Difference between "ser" and "estar" in Spanish
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The verbs "ser" and "estar" can be translated with "to be" in English. Below we explain how to use the two verbs.
In general it can be said that "ser" refers to "innate" characteristics, while "estar" is often used to talk about states or transitory properties. Beside of that, "estar" is also used to describe geographical positions.
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"Ser" refers to "innate" or permanent characteristics.
For name, identity, origin, profession and religion the verb "ser" is used.
You can use "ser" for unchangeable properties, such as character and appearance.
For impersonal expressions you can use the verb "ser" in Spanish.
The place a person or a thing is from can be described with "ser".
With "ser" you can also talk about the material something is made of.
Time can refer to days, dates, years and the time of the day.
You can use "ser" to express results.
You can form the passive voice with "ser" + participle.
"Estar" is often used to talk about states or transitory properties.
The location of someone or something describes where it is permanently or transitory.
Exception: The location of an event/party is described using "ser", not "estar". Example: La fiesta es en mi casa. - The party is in my house.
You can use "estar" to express a temporary mood or state of a person.
"Estar" is also used to describe temporary and often subjective properties of objects.
"Estar" is used in many fixed idiomatic expressions.
To form ongoing actions you need "estar" + participle.
There are some adjectives that can be used with both "ser" and "estar" to form sentences. The meaning depends of the verb. In the following table you can find some examples:
"ser" + adjective | translation | "estar"+ adjective | translation |
---|---|---|---|
ser inteligente | (to) be an intelligent person | estar inteligente | (to) be intelligent (special moment) |
ser abierto/a | (to) be open-minded | estar abierto/a | (to) be open (e.g. door, window) |
ser aburrido/a | (to) be boring | estar aburrido/a | (to) be bored |
ser enfermo/a | (to) be chronically ill | estar enfermo/a | (to) be temporarily ill |
ser bueno/a | (to) be good | estar bueno/a | (to) be attractive |
ser cansado/a | (to) be a tiring person | estar cansado/a | (to) be tired |
ser malo/a | (to) be bad | estar malo/a | (to) be ill |
ser rico/a | (to) be rich | estar rico/a | (to) be tasty |
ser viejo/a | (to) be old | estar viejo/a | (to) look old |
"Bien" and "mal" are only used in combination with "estar"! → "Está bien." - "It's okay."
In this lesson you learned how to use the verbs "ser" and "estar" correctly. Now test your knowledge in our free exercises.
Fill in the correct conjugation of "ser" or "estar".
1. Son las once de la mañana. - It's eleven o'clock.
2. Lima la capital de Perú. - Lima is the capital of Peru.
3. Valencia en la costa del mediterráneo. - Valencia is on the Mediterranean coast.
4. Marc camarero en un bar. - Marc is a waiter in a bar.
5. ¿Dónde el concierto? - Where is the concert?
6. La paella muy rica. - The Paella is very tasty.
7. Tú muy intelligente, hablas cinco idiomas. - You are very intelligent, you speak five languages.
8. ¿Laura y Julia nervioso por el examen? - Laura and Julia are you nervous about the exam?
9. ¿Dónde Maria? - Where is Maria?
10. Michael y yo alemanes. - Michael and I are Germans.
Fill in the correct forms of "ser" and "estar".
1. Es un vino estupendo. - It's a great wine.
2. Hola María, ¿cómo ? - Hello María, how are you?
3. buscando trabajo. - I'm looking for a job.
4. una secretaria. - I'm a secretary.
5. Aquí cerca una empresa donde buscan secretarias. - Here close is a company where they are looking for secretaries.
6. Normalmente Manuel muy serio, pero hoy muy divertido. - Normally Manuel is very serious, but today he's very funny.
7. No seguro. - I'm not sure.
8. La mesa de madera. - The table is made of wood.
9. La tienda abierta. - The store is open.
10. La clase en la Sala 200. - The class is in room 200.
Use the verb ser or estar - depending on what you want to express! Make use of the right tense.
