The Spanish verbs and both mean 'to be', but they are used completely differently.
describes a permanent state, such as identity, characteristic, character, occupation, etc.
describes a temporary state, such as location, condition, situation, etc.
Thus:
panadero - I'm a baker (by profession, so use 'ser')
and:
en la panaderia - I'm at the bakery (your location, so use 'estar')
Ser
Ser describes a permanent state
(identity, characteristic, character, occupation, etc.)
Conjugation of the 'presente':
yo
soy
tú
eres
él,la,usted
es
nosotros/-as
somos
vosotros/-as
sois
ellos/-as,ustedes
son
If you want to indicate your name, nationality, origin, religion, occupation, race, gender or relationship, use .
René, español y el hermano de Laura.
I'm René, I'm Spaniard and I'm Laura's brother
Laura maestra y la hermana de René
Laura is a teacher and she's René's sister.
If you talk about the date, time and season, use .
Hoy martes, 1 de abril y la primavera
Today is Tuesday, it's April 1 and it's spring.
¿Que hora ? las once.
What time is it? It is eleven o'clock.
You also use when you are talking about a
description, property, characteristic, definition or price.
Antonio muy simpático.
Antonio is very sympathetic.
¿Cuánto ? 5 euros.
How much is it? It's 5 euros.
Possessions are indicated with .
Este coche negro y mío.
This car is black and is mine.
Adjectives with
conocido –
desconocido
known - unknown
divertido
funny
fácil – difícil
easy - difficult
importante
important
increíble
unbelievable
inteligente
intelligent
lógico
logic
necesario
necessary
legal – ilegal
legal - illegal
parecido
similar
posible – imposible
possible – impossible
Estar
Estar describes a temporary state
(location, condition, situation, etc.)
Conjugation of the 'presente':
yo
estoy
tú
estás
él,la,usted
está
nosotros/-as
estamos
vosotros/-as
estáis
ellos/-as,ustedes
están
To describe a temporary physical, emotional, or health condition use .
triste, tú enfermo y Emilia cansado.
I'm sad, you're sick and Emilia is tired.
To indicate your marital status, use .
Julio soltero, yo casado y tú divorciado.
Julio is single, I am married and you are divorced.
If there is an ongoing action, use as an auxiliary verb with the gerund.
la guitarra y tú español
I'm playing guitar and you're learning Spanish.
is also used to indicate where something/someone is located or a position.
Spanish verbs
French verbs
Italian verbs
Portuguese verbs
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