Ser or estar: the core contrast

Two verbs for "to be"

English has one verb to be; Spanish has two. You have met both separately (Ser: soy, eres, es…, Estar: how you are and where things are). This lesson puts them side by side.

The short rule: ser says what something is; estar says how it is or where it is.

Ser: identity and description

Use ser for: - who someone is, their job and nationality; - where someone is from (ser de); - what a person or thing is like (looks, personality, size, colour); - the time and the date; - where an event takes place (a party, a concert, a meeting).

• Mi hermano es alto y moreno.My brother is tall and dark-haired.
• Somos de Valencia.We're from Valencia.
• Son las diez.It's ten o'clock.
• El concierto es en el parque.The concert is in the park.

Estar: states and location

Use estar for: - where a person or thing is (location); - how someone feels or is at the moment (tired, ill, happy, bored); - the condition of something (cold soup, a dirty room, an open window).

• Hoy mi hermano está cansado.Today my brother is tired.
• El museo está en el centro.The museum is in the centre.
• La sopa está fría.The soup is cold.
• ¿Estáis bien?Are you all OK?

Both in one sentence

• Soy profesora y estoy en el colegio.I'm a teacher and I'm at the school.
• Mi casa es grande, pero está muy sucia.My house is big, but it's very dirty.

Same adjective, different meaning

Some adjectives change meaning with the verb:

• Paco es aburrido.Paco is boring.
• Paco está aburrido.Paco is bored.

There are more of these (listo, malo, rico); see Adjectives that change meaning with ser and estar. Estar is also the verb in "I am doing" sentences (Estar + gerund: what is happening now).

"Permanent vs temporary" is a useful first guess, but it is not the real rule. Location always takes estar, even for things that never move (Madrid está en España), and the time takes ser even though it changes every minute.

Latin America

The contrast is the same everywhere. For the plural "you", Latin America uses ustedes son, ustedes están instead of vosotros sois, vosotros estáis.

Common mistakes

• Estoy profesor → Soy profesor. A job is what you are: ser.
• Madrid es en España → Madrid está en España. Where a place or thing is: estar.
• Soy cansado → Estoy cansado. A state or feeling: estar.
• Estoy de Londres → Soy de Londres. Origin: ser de.
• La fiesta está en mi casa → La fiesta es en mi casa. Where an event takes place: ser.