Learning Spanish is quite exciting as it is a fun language and quite easy to master. It is also a romantic language and the third most widely used language across the world.
Spanish is a gender-specific language that follows the S+V+O sentence rule. The Verb conjugations, no prepositions, and instances of use of negation make Spanish learning quite an easy task.
However, it is quite difficult to master the verbs Ser vs Estar. Though they both mean the same To Be in English their placement in Spanish is quite different.
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The verb Ser and Estar can be quite difficult to get right for a beginner regarding when and how to use them.
In this guide, we shall share all about the differences between Ser and Estar and how to use them.
Without any further ado, let’s get started:
The Verbs
Ser and Estar are used to express “To Be” in Spanish. Although they mean the same in English their placement in Spanish is quite different.
An easy way to remember them is that One Way to Ser is often used to express permanent qualities, while Estar expresses temporary situations.
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The verbs Ser and Estar are often seen in Spanish conversations. Another way to explain their difference is that ser talks about what something is and estar talks about how something is.
The main difference between Ser and Estar is that ser is used for permanent qualities, like name, location, and appearance while estar is used to talk about temporary situations, such as feelings and more.
Ser
Ser showcases permanent conditions and is often used to describe things in Spanish
- Identify someone – Ella es María(She is María)
- Origin – María es de Bogotá(María is from Bogotá.)
- Occupation – María es profesora de español(María is a Spanish teacher)
- Nationality – Maria es Colombiana (Maria Is Columbian)
- Religious or political affiliation- Maria es católica( Maria is Catholic)
- Material – El computador es de metal(The computer is made of metal.)
- Possession – Ese computador es de María(That computer is María’s.)
- Relationship – Ella es mi hija(She is my daughter)
- Fundamental qualities and characteristics – María es delgada y tímida(María is thin and shy).
- Time – Es la una(It’s 1:00)
- Day- Ayer fue jueves(Yesterday it was Thursday.)
- Date – Hoy es 15 de abril(Today is April 15.)
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Estar
Estar is used to describe temporary situations, and discusses how something is and is used to.
- Location – Las llaves están sobre la mesa (The keys are on the table.)
- Physical or emotional state- Estoy mareada (I’m dizzy.)
- Temporary Situation – Mi casa está muy desordenada (My house is very messy.)
- To use progressive tenses (-ing) Mi gato está caminando por el cuarto (My cat is walking around the room)
- Geographic or physical location – Madrid está en España (Madrid is in Spain.)
Ser
It is a an irregular verb and the conjugation of ser is : yo soy (I am); tú eres (you are); ella, él, Usted es (she, he is; you (formal) are); nosotras, nosotros somos (we are); vosotras, vosotros sois (you all are); ellas, ellos, Ustedes son (they, you (plural formal) are).
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An easy way to remember the placement of ser is by remembering the acronym DOCTOR. We have shared the examples below.
- D- Date eg: Hoy es el 23 de septiembre (Today is September 23).
- O- Occupation – Yo soy una doctora(I am a doctor.)
- C- Characteristics – María es tímida(María is shy)
- T – Time – Es la una de la tarde(It is 1:00pm.)
- O- Origin- El auto es alemán(The car is German.)
- R – Relationships – Ellos son mis tíos(They are my uncles).
ESTAR
Estar is an irregular verb like Ser and here’s how to conjugate it:
(yo) estoy(I am), (tú) estás(You are), (él/ella/usted) está ( He is, She is, You are), (nosotros/nosotras) estamos(We are) (ellos/ellas/ustedes) están(They are, You all are).
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Acronym PLACE helps remember Estar’s position in the sentences.
- P – Position – Tus lentes están en la mesa(Your glasses are on the table)
- L – Location – estoy en la oficina( I am in the office).
- A – Action – Nosotros estamos comiendo pizza(We are eating pizza.)
- C – Condition – Yo estoy cansada(I am tired.)
- E – Emotions – Ella está triste hoy(She is sad today.)
Ser and Estar are important verbs in Spanish, but how when, and where to use them has left many a beginner confused.
However, we do hope the guide will be helpful for you to remember where to use Ser or Estar.
If you are still confused we suggest trying to solve as many exercises in the placement of ser and Estar.
They will not only help you master the language but also understand the placement of Ser and Estar.
