One of the most challenging aspects of learning Spanish is distinguishing between the verbs “ser” and “estar,” both of which mean “to be” in English.

To be or not to be – ser and estar in Spanish

However, these two verbs have distinct meanings and usage rules that can greatly impact the overall message and tone of a sentence.

In this article, we delve into the intricate world of ser and estar, providing clarity on when and how to use each verb correctly.

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner looking to fine-tune your language skills, join us as we unravel the complexities of ser vs estar in Spanish.

In addition, at the end of this article you will find some exercises where you could test everything you have learned.

In this article we will cover:

Ser vs Estar
Conjugation of Ser and Estar
When do we use Ser and Estar?
Ser
- Nationalities and religions
- Professions
- Dates and time
- Physical and personality descriptions
Estar
- Location and places
- Emotions and moods
- Conditions

Ser and Estar in other tenses
Practice time
Answers

Let’s do this!

Ser vs estar

The eternal question for beginners in Spanish…

In Spanish, depending on what you are describing or talking about, you use Ser or Estar. In fact there are some cases to identify easily which of those two verbs you must use, and of course we are going to check all of this in this guide, and you will be relieved at the end, because you will master it, we promise.

Let’s review first the Ser and Estar conjugation in Spanish

Conjugation of Ser and Estar

And here you have next the conjugation of Ser and Estar in the simple present indicative tense:

*Present simple indicative of “Ser” vs “Estar”*
*Subject pronoun*	*Ser*	*Estar*
Yo	soy	estoy
Tú	eres	estás
Él / Ella / Usted	es	está
Nosotros(as)	somos	estamos
Ellos(as) / Ustedes	son	están

Ok, awesome!

But now you must be thinking… How the heck do I know when to use Ser or Estar 🙁

As a preamble, Ser is used to talk about permanent attributes and Estar is used to talk about temporary attributes.

We feel you my friend, at the beginning it could be confusing and abstract but with tons of practice you will get it easily, the important thing here is to know the difference between Ser and Estar.

So let’s check in nutshell next when to use Ser or Estar

When do we use Ser and Estar?

We want to make it easy for you, so the cases to know when to use ser and estar are in the next chart:

Ser	Estar
Permanent states and descriptions	Temporary states
Examples: Nationalities and religions Occupations Dates and time Physical and personality descriptions	Examples: Location and places Emotions and moods

You are welcome my friend!

We recommend you to memorize this chart or to save this guide because this information will save your spanish conversations from now to then.

Let’s check some examples next:

Ser	Estar
I am american Yo soy americano	I am happy Yo estoy feliz
She is a doctor Ella es doctora	She is bored Ella está aburrida
Today is tuesday Hoy es martes	My son is sick Mi hijo está enfermo
My daughter is very small and thin Mi hija es muy pequeña y delgada	We are at the park Nosotros estamos en el parque
My dog is very smart Mi perro es muy inteligente	Juan is in Spain Juan está en España

Ser

As we showed you before, Ser is used to talk about permanent states.

Let’s review more examples with Ser:

I am human.
Soy humano.

I am not Juan, I am Julian.
Yo no soy Juan, soy Julián.

He is Juan’s father.
Él es el papá de Juan.

She is my grandmother.
Ella es mi abuela.

My sister is Gabriela.
Mi hermana es Gabriela

What ‘s that?
¿Qué es eso?

This is a phone.
Esto es un teléfono.

That is not a problem.
Eso no es un problema.

Is the concert jazz or classical music?
¿El concierto es de jazz o de música clásica?

This is not a costume party.
Esta no es una fiesta de disfraces.

It’s a great idea!
¡Es una gran idea!

Note: Simply remember that to conjugate the negative form of both verbs, it’s enough we add the word “no” (or another negation word, depending on the context) before the conjugated verb.

Examples:

I am not Venezuelan, I am Colombian
Yo no soy Venezolana, yo soy Colombiana

Laura is not friendly
Laura no es amigable

We are not at home
Nosotros no estamos en la casa

You are not sick
Tú no estás enfermo

These examples are just a little overview to start checking the different cases in details, so let’s start with nationalities, possessions and religion next:

Nationalities and religions

Nationality is a good example of what a “permanent attribute” is, because unless we renounce our nationality it is something we are born with, and we will have forever until our death.

Now, to refer to religious descriptions we will always use the verb Ser, as well as to refer to any type of “origin” related to geographic regions.

Examples:

He is Buddhist.
Él es budista.

They are not catholic.
Ellos no son católicos.

I am Muslim.
Yo soy musulmán

I am from Argentina.
Yo soy de Argentina.

I am not Colombian, I am Mexican.
No soy colombiano, soy mexicano.

This wine is Chilean.
Este vino es chileno.

