Ser vs. Estar: The Final Round

Ser vs. Estar: The Final Round

This is the third and final lesson on the usage of the verbs ser and estar.  Today, we'll review the first two lessons and then go over a few final examples and have a quick quiz.

REVIEW/REPASO:

Remember, the main difference between ser and estar...

We use ser to refer to an essential or permanent quality...

• Juan is a terrible person. Juan es una persona horrible.
• Jorge is from Oklahoma. Jorge es de Oklahoma.
• They are absolutely insane. Ellos son absolutamente locos.
• I am an American citizen. Yo soy un ciudadano americano.

We use estar to refer to current or temporary quality...

• Juan is tired.  Juan está cansado.
• Jorge is not talking [right now].  Jorge está callado.
• They are looking pretty.  Ellas están guapas.
• I am doing well.  Yo estoy bien.

One confusing situation is the verb "to die," which seems quite permanent.  Nevertheless, "estar" is used....

• Miguel is dead.  Miguel está muerto.

Estar also refers to geographical locations...

• She's in Mexico.  Ella está en México.

...except when you wish to refer to an event taking place...

• The party's at my house.  La fiesta es en mi casa.

Any time the verb is followed with a noun, use ser...

• She is a lawyer.  Ella es una abogada.  

Idiomatic expressions tend to use estar...

• to be in a good mood - estar de buen humor
• to be in a bad mood - estar de mal humor
• to be in agreement with - estar de acuerdo con
• to feel like - estar con ganas de 
• to be running behind - estar atrasado/a
• to be fed up with - estar harto/a

QUIZ:

Read the following sentences, filling in the blank area with a conjugated version of either ser or estar... the English translation is added for extra assistance if necessary. (An answer key will be provided below the quiz, so after taking the quiz you may check your answers).

1. María trabajó toda la noche.  Ella ______ muy cansada.

Maria worked all night.  She is very tired.

2. Creo que te va gustar; él ____ muy guapo.

I think you're going to like him.  He is very handsome.

3. Creo que la reunión _____ en la oficina del Miguel.

I think the meeting is at Mike's office.

4. No me hables hoy.  Yo ______ de mal humor.

Don't talk to me.  I'm in a bad mood.

5. No te preocupes.  Yo  ______ un médico. 

Don't worry.  I'm a doctor.

6. Ella _____ corriendo muy despacio.

She is running very slowly.

7. Nosotros ________ hartos con su comportamiento.

We are fed up with his behavior.

8. El carro ______ en el garaje.

The car is in the garage.

9. Lo siento.... tu amigo ______ muerto.

I'm sorry...your friend is dead.

10. Yo ______ tu padre.

I am your father.

ANSWERS/RESPUESTAS:

1. está

2. es

3. es

4. estoy

5. soy

6. está

7. estamos

8. está

9. está

10. soy 

Did you miss any?  Be sure to practice saying the correct version of the sentences you missed.  Also, practice saying any of the others that you may forget later and any that did not come easy.  Saying the sentences aloud will be helpful!

Ser vs. Estar: Round 2

 Ser vs. Estar 

Last week, we talked about the main difference between ser and estar: ser normally refers to essential and permanent qualities while estar refers to a more temporary and current condition.  However, there is a little more to it than just that when using these verbs.  Here are some more rules regarding the usage of ser and estar...

1. For geographical or physical locations, use estar...

• Yo estoy en mi casa... ¿dónde estás tú? (I'm at my house.. where are you?)
  
• No sé dónde está mi carro... lo dejé aquí. (I don't know where my car is.. I left it here)
  
• Tulsa está en Oklahoma. (Tulsa is in Oklahoma.)
  
• Mis llaves no están en la mesa ni en mi cuarto. (My keys are not on the table nor in my room.)

2. If the location refers to an EVENT that is taking place, use ser...

• La fiesta es en la casa de Juan. (The party is at Juan's house.)
  
• La reunion es en la oficina de Melissa. (The meeting is in Melissa's office.)
  

3. Estar is used in many idomatic expressions... 

(see my previous blog called ESTAR:  IDOMATIC EXPRESSIONS) Examples from that blog are....

• To be in a good mood - estar de buen humor
• To be in a bad mood - estar de mal humor
• to be in agreement with - estar de acuerdo con
• to feel like - estar con ganas de 
• to be running behind - estar atrasado/a
• to be fed up with - estar harto/a

4. To expression a condition (how some one or something is doing), use estar... 

• ¿Cómo está la sopa? (How's the soup?)
  
