Do you know when to use ser and estar in Spanish?

Many students have difficulty with the verb To be in Spanish. The reason for this is that in Spanish, “to be” can be expressed with two different verbs: “ser” and “estar”. So today we’re going to go through a few basic uses of “ser” and “estar” and the conjugation, after which you can practise with some interactive exercises.

The verb To be in Spanish: Ser and Estar.

Situations in which SER is used

1. Names

To introduce ourselves.

Soy Laura

I am Laura

2. Descriptions

To describe physical features and personal characteristics.

María es morena Cristina es simpática

María is dark-haired Cristina is friendly

3. Occupations

This can refer to a profession or a hobby. In other words, we use «ser» to indicate how someone makes a living or spends their free time.

Isabel es enfermera	Isabel is a nurse
Juan es policía	Juan is a police

4. Time

When referring to time, this includes days, dates, years and hours.

Hoy es 25 de febrero	Today it is the 25th of February
Son las 8 y media	it’s half past eight.

5. Origin

When stating where a person, animal or objects is from.

La pizza es italiana	The pizza is italian
Mario es portugués	Mario is Portuguese

6. Relationships

For relatives, friends, partners etc…

Victor es mi compañero de trabajo	Victor is my colleague
Lola es mi hermana	Lola is my sister

To resume…

The verb To be in Spanish: ser and estar

Situations in which ESTAR is used

1. Physical position or posture

Juan está sentado	Juan is sitting down
Yo estoy tumbada en la cama	I’m lying down on the sofa

2. Location (temporary, permanent or metaphorical)

¿Dónde estás? Estoy en el cine	Where are you? I’m in the cinema
La farmacia está al lado de mi casa	The pharmacy is next to my house
María está en la luna	María is miles away, she’s got her head in the clouds

EXCEPTION: The location of events and celebrations is always described using the verb ser

La fiesta es en mi casa	The party is at my house
La conferencia es en el quinto piso	The conference is on the fifth floor
El concierto es en la plaza principal	The concert is in the main square

3. Actions

To describe actions happening in the present, we use the structure «estar+gerund».

Estoy mirando la televisión	I am watching TV
Estamos hablando por teléfono	We are talking on the phone

4. Conditions

We use «estar» to describe physical or emotional conditions or states.

Estoy muy cansada hoy	I’m very tired today
Miguel está enfermo	Miguel is sick

5. Emotions

To describe how a person is feeling at a particular time.

María está muy feliz	María is very happy
Estoy un poco triste	I’m a little sad

To resume…

The verb To be in Spanish: ser and estar

Ser and estar: The conjugation

Ser and estar are irregular verbs. This means that they do not follow the nice, tidy conjugations you learned in the post: How to conjugate the present tense in Spanish (regular verbs) Therefore you must memorize their various forms.

The verb To be in Spanish: ser and estar

INTERACTIVE EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1

When to use ser and estar

EXERCISES – ESPAÑOL PLUS

Access now to 4 more exercises to practice SER and ESTAR

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