Two verbs for "to be"
English has one verb "to be". Spanish splits it into ser and estar. Both are irregular in the present.
| Person | ser | estar |
|---|---|---|
| yo | soy | estoy |
| tú | eres | estás |
| él / ella / usted | es | está |
| nosotros/-as | somos | estamos |
| vosotros/-as (Spain) | sois | estáis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | son | están |
When to use ser
Ser says what or who something is: identity and lasting characteristics.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| identity, name | Soy Pablo. — I am Pablo. |
| origin, nationality | Somos de Colombia. — We are from Colombia. |
| profession | Mi madre es enfermera. — My mother is a nurse. |
| characteristics | La casa es grande. — The house is big. |
| material, possession | La mesa es de madera. / El libro es de Ana. |
| time, dates, prices | Son las tres. / Hoy es lunes. / ¿Cuánto es? |
| where an event takes place | La fiesta es en mi casa. — The party is at my place. |
When to use estar
Estar says where something is or how it is right now: location, states and results of a change.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| location of people and things | Madrid está en el centro de España. |
| temporary states, feelings | Estoy cansado. / Ana está enferma. |
| result of a change | La tienda está cerrada. — The shop is closed. |
| how food tastes or looks now | La sopa está muy rica. — The soup tastes great. |
| with bien / mal | Estamos bien, gracias. |
| progressive | Estoy comiendo. — I am eating. |
Location uses estar even for permanent places: Madrid está en España (not es). Only events (a party, a concert, a meeting) use ser for where they happen.
Same adjective, different meaning
| With ser (characteristic) | With estar (state) |
|---|---|
| Es aburrido. — He is boring. | Está aburrido. — He is bored. |
| Es listo. — He is clever. | Está listo. — He is ready. |
| Es rico. — He is rich. | Está rico. — It tastes good. |
| Es malo. — He is bad (a bad person). | Está malo. — He is ill. / It has gone off. |
| Es guapa. — She is beautiful. | Está guapa. — She looks beautiful (today). |
Some states that feel permanent still take estar: estar muerto (to be dead), estar casado (to be married, ser casado is also possible).
Watch out as an English speaker
- One English verb, two Spanish verbs. Don't pick at random; ask "what/who is it?" (ser) or "where/how is it now?" (estar). ✗ Soy cansado. / ✓ Estoy cansado. ✗ El baño es a la derecha. / ✓ El baño está a la derecha.
- Age uses tener, not ser. ✗ Soy 20 años. / ✓ Tengo 20 años. The same with hunger, thirst, cold and heat: ✗ Estoy hambre. / ✓ Tengo hambre.
- Professions with ser. A job, even a temporary one, takes ser with no article; estar only works as estar de. ✗ Estoy camarero este verano. / ✓ Este verano soy camarero. (or estoy de camarero, trabajo de camarero)
- Bored vs boring. ✗ Soy aburrido (when you mean "I'm bored") / ✓ Estoy aburrido. Saying Soy aburrido tells people you are a boring person.
Example dialogue
¡Hola, Marta! ¿Cómo estás? — Hi, Marta! How are you?
Estoy un poco cansada. ¿Dónde estás tú? — I'm a bit tired. Where are you?
Estoy en el café. Es el café nuevo de la plaza. — I'm at the café. It's the new café on the square.
¡Qué bien! ¿La fiesta de Luis es hoy? — Great! Is Luis's party today?
Sí, es a las nueve en su casa. — Yes, it's at nine at his place.