My shoes are from Italy.
Mis zapatos son de Italia.

Professions

To refer to any profession without exception, we always use the verb Ser.

Examples:

She is a doctor teacher.
Ella es doctora.

She is a Spanish teacher.
Ella es profesora de Español.

We are students.
Nosotros somos estudiantes

They are engineers.
Ellos son ingenieros.

Camilo is not a lawyer, he is a doctor.
Camilo no es abogado, es médico.

Are you a nurse?
¿Eres enfermera?

She is a waitress in a restaurant.
Ella es camarera en un restaurante.

Dates and time

When we are talking about a dates and times we will use Ser.

Examples:

It’s two in the afternoon.
Son las dos de la tarde.

Today is my aunt’s birthday.
Hoy es el cumpleaños de mi tía.

The concert is tomorrow.
El concierto es mañana.

It ‘s half past four in the morning.
Son las cuatro y media de la mañana

Today is Christmas.
Hoy es Navidad.

Note: It is worth mentioning that when you are talking about the hour, specifically one, the verb to be must always be in singular. For example:

It is one o’clock.
Es la una en punto.

Physical and personality descriptions

We will always use the verb Ser to refer to physical and personality descriptions.

Examples:

Diana is tall.
Diana es alta.

I am young
Yo soy joven

We are pretty
Nosotras somos bonitas

The cat is fat and black
El gato es gordo y negro

The dog is small and ugly
El perro es pequeño y feo

Maria is tall and thin, she is pretty
Maria es alta y delgada, ella es bonita

Daniel is very honest
Daniel es muy honesto.

I am not shy.
Yo no soy tímido.

She is quite a polite person.
Ella es una persona bastante educada.

They are rude
Ellos son groseros.

You are brave.
Ustedes son valientes.

We are fast.
Nosotros somos rápidos.

Diego and Camilo are strong.
Diego y Camilo son fuertes.

Ana is very flexible.
Ana es muy flexible.

Your house is very big
Tu casa es muy grande.

Pedro is a bit fat.
Pedro es un poco gordo.

Ser is also used to talk about the material of some goods as a physical description

Examples:

The table is made of wood.
La mesa es de madera.

This is a cotton shirt.
Esta es una camiseta de algodón.

The tool is made of steel.
La herramienta es de acero.

Estar

As we showed you before, Estar is used to talk about temporary states.

Let’s review more examples with Estar:

She is tired
Ella esta cansada

I am in my house
Yo estoy en mi casa

Sara is not at home
Sara no está en la casa

She is in Paris
Ellas están en París

The dog is crazy
El perro está loco

Juan and José are sick
Juan y José están enfermos

We are in love
Nosotros estamos enamorados

We are in the spanish class
Nosotros estamos en la clase de español

You are happy because of the trip
Ustedes están felices por el viaje

She is not in Venezuela, she is in Colombia
Ella no está en Venezuela, está en Colombia

Locations and places

Except for the location of events, we will use “estar” to refer to the location in space of any object or living being.

Examples:

The hotel is near the beach.
El hotel está cerca de la playa.

I am in Bogotá.
Estoy en Bogotá.

Where are your parents?
¿Dónde están tus padres?

My house is in Barcelona.
Mi casa está en Barcelona.

Where is the market?
¿Dónde está el mercado?

Emotions and moods

If we talk about moods we will always use “estar”.

Examples:

We are angry.
Estamos molestos.

I am nervous.
Estoy nervioso.

Felipe is anxious.
Felipe está ansioso.

I am sad.
Estoy triste.

It is important to notice the difference when we refer to moods with the verb “ser” and with the verb “estar”. If we do it with the “ser”, for example:

I am happy.
Soy alegre.

The meaning of the sentence is that I am a happy person, in general. In other words, joy or happiness is a natural (permanent) trait of mine.

But when we use the verb “estar” which is how the verb “to be” is usually used to refer to emotions, for example:

I am happy.
Estoy alegre.

In this case, the meaning of the sentence is that something happened and because of that I am happy, interpreting emotions as temporary and changing states.

Also, it is worth remembering that the verb “estar” is also used to say hello.

Example:

How are you?
¿Cómo estás?

Estar is also used to talk about the material description of the objects. However, if we use the verb “estar” to talk about the material of an object, it is essential to combine it with the participle of the verb “to make” (hacer): “made of” (hecho de). Which would actually give us a more literal translation.

Examples:

This shirt is made of cotton
Esta camiseta está hecha de algodón.

The table is made of wood.
La mesa está hecha de madera.

The tool is made of steel.
La herramienta está hecha de acero.

Conditions

Of course, when we refer to physical conditions, we are also talking about the attributes of objects that can be perceived through the senses. Here we refer to the states of matter or the physical conditions of objects and bodies in general.

