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So far we have learned two ways to express the
concept of “to be”: |
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ser |
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estar |
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In this slide show, we’ll look more closely at
the differences between these two verbs. |
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Let’s start with ser, the first verb we
learned. This verb is used to talk
about essential things (essential ≈ es). |
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Think of the acronym T.O.P.I.C. |
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The first letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands for “time.” When we talk about time in Spanish, we
always use ser: |
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¿Qué hora es? |
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Son las 3:30. |
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Hoy es lunes. |
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The second letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands for
“origin.” We use ser to talk about
where people are from: |
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Soy de Chicago. |
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Marta es venezolana. |
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We can also use ser to talk about people’s jobs: |
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Mi hermano es ingeniero. |
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Ellas son profesoras. |
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The fourth letter of T.O.P.I.C. refers to “identification.” This can be used to name people: |
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Ella es mi prima. |
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places: |
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Springfield es la capital de Illinois. |
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things: |
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¿Qué tipo de animal es? |
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Es un león. |
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and events (“takes place”) |
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La fiesta es en la casa de Alicia. |
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You also use ser to identify possession (i.e., who
owns what): |
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Es mi diccionario. |
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Esta no es mi calculadora. |
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The fifth and final letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands
for permanent “characteristics”: |
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El perro es inteligente. |
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El perro es blanco y marrón. |
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El perro es simpático. |
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This use also includes descriptions of people,
places, and things: |
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Marcos y Flora son fuertes. |
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Chicago es una ciudad grande. |
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La clase de español es divertida. |
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To review, the main uses of ser include: |
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Time |
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Origin |
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Professions |
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Identification |
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Characteristics |
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There are other uses, too, but this acronym
covers the most important cases! |
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Now we can look at estar. This verb is used to talk about states (estar ≈ state). |
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Think of the acronym P.L.A.C.E. |
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The first letter of the acronym P.L.A.C.E. stands
for “position.” We use estar when
we talk about where something is located, whether it is there temporarily… |
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David está en el desierto. |
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Juana no está en clase hoy. |
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Mi abuelo está en casa. |
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… or permanently located there (the second
letter of P.L.A.C.E.): |
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Chicago está en Illinois. |
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La iglesia está en la Avenida Foster. |
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Madrid está en España. |
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The third letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “action.” We use estar when we are talking about
actions that are occurring at the moment of speaking (sometimes referred to
as the “present continuous” or “present progressive”): |
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Laura está esquiando. |
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Humbero está leyendo la Biblia. |
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Estamos mirando una película. |
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The fourth letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “condition.” We use estar to talk about temporary
states (for example, health): |
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Enrique está enfermo. |
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Mis padres están cansados. |
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¿Cómo estás? |
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The last letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “emotion.” We use estar to talk about feelings and
emotions. |
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Alicia está enfadada. |
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Lorenzo y María están contentos. |
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Estoy nervioso porque tengo un examen de
literatura. |
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To review, the main uses of estar include: |
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Position |
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Location |
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Action |
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Condition |
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Emotion |
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There are other uses, too, but this acronym
covers the most important cases! |
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Choose the correct form according to the
context. |
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¿Cómo es/está tu hermano? |
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Es/Está enfermo. Hoy es/está en el hospital para
una prueba de sangre (blood test). |
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¿Cómo está tu hermano? |
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Está enfermo. Hoy está en el hospital para una
prueba de sangre (blood test). |
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Why? |
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Condition/condition/location |
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¿De quién (whose) es/está el disco compacto? |
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¿Cuál? (which one) |
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El disco compacto que es/está en el escritorio. Es/Está
negro. |
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Creo que es/está de Julio. |
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¿De quién es el disco compacto? |
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¿Cuál? |
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El disco compacto que está en el escritorio. Es negro. |
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Creo que es de Julio. |
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Why? |
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identification/position/ |
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characteristic/identification |
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¿Dónde es/está Ana? |
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Es/está en el parque. Es/Está con Nuria. |
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¿Qué son/están haciendo allí? |
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Son/están jugando al tenis. |
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¿Dónde está Ana? |
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Está en el parque. Está con Nuria. |
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¿Qué están haciendo allí? |
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Están jugando al tenis. |
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Why? |
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Location/location/location/ |
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action/action |
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That’s enough for now about ser and estar. Be vigilant of these two verbs; try to
guess which letter of the two acronyms is most applicable in every case. |
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Thanks to Lisa Jones (FLTEACH listserve member)
for the acronyms! |
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Notes