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Hola chic@s,

Let’s look at the differences between ‘Ser’ and ‘Estar’ and when to use them in Spanish.

Both mean ‘to be’, but they are used in different situations and it can be quite tricky to get your head around.

We’ll look at some tricks on how to remember them effectively.

¡Disfruta!

Any questions, feel free to email me.

Un abrazo,
Harrison


Ser vs Estar

Whenever I speak to Spanish speakers, they’re unbelievably grateful that English has just one verb for ‘to be’. 

Unfortunately for us Spanish learners, things aren’t quite that simple…


‘Ser’ and ‘Estar’ both mean ‘to be’ - but they’re used differently. 



As a general rule of thumb, 
the difference looks like this:

Ser 👉 essential characteristics, identity, time and origin



Estar 👉 states, location, mood and condition


You might also see this explanation:



Ser 👉 permanent



Estar 👉 temporary



This can help at first, but it isn’t always reliable.

A more accurate way to think 
about them is:



Ser 👉 What something is



Estar 👉 How or where something is



We’ll dive deeper into examples later to make these distinctions crystal clear. 


I strongly encourage you to drill the present forms of Ser and Estar until they become automatic. (You can do that for free in the Chat Spanish Verb Lab 🧪)

They’re both irregular, and they form the foundation of countless sentences. 



Keep repeating them until they feel like second nature. 

🗣️ Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Sois, Son

🗣️ Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Sois, Son



🗣️ Estoy, Estás, Está, Estamos, Estáis, Están

🗣️ Estoy, Estás, Está, Estamos, Estáis, Están



I normally hate mnemonics, but these two are actually pretty good for remembering when to use ser + estar. 



For Ser, remember DOCTOR 🧑‍⚕️

For Estar, remember PLACE 🗿


When to use Ser

DOCTOR stands for the following:



D - Description

O - Occupation

C - Characteristic

T - Time
O - Origin
R - Relationship




Description

‘Description’ refers to inherent traits or essential characteristics - things that define what something is like.

It’s used for physical traits, personality traits, colours, sizes and materials. 

e.j Esas casas son grandes

Those houses are big



e.j Ella es simpática

She is nice



e.j El coche es rojo

The car is red


Occupation

‘Occupation’ refers to jobs, professions, or roles that people perform. 



e.j Soy médico

I’m a doctor



e.j Mi hermana es profesora

My sister is a teacher

e.j Ellos son ingenieros

They are engineers

Characteristic

‘Characteristic’ is similar 
to description, but it refers more specifically to personality and identity traits - the qualities that make someone or something unique. 


e.j Maria es honesta

Maria is honest



e.j Somos creativos

We are creative



e.j El vino es delicioso

The wine is delicious


Time



‘Time’ refers to dates, days and even seasons.



e.j Son las tres

It’s 3 o’clock



e.j Hoy es lunes

Today is Monday

e.j Es verano

It’s Summer


You might be wondering why ser is used for something like time, which is supposedly ‘temporary’.

But in Spanish, time is treated as a defining characteristic of a situation, not just a passing state.


Origin



‘Origin’ refers to where someone or something is from, as well as identifying nationality. 



e.j Sandra es de México

Sandra is from México

e.j Soy inglés

I’m English


e.j ¿De dónde eres?

Where are you from?


Relationship

‘Relationship’ refers to family and social connections, as well
as possession or ownership - who things belong to. 



e.j Juan es mi tío

Juan is my uncle


e.j Ellos son mis amigos

They are my friends



e.j Es mi coche

It’s my car


When to use Estar

PLACE stands for the following:



P - Position

L - Location

A - Action

C - Condition
E - Emotion


Position


‘Position’ refers to the physical posture or placement of something
or someone. 

e.j El bebé está acostado

The baby is lying down


e.j Los libros están encima de la mesa

The books are on top of the table



e.j ¿Estás sentado?

Are you sitting down?


Location



‘Location’ refers to where someone or something is situated.  


e.j Madrid está en España

Madrid is in Spain


e.j Las llaves están en mi mochila

My keys are in my backpack



e.j ¿Dónde está tu casa?

Where is your house?


Note - Estar is always used for location. Even for fixed places like countries and cities.


Ok I lied…

There is one exception where you use Ser for location. 



This is for location of events. 



