Ser vs Estar

Ser vs Estar

1. Ser

   • Permanent characteristics
   • Origin, nationality, profession
   • Indicate possession (to whom an object belongs to)
   • When/where something takes place *this particular event will not happen somewhere else again*
   • Hint* When confused with when to use ser or estar, we can look for “de” in the sentence, and use ser *
   • Component (what something is made out of)

2. Estar

   • Location *temporary*
   • Feelings or Emotion *this is temporary,not permanent-it does not last forever, and it does not indicate that person you are describing have this feeling/emotion permanently*
   • Progressive *the form is usually estar + -ando (-ar ending verbs), or estar + -iendo (-er/-ir ending verbs) when using present participles*
   • Hint* When confused with when to use ser or estar, we can look for “en” in the sentence and use estar *

3. Some adjectives that changes meanings -Some adjectives change their meanings depending on whether they are used with ser or estar

   • Abierto - Estar: to be open, Ser: to be frank, communicative
     • Callado- Estar: to be quiet, Ser: to be naturally quiet
       • Viejo- Estar: to be getting old, Ser: to be old
         • Despierto- Estar: to be awake, Ser: to be bright, smart
           • Listo- Estar: to be ready, Ser: to be smart, clever
             • Loco- Estar: to be acting crazy, Ser: to be certifiably crazy
               • Nuevo- Estar: to be like new, Ser: to be brand new

4. Hint * we can see that when using estar, the adjectives indicate that it is mostly temporary, and ser is mostly permanent *