1. Siempre Laura una persona abierta. (Laura has always been an open-minded person.)
2. La puerta abierta. - (The door is open.)
3. Lo que ha pasado en el accidente muy triste. (What happened in the accident is very sad.)
4. El lunes muy triste. (On Monday I was very sad.)
5. Todas mis compañeras enfermas. (All my friends are sick.)
6. Mi madre crónicamente enferma. - (My mum is cronically ill.)
7. Zorros muy inteligentes. (Foxes are very intelligent.)
8. En este momento mi hermana muy inteligente. (In that moment my sister was very intelligent.)
9. La comida hoy rica. (The food today is very tasty.)
10. El fútbolista muy rico. (The soccer player is very rich.)
Fill in the correct conjugation of "ser" or "estar".
1. Son las once de la mañana. - It's eleven o'clock.
2. Lima la capital de Perú. - Lima is the capital of Peru.
3. Valencia en la costa del mediterráneo. - Valencia is on the Mediterranean coast.
4. Marc camarero en un bar. - Marc is a waiter in a bar.
5. ¿Dónde el concierto? - Where is the concert?
6. La paella muy rica. - The Paella is very tasty.
7. Tú muy intelligente, hablas cinco idiomas. - You are very intelligent, you speak five languages.
8. ¿Laura y Julia nervioso por el examen? - Laura and Julia are you nervous about the exam?
9. ¿Dónde Maria? - Where is Maria?
10. Michael y yo alemanes. - Michael and I are Germans.
Fill in the correct forms of "ser" and "estar".
1. Es un vino estupendo. - It's a great wine.
2. Hola María, ¿cómo ? - Hello María, how are you?
3. buscando trabajo. - I'm looking for a job.
4. una secretaria. - I'm a secretary.
5. Aquí cerca una empresa donde buscan secretarias. - Here close is a company where they are looking for secretaries.
6. Normalmente Manuel muy serio, pero hoy muy divertido. - Normally Manuel is very serious, but today he's very funny.
7. No seguro. - I'm not sure.
8. La mesa de madera. - The table is made of wood.
9. La tienda abierta. - The store is open.
10. La clase en la Sala 200. - The class is in room 200.
Use the verb ser or estar - depending on what you want to express! Make use of the right tense.
1. Siempre Laura una persona abierta. (Laura has always been an open-minded person.)
2. La puerta abierta. - (The door is open.)
3. Lo que ha pasado en el accidente muy triste. (What happened in the accident is very sad.)
4. El lunes muy triste. (On Monday I was very sad.)
5. Todas mis compañeras enfermas. (All my friends are sick.)
6. Mi madre crónicamente enferma. - (My mum is cronically ill.)
7. Zorros muy inteligentes. (Foxes are very intelligent.)
8. En este momento mi hermana muy inteligente. (In that moment my sister was very intelligent.)
9. La comida hoy rica. (The food today is very tasty.)
10. El fútbolista muy rico. (The soccer player is very rich.)
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¡Hola! Привет! Hello!
Learn SPANISH, RUSSIAN or ENGLISH with me!
I'm Marina, a qualified and experienced foreign languages teacher.
My studies:
Teacher of foreign languages. Translator.
Teaching experience:
I've been working as a teacher for 8 years (teaching, online and offline tutoring).
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До скорого!
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Marina is a really nice teacher with almost ten years of experience. She's been teaching different languages (Russian, Spanish, English) to students having different needs, different ages and different levels. She does a great use of online learning tools and her learning materials are good.
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Marina N.Thank you very much Sara for the interview and your kind words! It's always a pleasure to work with a professional who cares!
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I have been teaching for a long time both for preparing official exams or for improving communication and writing skills.
I am also a translator, so I use this skill to understand better my students' needs.
I always try to adapt and design a personalised method to reach theirs aims. I normally use project-based activities that I design myself to make learners know the language at different levels and that they can be able to communicate easily.
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Mari is a very nice, open and communicative person to speak with. She does a great job at connecting with her students while also providing high quality classes. I can definitely recommend her!
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Celia has been a great tutor! She changes and shifts lessons to my specific needs and fosters a fun learning environment!
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• individual classes – personalized lessons; help with current school or university material; topics tailored to the needs, e.g. business or legal English
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• preparation for job interviews and self-presentations
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• Communicative approach: you learn through conversations, roleplays, discussions, without learning all the rules by heart.
• Immersion: all the classes and interaction are in English
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If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
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Yolanda C.Thank you, it is amazing to have a student as you! Thanks!!
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During your initial contact we will talk. You may ask me questions and share whatever you want about yourself, it will all be awesome and so much fun. I've traveled for many years in the Navy and always enjoyed meeting and engaging with the native folks. With dedicated fun, repetition, pronouncing words accurately, speaking phrases and understanding basic English grammar, you will be speaking English quickly and pleased with yourself too.
