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Spanish Grammar: Verbs - — Ser & Estar
The English verb to be
In English, although we might not realize it when we speak, we express many different ideas with the verb to be. Are, for example, can mean:
are located (Granada and Barcelona are in Spain),
equal (Two and two are four),
or have the characteristic of being (Apples are red).
Spanish, however, uses two different verbs (estar and ser) for the ideas we express with to be. Estar is used to express location and condition; condition includes adjectives that describe a state of emotion or health (triste, sad; contento, glad; enfermo, sick; cansado, tired, etc.). Ser is used in most other cases, especially to indicate a fixed quality or inherent characteristic. Both verbs are irregular in the present indicative and preterit tense. These verbs cannot be interchanged without altering the meaning of the sentence.
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USES OF ESTAR
Estar is used:
To express location or position, whether of a person, a city or a movable object.
El libro está en la mesa.
The book is on the table.
Juárez está en México.
Juarez is in Mexico.
¿Dónde está Benito?
Where is Benito?
Mi padre está en el campo.
My father is in the country.
San Francisco está en California.
San Francisco is in California.
But: Ser is used to express the location of an event, as opposed to that of an object. If the verb ‘is’ expresses the idea of ‘takes place,’ then ser must be used.
El examen es en el edificio B.
The exam (the event) is in Building B.
El concierto de los Rolling Stones es en el estadio de fútbol.
The Rolling Stones concert is in the football stadium.
To express a condition that is accidental or temporary (a condition that is not an inherent or characteristic quality).
La mujer está enferma.
The woman is sick.
El agua está fría.
The water is cold.
La muchacha está pálida.
The girl is pale.
Note: Estar is always used with muerto, even though death is not a temporary condition. The opposite, more obviously, is estar vivo (to be alive).
Mi abuelo está muerto.
My grandfather is dead.
To express the false passive. The verb estar, followed by a past participle, is used to show the result of some previous action. The past participle in this construction also is used as an adjective, and therefore agrees with the subject in gender and number. Do not confuse this construction with the true passive.
El libro está bien escrito.
The book is well written.
La mujer está sentada.
The woman is seated.
La puerta está cerrada.
The door is closed.
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The true passive uses ser with the past participle
See: section on the Passive Voice from a further explanation.
El paquete fue entregado ayer.
The package was delivered yesterday.
Los dos paquetes fueron entregados ayer.
The two packages were delivered yesterday.
La carta fue escrita por Juan.
The letter was written by John.
To express the progressive form of the present.
¿Qué estás haciendo? Estoy abriendo este paquete.
What are you doing? I'm opening this package.
With the present participle to form the progressive tenses, that is, to stress an act in progress.
Ahora está hablando.
He is talking now.
Estaba gritando entonces.
He was shouting then.
Pasamos muchas horas fumando.
We spend many hours smoking.
Leyendo tal libro, se aprende mucho.
(By) reading such a book, one learns a great deal.
The imperfect tense of the verb estar is used before the present participle of a verb to show progressive action in past time. This action may also be expressed by the imperfect tense of the main verb.
Ella estaba trabajando allí. (Ella trabajaba allí.)
She was working there.
Juan estaba viviendo solo. (Juan vivía solo.)
Juan was living alone.
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USES OF SER
Generally ser expresses a characteristic that is natural or inherent and essentially lasting rather than accidental or occasional. Such characteristics/qualities may include: age, character, financial status, appearance, origin, ownership, material of which a thing is made, occupation, nationality. Ser is also used with time expressions and impersonal expressions. It is always used before a predicate noun or pronoun.
Ser is used:
With an adjective to express a characteristic or of a person, place, or thing. This means that forms of ser are used with adjectives of color, size, shape, nationality, appearance, and the adjectives rico, pobre, joven, viejo, and feliz.
La ciudad es grande.
The city is large.
Ella es simpática.
She is nice.
Somos pobres (jóvenes).
We are poor (young).
La casa es pequeña.
The house is small.
El señor Moreno es joven.
Mr. Moreno is young.
El niño es bueno.
The child is good.
El perro es leal.
The dog is loyal.
Aconcagua es la montaña más alta de América del Sur.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America.
With the preposition de to express ownership, national origin, or material (from which something is made); and with the preposition para to indicate for whom or what a thing is intended.
Son de Carolina.
They are Caroline's.
Soy de Buenos Aires.
I am from Buenos Aires.
Juan es de Venezuela.
John is from Venezuela.
El reloj es de oro.
The watch is (of) gold.
La mesa es de madera.
The table is made of wood.
Son para aquellos hombres.
They are for those men.
With a predicate noun (or pronoun), which comes after the
verb and explains who or what the subject is.
Él es profesor de matemáticas.
He is a math professor.
Madrid es la capital de España.
Madrid is the capital of Spain.
Soy yo.
It is I.
Juan es médico.
John is a doctor.
Es una ciudad grande.
It is a large city.
Ella y yo somos argentinas.
She and I are Argentines.
In impersonal expressions (it + verb + adjective)
Es fácil comprender el español.
It is easy to understand Spanish.
The third person of the verb ser is used to indicate the time of day, except in the expression ¿Qué hora tienes? (What time do you have? or What time do you make it?). Time in the past is rendered by the imperfect of ser.
Note: The cardinal number indicating the hour is always preceded by la or las.
Es la una y cinco.
It is five minutes after one.
Son las seis menos cuarto.
It is a quarter to six.
Eran las cuatro de la tarde.
It was four in the afternoon.
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SER AND ESTAR USED WITH THE SAME ADJECTIVES
A number of common adjectives vary considerably in meaning when used with ser or estar:
Characteristic Condition (emotional, physical)
María es mala. - characteristic
Mary is bad (a bad person).
María está mala. - condition
Mary is not well (she’s ill).
Juan es aburrido. - characteristic
John is boring.
Juan está aburrido. - condition
John is bored.
Rafael es listo. - characteristic
Rafael is clever.
Rafael está listo. - condition
Rafael is ready.
So, it is quite possible to use both ser and estar with the same adjective but there will be a slight difference in meaning or emphasis. Consider ser alto vs. estar alto: ser is used to indicate the norm, a usual or expected characteristic, whereas estar suggests a change:
Mi hija es muy alta; mide casi seis pies.
My daughter is very tall. She’s nearly six feet.
Mira, pero la niña está altísima.
Wow, look how tall the little girl is now/Look how tall she’s grown.
Ramón es muy guapo; podría ser modelo.
Ramon is very handsome; he could be a model.
Oye, José, luces bien. Estás muy guapo esta noche.
Hey, José, you look good. You’re very handsome tonight.
La muchacha es pálida.
The girl is pale (has pale skin).
La muchacha está pálida.
The girl is pale (looks pale today).
When speaking of colors, it is more usual to use ser but when color refers to a transitory condition rather than a constant quality, then estar is appropriate:
Estas manzanas son verdes.
These apples are green (they are of a green variety, — e.g. Granny Smiths).
Estas manzanas están verdes.
These apples are green/unripe/not ready to eat.
Mi carro es rojo. Me gusta el color.
My car is red. I like the color.
Ten cuidado, la luz está roja.
Watch out, the light is (on) red.