Rules for Using Ser and Estar

If you are not talking about your ”real profession” and want to refer to the temporary job you are currently doing, you can use estar with the preposition ”de”. Using estar + de, we emphasize that this is not a permanent situation. But don`t worry, in this article you will learn how to combine ser and estar and we will show you the most effective way to learn when to use ser or estar so that you know how to approach this Spanish grammar topic. And you know what they say ”la práctica hace al maestro” (”Practice makes perfect.”). Would you like to know more about ser and estar? Check out these articles! Exception! The location of an event or party is described with ser, not estar. Since the estar deals with temporary conditions, it remains a verb for more permanent situations. In general, this is used when it comes to ”more inherent” properties. It`s a sophisticated way of saying things that are unlikely to change. Contrary to our intuition, when describing planned events, we use this and not estar, even to describe the location. With this blog post, we want to help you learn how to use Ser and Estar once and for all.

It will be very easy for you, because as already mentioned, our own education system will help you. ¿Estás preparado/-a? – Are you ready? This category is probably one of the most difficult to wrap the head around, as the line between a feature (ser) and a state (estar, see below for more information) can seem a bit blurry. Depending on the verb you use, the meaning may also change. Ella está feliz means ”she is happy” for a while, but Ella es feliz could mean ”she is a happy person”. One way to think about it is that a trait is something you know about a person, even if you haven`t seen them in a while. Inanimate objects are also usually described with ser because they do not change much. And now I`m going to tell you more adjectives that work with the verb ser and adjectives that work with estar. As already mentioned, there are many exceptions when using ser or estar. These are temporary acts or conditions; It is assumed that you will not continue to speak, eat or write for the rest of your life, and so you should use estar and not ser. The use of ser would be wrong in this case. There are several cases in Spanish where an English word (or time) can be translated into Spanish in two different ways (Por and Para, The Imperfect and the Preterite, Ser and Estar) and the decision you make can affect the meaning of the sentence. Translating from Spanish to English is not a problem, as ser and estar become a form of ”being”.

Translating from English to Spanish, on the other hand, is much more difficult because a decision has to be made on which of the two verbs to use. They are already so close to reaching Spanish fluently and mastering all the applications of Ser and Estar. Congratulations on doing it so far! But there`s a little more to learn about these two difficult Spanish verbs. It`s time to put into practice what you`ve learned about Ser and Estar at level A2.1. Personal relationships, such as family ties, friendship and romantic relationships, are also discussed on the use of Ser. There are few things more confusing for beginners in Spain than learning the differences between ser and estar. After all, both mean ”to be” in German. You already know that we use the verb ser to describe things and people.

In levels A1.2 and A2.1, we focused more on the description of objects. Now, let`s show you some examples of how to describe people with the verb ser. Note that the estar is sometimes modified by an adverb such as good and not by an adjective: Estoy bien. (I`m fine.) An easy way to think of the verb estar is to use it to describe temporary conditions and places. States can be mental, emotional or physical states of humans, animals and objects. Places are simply where something or someone is. Hoy es 10 de mayo – Estamos a 10 de mayo. (Today is May 10.) We must use: estar (in the person nosotros (us)) + a + día (day). The verbs ser and estar are known to cause a bit of problems for Spanish learners. Not only are these two of the most common Spanish verbs out there, but they also don`t have similar equivalents in English. Both translate into the same verb: ”to be”.

Depending on the context, an English word can be translated in different ways. The verbs ”She`s tall.” and ”She`s tired.” are not the same. The verb ”to be” is also often associated with other verbs to describe something that has just happened or has been. You drive, he buys, they danced and so on. When describing actions like this, always use estar. Depending on the sentence, the form of the verb will be different, but it is a completely different box of verse. And as always, you can also practice what you just learned by opening the ser vs estar quiz below. At level B1, we have seen that there are adjectives that, depending on whether they are combined with ser or estar, have different meanings. Let`s remember some of them and learn a lot more: Wow, level B1.1 is really full of Ser vs Estar uses! In order not to forget them, practice with the following quiz questions. .