Ser & Estar (To Be) in Spanish

Mastering ser and estar is one of the biggest challenges for Spanish learners. Both verbs mean “to be”, but they are used in completely different ways.

There are two equivalents of the verb “to be” in Spanish: Ser and Estar. They are used to indicate the fallowing in Spanish:

Ser in the present simple tense

pronoun	verb	translation
yo	soy	I am
tú	eres	you are
él, ella – usted	es	he, she, it is – you are (formal)
nosotros	somos	we are
vosotros	sois	you are (plural)
ellos, ellas – ustedes	son	they are – you are (formal plural)

Examples

Yo soy americano	I am American
Tú eres mi amigo	You are my friend
El es ingles	He is English
Nosotros somos estudiantes	We are students
Vosotros sois de California	You are (plural) from California
Ellos son delgados	They are thin

Estar in the present simple tense

pronoun	verb	translation
yo	estoy	I am
tú	estás	you are
él, ella – usted	está	he, she, it is – you are (formal)
nosotros	estamos	we are
vosotros	estáis	you are (plural)
ellos, ellas – ustedes	están	they are – you are (formal plural)

Examples

Yo estoy cansada	I am tired
Tú estás listo	You are ready
Ella está cerca	She is near
Nosotros estamos aquí	We are here
Vosotros estáis enfermos	You are (plural) sick
Ellos están hablando	They are speaking

1. When to Use SER (Permanent Traits)

SER is used for permanent, inherent, or defining characteristics. Remember the acronym DOCTOR:

D – Description

• Él es alto. (He is tall.)
• Somos estudiantes. (We are students.)

O – Occupation

• Ella es doctora. (She is a doctor.)
• ¿Eres profesor? (Are you a teacher?)

C – Characteristics

• El libro es interesante. (The book is interesting.)
• Ellos son amables. (They are kind.)

T – Time & Dates

• Hoy es lunes. (Today is Monday.)
• Son las tres. (It’s three o’clock.)

O – Origin

• Soy de México. (I am from Mexico.)
• El vino es de España. (The wine is from Spain.)

R – Relationships

• Ella es mi madre. (She is my mother.)
• Ellos son amigos. (They are friends.)

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2. When to Use ESTAR (Temporary States)

ESTAR is for temporary conditions, locations, and emotions. Remember PLACE:

P – Position

• El libro está en la mesa. (The book is on the table.)
• Estoy sentado. (I am seated.)

L – Location

• Madrid está en España. (Madrid is in Spain.)
• ¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?)

A – Action (Progressive Tenses)

• Estoy comiendo. (I am eating.)
• Estábamos hablando. (We were talking.)

C – Condition

• Estoy cansado. (I am tired.)
• La ventana está rota. (The window is broken.)

E – Emotion

• Estoy feliz. (I am happy.)
• Ella está enojada. (She is angry.)

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3. Key Differences (With Examples)

SER (Permanent)	ESTAR (Temporary)
Soy mexicano. (I am Mexican.)	Estoy en México. (I am in Mexico.)
Es tarde. (It is late.)	Está lloviendo. (It is raining.)
La manzana es verde. (The apple is green.)	La manzana está podrida. (The apple is rotten.)

⚠️ Warning! Some adjectives change meaning with ser vs estar:

• Ser aburrido = To be boring (trait)
• Estar aburrido = To be bored (feeling)

Try the Ser Vs. Estar Quiz: