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May 31st, 2008 by Lyda
Using ’ser’ or ‘estar’
When someone starts learning a language, he or she always finds some specific aspects more difficult than others. When you’re learning Spanish, this is the case of ’ser’ and ‘estar’. In English we have one ‘to be’ verb but in Spanish we have to ways to say ‘to be’: ’ser’ and ‘estar’.
Today I want to give you some tips on how to use ’ser’ and ‘estar’:
1. If you want to express essential characteristics you need to use ‘ser‘:
I am intelligent. = Yo soy inteligente.
I am a woman. = Yo soy mujer.
Essential characteristics are expressed in Spanish using the verb ’ser’. Don’t get confused with tenses. In present, preterit, future, or any other tense if you want to express an essential characteristic, you have to use the verb ’ser’:
When I was a child I used to be thin. = Cuando yo era niña era delgada.
I have always been intelligent. = Yo siempre he sido inteligente.
You change the tense and the conjugation but you continue using the same verb: ’ser’.
2. If you want to express condition, you need to use ‘estar‘:
I am fine. = Yo estoy bien
I am sad. = Yo estoy triste.
I am happy. = Yo estoy feliz.
Once again don’t forget to use ‘estar’ if you are expressing condition. Change the tense, change the sentence but always choose ‘estar‘ if you want to talk about your own or someone’s condition:
I was sad on the weekend and I was happy yesterday. = Yo estuve triste el fin de semana y estuve feliz ayer.
In English you use one ‘to be’ verb but in Spanish you need to use two: ’ser’ and ‘estar’.
I have a paragraph here, using ’ser’ and ‘estar’. I’m using different tenses but still following the ‘rule’ about essential characteristics using ’ser’ and condition using ‘estar’.
Yo soy Lyda. Soy colombiana y soy bonita. Cuando era niña yo era rubia. Ahora soy una mujer adulta y no soy rubia. Cuando era pequeña siempre estaba feliz. Yo nunca estaba triste.
Ahora estoy feliz. Yo casi nunca estoy triste.
Esta semana yo no he estado triste. Toda la semana he estado bien.
¡Yo soy Lyda y estoy feliz!
I am Lyda. I am Colombian and I am pretty. When I was a child I was blond. Now I am an adult woman and I am not blond. When I was little I was always happy. I was never sad. Now I am happy. I am almost never sad.
This week I’ve not been sad. All week I’ve been fine.
I am Lyda and I am happy.
Check how in the previous paragraph we used two different verbs in Spanish: ’ser’ and ‘estar’ and in English we used just one: ‘to be’. Try to write a similar paragraph with your personal information paying attention to the uses of ’ser’ and ‘estar’.
It’s not easy. It’s difficult for beginners and advanced students. Paying attention to the ‘rules’ and practice will help you use them appropriately.
Next time we will talk about some more ‘tips’ on when to use ’ser’ and ‘estar’.
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