SER VS. ESTARTO BE OR NOT TO BE?

SER AND ESTAR ARE BOTH TO BE VERBS

We have already learned that there are two “to be” verbs in Spanish.

Here they are along with their conjugations. Please write them down if you had no clue what these were on the test. You know who you are!

SER TO BE ESTAR TO BE

Yo SOY NosotrosSOMOS

Yo estoy NosotrosESTAMOS

Tú ERES X Tú estás X

Él ESElla ESUsted ES

Ellos SONEllas SONUstedes SON

Él estáElla estáUsted está

Ellos estánEllas estánUstedes están

How do I remember?Use the Acronyms DOCTOR and PLACE

Let’s Review

Ser – general rule

Ser is used to classify and identify permanent or lasting attributes. Think of the acronym D.O.C.T.O.R.Description, Occupation, Characteristic, Time, Origin, and Relationship.As with any rule, there may be exceptions to the permanent vs. temporary state of being, but it is a place to start when deciding which verb to use in Spanish.

– D is for description For description, think of what you would say if

someone asked you "What´s he/she like?" These are the essential qualities that define a person and probably won´t change. They can be a name or a physical description.

Yo soy Raúl. Yo soy Raúl. (I am Raúl.)(I am Raúl.)Yo soy baja, pelirroja y seriaYo soy baja, pelirroja y seria. . (I am short, red-haired, and (I am short, red-haired, and

serious.)serious.)

-O is for occupation Occupations are seen as more

"permanent" than many people would think in the United States.

Por ejemplo:

Soy maestra de español.  Ellos son estudiantes.  Mi padre es un profesor.

– C is for characteristics

Characteristics are personality descriptions of a person.

Amalia es inteligente, bonita, y amable. (Amelia is intelligent, pretty, and friendly.)

Mi esposo es romántico y cariñoso. (My husband is romantic and caring.)

Más ejemplosJuan is tall. Juan es altoJuan is fat. Juan es gordo.Juan is rich. Juan es ricoJuan is young. Juan es joven.The door is green. La puerta es verde.The door is big. La puerta es grande.The door is ugly. La puerta es fea.

¡Ojo!WHAT you’re describing is important. You

can’t just say “Green is a characteristic, so I

use ‘es’ with it.” Consider Consider this……..this……..

Lettuce is green. La lechuga es verde.

Lettuce is supposed to be green, so that’s a characteristic. BUT:

The meat is green. La carne está verde.

Meat is not supposed to be green, so that’s a condition.

– T is for time

Time includes days, dates, and hours. For Time includes days, dates, and hours. For hours, use es for one o´clock and son for all hours, use es for one o´clock and son for all other hours.other hours.

Hoy es lunes, el veintisiete de Hoy es lunes, el veintisiete de febrerofebrero. . (Today is Monday, February 27th.)(Today is Monday, February 27th.)

Mañana es mi cumpleañosMañana es mi cumpleaños. . (Tomorrow is my (Tomorrow is my birthday.)birthday.)

Ahora es la una y media.Ahora es la una y media.  (Right now it´s one (Right now it´s one thirty.)thirty.)

Son las cinco y veinticincoSon las cinco y veinticinco. . (It´s five twenty (It´s five twenty five.)five.)

– O #2 is for origin

As the place a person is from or As the place a person is from or the material something is made the material something is made from is not going to change from is not going to change we we use ser for origin.use ser for origin.

Celia es de Celia es de EspañaEspaña. . Adela es Adela es mexicanamexicana. . Yo soy de Tejas.Yo soy de Tejas.

-R is for relationshipsSamantha es mi madre. Samantha es mi madre. Ramona es mi perro.Ramona es mi perro.Ricky es mi hermano. Ricky es mi hermano.

Estar is the place to be!

Estar is used to indicate temporary states and locations. If the general rule doesn´t suffice, think of the acronym P.L.A.C.E, which stands for Position, Location, Action, Condition, and Emotion.

– P is for position 1. Position Position is the physical position or

posture a person or thing is in. Mi abuela está sentada. (My

grandmother is sitting down/seated.) El libro está debajo de la mesa.

El libro está encima de la mochila.

– L is for location The location of someone or something

describes where it is permanently, temporarily, actually, or conceptually.

El baño está al lado de la cafetería.  Estamos en el café ahora y vamos a estar

en el cine en 20 minutos. (We are at the café right now and we will be at the movie theatre in 20 minutes.)

Madrid está en España. (Madrid is in Spain.)

-A is for actionEstar is used to describe an ongoing

action using the present progressive tense.

Estoy lavando los platos sucios. (I am washing the dirty dishes.)

Estamos caminando rápido. Mi bisabuelo está escribiendo. (My

great-grandfather ….)

-C is for conditionPhysical and mental conditions are

described using estar.(Because they are constantly changing)

Estoy  tan cansada esta mañana. (I am so tired this morning.)

Mis niños están enfermos hoy. (My children are sick today.)

Mi madre está loca. (My mother is (acting) crazy.)

Juan is sick. Juan está enfermo. Juan is tired. Juan está cansado. Juan is sad. Juan está triste. Juan is bored. Juan está aburrido. Juan is busy. Juan está ocupado. The door is broken. La puerta está rota. The door is dirty. La puerta está sucia.

Más ejemplos

Click here to go to a practice exercise on ONLY the characteristic/condition contrast of ser/estar.

– E is for emotion How a person is feeling at a certain moment

is described using estar. Emotions can change.

Estoy  triste. (I am sad.) Ella está contenta porque recibió unas flores

de su novio.  (She is happy because she received some

flowers from her boyfriend.) Hoy estoy feliz.

“Is it a characteristic or a condition?” is definitely the trickiest part of ser/estar. But it’s not the ONLY part. Remember, there are lots of other times you need to decide if you need ser or estar. Don’t look at a sentence such as this one…..

Juan _______ en clase.

…..and ask yourself “Is it a characteristic or condition?” because “en clase” is NOT an adjective. You only ask yourself the question “characteristic or condition” IF YOU HAVE AN ADJECTIVE.

Click here to go to a brief practice