Today we are going to study the Spanish verbs: Ser and Estar. Let’s learn the difference between them to avoid any mistake in a future! Our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, will help you master both in no time 😊
Learning the correct use of the Spanish verbs: Ser and estar is an obstacle that all Spanish students face.
That is mainly due to the fact that Spanish has two verbs to mean “to be”, while in other languages only one verb is used.
One common sentence among Spanish students is “soy aburrido” (I’m boring) but what they actually want to say is “estoy aburrido” (I am bored). This is because in English the sentence uses the verb to be, while in Spanish the right verb is estar.
So, in order to avoid calling ourselves boring, let’s learn how to use these Spanish verbs in the right way!
The Spanish verb SER
1. First of all, we use SER to indicate the permanent state of something or someone. That is, essential attributes and characteristics, like:
– Identity (name):
- Ella es Juana = She is Juana
– Origin and Nationality:
- Francisco es de Argentina = Francisco viene dall’Argentina
- Francisco es argentino = Francisco è argentino
– Physical attributes, characteristics, qualities:
- Esta película es muy larga = This movie is very long
- La performance de danza ha sido muy bonita = The dance performance was really nice
- Ana es muy alta = Ana is very tall
- Diego es muy amable = Diego is very kind
– Material
- La mesa es de madera = The table is made of wood
– Form
- Mi escritorio es rectangular = My desk is rectangular
– Colour
- Los ojos de Pablo son negros = Pablo’s eyes are black
– Brand
- Mi coche es un Fiat = La mia macchina è una Fiat
– Class and category
- La rana es un anfibio = Frog is an amphibian
- Marte es un planeta = Mars is a planet
- El hotel al que fuimos es un 5 estrellas = The hotel we went to is a 5 stars hotel
IMPORTANT!!
To express age in Spanish, we must use the verb TENER:
- Paula tiene 30 años = Paula is thirty
2. Occupation
- Mi madre y mi hermana son profesoras de arte = My mother and my sister are both art teachers
3. Political or religious affiliation
- Carla es budista = Carla is Buddhist
4. Possession
- El libro que está encima de la mesa es mío = The book on the table is mine
- El gato blanco es de María. El mío es gris = The white cat is Maria’s. Mine is grey
5. Relations between people
- Andrea es mi hermana = Andre is my sister
- Lucas y yo somos amigos muy íntimos = Lucas and I are very close friends
- Lucía es mi profesora de inglés = Lucia is my English teacher
6. To express dates, day and hour
- ¿Qué hora es? – Son las dos de la tarde = What time is it? It’s 2 pm
- Hoy es miércoles = Today is Wednesday
- Mañana es 30 de enero = Tomorrow is January 30
The Spanish verb ESTAR
Unlike SER, the Spanish verb ESTAR is used to refer to:
7. Temporary circumstances or state
- Hasta el lunes estoy de vacaciones = I’m on holiday until Monday
- Amparo está de baja por maternidad = Amparo is on maternity leave
- El gato está tumbado en el sillón = The cat is lying on the couch
- ¡No hagas ruido! Mario está dormido = Don’t make noise! Mario is asleep
- Hoy he recibido muy buenas noticias…estoy muy contenta = I have received very good news today…I am very happy
8. Temporary qualities and physics conditions:
- El mes pasado estuve enferma = Last month I was ill
- Estoy muy ocupada ahora; más tarde hablamos = I am very busy right now; we’ll talk later
- Estás muy callada. ¿Qué te pasa? = You are very quiet. What’s wrong
9. Locate something/someone in a place:
- Ayer estuve todo el día en casa = Yesterady I was at home all day
- Las plantas de albahaca están en la terraza = The basil plants are on the terrace
- El cine Metropolis está en el centro de la ciudad = The Metropolis cine is in the city centre
10. Finally, the Spanish verb estar also works as auxiliary verb in the present and past continuous (ESTAR + gerund). Let’s see the examples below:
- Estoy haciendo las tareas de español = I am doing my Spanish homework
- Javier estaba durmiendo cuando llamaste por teléfono = Javier was sleeping when you phoned
LOOK OUT!
When we talk about events, we must use SER to indicate where and when they are, were or will be:
- La conferencia es en la quinta planta = The conference is on the fifth floor
- El concierto de piano será en el Palau de la Música = The piano concert will be at Palau de la Música
Finally, you might also be interested in knowing the difference between Haber and Estar.
We hope that our post on the Spanish verbs: Ser and Estar will help Spanish learners to choose always the right verb 😊
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, keeps providing Spanish lessons in a cosy and friendly space.
If you want to study Spanish in Valencia, take a look at the list of our Spanish courses 😊
¡Hasta pronto!
