Contents · A2
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At A1, ser says who a person is, where they come from and what characterises them, and estar says where a person is and how they are. A2 makes the choice before an adjective and a participle more precise, adds ser without an adjective, the weather, with hacer, and the date and the season, with estar. English has one verb, “to be”, for all of these, so the choice is made by meaning in every sentence.
Ser or estar before an adjective, ser de, estamos a: es simpático, está contento#
Use
Ser + adjective expresses a quality that defines the person or thing: character, appearance, nationality, colour, shape (Es simpático, Es alta, La mesa es redonda). Estar + adjective expresses a passing state, the result of a change or the impression of the moment: Está cansada, Está enfermo, La sopa está fría, ¡Qué guapa estás hoy!
Adjectives used with one verb only. A few adjectives are used with only one of the two verbs: contento with estar (Estoy contento); adjectives of nationality with ser (Son mexicanas).
Adjectives that change meaning. With aburrido, ser and estar give two meanings: Es aburrido means “he is boring”, Está aburrido “he is bored”. Likewise, bueno with ser expresses a quality, and with estar a pleasant taste: El pescado es bueno para la salud; Esta paella está muy buena.
Ser without an adjective. Ser is also used before a phrase introduced by a preposition, or before a number.
| Meaning | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ownership | ser de + person | El paraguas negro es de Ana. |
| material | ser de + material | La silla es de madera. |
| purpose, recipient | ser para | Las flores son para ti. |
| cause | ser por | Es por tu culpa. |
| number of people | ser + number | Somos cuatro. |
What an object is for is also expressed with servir para + infinitive (e → i): ¿Para qué sirve esto?
Estamos a, estamos en. Estar in the first person plural places the present moment: a introduces the date and the temperature (Hoy es lunes y estamos a 5 de abril, Estamos a veinte grados), en the season and the month (Estamos en primavera, Estamos en julio). The date is asked with ¿A cuántos estamos? or ¿Qué fecha es hoy?
- Mi profesor es muy simpático, pero hoy está enfadado.My teacher is very nice, but today he is angry.
- ¿Estás contenta con tu piso nuevo?Are you happy with your new flat?
- Este libro de historia es aburrido.This history book is boring.
- La mesa del comedor es de cristal.The dining-room table is made of glass.
- Estamos a 2 de enero y estamos en invierno.It is the 2nd of January and it is winter.
Difference from English
English uses “to be” before every adjective; Spanish uses ser for a quality and estar for a state, so the English sentence gives no clue: “he is nice” is es simpático, but “he is happy” is está contento. Some adjectives change meaning with the verb: “he is boring” is es aburrido, “he is bored” está aburrido. Spanish has no possessive ’s: “it’s Ana’s” is es de Ana, and “made of wood” or “wooden” is de madera. “There are four of us” is somos cuatro. “It’s the 3rd of May, it’s my birthday” is Estamos a 3 de mayo: es mi cumpleaños.
Common mistakes
Mi madre es contenta.→ Mi madre está contenta.Contento is used with estar.Soy aburrido: no hay nada en la tele.→ Estoy aburrido: no hay nada en la tele.“Bored” is estar aburrido; ser aburrido means “boring”.La caja es plástico.→ La caja es de plástico.The material is introduced by de.Hay cuatro de nosotros.→ Somos cuatro.“There are four of us” is said with ser and the number.
Practise
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Estar and the participle: la puerta está cerrada#
Use
Estar followed by a past participle expresses the state that results from an action: He cerrado la puerta (the action) → La puerta está cerrada (the result). The participle is then used as an adjective and agrees in gender and number with the subject: cerrado, cerrada, cerrados, cerradas. Irregular participles agree in the same way: roto, rota; abierto, abierta; hecho, hecha; escrito, escrita.
At A1, estar and the participle describe the state of a person (estoy cansado); A2 adds the link with the pretérito perfecto and the irregular participles (“Irregular past participles: hecho, dicho, visto, puesto”).
→ See also: Estar and the participle: estoy cansado, está cerrada (A1)
- He lavado los platos: ya están limpios.I’ve washed the plates: they’re clean now.
- El ascensor está roto desde el lunes.The lift has been out of order since Monday.
- ¿Por qué está abierta la puerta del garaje?Why is the garage door open?
- La cena está hecha.Dinner is ready.
Difference from English
English “the door is closed” uses “to be” for the resulting state; Spanish uses estar, not ser: La puerta está cerrada. The participle agrees with the subject, which English never shows. After haber, as after English “have”, the participle does not agree (he cerrado la puerta); after estar, it agrees (la puerta está cerrada).
Common mistakes
La puerta del baño es abierta.→ La puerta del baño está abierta.The result of an action is expressed with estar.Las tiendas del centro están cerrado.→ Las tiendas del centro están cerradas.After estar, the participle agrees with the subject.La comida está hacida.→ La comida está hecha.The participle of hacer is hecho, hecha.
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The weather: hace frío, llueve, está nublado#
Use
The weather is expressed with hace, in the third person singular and without a subject, followed by a noun: hace frío, hace calor, hace sol, hace viento, hace buen tiempo, hace mal tiempo. The question is ¿Qué tiempo hace? Weather verbs are impersonal: llover → llueve (o → ue), nevar → nieva (e → ie). With an adjective, estar is used: Está nublado.
Frío and calor are nouns here: “very” is mucho, which agrees with the noun, not muy: hace mucho frío, hace mucho calor. In the past, the weather is described in the imperfecto: hacía frío, llovía. Estar + gerund expresses what is happening at the moment: Está lloviendo.
- En julio hace mucho calor en el sur de España.In July it is very hot in the south of Spain.
- ¿Qué tiempo hace en las islas Canarias en invierno?What is the weather like in the Canary Islands in winter?
- En el norte llueve mucho.It rains a lot in the north.
- Coge el paraguas: está lloviendo.Take the umbrella: it’s raining.
Difference from English
English describes the weather with “it is” + adjective; Spanish uses hace + noun, with no word for “it”: “it is cold” is hace frío, “it is sunny” hace sol, “it is very hot” hace mucho calor. Only the sky takes estar: “it is cloudy” is está nublado. “It rains” is llueve, “it is raining” está lloviendo. A person who feels cold is described with tener: “I am cold” is tengo frío, not estoy frío.
Common mistakes
Es frío hoy.→ Hace frío hoy.The weather is expressed with hace + noun.Hace muy frío.→ Hace mucho frío.Frío is a noun: “very” is mucho.Estoy frío.→ Tengo frío.A person who feels cold is described with tener.Es lloviendo.→ Está lloviendo.An action in progress is expressed with estar + gerund.
In short
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser + adjective | a defining quality | Es simpático. |
| estar + adjective | state, result, impression | Está contento. La sopa está fría. |
| one verb only | estar contento; ser + nationality | Estoy contenta. Son mexicanas. |
| different meaning | ser / estar aburrido | Es aburrido. Está aburrido. |
| ser de, para, por | ownership, material, purpose, cause | Es de madera. Es para ti. |
| number | ser + number | Somos tres. |
| estar + participle | result; agreement | La puerta está cerrada. |
| weather | hace + noun; llueve, nieva; está nublado | Hace mucho frío. |
| feeling cold | tener frío | Tengo frío. |
| date, season | estamos a; estamos en | Estamos a 3 de mayo. Estamos en verano. |
Practise
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