Ser vs Estar Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 26, 2010 in Spanish Grammar
One challenge for Spanish learners is distinguishing when to use ser or estar, both of which translate into “to be” in English. Generally, ser is used with adjectives expressing permanent characteristics (including nationality, physical appearance and personality) while estar is used for temporary states or conditions, such as emotions. Sometimes learners believe that a given adjective is always and exclusively used with one or the other, but in fact some adjectives can be paired with both ser AND estar depending on what the speaker is trying to express.
Here are a few examples. Notice the difference in meaning:
| Los cafés están fríos. | The coffees are cold (The coffees we are referring to are normally hot, and so their being cold is a temporary condition.) |
| as opposed to | |
| Los frapuccinos son fríos. | Frapuccinos are cold (Frapuccinos are characteristically cold-they are never hot) |
| Francisco es guapo. | Francisco is handsome (This is a permanent physical attribute) |
| as opposed to | |
| Francisco está super guapo hoy! | Francisco is (looks) really handsome today! (Here, his handsomeness is a temporary condition, due to a change from the norm such as his choice of clothing that day, the way he styled his hair, or some other alteration) |
In addition, there are some adjectives that completely change meaning depending on their use with ser or estar.
Here are a few examples:
| Elena está aburrida. | Elena is bored. |
| Elena es aburrida. | Elena is boring. |
| Marco está cansado. | Marco is tired. |
| Correr un maratón es cansado. | Running a marathon is tiring. |
| La manzana está verde. | The apple is unripe |
| Las manzanas Granny Smith son verdes. | Granny Smith apples are green. |
| ¿Estás listo para ir al cine? | Are you ready to go to the movies? |
| Ese niño es muy listo. | That little boy is very clever. |
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Transparent Language
Transparent Language is a leading provider of best-practice language learning software for consumers, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses. We want everyone to love learning language as much as we do, so we provide a large offering of free resources and social media communities to help you do just that!
Comments:
Jmart:
This is a nice Portuguese explanation as well for those interested. https://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/estar-vs-ser/