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Ser & Estar

Ser refers to permanent characteristics like personality, nationality, gender, profession. Examples include "Soy alta" (I am tall), "Soy de California" (I am from California). Estar refers to temporary states like location, moods, feelings, physical condition. Examples are "Estoy en la clase" (I am in class), "Estoy contenta" (I am happy). Some adjectives have different meanings depending on whether ser or estar is used. The document provides examples of how the meaning changes based on the verb.

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56 views4 pages

Ser & Estar

Ser refers to permanent characteristics like personality, nationality, gender, profession. Examples include "Soy alta" (I am tall), "Soy de California" (I am from California). Estar refers to temporary states like location, moods, feelings, physical condition. Examples are "Estoy en la clase" (I am in class), "Estoy contenta" (I am happy). Some adjectives have different meanings depending on whether ser or estar is used. The document provides examples of how the meaning changes based on the verb.

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The Verb Ser

Let's take a look at our first verb, Ser.  As you can see, it is very irregular (it doesn't
follow the pattern of regular verb conjugation).

Ellos, ellas,
Yo Tú Él, ella, usted Nosotros
ustedes
Soy eres es somos son

Ser refers to things that are a permanent (integral) part of you.  For example:

1) Personality
2) Nationality
3) Physical characteristics
4) Race
5) Gender
6) Origen
7) Identity
8) Profession
9) Events
10) Time

Examples:
Soy simpática. I am a nice person. 
Soy norteamericana. I am North American.
Soy alta y rubia. I am tall and blonde.
Soy galesa. I am Welsh.
Soy mujer. I am a woman.
Soy de California. I am from California.
Soy Debi Lemon. I'm Debi Lemon.
Soy instructora. I'm an instructor. 
La clase de español es a las diez y media de
Spanish class is at 10:30 am. 
la mañana.
El concierto de Maná es el viernes. The Maná concert is on Friday.
Son las tres. It's three o'clock.
Just as in English, the Spanish verbs used most often, verbs that describe life's basic
activities, are irregular.  Like the Spanish Ser, the English verb "to Be" is very irregular:
I am, you are, it is, etc.  The best way to learn Spanish irregular verbs is through simple
repetition and memorization - just how you learned the English equivalents!

A bit about the verb Estar


Like Ser, Estar  also means "to Be".  And it is also irregular in form (it doesn't follow
regular conjugation patterns):

Ellos, ellas,
Yo Tú Él, ella, usted Nosotros
ustedes
estoy estás está estamos están

The difference is that Estar is used to indicate:

1) Location of people, places,


and things (but not events!)
2) Moods
3) Feelings
4) Physical conditions
5) Appearance

Examples:
Newark está en California. Newark is in California. 
Estoy en la clase de matemáticas. I'm in math class.
Estoy enojada. I am (feel) angry.
Estoy contenta. I am (feel) happy. 
Estoy cansada. I am (feel) tired. 
Estamos bien. We are (feel) fine.
María está bonita. María looks pretty.
 

The Verbs Ser and Estar


Both Ser  and Estar mean "to Be" but in different ways.  Let's review the different uses
of each verb.

Ser:
1) Physical description, personality traits,
nationality, race, gender
2) Dates, days, seasons, time, events
3) Material of which something is made
 Review Ser!

Estar:
1) Feelings, physical conditions, civil status
(married, single, divorced, dead)
2) Location of people, places, and things (but not
events)
3) Present Progressive tense ("to be" + "-ing"
form)
 Review Estar!

Ser vs. Estar


Some adjectives have different meanings depending upon which form of "to be" you use. 
Generally, if you use Ser, the adjective is a characteristic of the person or thing you are
describing; whereas if you use Estar, it is a description of a mood or appearance.

    For example:

Ser Estar
 
Él es aburrido. Él está aburrido.
(He is boring - a boring person.) (He is (feels) bored.)

 Soy nerviosa. Estoy nerviosa.


(I am a nervous, high-strung person.) (I am (feel) nervous.)

Ella es bonita. Ella está bonita.


(She is pretty - a pretty girl.) (She looks pretty.)
 

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