Both ser and estar mean TO BE in English

Lets find out when to use each of them.

Ser is used for permanent things

Ser: To be

Estar is used for temporary things

Estar: To be

When to use ESTAR

• Use ESTAR to talk about conditions that tend to change.

• How a person feels

• No duermo mucho, estoy cansada.

• Where a person or thing is located

• ¿Dónde está Maria? No está aquí. No puede venir hoy porque está enferma

HOW YOU FEEL AND WHERE YOU ARE, ONLY WITH THE VERB ESTAR

D.O.C.T.O.R. SER

• D = Description (mi abuelo es alto y pelirrojo)

• O = Origin (mi madre es de Venezuela)

• C = Characteristics = (Nosotras somos graciosas y pacientes)

• T = Time = (Son las ocho y media de la mañana)

• O = Occupation = (Soy maestro)

• R = Relationship = (Josefina es la hija de mi tía. Es mi prima)

Vamos a practicar

Look at the following English phrases. Then, decide if you would use ESTAR or SER to translate the sentence to Spanish.

Tú eres de Perú

Mañana es mi cumpleaños

Estos zapatos son de China

La biblioteca está cerca del parque

Estar

• Both ser and estar mean to be, but they have different uses. You use estar to say where someone or something is located, and to ask and say how people are doing.

• La servilleta está en la mesa = The napkin is on the table.

• Estoy bien, gracias. = I'm fine thanks.

Ser

• You have used ser to identify people and things, to say where they are from to describe what someone or something is like and to give the day, date and time.

• Ricardo es mi amigo. Es de México. Es alto y simpático.

• Es lunes. Es el 17 de marzo. Son las once en punto.

When to use SER

• Use SER to talk about characteristics that generally do not change. SER is used for descriptions that are not conditions or locations.

• Who a person is, or what they're like

• Teresa es mi prima. Es muy graciosa.

• What something is, or what something is like

• Los tacos son mi comida favorita. Son delicosos.

• Where a person or thing is from

• Mis tíos son de México. Son muy símpaticos.

When to use ESTAR

• Use ESTAR to talk about conditions that tend to change.

• How a person feels

• No duermo mucho, estoy cansada.

• Where a person or thing is located

• ¿Dónde está Maria? No está aquí. No puede venir hoy porque está enferma

A subject pronoun replaces the subject of a sentence. This is done so that the subject doesn't keep being repeated.

Estar

Subjects and subject pronouns cannot stand alone and form a sentence. Would you ever say ¨Andrés nice boy¨? (Don´t even say you would say this.)

Subjects must have a verb!

You cannot mix and match the rows and columns.

For example ¨yo¨ can only go with ¨estoy¨. Yo estoy....

You cannot write ¨Yo están...¨ They are not even in the same row.