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Ser vs. estar

Overview

Countless articles and even books have been written that describe the uses of the verbs ser and estar. These verbs have a number of clearly defined uses as well as innumerable nuances that distinguish one from the other. Although they both mean "to be," one cannot substitute one for the other without creating confusion or at least altering the meaning of the sentence. The paragraphs that follow review some of the verbal uses described elsewhere, such as the passive and the progressive, but the focus in this section will be on the distinctive views that surround notions of "being" (ser) as opposed to "status" (estar).

Ser

Forms of ser

Click on ser to see the irregular forms of the verb.

Summary of uses

Most of the uses of the verb ser derive from the essential sense of being that the verb expresses. That sense of being identifies persons and things in terms of nationality, origin, material, religion, profession, and other inherent characteristics. One also uses ser to tell time and to form most impersonal expressions. Finally, it is used to form the passive voice.

  • Nacionality
    • Es francés. (He is French.)
    • Somos suecos. (We are Swedish.)
  • Origin or destination
    • Soy de Cuba. (I am from Cuba.)
    • Esto es para ellas. (This is for them.)
  • Material
    • El reloj es de oro. [The watch is (made of) gold.]
    • La mesa es de madera. [The table is (made of) wood.]
  • Religion
    • Son protestantes. (They are Protestants.)
    • Ellos no son judíos. (They are not Jews.)
  • Profession
    • Soy abogado. (I am a lawyer.)
    • No es un juez muy justo.* (He is not a very fair judge.)

      *Use the indefinite article with a profession after a form of the verb ser only when the profession is qualified, such as with an adjective.
  • Other inherent characteristics
    • Somos estudiantes. (We are students.)
    • Somos jóvenes y afortunados. (We are young and fortunate.)
  • Time
    • Es la una y media. (It is one-thirty.)
    • Son las tres de la madrugada. (It is three o'clock in the morning.)
    • Es lunes.* (It is Monday.)

      *See the page on the definite article for a fuller treatment of when to use the article with ser in time expressions.
  • Impersonal expressions
    • Es importante cuidarse. (It is important to take care of oneself.)
    • Es verdad lo que dices. (What you say is true.)
  • Passive voice*
    • La casa fue construida el año pasado. (The house was built last year.)
    • Los libros fueron vendidos ayer. (The books wer sold yesterday.)

      *Click on the link for a fuller description of the uses of the passive voice.

Estar

Forms of estar

Click on estar to see the irregular forms of the verb.


Summary of uses

Although the functions of ser and estar sometimes appear to overlap, one verb is always more correct or powerful than the other to express the speaker's intent. Again, where ser almost always stresses the essential being of persons and things, estar focuses on the condition or state of persons and things. More specifically, this verb is almost always used with locations, physical or emotional conditions, with obviously subjective characterizations, with the present participle to form the progressive tense, and with the past participle to express a resultant state. It is helpful sometimes to remember that the past participle of estar is estado, which means "state" or "condition."

  • Location
    • ¿Dónde está el mercado? (Where is the market?)
    • Bilbao está en España. (Bilbao is in Spain.)

  • Physical or emotional conditions
    • El café está frío. (The coffee is cold.)
    • ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
    • La princesa está triste. (The Princess is feeling blue.)

  • Subjective characterizations
    • Oye, estás muy guapo hoy. (Hey, you're really looking good today.)
    • Está bonito hoy, ¿no? (It's nice out today, don't you think?)

  • With the present participle
    • No me molestes, estoy leyendo el periódico. (Don't bother me, I'm reading the newspaper.)
    • Están traficando en drogas. (They're dealing in drugs.)

     

  • With the past participle
    • La bicicleta está rota. (The bicycle is broken.)
    • La tarea ya está hecha. (The work is done already.)

Altered meanings depending on choice of ser or estar

The following table shows a selected list of adjectives. Each of the adjectives can be used in conjunction with either ser or estar, but with the choice of either verb comes a noticeably different meaning. In most cases the essential being/state dichotomy should be readily apparent.

Adjective

aburrido/a
With ser: to be boring
With estar: to be bored

bueno/a

With ser: to be good
With estar: to be in good condition

bonito/a

With ser: to be beautiful
With estar: to be looking good

asado/a

With ser: to be a married person
With estar: to be married

enfermo/a

With ser: to be sickly
With estar: to be ill

listo/a

With ser: to be clever
With estar: to be ready

guapo/a

With ser: to be handsome
With estar: to be looking good

malo/a

With ser: to be bad
With estar: to be in poor condition

muerto/a

With ser: to be killed
With estar: to be dead

verde

With ser: to be green
With estar: to be unripe

vivo/a

With ser: to be lively
With estar: to be alive

 

Related topics:

Ser, irregular verb
Estar, irregular verb
Verbs

 

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