Ser vs Estar Flashcards
ser “to be”
yo soy tú eres usted/él/ella es Nosotros somos Ustedes/ellos/ellas son
estar “to be”
yo estoy tú estás usted/él/ella está Nosotros estamos Ustedes/ellos/ellas están
both ser and estar are use as
the main verb in the sentence and as auxiliary verbs
Which verb is used to describe more permanent or lasting situations?
ser
Which verb is used to describe more temporary situations?
estar
ser is used to indicate
- the identity of the subject
- someone’s occupation
- essential or inherent qualities not likely to change such as nationality, moral attributes or religion
- characteristics of physical appearance and personality
- relationships
- time
- place and date of an event
- origin, possession and the materials that objects are made of (used with preposition “de”)
- quantity and price
- in the passive voice construction (ser + participle + por)
- also used in impersonal expressions (Es urgente llamar a tu casa ahora!)
estar is used to indicate
- location (permanent, temporary, short term, real or imaginary!)
- temporary mental conditions and moods (including depressed)
- temporary traits or qualities (estar emphasizes a short term condition or a basis for comparison with a previous state)
- a temporary situation (with the preposition “de”)
- also used with the -ando, -iendo forms for the present gerund form.
(note)
in the following expressions, estar DOES need to be conjugated for the meaning of the sentence. It should not actually be in the infinitive form…
estar a + [date]
“it is [date]”
estar a punto de + [infinitive verb]
“to be just about to [verb]”
estar para + [infinitive verb]
“to be about to [verb]”
estar de acuerdo con …
“to agree with …”
estar por + [noun]
“to be in favor of [noun]”
estar conforme con…
“to be in agreement with…”
estar de vacaciones
“to be on vacation”
