Ser o estar

1
Ser o estar?

• To be or not to be?

2
To translate the verb to be

• There are two main ways ser and estar
• A third verb, haber, in the third person
  singular, hay expresses there is/there are

3
SER ESTAR

• soy estoy
• eres estás
• es está
• somos estamos
• sois estáis
• son están

4
USES OF SER

• To talk about the material something is made of,
  and about who the author is
• Es de madera. (Its made of wood)
• Este cuadro es de Picasso

5
To talk about possession

• Es mío (Its mine)
• Es de mi hermano (Its my brothers)
• To identify something or someone
• Este es mi novio (This is my boyfriend)

6
Followed by an adjective when describing what
people or things are like

• Es redondo, es verde por fuera y naranja por
  dentro (Its round, its green on the outside and
  orange in the inside)
• To tell the time
• Son las cuatro y media (Its half past four)

7
To say where/when something is taking place

• La cena es a las diez (Dinner is at ten)
• To express how much something costs
• Cuánto es?
• Son tres euros

8
Identity/existence/status

• Es inglés (He is an Englishman)
• Es profesor (He is a teacher)
• Somos nosotros (It is us)
• Soy yo (Its me)
• Madrid es la capital de España
• (Madrid is the capital of Spain)

9
Facts

• El proyecto es correcto (The project is correct)
• Ser para to indicate purpose or recipient
• El cuchillo es para cortar el pan (The knife is
  to cut the bread)
• Este regalo es para ti (This present is for you)

10
USES OF ESTAR

• To indicate physical location, the place where
  something is
• Dónde están las llaves? (Where are the keys?)

11
To indicate figurative location

• Estamos en verano (It is summer)
• A qué fecha estamos? (What is the date?)
• Estoy en medio del proyecto (Im in the middle of
  the plan)

12
Followed by an adjective, it expresses that the
condition is the result of a change

• Está morena (She is tanned i.e. because she has
  been sunbathing)

13
Followed by an adjective, it is used to express a
temporary state, which might therefore change

• Está enferma (She is ill)
• Está asustado (He is frightened)

14
With adjectives to denote a subjective impression

• El pollo está muy rico (The chicken tastes very
  good)

15
Used with the adverbs bien and mal

• Cómo está tu madre? (How is your mother?)
• Está bien (She is well)