• Miguel está muy bien pero cansado. (Miguel is very well but tired.)
  
• No sé cómo están mis niños. (I don't know how my kids are.)
  

5. To expression a progressive situation, use estar..

• ¿No estoy haciendo nada. (I'm not doing anything.)
  
• ¿Qué estás jugando?  Fútbol? (What are you playing? Soccer?)
  
• Ella está corriendo un maratón. (She is running a marathon.)
  
• El tren está moviendo muy despacio. (The train is moving very slowly.)
  

6. When the verb is followed by a noun, use ser....

• Yo soy médico. (I'm a doctor.)
  
• Felipe es un actor. (Phillip is an actor.)
  
• Creo que es un caballo. (I think it's a horse.)
  
• Nosotros no somos esclavos. (We are not slaves.)

So, here's a quick review of today's lesson...

For the following situations....

• Geographical or physical locations (except events taking place)
• Expressing a condition of how some one is
• Expressing a progressive situation

                                                                 ...use ESTAR
For the following situations....

• Referring to a location where an event is taking place
• Following the verb with a noun

                                                                 ...use SER

So, that's it for this week... those are some subtle differences that go a long way towards making some one sound very competent with the language.  Next week, we'll review the last two blogs and go over several examples, along with a quiz...

Ser vs. Estar: Round 1

Ser vs. Estar: Round 1 

One of the most common problems Spanish students face when learning the language is differentiating two major verbs: ser and estar.  They both mean "to be," but are obviously used very differently.  We'll be identifying their main differences - both the obvious and subtle ones - over the next three blogs.  

This blog entry explains the difference between the two verbs in regards to how they affect adjectives.  For help conjugating them (estoy, estás, está...), you can check out the chart at http://www.lingolex.com/ser/ser-estar-form.htm. 

Today, we'll (1) start with the simple rules concerning the main difference between the two verbs, (2) look at some example sentences, and (3) finish with a  look at a small list of adjectives that actually change meaning completely, depending on whether constructed with ser or estar.  

The Main Difference

When we use the verb "to be," something can be a condition (that is oftentimes temporary) - such as being sick, being tired and being quiet.  In contrast, we could use "to be" in order to refer to something that is an essential and permanent quality - being a quiet person, being mentally sick, being beautiful (not just for the moment, but in general).  This is the main difference between ser and estar.  

estar = [current] condition

ser = permanent quality

So, a simple way to see this difference is the use the same adjective and notice how the meaning changes...

adjective	estar	translation	ser	translation
enfermo/a	Juán está enfermo hoy.	Juan is sick today.	Juan es enfermo.	Juan is (mentally) sick.
verde	La fruta está verde.	The fruit is not yet ripe.	La fruta es verde.	The fruit is the color green (such as a kiwi-fruit).
callado/a	Eres muy callado hoy.	You’re being very quiet today.	Ella es una persona muy callada.	She is a very quiet person.
desconocido/a	Con estos lentes, estás desconocido.	You’re unrecognizable with those glasses.	Es desconocido.	He is unknown.  (a stranger)
hermoso/a	Estás hermosa.	You look beautiful.	Eres hermosa.	You are beautiful.

So, try to translate the following sentences into Spanish using either ser or estar

• My friend is very quiet.
• You are being stupid.
• You are stupid.
• She is pretty.
• With those glasses, she looks pretty. 

Español	English
Mi maestro es muy aburrido.	My teacher is so boring.
Estoy aburrido.  No hay nada que hacer.	I’m bored.  There’s nothing to do.
Está despierto	He is awake
Ella es muy despierta.	She is a very alert person.
Estoy enojado.	I am angry.
Soy enojado.	I am an angry person.

  

Changing Meaning Completely

A limited number of adjectives change meaning drastically when the verb changes from ser to estar or vice-versa.  Here's the list:

ser	adjective	estar
to be clever	vivo	to be alive
to be clever/smart	listo	to be ready
to be rich	rico	to taste good
to be mean	malo	to be sick
to be interested	interesado/a	to be a mercenary

So, that's a basic idea of the main difference between the two verbs and how they can change the meaning of adjectives.  Unfortunately, the battle is not yet over and there are other key ideas such as motion, location, emotions and events that alter which verb to choose.  These ideas will continue to be covered in next week's blog - Ser vs. Estar: Round 2....