Language/Spanish/Grammar/How-to-use-Ser-o-Estar-(verb-to-be)

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How to use Ser and Estar?

The Spanish language has two verbs that translate to "to be," namely "ser" and "estar," and learning the differences between them can be challenging for beginners. However, it's not an insurmountable hurdle, and with some practice, you can easily master these concepts.

Ser[edit | edit source]

This verb is used to attribute to the subject of the sentence a quality or condition of his own, for example

  • "Yo soy Gary."
  • "Él es Profesor."
  • "Ustedes son altos."

This verb changes with the pronoun and it stays like this


Pronombre Presente Pronoun Simple Present
Yo Soy I Am
Tú Eres You Are
Él / Ella Es He / She Is
Nosotros Somos We Are
Ustedes Son You Are
Vosotros Sois You Are
Ellos / Ellas Son They Are
Eso / Esto Es It Is


It also changes when is used in all the verbal timesː


Pronombre Pasado Simple Pretérito Imperfecto Futuro Pronoun Simple Past Future
Yo Fui Era Seré I Was Will be
Tu Fuiste Eras Serás You Were Will be
Él / Ella Fue Era Será He / She Was Will be
Nosotros Fuimos Eramos Seremos We Were Will be
Ustedes Fueron Eran Serán You Were Will be
Vosotros Fuisteis Erais Seréis You Were Will be
Ellos / Ellas Fueron Eran Serán They Were Will be
Eso / Esto Fue Era Será It Was Will be


Estar[edit | edit source]

  • To exist, to locate a person or thing in a place, situation, condition, etc. Eg: Estoy feo, estoy viudo, estoy en Canadá, estoy encerrado.
  • Staying a certain time in a place, in a situation. Eg: Estuvo aquí toda la tarde
  • To be, to feel, to be in a certain way. It is constructed with passive adjectives or expressions expressing feelings, sensations, etc. And with adverbs so. Eg: Estoy triste, estoy bien, estoy cansado.
  • To be such a day or date, or such month. Eg: Estamos a martes, Estamos a 3 de marzo
  • Have some price. Eg: ¿En cuánto está el kilogramo de cebollas?


Pronombre Presente Pasado Pretérito imperfecto Futuro
Yo Estoy Estaba Estuve Estaré
Tu Estás Estabas Estuviste Estarás
El / Ella Está Estaba Estuvo Estará
Nosotros Estamos Estábamos Estuvimos Estaremos
Ustedes Están Estaban Estuvieron Estarán
Vosotros Estáis Estabais Estuvisteis Estaréis
Ellos / Ellas Están Estaban Estuvieron Estarán

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