Together we definitely will develop our lessons tailored made for you. I am committed to you. I will ask you some questions which will guide me in producing the perfect lessons. We have many tools to choose from as we chat such as, articles with the subject of your choice, textbooks, my chalkboard and so much more, Plus Preply also has many great lesson suited for beginners to advanced levels at our disposal!
Watch my video, book a contact with me let me know all about your reasons for wanting to learn English. You will achieve your goals with me. Looking forward towards hearing from you, until then, warm regards. Carmine
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Carmine C.Henrik it is wonderful that you were very attentive, cordial and affable throughout the entire interview. I thank you for this kind and encouraging feedback. It was all a terrific experience. I also appreciate your positive recommendation. Be safe and I wish you success in all your endeavors. Warm regards, Carmine
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I've been teaching lessons on line since October 2019 using Zoom.
Students' participation is maximised in my language lessons, for sure they are student-centred; in other words, I ensure plenty of student talking time through the use of communicative activities and consistent pair checks, clarifying the target language to an appropriate depth and in a student-centred way.
Come and join my classes, you´ll never feel like regreting your decision!!!
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I will be glad to meet you in class
Thank you
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I am a TEFL + TEYL and Business English certified teacher; I also teach Italian, my mother tongue.
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Also, since I have been studying many languages, it helps me to understand how to teach correctly a language to a person who doesn't have it as native language.
For me, languages are much more than just a way to communicate with someone else. Also, I think that my passion in this field helps me to transmit to the students the desire to keep studying and learning amazing languages like these.
Contact me and let's have a trial lesson! It's free! :)
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Hello, Spanish learner! I am Isabel, your Spanish teacher.
I am a professional online Spanish teacher for 3 years. I am a native speaker from Colombia.
My lessons are completely in Spanish because I want you to speak as much as possible. During my lessons, we will focus on conversation and pronunciation. But a typical lesson also contains a vocabulary topic and a grammar topic.
I will focus on your needs and your mistakes to improve your Spanish as quickly as possible. In the first lesson, we will do a level test to check your current level (CEFR A1, A2, B1, B2, C1)
If you would like to improve your Spanish, learn more about the South American culture, gastronomy and traditions, I am your teacher! Or if you just want to talk in Spanish, about any subject you like, I would be happy to meet you online.
Send me a message and I will provide you a 30-minute free trial lesson!
See you online on Skype.
Your Spanish teacher, Isabel
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¡Hola! Привет! Hello!
Learn SPANISH, RUSSIAN or ENGLISH with me!
I'm Marina, a qualified and experienced foreign languages teacher.
My studies:
Teacher of foreign languages. Translator.
Teaching experience:
I've been working as a teacher for 8 years (teaching, online and offline tutoring).
¡Nos vemos!
Happy to be your teacher!
До скорого!
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Marina is a really nice teacher with almost ten years of experience. She's been teaching different languages (Russian, Spanish, English) to students having different needs, different ages and different levels. She does a great use of online learning tools and her learning materials are good.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Marina N.Thank you very much Sara for the interview and your kind words! It's always a pleasure to work with a professional who cares!
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I have been teaching for a long time both for preparing official exams or for improving communication and writing skills.
I am also a translator, so I use this skill to understand better my students' needs.
I always try to adapt and design a personalised method to reach theirs aims. I normally use project-based activities that I design myself to make learners know the language at different levels and that they can be able to communicate easily.
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Mari is a very nice, open and communicative person to speak with. She does a great job at connecting with her students while also providing high quality classes. I can definitely recommend her!
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Eva is a friendly native German teacher who will help you to achieve your goals. She knows that everyone learns in different ways so she will personalize her lessons for you.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hello! My name is Celia and I´m a Spanish tutor from Alcala de Henares, Madrid (Spain). I work as a professional musician and as a teacher. I´m an open minded person and I´m looking forward to teaching you Spanish! I like giving a different approach to my classes so that they are enjoyable and fun. Fall in love with my native language!
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Celia has been a great tutor! She changes and shifts lessons to my specific needs and fosters a fun learning environment!
Celia S.Thank you so much, Madeline! You’re a great student and I’m super happy you enjoy our lessons as I do too! And you’re doing such a great work!
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