Examples:

The coffee is hot.
El café está caliente.

The music volume is too high
El volumen de la música está muy alto.

The apple is a little acidic.
La manzana está un poco ácida.

Juliana is sick.
Juliana está enferma.

The chair is broken.
La silla está rota.

We hope that with all of these examples and explanations you could understand and differentiate easily how to use Ser and Estar.

Ser and estar in other tenses

Ser and Estar in other tenses have the same cases ( Permanent and temporary states) as the presente simple indicative, the only difference here is the tense if it is in the past or in the future.

Let’s check Ser and Estar in other tenses

Indicative mood of “ser”
Subject pronoun	Simple present	Imperfect tense	Simple past	Simple Future	Conditional form
Yo	soy	era	fui	seré	sería
Tú	eres	eras	fuiste	serás	serías
Él / Ella / Usted	es	era	fue	será	sería
Nosotros(as)	somos	éramos	fuimos	seremos	seríamos
Ellos(as) / Ustedes	son	eran	fueron	serán	serían

Indicative mood of “estar”
Subject pronoun	Simple present	Imperfect tense	Simple past	Simple Future	Conditional form
Yo	estoy	estaba	estuve	estaré	estaría
Tú	estás	estabas	estuviste	estarás	estarías
Él / Ella / Usted	está	estaba	estuvo	estará	estaría
Nosotros(as)	estamos	estábamos	estuvimos	estaremos	estaríamos
Ellos(as) / Ustedes	están	estaban	estuvieron	estarán	estarían

We have some examples for you next:

Ser

I would be a Buddhist if I lived in China
Yo sería budista si viviera en China

We were lawyers two years ago
Nosotras éramos abogadas hace dos años

My birthday will be tomorrow
Mi cumpleaños será mañana

I was skinny when I was a child
Yo era delgada cuando era niña

Maria was very smart at school
Maria era muy inteligente en la escuela

My teacher was friendly in Spanish classes
Mi maestra era amigable en las clases de español

Estar

The coffee was very hot
El café estaba muy caliente

The apple was very sour
La manzana estaba muy agria

You were in London last year
Ustedes estaban en Londres el año pasado

She will be at my house tonight
Ella estará en mi casa esta noche

I would be happy if she was with my dog
Yo estaría feliz si estuviera con mi perro

The boy was sick last week
El niño estaba enfermo la semana pasada

Again, don’t freak out, we want to show how to use it in other tenses, for now just focus in what you need and want to learn easy

Summary

We use Ser to refer to:	We use Estar to refer to:
Nationalities and religionsOccupationsDates and timePhysical and personality descriptions	Location and placesEmotions and moodsConditions

Practice time

A. Translate the following sentences:

He is not Peruvian, he is from Brazil.
They are singers.
Our house is in Colombia.
My dad is a lawyer.
Are you engineers?
We are teachers and they are policemen.
Maria is blonde.
Juan is quite romantic.
It’s 5 pm.
Today is my friend’s marriage.

B. fill in the blanks using the verb to be in Spanish

La fiesta _____ en tu casa, pero tu casa ____ muy lejos.
The party is at your house, but your house is far away.
Juan _____ romántico, y _____ triste.
Juan is romantic and he is sad.
La mesa _____ de plástico.
The table is made of plastic.
La película _____ interesante, pero los boletos _____ agotados.
The movie is interesting, but the tickets are sold out.
¿A quién ______ esperando?
Who are you waiting for?
_____ importante ______ feliz.
It is important to be happy.
Ella y yo ______ amigos.
She and I are friends.
¿_____ seguros?
Are you sure?
El té _____ caliente, pero _____ delicioso.
The tea is hot, but it is delicious.
Diana _____ una mujer alta.
Diana is a tall woman.
I ______ más alto que el año pasado!
You are taller than last year!

Answers

A. Translate the following sentences:

Él no es peruano, es de Brasil.
Ellas son cantantes.
Nuestra casa está en Colombia.
Mi papá es abogado.
¿Ustedes son ingenieros?
Nosotros somos profesores y ellos son policías.
María es rubia.
Juan es bastante romántico.
Son las 5 PM.
Hoy es el matrimonio de mi amigo.

B. fill in the blanks using the verb to be in Spanish

La fiesta es en tu casa, pero tu casa está muy lejos.
Juan es romántico, y está triste.
La mesa es de plástico / La mesa está hecha de plástico.
La película es interesante, pero los boletos están agotados.
¿A quién estás esperando?
Es importante ser feliz.
Ella y yo somos amigos.
¿Están seguros?
El té está caliente, pero está delicioso.
Diana es una mujer alta
¡Estás más alto que el año pasado!