Spanish grammar, explained with pictures › Ser y estar

A1Both verbs mean “to be”, and that is exactly why they are confusing. The trick: ser tells you who or what something is (identity, origin, job, how it is), and estar tells you how or where it is right now. Look at the picture first, then the table.

See it: ¿Cómo es? ¿Cómo está?

Ser: quién o cómo es. Estar: cómo o dónde está ahora. Ser: who or what someone is. Estar: how or where someone is now.

Los dos verbos

ser	estar
yo soyI am	yo estoyI am
tú eresyou are	tú estásyou are
él / ella / usted eshe / she is, you are	él / ella / usted estáhe / she is, you are
nosotros somoswe are	nosotros estamoswe are
ellos / ustedes sonthey are	ellos / ustedes estánthey are

¿Para qué sirven?

SER: quién o cómo es	ESTAR: cómo o dónde está
nombre: Soy Leo.name: I'm Leo.	estado: Estoy cansado.state: I'm tired.
origen: Soy de Santiago.origin: I'm from Santiago.	ánimo: Está feliz.mood: He's happy.
profesión: Es médica.job: She's a doctor.	lugar: Estoy en casa.place: I'm at home.
cómo es: Es alto.description: He's tall.	salud: Estamos bien.health: We're fine.

Quick check

Practise it free

17 interactive slides with audio, 8 exercises that correct themselves, and games:

• Tic-tac-toe
• Verb dice
• Escape: open the lock
• Board game

Open the free lesson

More lessons

• Por vs para: clear rules with pictures and examples
• Preterite vs imperfect in Spanish: when to use each past tense
• Spanish subject pronouns: yo, tú, él, ella, usted…
• Spanish present tense: regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs
• Telling time in Spanish: ¿Qué hora es?
• How to use gustar in Spanish: me gusta, me gustan
• The Spanish present subjunctive: ojalá, quiero que…
• Spanish reflexive verbs: talk about your daily routine
• Spanish numbers: from 0 to a million