1. To be or not to be?
So far we have learned two ways to express the concept of “to be”:
ser
estar
In this slide show, we’ll look more closely at the differences between these two verbs.

2. Ser
Let’s start with ser, the first verb we learned. This verb is used to talk about essential things (essential ≈ es).
Think of the acronym T.O.P.I.C.

3. Time
The first letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands for “time.” When we talk about time in Spanish, we always use ser:
¿Qué hora es?
Son las 3:30.
Hoy es lunes.

4. Origin
The second letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands for “origin.” We use ser to talk about where people are from:
Soy de Chicago.
Marta es venezolana.

5. Professions We can also use ser to talk about people’s jobs:
Mi hermano es ingeniero.
Ellas son profesoras.

6. Identification
The fourth letter of T.O.P.I.C. refers to “identification.” This can be used to name people:
Ella es mi prima.
places:
Springfield es la capital de Illinois.
things:
¿Qué tipo de animal es?
Es un león.
and events (“takes place”)
La fiesta es en la casa de Alicia.

7. Identification
You also use ser to identify possession (i.e., who owns what):
Es mi diccionario.
Esta no es mi calculadora.

8. Characteristics
The fifth and final letter of T.O.P.I.C. stands for permanent “characteristics”:
El perro es inteligente.
El perro es blanco y marrón.
El perro es simpático.

9. Characteristics
This use also includes descriptions of people, places, and things:
Marcos y Flora son fuertes.
Chicago es una ciudad grande.
La clase de español es divertida.

10. T.O.P.I.C. To review, the main uses of ser include: Time Origin
Professions
Identification
Characteristics
There are other uses, too, but this acronym covers the most important cases!

11. Estar
Now we can look at estar. This verb is used to talk about states (estar ≈ state).
Think of the acronym P.L.A.C.E.

12. Position
The first letter of the acronym P.L.A.C.E. stands for “position.” We use estar when we talk about where something is located, whether it is there temporarily…
David está en el desierto.
Juana no está en clase hoy.
Mi abuelo está en casa.

13. Location
… or permanently located there (the second letter of P.L.A.C.E.):
Chicago está en Illinois.
La iglesia está en la Avenida Foster.
Madrid está en España.

14. Action
The third letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “action.” We use estar when we are talking about actions that are occurring at the moment of speaking (sometimes referred to as the “present continuous” or “present progressive”):
Laura está esquiando.
Humbero está leyendo la Biblia.
Estamos mirando una película.

15. Condition
The fourth letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “condition.” We use estar to talk about temporary states (for example, health):
Enrique está enfermo.
Mis padres están cansados.
¿Cómo estás?

16. Emotion
The last letter of P.L.A.C.E. stands for “emotion.” We use estar to talk about feelings and emotions.
Alicia está enfadada. (angry)
Lorenzo y María están contentos.
Estoy nervioso porque tengo un examen de literatura.

17. P.L.A.C.E. To review, the main uses of estar include: Position
Location
Action
Condition
Emotion
There are other uses, too, but this acronym covers the most important cases!

18. Let’s practice! Choose the correct form according to the context.
¿Cómo es/está tu hermano?
Es/Está enfermo. Hoy es/está en el hospital para una prueba de sangre (blood test).

19. ¿Ser o estar? ¿Cómo está tu hermano?
Está enfermo. Hoy está en el hospital para una prueba de sangre (blood test).
Why?
Condition/condition/location

20. Otro, por favor… ¿De quién (whose) es/está el disco compacto?
¿Cuál? (which one)
El disco compacto que es/está en el escritorio. Es/Está negro.
Creo que es/está de Julio.