples:
Son las 3 de la tarde. It’s 3 in the afternoon (time). Ayer fue jueves. Yesterday it was Thursday (day). Hoy es 15 de abril. Today is April 15 (date). Mañana será mi cumpleaños. Tomorrow will be my birthday. ¿Cuándo es Navidad este año? When is Christmas this year?If you need a refresher on how to tell time in Spanish we have something for you!
We use the verb estar in Spanish to express temporary situations. It could be a physical or emotional state, a temporary condition, or the location of someone or something. Let’s take a look at these cases and some examples.
When describing a physical or emotional state, meaning a temporary feeling, we use the verb estar . In this specific case, it’s accompanied by adjectives No definition set for adjectives Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that indicate physical and emotional temporary states, words like: enfermo ( sick ) , cansado ( tired ) , or contento ( happy ) . Read the examples below:
–¿Cómo estás hoy, María? –Estoy un poco cansada.
–How are you today, María? –I’m a bit tired.
In this example, María says that she’s tired today. She’s not tired all the time; this is not a permanent physical state.
Remember that you need to make the gender and number of Spanish adjectives agree with the subject of the verb estar .
We can also describe the temporary situation or condition of an object using the verb estar . In this case, we should also use adjectives and make them agree appropriately. Let’s see how this looks:
Mi casa está muy desordenada.
My house is very messy.
Again, we’re referring to a temporary situation or condition. We don’t mean to say the house is always messy. It may be that the house is messy now because there was a party yesterday, but this is not a permanent condition.
Finally, the verb estar is used in Spanish to refer to the location of a person or an object. Let’s look: