Both verbs in the present tense
Spanish verbs change their ending for each person (I, you, she, we…). This is called conjugation. Ser and estar are both irregular: their forms do not follow the usual pattern, so they are learned by heart. Because the ending shows who is meant, the word for “I” or “she” is usually left out: soy alone means “I am”.
| Person | ser | estar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yoI | soysoy | estoyes-TOY | |
| túyou (friend) | eresEH-res | estáses-TAHS | |
| él, ella, ustedhe, she, you (polite) | eses | estáes-TAH | |
| nosotroswe | somosSOH-mohs | estamoses-TAH-mohs | |
| vosotrosyou all (Spain) | soissoys | estáises-TAIS | |
| ellos, ellas, ustedesthey, you all | sonson | estánes-TAHN |
Usted (oos-TEDH) is the polite “you”, used with strangers, older people and at work; it takes the same form as “he” and “she”. Vosotros is “you all” among friends in Spain; Latin America uses ustedes for every group. Estar’s accents follow the rules on stress and written accents: está ends in a vowel but is stressed on the last syllable, so it needs the accent.
When to use ser
Ser defines. Use it for anything you would put on an identity card or in a description of what someone or something essentially is.
When to use estar
Estar locates and describes a state. It answers “where is it?” and “how is it right now?”. Estar comes from the Latin stare, to stand, which is also the root of English “state” and “station”.
“Permanent versus temporary” is a useful first guide, but it is not the real rule. Death is permanent, yet Spanish says está muerto (he is dead), because it is a state the person is in. Location always takes estar, even for things that never move: Madrid está en España.
Adjectives that change meaning
An adjective is a describing word: tall, tired, ready. With most adjectives, ser and estar only shift the sense from “by nature” to “at the moment”. With these six, the meaning changes completely.
| Adjective | with ser | with estar |
|---|---|---|
| aburridoah-boo-RREE-doh | es aburridohe is boring | está aburridohe is bored |
| listoLEES-toh | es listohe is clever | está listohe is ready |
| maloMAH-loh | es malohe is bad (a bad person) | está malohe is ill |
| ricoRREE-koh | es ricohe is rich | está ricoit is delicious (food) |
| verdeBEHR-deh | es verdeit is green (colour) | está verdeit is unripe |
| vivoBEE-boh | es vivohe is lively, sharp | está vivohe is alive |
The endings -o and -a in listo and lista show whether the person is masculine or feminine; adjectives agree with the noun they describe. That agreement is taught in gender and articles.
Where an event takes place: ser
One rule surprises learners. Objects and people are located with estar, but events (a party, a meeting, a concert) are located with ser, because ser here means “takes place”.
Check yourself
Choose the verb for each sentence. The reason appears once you pick.