APUNTES: Ser vs. Estar pág. 1/4 OBJECTIVE: TLW differentiate the two verbs “to be” in the target language. TLW also analyze and demonstrate how to use these verbs correctly in short sentences. Ser and Estar are two very important verbs in Spanish. They both mean “to be.” Other forms of the verb “to be” include: am, is, are, was, were. In order to know which verb to use, we have to look at what the sentence is trying to tell us. Is it telling a physical description? Is it telling where someone is located? There are 5 conjugations (forms) of Ser and 5 conjugations of Estar. An L. Ford Production © 2017

Ser (to be) Estar (to be) pág. 2/4 Yo- soy (I am) Tú- eres (you fam. are) Él- es (he is) Ella- es (she is) Ud.- es (you f.s. are) 3rd person singular 3rd person plural Nosotros- somos (we are) Ellos- son (they are) Ellas- son (they are) Uds.- son (you all are) Yo- estoy (I am) Tú- estás (you fam. are) Él- está (he is) Ella- está (she is) Ud Ud. está (you f.s. are) Nosotros-estamos (we are) Ellos-están (they are) Ellas-están (they are) Uds.-están (you all are) 3rd person plural Estar (to be) 3rd person singular An L. Ford Production © 2017

*NOTE: DO NOT USE A/AN WITH A PROFESSION OR OCCUPATION! ¿Cuándo yo uso el verbo Ser? 1. Physical Descriptions/Characteristics (fat, tall, intelligent, rich, snobbish) (ejs. 6/7) 2. Time/Date/Days (It is 1:39/Today’s date is the 30th of September/Today is Tuesday) (ej. 3) 3. Material made of (The shirt is made of silk) (ej. 5) 4. Nationality/Origin (She is American/She is from America) (ej. 2) 5. Ownership (This dress is mine) (ej. 8) 6. EVENT location (The wedding is at the church) (ej. 9) 7. Profession/Occupation (We are students/ He is an engineer). (ej. 1) *NOTE: DO NOT USE A/AN WITH A PROFESSION OR OCCUPATION! (VER EJEMPLO 1) pág. 3/4 An L. Ford Production © 2017 ¿Cuándo yo uso el verbo Estar? Temporary Conditions/Feelings (tired, busy, sick, sad, happy, *Death) (ej. Michael Jackson is dead) (ej. 4) Location of someone OR something (e.j. The shirt is on the table, Mother is at work.) (ejs. 10/11) Gerund/Present Progressive/Present Participle (“-ing” on the end of a verb; ej. I am studying, we are cooking.) (ej. 12) *¡RECUERDA!* How you feel and where you are always take the verb ESTAR!

pág. 4/4 Ejemplos: Aunt Lorene is a nurse. -ser (prof.) Ella es enfermera (DO NOT USE A WORD FOR A/AN!) They are from Puerto Rico. They are Puerto Rican. -ser (org./nat.) Ellos son de Puerto Rico. Ellos son puertorriqueños. Tomorrow is Wednesday. -ser (day) Mañana es miércoles. Today, mother is tired. -estar (t.c.) Hoy, ella está cansada. The pants are made of cotton. -ser (mmo) Los pantalones son de algodón. She is tall and skinny. ser (p.d) Ella es alta y delgada. I am very intelligent. -ser (char.) Yo soy muy inteligente. (CHARACTERISTICS ARE TRAITS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN) My rings are gold and silver. -(ser) (owner.)- Mis anillos son dorados y plateados. The party is at the clubhouse. -(ser) (EV. loc.)- La fiesta es en la casa club. She is at the supermarket. -(estar, loc.)- Ella está en el supermercado. 11. The keys are on the table. -(estar, loc.)- Las llaves están en la mesa. 12. You and I are cleaning the house. -(estar, ger.)- Nosotros estamos limpiando la casa. La bandera de Puerto Rico es roja, blanca, y azul y tiene una estrella en el lado izquierdo. Este pitufo es bastante inteligente y él lleva lentes negros. Este anillo es de oro y diamantes y cuesta mucho dinero. An L. Ford Production © 2017