SER & ESTAR/ TO BE

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Both verbs, ser and estar, are equivalent to the English verb to be; however, they have very specific meanings and are NOT interchangeable. NOTE in the following examples how the meaning of a sentence changes:

• La Miss Universo es linda./Miss Universe is pretty.
• La Miss Universo está linda./ Miss Universe looks pretty (at this specific moment).

 

• El niño es listo./ The child is smart.
• El niño está listo./ The child is ready.

 

• Mi madre es aburrida./ My mother is boring (she is a boring person).
• Mi madre está aburrida./ My mother is bored.

 

• Mi hijito es vivo./ My little son is smart.
• Mi hijito está vivo./ My little son is alive.

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SER / TO BE

Pronoun	Present	Past	Future	Conditional
yo/ I	soy	fui	seré	sería
tú/ you	eres	fuiste	serás	serías
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	es	fue	será	sería
nos./ we	somos	fuimos	seremos	seríamos
vos./you	sois	fuisteis	seréis	seríais
ellos, Uds./ they, you	son	fueron	serán	serían

LESSONS: Computers I & Computers Ia

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1. Ser/ to be is used to describe essential or inherent characteristics or qualities:

Basic aspects: color, shape, material of which something is made out of, size, physical characteristics, and personality.

EXAMPLES

• La nieve es blanca./ The snow is white.
• La tierra es redonda./ The earth is round.
• El saco es de lana./ The jacket is wool.
• Yo soy alta./ I am tall.
• Mi socio es extrovertido./ My partner is outgoing.

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2. Possession.

EXAMPLE

• El auto es mío./ The car is mine.

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3. Relationship.

EXAMPLE

• Ella es mi prima./ She is my cousin.

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4. Profession.

EXAMPLE

• Son cirujanos plásticos./ They are plastic surgeons.

 

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5. Nationality.

EXAMPLE

• Soy argentina./ I am Argentine.

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6. Origin.

EXAMPLE

• El interventor es de La Paz./ The auditor is from La Paz.

LESSONS: Computers II & Computers IIa

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7. Ser/ to be is used to indicate marital status.

EXAMPLE

• Ella es divorciada./ She is divorced.

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8. Expressions of time and dates.

EXAMPLES

• Es la una./ It's one o'clock.
• Hoy es jueves./ Today is Thursday.

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9. Events taking place.

EXAMPLE

• La fiesta es esta noche./ The party is tonight.

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10. Passive voice.

EXAMPLE

• La casa fue incendiada./ The house (was) burned down.

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11. Impersonal expressions.

EXAMPLE

• Es imposible hablar con ellos./ It's impossible talking to them.

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12. Noun and adjective complement (A complement completes the sentence by describing or defining the subject).

EXAMPLES

• Mi suegra es una abuela maravillosa./ My mother-in-law is a wonderful grandma.
• Ella es Ana./ She is Ana.
• El compasivo es él./ The compassionate one is he. (Remember that the verb to be is transitory; therefore, he is used instead of him.)

LESSONS: Computers III & Computers IIIa

 

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ESTAR / TO BE

Estar is used to express location, transitory aspects, and characteristics that are NOT inherant property of a noun, such as how something/someone looks, feels or tastes at a given moment.

Pronoun	Present	Past	Future	Conditional
yo/ I	estoy	estuve	estaré	estaría
tú/ you	estás	estuviste	estarás	estarías
él, ella, Ud./ he, she, you	está	estuvo	estará	estaría
nos./ we	estamos	estuvimos	estaremos	estaríamos
vos./you	estáis	estuvisteis	estaréis	estaríais
ellos, Uds./ they, you	están	estuvieron	estarán	estarían

1. Location or position of people and things.

EXAMPLES

• El restaurante está en la esquina./ The restaurant is at the corner.
• Los inversores estarán en Venezuela./ The investors will be in Venezuela.

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2. Transitory, unusual, recently changed or constantly changing state or condition.

EXAMPLES

• Pablo estuvo enfermo./ Pablo was sick.
• El café está frío./ The coffee is cold.

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3. Results of an action.

EXAMPLE

• Nuestros problemas estarán resueltos pronto./ Our problems will be solved soon.

 

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4. State or condition of a subject.

EXAMPLE

• El rehén está vivo./ The hostage is alive.

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5. Progressive tenses.

EXAMPLE

• El lunes estaremos celebrando nuestro triunfo./ On Monday we'll be celebrating our triumph.

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6. Weather expressions.

EXAMPLE

• Está lloviendo./ It's raining.

LESSONS: Computers IV & Computers IVa

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IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

• Estar acostumbrado/ to be accustomed to
• Estar conforme/ to be satisfied, in agreement
• Estar de acuerdo/ to be in agreement
• Estar de buen (mal) humor/ to be in a good (bad) mood
• Estar apurado (a)/ to be in a hurry
• Estar de vacaciones/ to be on vacation
• Estar de vuelta/ to be back
• Estar listo (a)/ to be ready
• Estar de moda/ to be in fashion
• Estar de viaje/ to be on a trip
• Estar embarazada/ to be pregnant
• Estar de rodillas/ to be kneeling

LESSONS: Computers V & Computers Va