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Spanish · Which "to be"
Spanish: Ser vs. Estar
16 terms · by ineedtostudy · updated 21 hours ago
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Terms in this set
Soy estudiante
Ser. Identity and occupation — what somebody is.
Estoy cansado
Estar. A condition that can change — how somebody is right now.
Soy de México
Ser. Origin, nationality, where something comes from.
Madrid está en España
Estar. Location always takes estar, however permanent the location is.
La fiesta es en mi casa
Ser. The one exception to the location rule: an event takes place, it is not located.
Son las tres
Ser. Time, days and dates take ser.
Estoy estudiando
Estar. The present progressive is always estar plus the gerund.
Está muerto
Estar. Death is a state rather than an identity — the rule English speakers refuse to believe.
Es aburrido / está aburrido
He is boring / he is bored.
Es listo / está listo
He is clever / he is ready.
Es rico / está rico
He is rich / it tastes delicious.
Es verde / está verde
It is green / it is unripe.
Es guapo / está guapo
He is good-looking / he is looking good today.
DOCTOR
The mnemonic for ser: Description, Occupation, Characteristic, Time, Origin, Relationship.
PLACE
The mnemonic for estar: Position, Location, Action, Condition, Emotion.
Why "permanent vs temporary" fails
Estar covers death, which is permanent, and ser covers the time of day, which changes every minute. Learn the categories, not the slogan.