English often uses to be where Spanish chooses between ser and estar. The choice depends on what you want to say. We will look at descriptions, states, places and actions, then practise the conjugations.
A useful starting point
Ser often identifies or describes someone or something. Estar often presents a state, a situation or a location.
The shortcut “ser = permanent, estar = temporary” does not explain every example. Soy estudiante uses ser even though studies can end. Madrid está en España uses estar although its location is stable.
Ser: who or what something is
| Use | Examples |
|---|---|
| Description | Claudia es rubia. Pepe es delgado. Fran es inteligente. |
| Profession | Luis es bombero. Susana es médica. |
| Relationship | Mónica es la madre de Carla. Pilar y Eric son novios. |
| Origin | Marián es de España. |
| Date or season | Hoy es martes, 30 de abril. ¡Ya es verano! |
| Time or amount | Son las tres de la tarde. Son dos euros, por favor. |
These are ways to identify, classify or describe something. A description with ser does not promise that the characteristic can never change.
Estar: states and situations
| Use | Examples |
|---|---|
| Temperature | La sopa está caliente. El agua está fría. |
| Physical state | Susana está enferma. Ricardo está cansado. |
| Appearance in a particular situation | ¡Qué guapa estás! ¡Qué alta estás, María! |
With ¡Qué alta estás, María!, the speaker notices how tall María looks compared with before. It is a comment on a perceived change, rather than simply a general description of her height.
Estar: where people and things are
Paula está en casa.
Carlos está en el trabajo.
Los libros están encima de la mesa.
Max está en el sofá.
For the place where an event takes place, use ser: La clase es en la biblioteca. Compare that with La profesora está en la biblioteca, which locates a person.
Estar + gerund: an action in progress
Marga está cocinando. — Marga is cooking.
Borja está fregando. — Borja is washing the dishes.
Use a form of estar followed by a gerund such as cocinando or fregando to present the action as in progress.
The same adjective, a different perspective
La chica nueva es muy guapa. — A general description.
Me encanta tu falda. ¡Qué guapa estás! — An impression of how she looks in that situation.
—¡Muchas gracias!
Some adjectives also change meaning. Es listo can mean “he is clever”; está listo can mean “he is ready”. Learn these combinations in context.
Present-tense conjugation
| Pronoun | Ser | Estar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | estoy |
| tú | eres | estás |
| él / ella / usted | es | está |
| nosotros / nosotras | somos | estamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | sois | estáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | son | están |
Remember that usted uses the same verb form as él/ella, and ustedes uses the same form as ellos/ellas.
Past and future: keep these for reference
These are the simple past and future forms from the original lesson. Open a table when you need it; you do not have to memorise all the forms at once.
Simple past · pretérito perfecto simple
| Pronoun | Ser | Estar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | fui | estuve |
| tú | fuiste | estuviste |
| él / ella / usted | fue | estuvo |
| nosotros / nosotras | fuimos | estuvimos |
| vosotros / vosotras | fuisteis | estuvisteis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | fueron | estuvieron |
Simple future · futuro simple
| Pronoun | Ser | Estar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | seré | estaré |
| tú | serás | estarás |
| él / ella / usted | será | estará |
| nosotros / nosotras | seremos | estaremos |
| vosotros / vosotras | seréis | estaréis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | serán | estarán |
Listen and repeat
The word estar
The word ser
Conjugation of estar
Conjugation of ser
Try it yourself
Choose the present-tense form of ser or estar that fits the meaning.
1. Luis ___ bombero.
2. La sopa ___ caliente.
3. Los libros ___ encima de la mesa.
4. Marga ___ cocinando.
5. La clase ___ en la biblioteca.
6. Nosotros ___ en casa.
7. ___ las tres de la tarde.
8. Fran ___ inteligente.
Check the answers
1. es — profession.
2. está — temperature.
3. están — location of things.
4. está — action in progress.
5. es — location of an event.
6. estamos — location of people.
7. Son — time.
8. es — general description.
Downloads
Continue with the original vocabulary sheet and activities. Open the solutions when you are ready to check your work.
Questions about the project or future classes? Get in touch →
Grammar references
RAE–ASALE: ser and its conjugation
RAE–ASALE: estar and its conjugation
Instituto Cervantes: beyond the permanent/temporary shortcut
Instituto Cervantes: locating people, things and events