When talking about the location of events you want to use Ser 👇 



e.j La reunión es en la oficina

The meeting is in the office


e.j La fiesta es en mi casa

The party is in my house 


This is because these events
are considered to ‘exist’ at these locations, rather than just ‘being’ there.


Action



‘Action’ refers to ongoing actions, used with the gerund to form the progressive tenses. 


e.j Estoy estudiando español

I’m studying Spanish


e.j Estábamos comiendo cuando llegó

We were eating when he arrived

e.j ¿Qué estás haciendo?

What are you doing?


Condition



‘Condition’ refers to temporary physical or emotional states, essentially states that can change. 

e.j El coche está sucio

The car is dirty



e.j Estoy enfermo hoy

I’m sick today



e.j La ventana está abierta

The window is open


Emotion



‘Emotion’ refers to temporary emotional states or moods. 



e.j Estoy feliz hoy

I’m happy today



e.j ¿Estás enojado conmigo?

Are you mad at me?


e.j Estaban nerviosos antes del examen

They were nervous before the exam


Adjectives with Ser + Estar



Quite a few adjectives change 
their meaning depending 
on whether Ser or Estar is used. 

A recap👇

Ser 👉 Describes essential or permanent characteristics



Estar 👉 Describes temporary states or conditions


Aburrido

e.j El profesor es aburrido

The teacher is boring



This is a character trait of the teacher



e.j Estoy aburrido

I’m bored

This is a state ‘I’m in’ at the moment


Listo


e.j David es listo

David is smart

e.j David está listo

David is ready



Here the meaning of ‘listo’ changes on whether Ser or Estar is used.


Rico



e.j Ella es rica

She is rich


e.j Ella está rica

She is hot (attractive)

Important to know the difference between this one.


Malo



e.j El villano es malo

The villain is a bad person


e.j Mi hijo está malo

My son is unwell



Again, a meaning change. 




Bueno



e.j Él es bueno

He’s a good person


e.j La pizza está buena

The pizza is good (taste)


Verde



e.j El coche es verde

The car is green

e.j La banana está verde

The banana is unripe




Vivo



e.j Mi abuelo es muy vivo

My Grandfather is very lively

e.j El pez está vivo

The fish is alive


Callado



e.j Luis es callado

Luis is naturally quite

e.j Luis está callado

Luis is quiet at the moment



Orgulloso



e.j Ella es orgullosa

She is proud/arrogant

e.j Estoy orgulloso de ti

I’m proud of you



Idioms with Ser + Estar



Some useful phrases to learn which the locals will appreciate. 



5 idioms using Ser




Ser pan comido = To be a piece of cake



e.j Ese exam fue pan comido

That exam was a piece of cake


Ser uña y carne = To be inseparable



e.j María y Elisa son uña y carne

María and Elisa are inseparable





Ser el colmo = To be the last straw



e.j ¡Esto es el colmo!

This is the last straw!





Ser todo oídos = To be all ears



e.j Dime, soy todo oídos

Tell me, I’m all ears


Ser un pez gordo = To be a big shot



e.j Ella es un pez gordo en la empresa

She’s a big shot in the company






5 idioms using Estar




Estar de acuerdo = To agree



e.j Estoy de acuerdo contigo

I agree with you


Estar en la nubes = To be daydreaming



e.j Estás en las nubes hoy

You’re spaced out today





Estar hecho polvo = To be exhausted



e.j Después del trabajo, estoy hecho polvo 

I’m wiped out after work


Estar como una cabra = To be a little crazy



e.j Mi abuela está como una cabra

My Grandma’s nuts





Estar en forma = To be in shape



e.j ¡Estás en forma últimamente!

You’re in shape lately!


Ser vs Estar Summary



🔑 Ser is used to describe what something is (identity, nature, origin, essence). Remember DOCTOR. 



🔑 Estar is used to describe how 
or where something is (temporary state, mood, location). Remember PLACE. 



🔑 Estar is used to describe how 
or where something is (temporary state, mood, location).


—


So there we go chic@s,

A whistle stop tour of ‘ser vs estar’ in Spanish.

Hope you found that useful.

Please reach out if you have any preguntas (questions).

I’ve also got some spaces for my private 1:1 coaching.

Make sure you’re also subscribed to the Chat Spanish Newsletter.

Un abrazo,
Harrison

Spanish for living, not just learning