Difference Between Ser and Estar In Spanish

By Ivy do Carmo

If you are studying Spanish, you have at least once asked yourself what on Earth is the difference between ser and estar. Along with por vs. para, ser vs. estar is one of the most confusing pair of Spanish words for beginners.

The reason for this confusion is because in English there is just one verb to express the meanings of both ser and estar verbs: the verb to be. Before you ask why does Spanish has to be so hard and what’s up with having two verbs to say something if English is doing just fine with only one, think about the following examples.

In the sentence “Mary is beautiful”, the speaker can be saying two different things. Either Mary has pretty facial and body features and therefore she always looks nice, or Mary is looking pretty on that specific occasion, maybe because she went to the saloon to get her hair done and she is wearing beautiful clothes to go to a party. Does it make sense to you? Ok, keep that in mind.

Let me give you another example. In the sentence “John is sad”, the speaker can also be saying two different things. Either John is a depressed and negative person and therefore he is always unhappy, or John is feeling blue on that specific moment because maybe he has received some bad news ou he has simply woke up on the wrong side of bed that day.

Can you see that those sentences are ambiguous? Since English speakers are used to the verb to be, they automatically understand which of the two meanings is the correct one. Believe it or not, verb to be is a pain in the neck for Spanish and Portuguese speakers who are learning English. In the two situations mentioned above, Spanish would separate the two possible meanings into two different verbs:

“Mary es hermosa” means she always looks pretty.

“Mary está hermosa” means she looks pretty on that specific moment.

“John es triste” means he always feels down.

“John está triste” means he feels sad only on that specific time.

Now you are probably thinking that English is the one who has complicated things, right? By having two different verbs to express those two different meanings, the sentences are easily comprehended and the possibility of misunderstanding is eliminated.

Now that you have seen how useful this verbs can be, let’s understand when to use ser and estar. As you read the example sentences below, try to read the Spanish out loud so you can enhance your pronunciation.

As you read the sentences, you will definitely notice that the verb is conjugated accordingly to the pronoun used. This can be confusing since English has the most simple conjugation rules. To help you don’t feel lost with the different ser forms, consult the conjugation of the verb ser whenever you feel it’s necessary.

Ser vs. Estar in Spanish: SER

Let’s begin by analyzing four different situations where we have to use the verb ser.

Description

Think about things that define you, such as your name, your profession, your nationality, your physical characteristics and your qualities. These are things that are fixed, in other words, things that will not change any time soon. In these cases, you say soy in Spanish to describe yourself.

Yo soy Alicia.

(I am Alicia.)

Yo soy cubana y soy profesora de español.

(I am Cuban and a Spanish teacher.)

Soy morena y delgada.

(I am brunette and thin.)

El es Julio.

(He is Julio.)

Julio es un bon hombre, inteligente y amable.

(Julio is a good man, intelligent and kind.)

Julio es muy guapo.

(Julio is very handsome.)

Time and Dates

Whenever you have to say the time, the day or the date, use the verb ser. Remember to use the inverted question mark to write interrogative sentences.

¿Qué día es hoy?

Hoy es miércoles.

(What day is today?

Today is Wednesday.)

¿Qué fecha es hoy?

Es el cinco de mayo.

(What’s the date today?

It is May 5.)

¿Qué hora es?

Son las tres y media.

(What time is it?

It’s half past three.)

Relationships

Whenever you want to explain what is your relation with another person, you also use the verb ser.

Paola es mi madre.

(Paola is my mother.)

¿Quién es Rogelio?

Es el esposo de Marta.

(Who is Rogelio?

He is Marta’s husband.)

Ésa es mi abuela.

(This is my grandmother.)

El es mi jefe.

(He is my boss.)

Origin

The origin of a person is his ou her nationality. The origin of an object is its material, what is it made of. Hence, to talk about nationalities and raw materials, also use the verb ser.

Andrés es brasileño.

(Andrés is Brazilian.)

Soy de Inglaterra.

(I am from England.)

¿De qué material es la mesa?

