Hola, ¿cómo estás? In today’s article you will learn the difference between SER and ESTAR in Spanish. SER & ESTAR are one of the most important verbs in Spanish. These two verbs are essential to understand at the beginning.
In SER & ESTAR can be translated as “to be” in English, but they do not refer to the same thing. Here we have our first interesting difference.
First of all, let’s see their conjugations:
SER – To be
| SER | TO BE |
| Yo soy | I am |
| Él / ella es | He / She is |
| Tú eres Usted es (formal) Vos sos (Arg & Uru) | You are (singular) |
| Nosotros/as somos | We are |
| Ustedes son Vosotros sois | You all are (plural) |
| Ellos / Ellas son | They are |
The verb SER:
–We use the verb SER to describe how something or someone always is.
-SER refers to a something that is in a state that doesn’t change or probably not.
-Ser refers to: Permanent conditions.
Yo soy Nicolas.
I am Nicolas.
(We cannot change the fact of “being Nicolas”, at least in Spanish)
Yo soy feliz.
I am happy.
(I am always happy, it describes me as I always am.)
Yo soy timido
I am shy
(Shyness is presented as a stable and habitual characteristic)
Yo soy amable
I am kind
(Kindness is described as an inherent and constant quality in the personality)
ESTAR – To be
| ESTAR | TO BE |
| Yo estoy | I am |
| Él / ella está | He / She is |
| Tú estás Usted está (formal) Vos estás (Arg & Uru) | You are (singular) |
| Nosotros/as estamos | We are |
| Ustedes están Ustedes estáis | You all are (plural) |
| Ellos / Ellas están | They are |
– ESTAR refers to a something that is in a state that can change.
– ESTAR describes how something or someone is at the moment present.
– ESTAR refers to a something that is in a state that can change.
– ESTAR also refers to location.
– ESTAR refers to: Temporary conditions and Location.
States/conditions/features:
Yo estoy feliz.
I am happy.
(I am happy at the moment)
Yo estoy tristre.
I am sad.
(I am sad at the moment)
Yo estoy cansado.
I am tired.
(I am tired, you can change this state)
Location:
Yo estoy en mi casa.
(I am in my house, location)
Yo estoy en el hospital.
(I am in the hospital)
Nosotros estamos en la escuela
(We are in school)
SER VS ESTAR:
| SER | ESTAR |
| PERMANENT | TEMPORARY – LOCATION |
| Professions: Yo soy un doctor. Ella es una maestra. | Location/Position: I am in my house. Yo estoy en mi casa. Ella está en la escuela. |
| Permanent features: Good or bad (as a quality), ugly, delicious, big, small, green, red, pretty. La casa es grande El niño es pequeño | (Temporary) Feelings: triste, enojado, cansado, aburrido, etc Estoy enojado. |
| Nationality: Yo soy Argentino Él es Estadounidense (american) Ella es rusa. |
EXCEPTIONS, SER & ESTAR INTERCHANGEABLY
Here are examples of when you can use «SER» and «ESTAR» interchangeably in Spanish, with changes in meaning or context:
Ser/Estar bored:
«Soy aburrido«: Means the person is boring by nature.
«Estoy aburrido«: Means the person feels bored at the moment.
Ser/Estar ready:
«Soy listo«: Means the person is smart or clever.
«Estoy listo«: Means the person is ready for something at this moment.
Ser/Estar good:
«Es bueno«: Refers to someone being kind or something being of good quality.
«Está bueno«: Refers to food being tasty or someone being physically attractive.
Ser/Estar rich:
«Es rico«: Means the person is wealthy.
«Está rico«: Refers to something (usually food) being delicious.
Ser/Estar green:
«Es verde«: Refers to something being green in color.
«Está verde«: Means something (like fruit) is unripe.
Ser/Estar sure:
«Es seguro«: Means something is safe, reliable, or that someone is confident.
«Estoy seguro«: Means the person is certain or sure about something at the moment.
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