Ser and Estar – The Spanish Verbs “To Be” Posted by sasha on Dec 6, 2017 in Spanish Grammar, Spanish Vocabulary, Videos
One thing that takes a little getting used to when you’re new to Spanish is the fact that there are two verbs meaning “to be.” Ser is used for permanent conditions while estar is temporary. You’ll want to learn the conjugations for these verbs plus the Spanish pronouns before continuing with this post.
Soy de Michigan, pero estoy en Peru ahora.
Watch this short video and follow along to learn some examples of how to use ser and estar – the Spanish verbs “to be.”
Here are the examples in written form for you to study.
(Yo) soy de Estados Unidos.
I’m from the United States.
(Tú) eres maestro.
You are a teacher.
Usted es casada.
You are married.
Él es joven.
He is young.
Ella es bonita.
She is beautiful
Nosotros somos amigos.
We are friends.
Ustedes son estudiantes.
You are students.
Ellos son mis vecinos.
They are my neighbors.
Ellas son amigas.
They are friends.
(Yo) estoy en la casa.
I’m at the house.
(Tú) estás ocupado.
You are busy.
Usted está en el banco.
You are at the bank.
Él está de vacaciones.
He is on vacation.
Ella está triste.
She is sad.
(Nosotros) estamos felices.
We are happy.
Ustedes están en la escuela.
You are at the school.
Ellos están enfermos.
They are sick.
Ellas están en el cine.
They are at the cinema.
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About the Author: sasha
Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.
Comments:
Ronald:
What do you mean with permanent conditions? as I know, you use estar with conditions, present participle and location of people, places, things or objects (except events or activities). The rest will be ser.
Saludos.
sasha:
@Ronald By permanent conditions, I mean things like your nationality, appearance, job, etc. Although some of these things can change, they are considered permanent and the verb “ser” is used. Hope that helps!
Gypsy:
I thought it was estar casado/a – as it is a state?
sasha:
@Gypsy As my teacher told me, casado/a is thought of as permanent. Even though marriages can end and they often do, the verb “ser” is used to so someone is married.