Severn Spanish

Ser vs. estar I

 

Review

Make sure you are familiar with the conjugations and uses found under each individual page (ser and estar). This section is a more big-picture overview of how these verbs fit into the Spanish language, so refer to the individual pages for lists of specific uses and examples.

 

Contrasting Ser and Estar

These are guidelines for the general "feeling" one gets from each verb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Location, Location, Location

Until now, you have used estar exclusively for location, and that is pretty typical. Estar is the main location verb and is used to tell where something is. However, ser can also be used for location in specific circumstances. Ser is used when you are talking about an event that is being held somewhere.

Examples:

¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?) Estoy en el restaurante. (I am in the restaurant.)

¿Dónde es la fiesta? (Where is the party being held?) La fiesta es en el restaurante. (The party is being held in the restaurant.)

Notice the difference? A handy way to tell whether you should use ser or estar is to see if you can use "is being held" instead of "is." If you can, try ser. If not (and this will usually be the case), use estar.

 

Some Handy Reference Uses

This chart has a variety of common uses of ser and estar. Use it to practice or for reference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice

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