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Spanish 1 Lesson 8- Ser versus Estar

To be or to be, "ser" versus "estar"

As you very well know, there is only one "to be" in English. In Spanish, however, this concept is expressed by two very distinct verbs, ser and estar. Ser and estar are not interchangeable so it is important to know when to use one or the other. We will go over that a little later in this lesson; first lets review the conjugations of ser and estar:

Infinitivo: ESTAR- to be

Stem: est

yo estoy (I am) nosotros/as estamos (we are)

tú estás (you are) vosotros/as estáis (you are)

él/ella/Ud. está (he/she/you are) ellos/as/Uds. están (they/you are)

Infinitive: SER- to be

yo soy (I am) nosotros/as somos (we are)

tú eres (you are) vosotros/as sois (you are)

él/ella/Ud. es (he/she/you are) ellos/as/Uds. son (they/you are)

The following are some categories for each verb to help you distinguish.

SER is used with:

1. Time Example: Son las dos. (It's two o'clock)

2. Nationality Example: María es inglesa. (Maria is English)

3. Origin, material Example: La mesa es de madera. (The table is made of wood)

Example: Eduardo es de Madrid. (Eduardo is from Madrid)

4. Possession Example: La mesa es de María. (The table is Maria's)

5. Location of events Example: La fiesta es en casa de Paula. (The party is at Paula's house)

6. Permanent characteristics Example: Jose es alto. (Jose is tall)

Estar is used with:

1. Non-permanent characteristics Example: Hoy Victor está de buen humor. (Today, Victor's in a good mood)

2. Location (besides events) Example: El helado está en el congelador. (The ice-cream is in the freezer)

Permanent and non-permanent caracteristics:

Are you wondering what the heck we talking about? Let's delve further... Both ser and estar can be used with adjectives, however ser is used with inherent (or permanent) qualities and estar is used with temporary (or non-permanent) states. This is best shown through examples:

Ser + adjetivo

El cielo es azul. The sky is blue. (The sky is always blue)
El español es divertido. Spanish is fun. (Spanish is always fun)
Sara es alta. Sara is tall. (Sara is always tall)

Estar + adjetivo

La sopa está caliente. The soup is hot. (If you waited it would get cold)
Estoy cansado. I'm worn out. (If you rested you would feel better)
Jose está enfermo. Jose is sick (Maybe next week he will be cured)

It is sometimes possible that ser and estar can be used with the same adjectives, but they express different things, here are few examples:

Sara es guapa. Sara is pretty. (Sara is always pretty.)
Sara está muy guapa hoy. Sara is beautiful today. (Sara is usually ugly, but she is wearing something that makes her look beautiful)
¿Cómo está tu madre? How is your mother. (How is she doing at this moment.)
Mi madre está bien. My mother is doing well.
¿Cómo es tu madre? What is your mother like. (This question asks for characteristics, unlike the last question, the person asking does not know the mother)
Mi madre es alta y guapa. My mother is tall and beautiful.

Recognizing the difference between ser and estar takes some work, you should try looking over the examples and rules several times. With practice it becomes quite clear.

Lesson 1 Assignment

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 PREGUNTAS

Choose the correct form of estar for the following problems:

 1.  María y yo _________ en la biblioteca (library).

A estamos;
B estás
C está
D estoy
E estáis
F están

2. Jose, María,y el hijo de María _________contentos.
A estoy
B están
C está
B estoy
E estáis
F estás 3. Jerry Springer _________ loco.
A estoy
B estás
C están

D estamos
E estáis
F está

Choose the correct form of ser for the following problems:

4. Nosotros _________ bajos.
A soy
B eres
C es
D somos
E sois
F son

5. Los elefantes _________ grises.
A son
B eres
C es
D somos
E sois
F soy

6. _________ la una y media.
A soy
B eres
C es
D somos
E sois
F son

7. Diana y yo _________ inteligentes.
A soy
B somos
C es
D eres &
E sois
F son

¿Ser o estar? Choose the correct form of ser or estar in the following sentences:

8. ¿Qué hora _______?
A es
B son
C está
D están
E somos
F estáis

9. El libro _______ de Jose.
A son
B están
C está
D es
E somos
F estáis

10. Los hijos _______ en la cama (bed)
A son
B es
; C está
; D están
E somos
F estáis

11. Sara y Isabel_______ alemanas.
A somos
B es
C está
D están
E son
F estáis

12. El anillo _______ de plata. (The ring is silver)
A son
B están
C está
D es
E somos
F estáis

13. Este año los Olímpicos no _______ en California.
(This year the Olympics are not in California)
A somos
B es
C está
D están
E son
F estáis

14. La sopa _______ frío (cold).
A está
B es
C son
D están
E somos
F estáis

15. Jorge _______ inteligente.
A son
B estáis
C está
D están
E somos
F es

16. San Francisco _______ en (in) California.
A son
B es
C están
D está
E somos

F estáis

17. Ana y Cara _______ de(from) Ecuador.
A somos
B es
C está
D están
E son
F estáis

18. _______ la una y media.
A es
B son
C está
D están
E somos
F estáis

19. Jose tiene el gripe (Jose has the flu). Jose _______ enfermo.
A son
B está
C es
D están
E somos
F estáis

20. ¿Cómo se dice "tall" en español?

A largo
B tamaño
C corto
D grande
E bajo
F alto

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