{"id":17698,"date":"2025-07-04T22:24:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T20:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/eres-feliz-o-estas-feliz-the-verbs-ser-y-estar\/"},"modified":"2025-07-16T04:34:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T02:34:06","slug":"eres-feliz-o-estas-feliz-the-verbs-ser-y-estar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/eres-feliz-o-estas-feliz-the-verbs-ser-y-estar\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfEres feliz o est\u00e1s feliz? The verbs ser y estar"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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ne of the biggest headaches for those learning Spanish as a foreign language is the difference between ser and estar. And it's understandable. While this differentiation is not exclusive to Spanish, it is widely used in our language and, if you come from languages that don't have it, it can be difficult to understand. Or rather, to use, because the rules themselves are few and clear. But this is something that requires practice, practice and more practice because, of course, you can't be thinking about rules when you want to maintain a conversation. So, in this article we will see the conjugation of both verbs in the present indicative, the rules, broadly speaking, to know when to use one verb or the other, and examples of use. The existence of both verbs has its origin in Latin and its evolution to the Spanish language. A review of this origin will be left for another article. It's interesting, it can help understand why both exist but, on one hand, it's a lot of information and, on the other, you can learn to use these two verbs without studying History. Let's go!<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I’m going to present here some concepts that, while they may seem contradictory and even boring, I believe are useful and fascinating :). If you don’t want to read about semantics concepts and things like that, skip this paragraph. But if you’re a nerd like me, keep reading. In this<\/strong> <\/a>article you can read a bit more about the perfectivity and imperfectivity of preterite tenses in Spanish. When we see this same aspect with the verbs ser and estar, however, the explanation may seem a bit contradictory. Ser feliz<\/em> (to be happy) is semantically perfective<\/em> because the situation of ser feliz<\/em>\u00a0is inherent to the being that is, it doesn’t depend on a process, that is, it has no beginning because whoever es feliz<\/em> is so, from a strictly semantic point of view, from always and, while it has no end as such, it does have one, because who\u00a0es feliz<\/em> will be so until the end<\/em>. Estar feliz<\/em>, on the other hand, depends on a process, on something that happened. Estar is semantically imperfective<\/em> because it depends on a process, an event, a becoming, something that caused the happiness, and that is happening, is in process, and although it can<\/em> change at any moment, we don’t know if it will change or not, so from a strictly semantic<\/em> point of view we do not know if it has an end. So, the general rule is that for characteristics inherent to the person, or to the noun, to be more precise, we use ser, and for states we use estar. This as a general rule.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Uses of ser.\n<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Identity and permanent characteristics:<\/strong> the verb ser is used to identify who or what someone or something is, as well as to indicate permanent characteristics of someone or something.<\/p>

Yo soy Federico.<\/em> (I am Federico.)<\/p>

Mar\u00eda es alta.<\/em> (Mar\u00eda is tall.)<\/p>

Las manzanas son frutas.<\/em> (Apples are fruits.)<\/p>

El agua es transparente.<\/em> (Water is transparent.)<\/p>

Profession:<\/strong><\/p>

\u00c9l es m\u00e9dico.<\/em> (He is a doctor.)<\/p>

Nosotros somos profesores.<\/em> (We are teachers.)<\/p>

Nationality and origin:<\/strong><\/p>

Yo soy uruguayo.<\/em> (I am Uruguayan.) To introduce the country of origin, we use ser + de: yo soy de Uruguay<\/em> (I am from Uruguay.)<\/p>

Time and dates:<\/strong><\/p>

Son las cuatro menos cuarto de la tarde.<\/em> (It’s a quarter to four in the afternoon.) Note: es la una de la tarde<\/em> (it’s one o’clock in the afternoon.)<\/p>

Ma\u00f1ana es s\u00e1bado.<\/em> (Tomorrow is Saturday.)<\/p>

Hoy es cuatro de Julio.<\/em> (Today is July 4th.)<\/p>

Location and date of events:<\/strong><\/p>

\u00bfD\u00f3nde es el concierto? En el centro de la ciudad.<\/em> (Where is the concert? In the city center.)<\/p>

\u00bfCu\u00e1ndo es el concierto? El s\u00e1bado.<\/em> (When is the concert? On Saturday.)<\/p>

La fiesta es en la casa de Luis.<\/em> (The party is at Luis’s house.)<\/p>

Description of personality and qualities of objects:<\/strong><\/p>

Ella es muy inteligente.<\/em> (She is very intelligent.)<\/p>

Vosotras sois muy generosas.<\/em> (You all are very generous.)<\/p>

Yo soy bastante t\u00edmido.<\/em> (I am quite shy.)<\/p>

Mi auto es blanco.<\/em> (My car is white.)<\/p>

Las paredes de la casa son verdes.<\/em> (The walls of the house are green.)<\/p>

