The verb “To be”: “Ser” and “Estar”

Maestro Fresco
Colegio Sudoeste
Nombre y apellido: _________________________________
Español 1
Periodo: ___________
The verb “To be”: “Ser”, “Estar” and “Tener”.
Ser, Estar and Tener are three verbs that mean “To Be”. It is strange, but that is the way it is. Here are the basics:
Pronombres Personales
or Subject Pronouns
Spanish Translation
English
Translation
Ser
Estar
Tener
I
Yo
I am
Yo soy
Yo estoy
Yo tengo
2 Person singular
You
Tú (Familiar/Informal)
You are
Tú eres
Tú estás
Tú tienes
2nd Person singular
You
Usted (For adults/Formal)
You are
Usted es
Ud. está
Ud. tiene
Él / Ella
He is / She is
Él/Ella es
Nosotros (for men; or men and women)
Nosotras (for women)
We are
Nosotros
somos
Nosotros
estamos
Nosotros
tenemos
Vosotros
sois
Vosotros
estais
Vosotros
tenéis
You (all) are Ustedes son
Uds. están
Uds. tienen
Ellos/Ellas
son
Ellos/Ellas
están
Ellos/Ellas
tienen
1st Person singular
nd
rd
3 Person singular He / She
st
1 Person plural
2nd Person plural
2nd Person plural
We
You (all)
You (all)
Ustedes (in America, men,women/young/adult)
They
Ellos (for men; or for men and women)
Ellas (for women)
rd
3 Person plural
Vosotros (in Spain, for men; or men and women)
You (all) are
Vosotras (in Spain, for women)
They are
Él/Ella está Él/Ella tiene
The verb Ser is used in the following ways (besides being used in a “permanent” way):
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To describe a person: Ella es una profesora. She is a teacher. Él es un estudiante. He is a student. Ustedes son listos.
You (all) are smart.
To indicate ownership, origin, or the material of which something is made: Los lápices son rojos. The pencils are red.
El pupitre es de México y es de madera. The desk is from Mexico and is made of wood. Mi maestro es de Bolivia. My
teacher is from Bolivia.
To describe qualities and characteristics: Ellas son altas. They are tall. Nosotros somos pobres. We are poor. Tú eres
inteligente. You are intelligent. Ella es morena. She is black. Los libros son grandes. The books are big. El pupitre es
azul. The desk is blue.
To indicate time, dates, and seasons: Hoy es Domingo. Today is Sunday. Hoy es el primero de Octubre. Today is the
first of October. Son las once de la noche. It is eleven o'clock at night.
To indicate time or location of an event: La próxima reunión es el martes. The next meeting is Tuesday. Es en la
escuela. It is in the school.
And for certain expressions: Es imporante asistir a tus clases. It is important to attend your classes. Es fácil aprender
español. It is easy to learn Spanish.
The verb Estar is used in the following ways (besides being used in a “temporary” way:
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To indicate location: Mis cuadernos están en mi cuarto. My notebooks are in my room. Minneapolis está en Minnesota.
Minneapolis is in Minnesota. Tú estás en la clase. You are in the classroom.
With an adjective to describe states, feelings and conditions: ¡Este café está frío! This coffee is cold! Mis amigas están
tristes. My friends are sad. Yo estoy cansado. I am tired. Tú estás más o menos. You are so so. Ella está muerta. She
is dead.
The verb Tener is used mostly as To Have, but sometimes is used as To Be:
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As To have: Yo tengo un bolígrafo. I have a pen. Ella tiene dos calculadoras. She has two calculators. Tú tienes
muchos borradores. You have many erasers.
To say your age or to ask another person his or her age: ¿Cuántos años tienes tú? How old are you? Ella tiene quince
años. She is fifteen years old.
With adjectives or adverbs to describe conditions: ¡Yo tengo frío! I am cold! Ella tiene prisa. She is in a hurry.
Nosotros tenemos hambre. We are hungry. Yo tengo miedo. I am afraid.
Maestro Fresco
Colegio Sudoeste
Nombre y apellido: _________________________________
Español 1
Periodo: ___________
The verb “To be”: “Ser” and “Estar” and their use when describing foods
As you have already learned, Ser and Estar are two verbs that mean "to be." Estar means “to be” in a temporary
sense and Ser also means “to be”, but in a more permanent sense. Below is a quick guide how to use Ser and
Estar when talking about foods.
Ser
(Permanent or
Nationality)
Estar
(Temporary or
Location)
English translation
1st Person sing.
Yo
Soy
Estoy
I am
2nd Person sing.
Tú
Eres
Estás
You are
3rd Person sing.
El/Ella
Es
Está
He is/She is
1st Person plural
Nosotros(as)
Somos
Estamos
We are
2nd Person plural
Vosotros(as)
Sois
Estáis
You all are
3rd Person plural
Ellos/Ellas
Son
Están
They are
Ser y Estar and Foods
When describing foods, you are always going to use the “Él or Ella” or “Ellos or Ellas” forms of the
verbs Ser and Estar. Why? Because, as you already know, everything in the Spanish language is either
masculine or feminine. This means that, everything is going to be either a “He” or a “She”. Therefore, if
you look above, for He and She (Él and Ella) you would either use Es or Está, and for They (Ellos
and Ellas) you would either use Son or Están. In other words, SER is used to tell what something is
like always, or to talk about how things “are” or “taste like” all of the time. ESTAR is often used to
talk about how specific things taste, look or feel at “this particular” moment, (RIGHT NOW). Below are
some examples that will help you understanding this better:
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El pan es delicioso.
El pan está delicioso.
The bread is delicious. (Always)
The bread is delicious. (The one I’m eating right now)
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La sopa es sabrosa.
La sopa está sabrosa.
Soup is good. (Always)
Soup is good. (How it tastes right now)
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Los camarones son ricos.
Los camarones están ricos.
Shrimp are delicious. (Always)
Shrimp are delicious. (The one I’m eating right now)
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Las fresas son dulces.
Las fresas están dulces.
Strawberries are sweet. (Always)
Strawberries are sweet. (How they taste right now)