Usage of Ser and Estar
*Keep this sheet in your verb section of the notebook
Ser
yo soy-I am, tú eres-you (friendly) are, Ud es-you (formal) are, él es-he is, ella es-she is, nosotros/nosotras somos-we are, Uds son-you all are, ellos/ellas son-they are
Estar
yo estoy, tú estás, Ud está, él está, ella está, nosotros/as estamos, Uds están,
ellos/ellas están
Uses of Ser and Estar
Ser is used to tell more "permanent" or essential qualities such as:
being tall or short, what color something is, which country you are from, being attractive, or being a particular nationality (Cuban, American, French, etc.), or profession/job such as a student, lawyer, etc.
Some adjectives describing nationality used with ser:
cubano/a-Cuban americano/a-American
méxicano/méxicana-Mexican italiano/a-Italian
Some adjectives color:
La silla es roja. The chair is red.
Es roja. It is red.
Being tall/short:
(yo is implied and not necessary) Soy alta. - I am tall (a female saying this)
Benito es bajo.-Benito is short.
Attractiveness
Juan es guapo. Juan is good-looking/handsome.
Ella es bonita. She is pretty/good-looking.
Being from a particular country
Yo soy de los Estados Unidos. I am from the United States.
Ellos son de España. They are from Spain.
*note that the o/a form represents the masculine form of the adjective-cubano and the /a represents the cubana-feminine form of the adjective.
Occupation/Job
Soy estudiante. I am a student.
Ella es abogada. She is a lawyer.
Miguel es maestro. Mike is a teacher.
Estar is used to tell location (where you are) and "temporary" states of being.
A temporary state of being is being sick, tired, sad, happy, etc.
Basically if you are expressing an emotion (happy, sad, etc.) you use estar.
If you are busy (ocupado/a), you use estar.
Location-in the store, in the car, in the house, in Spain, etc.
Estoy en la casa. I am in the house.
Estamos en la tienda. We are in the store.
Ellos están en el carro. They are in the car.
Carlos están en España. Carlos is in Spain.
Expressing emotion
Estoy triste. I am sad.
Estoy contento. I am happy.
Estoy felíz. I am happy.
Expressing temporary state of being
Estoy ocupada. I am busy/occupied.
Estoy cansado. I am tired.
Estoy preocupada. I am worried.