Ser y Estar Flashcards
Learn the difference between the two Spanish verbs for "to be"
Ser
Yo soy
Tú eres
Él/Ella es
“Yo soy Davíd. Soy guapo.”
To Be
I am
You are
He/She is
- The verb ser is generally used to express a permanent state of being.*
- Examples:*
Yo soy Davíd. Soy guapo. - I am Davíd. I am good-looking.
Él es venezolano. - He is Venezuelan.
Estar
Yo estoy
Tú estás
Él/Ella está
“Yo estoy aburrida.”
To Be
I am
You are
He/She is
- The verb estar is generally used to express a temporary state of being.*
- Examples:*
Ella está en casa. - She is at home.
¡Qué guapo estás! - How handsome you look (are today)!
¡Ring ring! ¡Ring ring!
“Aló?”
“Hello?”
Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, how to answer the phone depends on the region. Here are some of the variations:
¿Hola? - Argentina
¿Oigo? - Cuba
¿Aló?/¿Sí? - South America
¿Bueno? - Mexico
¿Diga?/¿Dígame? - Spain
What does this mean?
“Hola, soy Antonio. ¿Está José?”
“Hi, this is Antonio. Is José there?”
Antonio uses ser (“…soy Antonio.”) to introduce himself over the phone since names are permanent. He uses estar (“¿Está José?”) when asking about José, since José´s whereabouts are temporary.
If you were José, how might you answer this question?
“Sí, un momento.”
“José, ¿estás?”
“¡Sí, estoy!”
“Yes, I am here!”
“Quien” means “who”. What are some possible answers to this question?
“¿Quién es?”
“Es Antonio.”
“It is Antonio.”
If José were talking directly to Antonio, the answer would be “Soy Antonio.” In this case, José asked the question, “Who is it?” to the girl who answered the phone.
¡Hola, Antonio! ¿Cómo estás?
¡Estoy bien!
You can replace “bien” with other adjectives such as “triste” or “feliz”. What other adjectives do you know in Spanish?
¿Ser o estar?
I am tire**d.
Estar
Estoy cansado.
¿Ser o estar?
I am a soccer player for Arsenal of Argentina.
Ser
Yo soy un jugador de fútbol para Arsenal de Argentina.
¿Ser o estar?
She is María. She is Inca.
Ser
Ella es María. Es inca.
¿Ser o estar?
Where are you?
Estar
¿Dónde estás?
Example:
Estoy en Brasil. - I am in Brazil