Personal relationships or kinship:<\/strong><\/p>

Mar\u00eda es mi t\u00eda.<\/em> (Mar\u00eda is my aunt.)<\/p>

Nosotros somos amigos.<\/em> (We are friends.)<\/p>

Quantity or price to pay:<\/strong><\/p>

En mi casa somos cuatro.<\/em> (In my house we are four.)<\/p>

\u00bfCu\u00e1nto es? Son 22 euros.<\/em> (How much is it? It’s 22 euros.)<\/p>

Material and composition:<\/strong> we use ser + de:<\/p>

Esta camisa es de algod\u00f3n.<\/em> (This shirt is made of cotton.)<\/p>

Las sillas son de madera.<\/em> (The chairs are made of wood.)<\/p>

Ser joven<\/em> (to be young): ser peque\u00f1o<\/em> (to be small), ser grande<\/em> (to be big), ser adulto<\/em> (to be an adult), while these are characteristics that will change with the passage of time, they are characteristics inherent to the being in the stage of life they are going through. Thus, although it may seem contradictory, to introduce these stages of life we use the verb ser.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Uses of estar.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Temporary physical or emotional states:<\/strong><\/p>

Ella est\u00e1 resfriada.<\/em> (She has a cold.)<\/p>

Hoy estamos muy cansados.<\/em> (Today we are very tired.)<\/p>

\u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s hoy? Estoy muy bien, \u00bfy t\u00fa?<\/em> (How are you today? I’m doing very well, and you?)<\/p>

Temporary states or conditions:<\/strong><\/p>

El coche est\u00e1 roto.<\/em> (The car is broken.)<\/p>

El caf\u00e9 est\u00e1 muy fr\u00edo.<\/em> (The coffee is very cold.)<\/p>

La sopa est\u00e1 caliente.<\/em> (The soup is hot.)<\/p>

Location or placement of something or someone:<\/strong><\/p>

\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1n mis llaves? Est\u00e1n sobre la mesa.<\/em> (Where are my keys? They are on the table.)<\/p>

\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1s? Estoy en mi casa.<\/em> (Where are you? I am at my house.)<\/p>

Mis padres se fueron de viaje, ahora est\u00e1n en Austria.<\/em> (My parents went on a trip, now they are in Austria.)<\/p>

\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1 Par\u00eds? Est\u00e1 en Francia.<\/em> (Where is Paris? It is in France.)<\/p>

As a general rule, we can base ourselves on the previous examples: if we are going to introduce a characteristic of something or someone we use ser, if we are going to introduce a state we use estar. Regarding locations, if we want to introduce the location of an event we use ser, and if we want to introduce the location of a place, city, country, etc., we use estar.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The contrast between ser and estar.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In many cases you can use ser or estar with the same word, something that changes, so to speak, the temporality of the meaning. Let’s see examples.<\/p>

Ella es muy elegante.<\/em> (She is very elegant.) Always, she dresses very well.<\/p>

Ella est\u00e1 muy elegante con ese vestido.<\/em> (She looks very elegant in that dress.) Today in particular.<\/p>

Yo soy muy delgado.<\/em> (I am very thin.) Always, it’s a characteristic of my person.<\/p>

Yo estoy muy delgado.<\/em> (I am very thin.) Denotes a change, I have lost weight.<\/p>

\u00c9l es muy alegre.<\/em> (He is very cheerful.) Always, he is a person with, for example, constant good humor.<\/p>

\u00c9l est\u00e1 muy alegre.<\/em> (He is very cheerful.) Today, because, for example, something happened that caused him joy.<\/p>

In other cases, the use of ser or estar with the same word completely changes the meaning:<\/p>

Ser bueno:<\/strong> to have goodness as a personal characteristic, or to be very skilled at performing an activity. Estar bueno:<\/strong> refers to the physical attractiveness of a person, that is, saying that someone est\u00e1 bueno<\/em> means that we find them physically attractive, to the flavor of food, saying that a meal est\u00e1 buena<\/em> means that we like it, or to the quality or attractiveness of something, saying that a movie est\u00e1 buena<\/em> means that we like it.<\/p>

Ser malo:<\/strong> to have wickedness or bad behavior, to be of poor quality or to be very unskilled at performing an activity. Estar malo:<\/strong> to be sick.<\/p>

Ser listo:<\/strong> to be intelligent. Estar listo:<\/strong> to be ready.<\/p>

Ser rico:<\/strong> to have a lot of money. Estar rico:<\/strong> to be tasty (food).<\/p>

Ser aburrido:<\/strong> if it refers to an activity, it means that it is tedious, that it causes boredom. If it refers to a person it means that they are dull, that they don’t know how to have fun. Estar aburrido:<\/strong> to feel bored, to have nothing to entertain oneself.<\/p>

Ser verde:<\/strong> to be that color. Estar verde:<\/strong> to be unripe. It mainly refers to fruits and vegetables, but can be used to refer to people in a figurative sense.<\/p>

In the particular case of estar muerto<\/em> (to be dead), something that sometimes leads to confusion, the verb estar is used since being dead is not an inherent characteristic of beings, but rather a result of a process, that is, beyond the fact that it is something that will not change, from a grammatical point of view it is a state.<\/p>

This is only the first article about these verbs so widely used in Spanish and that generate so many doubts for those acquiring the language. Here<\/strong> <\/a>I leave you exercises to practice this topic. Thanks for reading!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t<\/path><\/svg>Prev<\/span><\/span>Anterior<\/span>Somos animales animados: the pronunciation of ‘s’ in Spanish<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tSiguiente<\/span>\u00bfSer o estar? Choose the right option<\/span><\/span><\/path><\/svg>Next<\/span><\/span><\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The verbs ser and estar: present indicative and grammar usage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[158],"class_list":["post-17698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grammar","tag-feed-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17698"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18179,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17698\/revisions\/18179"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conexionsp.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}