Es de madera.

(What is the material of the table?

It is made of wood.)

Mi anillo es de oro.

(My ring is made of gold.)

Now that you have understood how to use the verb ser, let’s talk about the other half of the problem (or the solution?). Let’s see how to use the verb estar.

Ser vs. Estar in Spanish: Estar

Remember the two examples given in the beginning of this article? On one hand, we use the verb ser to talk about fixed things that does not change. On the other hand, there is verb estar, which is used to refer to momentaneous things.

I will explain this in more details to you by showing three situations where we use the verb estar. If you feel a little lost with the different forms of estar, feel free to consult the conjugation of this verb.

Momentary Conditions

Remember the example of “John is sad”? We explained that maybe he is just sad at this specific moment because something has happened to make him feel this way. It is to refer to these momentary emotional or physical conditions that we use the verb estar.

¿Cómo estás tú?

Estoy muy bien, gracias.

(How are you?

I’m very well, thanks.)

Estoy cansada.

(I’m tired.)

Desculpa, yo estaba enfadado.

(Sorry, I was angry.)

Ayer yo estaba contento, pero hoy estoy aburrida.

(Yesterday I was happy, but today I am upset.)

Mis niños están enfermos.

(My kids are sick.)

Locations

If you want to explain where someone is or where a place is located, you use the verb estar.

Estoy en mi casa.

(I am in my house.)

Estamos en España.

(We are in Spain.)

El baño está a la derecha de la sala.

(The bathroom is to the right of the living room.)

¿Dónde estás?

Estoy en el laboratorio.

(Where are you?

I am in the laboratory.)

Estamos en el café ahora y estaremos en el cine en 20 minutos.

(We are at the café right now and we will be at the movie theater in 20 minutes.)

¿Dónde está Chile?

Chile está en América del Sur.

(Where is Chile?

Chile is in South America.)

Actions

Another use of the verb estar is to describe things that someone is doing at the moment. Notice that, in English, we use the verb tense Present Continuous (-ing) in this situation.

Marta está durmiendo.

(Marta is sleeping.)

Estoy lavando los platos sucios.

(I am washing the dirty dishes.)

¿Qué estás comiendo?

Estoy comiendo arroz y frijoles.

(What are you eating?

I am eating rice and beans.)

Estamos leyendo los periódicos.

(We are reading the magazines.)

Although having a disability or being dead are not exactly an action, you have to also use the verb estar in these cases:

Lúcia está ciega.

(Lúcia is blind.)

El pájaro está muerto.

(The bird is dead.)

Is it clearer now the difference between ser and estar to you? It is very important to understand this subject because depending on the verb you use, the meaning of the sentence changes. See these examples:

El profesor está aburrido.

(The professor is bored.)

El profesor es aburrido.

(The professor is boring.)

Ellos son buenos.

(They are good = they are good people.)

Ellos están buenos.

(They are good = they are feeling well at the moment.)

El aceite de oliva es muy bueno para la prevención de las cardiopatías.

(Olive oil is very good to the prevention of heart diseases.)

Este aceite de oliva está muy bueno, ¿dónde lo has comprado?

(This olive oil is very good, where did you buy it?)

Let’s use the two verbs in the same sentence now:

La comida de Maria siempre es buena, pero estas galletas están riquísimas.

(Maria’s food is always good, but these cookies are very delicious.)

Es fácil caminar a la iglesia, pero está un poco lejos de tu hotel.

(It’s easy to walk to the church, but it’s a little bit far from your hotel.)

Have this article solved the ser vs. estar puzzle in your head? I hope so. Honestly, these are some basic guidelines that you have to understand when you are starting to learn Spanish, but over time it will come naturally to you. You will not have to think about which verb to use, the same way native speakers don’t.

Therefore, don’t worry too much about the details. Don’t feel afraid of speaking and making some mistakes. Just practice, practice, practice. Plus, subscribe to the Mimic Method’s Youtube Channel so you don’t miss other great tips to maximize your language learning.