English has one verb for to be. Spanish has two, ser and estar, and choosing between them is one of the first real hurdles for beginners. The good news is that a short rule of thumb covers a large share of sentences, and the remaining cases fall into a handful of categories.
The rule of thumb
Use ser to say what something is: its identity, nature, or definition. Use estar to say how something is or where it is: its condition or position at a given moment. Compare Ella es nerviosa (she is a nervous person) with Ella está nerviosa (she feels nervous right now).
The present tense forms are soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son for ser, and estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están for estar. Learn them together, because mixing them up is a common slip.
A pair of sentences shows the contrast in a single word. Mi madre es joven says that your mother is a young person. Mi madre está joven is a remark about how she looks today. English uses one verb for both, so the difference has to be learned as a way of thinking about the sentence. Another pair: El café es frío describes a drink served cold, such as iced coffee, while El café está frío describes a hot coffee that has cooled down.
When to use ser
Ser covers the lasting or defining side of a sentence.
- Identity and profession: Mi hermana es doctora.
- Origin and nationality: Soy de Chile.
- Characteristics: El libro es largo. Mis amigos son simpáticos.
- Time and dates: Son las ocho y media. Hoy es lunes.
- Material and possession: La mesa es de madera. El coche es de Ana.
- The place of an event: La fiesta es en mi casa.
When to use estar
Estar covers position, condition, and results.
- Location of people and things: Madrid está en España. Mis llaves están en la mesa.
- Temporary states and feelings: Los niños están cansados. Hoy estoy contento.
- Actions in progress with the gerund: Estamos estudiando.
- Results of an action, with a past participle: La puerta está cerrada.
Adjectives that change meaning
Some adjectives take both verbs, and the meaning shifts. Ser aburrido means to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Ser listo means to be clever, and estar listo means to be ready. Ser rico means to be wealthy, but estar rico means to taste good. Ser malo means to be bad in nature, while estar malo means to be sick or, for food, to be spoiled. Ser verde means to be green, and estar verde means to be unripe.
Use these pairs as memory anchors. When you meet a new adjective, ask whether you are describing what it is like or how it is right now.
Two traps to watch
The first trap is events. People say that estar is for location, then write La fiesta está en mi casa. For events such as parties, meetings, and concerts, Spanish uses ser. The second trap is the idea that ser means permanent and estar means temporary. It helps early on, but it fails with sentences like Está muerto, where the state is permanent. Fall back on the question of definition versus condition instead.
A third trap is hay. To say that something exists, use hay: Hay un banco en la calle. To say where a known thing is, use estar: El banco está en la calle. Posture also takes estar: Estoy sentado, Está de pie.
Passives, fixed phrases, and a model dialogue
Ser plus a past participle forms the passive voice: La carta fue escrita por Ana. Estar plus a past participle describes the state that results: La carta está escrita. In everyday speech the passive appears less often than in English, so the result pattern with estar is the one you will use more.
Several fixed phrases are worth memorizing as units. With estar: estar de acuerdo (to agree), estar de vacaciones (to be on vacation), estar de moda (to be in fashion), and estar a punto de (to be about to). With ser: es tarde, es temprano, es verdad, and es necesario.
Read this short exchange and name the reason for each verb. ¿De dónde eres? Soy de Lima, pero ahora estoy en Madrid. ¿Cómo estás? Estoy bien, un poco cansado porque el viaje fue largo. Soy de marks origin, estoy en marks a current location, estoy bien marks a condition, and fue marks a finished event.
To practice, write ten sentences about your own life. Use ser for your profession, your nationality, a family member's personality, and the time. Use estar for where you are now, how you feel, and something you are doing. Then read each one aloud and ask the three questions that settle many cases: am I defining or describing a condition, is this about a place or an event, and is this a state or a defining trait?
Practice set
Fill each blank with the correct form of ser or estar.
- Mi hermana ___ doctora.
- La fiesta ___ en mi casa.
- Los niños ___ cansados.
- ___ las ocho y media.
- La sopa ___ rica. (It tastes good right now.)
Show the answers
- es. Profession calls for ser.
- es. The location of an event uses ser.
- están. Tiredness is a condition.
- Son. Time uses ser, and the plural form agrees with las ocho.
- está. Estar rico means tasting good right now. Es rica would describe a dish that is generally tasty, and with a person, ser rico means wealthy.