Spanish Verbs 'to be'?

Question

What is the difference between ser and estar both meaning to be?

Answer 1

ser is something u cant change like soy mexicana i am mexican estar is something you can feel like estoy cansada im tired...

Answer 2

There are few things more confusing for beginning Spanish students, at least those who have English as their first language, than learning the differences between ser and estar. After all, they both mean "to be" in English.

And since both verbs are frequently used, they are as irregular as can be. Who would think that fue would be the third-person preterite of ser? (On the other hand, you've got to have sympathy with those learning English. Who would think "am," "is," "was," and "are" are all forms of "to be"?)

In this lesson, we'll concern ourselves only with the present tense. After all, by the time you're learning other tenses you'll have the two verbs mastered. They really aren't that difficult.

What you need to do is remember when learning a foreign language is that we don't translate words from one language to another, we translate meanings. And many of our English verbs, "to be" among them, have a multitude of meanings.

When I think of the differences between ser and estar, I like to think of ser as the passive verb and estar as the active one. (I'm not using the terms in a grammatical sense here.) Ser tells you what something is, the nature of its being, while estar refers more to what something does. I might use soy (the first-person present of ser) to tell you what I am, but I'd use estoy (the first-person present of estar) to tell you what I am being.

Now that's probably as clear as a politician's equivocation, but let me give you a few examples. I might say, "Estoy enfermo." That would tell you that I am being sick, that I am sick at the moment. But it doesn't tell you what I am. Now if I were to say, "Soy enfermo," that would have a different meaning entirely. That would refer to who I am, to the nature of my being. We might translate that as "I am a sick person" or "I am sickly."

Note similar differences in these examples:

* Estoy cansado, I am tired. Soy cansado, I am a tired person.

* Estoy feliz, I'm happy now. Soy feliz, I am happy by nature.

* Está callada, she's being quiet. Es callada, she's introverted.

* No soy listo, I'm not a quick thinker. Estoy listo, I'm ready.

One way of thinking about it is to think of ser as being roughly equivalent to "equals." Another way of thinking about it is that estar often refers to a temporary condition, while ser frequently refers to a permanent condition. But there are some exceptions.

Among the major exceptions to the above way of thinking is that ser is used in expressions of time, such as "Son las dos de la tarde" for "It's 2 p.m." Also, we use estar to indicate someone has died — quite a permanent condition: Está muerto, he is dead.

Along that line, estar is used to indicate location. Estoy en casa, I am at home. But, soy de México, I am from Mexico.

There are also a few idiomatic expressions that simply need to be learned, although that comes naturally with time: La manzana es verde, the apple is green. La manzana está verde, the apple is unripe. Está muy bien la comida, the meal tastes very good.

Note that sometimes estar is modified by an adverb such as bien rather than being followed by an adjective. Estoy bien, I'm fine.

As I mentioned earlier, both ser and estar are irregularly conjugated. Here's a chart of the present tense:

Pronombre Ser Estar

Yo soy estoy

Tú eres estás

Él, ella, usted es está

Nosotros somos estamos

Ellos, ellas, ustedes son están

Whole books have been written about the two important Spanish verbs: ser and estar. This will be the subject of our discussion for the next few lessons. Soon, you will have a very good understanding of how these two verbs are used.

Ser and estar can both be translated as "to be." Here is the English verb, fully conjugated:

to be

I am

you are

he/she is

we are

you-all are

they are

Notice that these two sentences can have different meanings in English.

The apple is green.

(Meaning the apple is not ripe.)

The apple is green.

(Meaning the color of the apple is green.)

In the first case, our example speaks of the condition of the apple. The apple is green because it has not yet ripened. When the condition of the apple changes, that is, when it has ripened, it will no longer be green, it will be ripe.

In the second case, our example speaks of the essential characteristics of the apple. The apple is green in color. This particular apple remains green even after it has ripened.

In English, the verb "to be" can be used to tell how something is (the condition) and what something is (the essence).

How is the apple?

It is unripe.

What color is the apple?

It is green.

In Spanish, a different verb is used to express "to be" depending on whether the speaker intends to address a condition or an essential quality.

La manzana está verde.

The apple is green. (condition)

La manzana es verde.

The apple is green. (essence)

Note how the adjective "verde" actually changes meaning, depending upon whether it is used with ser or estar.

La manzana está verde.

(condition: verde = unripe)

La manzana es verde.

(essential characteristic: verde = color green)

Answer 3

Use estar for conditions, locations and as the helping verb.

Everything else is ser.

Note: When talking about where an event takes place, use ser.

Answer 4

One is definite the other is indefinite.

Answer 5

ser is used for  

nationality, physical personality (like height, hair color) occupation amd time

estar is used for

location, changeable features(sick, tired, sad, happy) and for progressive verbs

Answer 6

Easy explanation

ser: is for when you as a person are something

for example:

i am cute - yo soy linda

i am smart - yo soy inteligente

estar: is when you are in a certain place, or feeling something

for example:

i am at my house . yo estoy en mi casa

i am sad - yo estoy triste

ENGLISH IS SO MUCH SIMPLER!

haha good luck and i hope i helped :)

Answer 7

Bob gave you a wonderfully complete answer...all the rules, all the exceptions, lots of examples...I only scanned it, but it looks REALLY complete!

Katie simplified it really nicely!