Ser and Estar

In Spanish, there are two verbs that are the equivalent of the English TO BE: Ser and
Estar.
SER
Singular

ESTAR
Plural

Singular

Plural

Yo soy - I am

Nosotros somos - we
Yo estoy - I am
are

Nosotros estamos- we
are

T eres - you are

Vosotros sois - you

are

T ests - you are

Vosotros estis

El es - he is

Ellos son - they are

El est - he is

Ellos estn - they are

Ella es - She is

Ellas son - they are

Ella est - She is

Ellas estn - they are

Ud. es - you are

(formal)

Uds. son - You guys Ud. est - you guys

are
are (formal)

Uds. estn - you guys

are

Uses
1) Ser
To show possession
El libro es de Miguel
The book is Miguels
To show origin
El es de Cuba
He is from Cuba
To show what material something is ,made of
La falda es de seda
The skirt is (made of) silk
To describe a person, place or thing (characteristic, size, length, religion, color,
personality, profession, etc.). This description is something that does not change at all
in some cases. Ex. She is american. In other cases, the change is gradual and slow. Ex.
Ana is young. She obviously wont be young forever but, since the change is gradual,
we use the verb SER
Juan es inteligente

Juan is intelligent

characteristic

Madrid es grande

Madrid is big

size

El cuento es largo

The story is long

length

Ella es catlica

She is catholic

religion

El coche es rojo

The car is red

color

El es muy serio

He is very serious

personality

Ellos son mdicos

They are doctors

professions

To express time, dates, days of the week.

Son las cinco
It is 5:00
Es el cuarto de julio

Its the fourth of July

Es lunes

It is Monday

2) Estar
To express location or position, WHETHER IT IS TEMORARY OR PERMANENT!
Yo estoy en la tienda
I am in the store
Ella est conmigo

She is with me

Madrid est en Espaa

Madrid is in Spain

To describe a TEMPORARY condition or feeling of a person or thing.

T ests enfermo
You are sick
La puerta est cerrada

The door is closed

Luis est cansado

Luis is tired

La ventana est abierta

To form the present progressive
Miguel est durmiendo

The window is open

Ella est esperando

She is waiting

Miguel is sleeping

The choice of SER or ESTAR can determine the meaning of the sentence.
El es aburrido
He is boring (personality
El est aburrido

He is bored (temporary)

Ella es nerviosa

She is nervous (a nervous person)

Ella est nerviosa

She is nervous (at this moment)

El es viejo

He is old (age)

El est viejo

He looks old (today)

Food is described using both SER and ESTAR but each gives a different meaning.
La carne es buena

The meat is good (in general)

La carne est buena

The meat is good (It tastes good right now)

Practice Questions
Ser and Estar
1) Yo _____________ de los Estados Unidos
2) Ella _____________ en el bao.
3) Nosotros no _____________muy inteligentes.

4) T _____________ mdico.
5) La familia no _____________en casa
6) Mis padres _____________dominicanos.
7) El _____________enfermo
8) _____________ Uds. preparando el postre?
9) Mi hermana y yo _____________ actores
10) Alba no _____________tonta
11) Nosotros _____________cansados
12) Mi vecino ____________muy alto
13) _____________ t bien?
14) Yo _____________un estudiante
15) Ellos no _____________ escuchando la msica
16) _____________Maria y Jos en la playa?
17) El camarero _____________en la cocina
18) Nosotras no _____________de Cuba
19) Yo _____________deprimido
20) Ellas _____________haciendo la tarea.

Answers
1) soy
2) est
3) somos
4) eres

5) est
6) son
7) est
8) estn
9) somos
10) es
11) estamos
12) es
13) ests
14) soy
15) estn
16) estn
17) est
18) somos
19) estoy
20) estn