Ser and Estar
A0–A2Ser, estar, hay, gustar 6 min
Ser and estar both mean “be”: ser for what someone or something is, estar for place and state. The place of a person or a thing takes estar, and what something is takes ser: Ana es de Madrid. Ana está en Madrid.
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No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA0–A2
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| First phrases | ser in the first phrases: soy / eres / es / son | Soy Ana. / ¿Eres Pablo? / Son las dos. | I'm Ana. / Are you Pablo? / It's two o'clock. |
| First phrases | vosotros: sois | ¿Vosotros sois hermanos? | Are you brothers? |
| A1Form | ser: soy / eres / es / somos / son | Soy de México. | I'm from Mexico. |
| A1Form | estar: estoy / estás / está / estamos / están | Estoy en casa. | I'm at home. |
| A1Form | vosotros: sois / estáis | ¿Sois hermanos? | Are you brothers? |
| A1Identity | ser: name, job, nationality, origin | Mi madre es médica. | My mother is a doctor. |
| A1Description | ser: what someone or something is like | La casa es grande. | The house is big. |
| A1Time and date | ser: the hour, the day, the date | Son las tres. | It's three o'clock. |
| A1Place | estar: where someone or something is | El banco está en la plaza. | The bank is in the square. |
| A1State | estar: how someone feels or how something is now | Estoy cansada. | I'm tired. |
| A2Result | estar + past participle: the result of a change | La tienda está cerrada. | The shop is closed. |
| A1Material | ser + de: what it is made of | La mesa es de madera. | The table is made of wood. |
| A2Owner | ser + de: whose it is | El libro es de Luis. | The book is Luis's. |
| A1Trap | a place that never moves still takes estar | Madrid está en España. | Madrid is in Spain. |
OverviewA0–A2
- The first phrases use four forms of ser: soy / eres / es / son. Soy Ana. / ¿Eres Pablo? / Son las dos. — I'm Ana. / Are you Pablo? / It's two o'clock.
- Spain: With vosotros, ser is sois. ¿Vosotros sois hermanos? — Are you brothers?
- A1ser names what someone or something is: who, what, where from, what like.
- A1estar names where someone or something is, and how it is now.
- A1For something that exists somewhere, see Hay and Está.
- A2With an adjective, ser says what something is like and estar how it is now: Ser or Estar with Adjectives.
Form: the presentA1–A2
| Person | 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 |
- The forms estás / está / están carry a written accent on the last syllable.
- The subject pronoun usually drops: the verb form names the person. Somos amigos. — We're friends.
- Latin America: ustedes is the plural of both tú and usted: ¿Ustedes están cansados? — Are you tired?
- Spain: vosotros is the informal plural, and ustedes the formal one: ¿Estáis cansados? — Are you tired?
- A2Latin America: In Argentina and Uruguay, vos takes the place of tú: vos sos, vos estás.
Use: serA1–A2
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Soy Ana. | I'm Ana. |
| Job | Mi madre es médica. | My mother is a doctor. |
| Nationality and origin | Es mexicana. / Somos de Colombia. | She's Mexican. / We're from Colombia. |
| What someone or something is like | La casa es grande. / Mis hermanos son altos. | The house is big. / My brothers are tall. |
| The hour, the day and the date | Son las tres. / Hoy es martes. | It's three o'clock. / Today is Tuesday. |
| Material | La mesa es de madera. | The table is made of wood. |
| A2Owner | El libro es de Luis. | The book is Luis's. |
- The hour takes es for one o'clock and son from two on: Es la una. / Son las dos. — It's one o'clock. / It's two o'clock.
Use: estarA1–A2
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Where someone or something is | El banco está en la plaza. / Estamos en casa. | The bank is in the square. / We're at home. |
| A state now | Estoy cansada. | I'm tired. |
| A2Feelings | Los niños están contentos. | The children are happy. |
| How someone is | ¿Cómo estás? — Estoy bien, gracias. | How are you? — I'm fine, thanks. |
| A2The result of a change | La tienda está cerrada. | The shop is closed. |
| A2An activity for a while | Estamos de vacaciones. | We're on holiday. |
- The place of a person or a thing takes estar, even when it never changes: Madrid está en España. — Madrid is in Spain.
Typical errorsA1–A2
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Soy en casa. | Estoy en casa. | place takes estar |
| Madrid es en España. | Madrid está en España. | a city's place takes estar too |
| Estoy profesora. | Soy profesora. | a job takes ser |
| Es las tres. | Son las tres. | the hour from two on takes son |
| A2La tienda es cerrada. | La tienda está cerrada. | the result of a change takes estar |
| Soy veinte años. | Tengo veinte años. | age takes tener: tengo veinte años, not soy |