Countless articles and even books have been written that describe the uses of the verbs ser and estar. These verbs have a number of clearly defined uses as well as innumerable nuances that distinguish one from the other. Although they both mean "to be," one cannot substitute one for the other without creating confusion or at least altering the meaning of the sentence. The paragraphs that follow review some of the verbal uses described elsewhere, such as the passive and the progressive, but the focus in this section will be on the distinctive views that surround notions of "being" (ser) as opposed to "status" (estar).
Forms of ser
Click on ser to see the irregular
forms of the verb.
Summary of uses
Most of the uses of the verb ser derive from the
essential sense of being that the verb expresses. That sense
of being identifies persons and things in terms of nationality,
origin, material, religion, profession, and other inherent
characteristics. One also uses ser to tell time and to form
most impersonal expressions. Finally, it is used to form the
passive voice.
Forms of estar
Click on estar to see the irregular forms of the verb.
Summary of uses
Although the functions of ser and estar sometimes
appear to overlap, one verb is always more correct or powerful than
the other to express the speaker's intent. Again, where ser
almost always stresses the essential being of persons and
things, estar focuses on the condition or
state of persons and things. More specifically, this verb is
almost always used with locations, physical or emotional
conditions, with obviously subjective characterizations, with the
present participle to form the progressive tense, and with the past
participle to express a resultant state. It is helpful sometimes to
remember that the past participle of estar is estado,
which means "state" or "condition."
The following table shows a selected list of adjectives. Each of the adjectives can be used in conjunction with either ser or estar, but with the choice of either verb comes a noticeably different meaning. In most cases the essential being/state dichotomy should be readily apparent.
Adjective
aburrido/aWith ser: to be boring
With estar: to be boredbueno/a
With ser: to be good
With estar: to be in good conditionbonito/a
With ser: to be beautiful
With estar: to be looking goodasado/a
With ser: to be a married person
With estar: to be marriedenfermo/a
With ser: to be sickly
With estar: to be illlisto/a
With ser: to be clever
With estar: to be readyguapo/a
With ser: to be handsome
With estar: to be looking goodmalo/a
With ser: to be bad
With estar: to be in poor conditionmuerto/a
With ser: to be killed
With estar: to be deadverde
With ser: to be green
With estar: to be unripevivo/a
With ser: to be lively
With estar: to be alive