The really, really important verbs “ser” and “estar” in the present tense

Spanish has two verbs to cover the meaning of “to be”: “ser” and “estar”.

You will use them over and over again.
So it’s really important that you know them by heart in the present tense:

„Ser“ and „estar“ (to be) in the present tense
yo soy	I am	yo estoy
eù eres	you are	tú estás
él/ella es usted es	he/she/it is you (sg, formal) are	él/ella está usted está
nosotros/ nosotras somos	we are	nosotros/ nosotras estamos
vosotros/vosotras sois	you are	vosotros/vosotras estáis
ellos/ellas son ustedes son	they are you (pl, formal) are	ellos/ellas están ustedes están

Please note:
Spanish has a lot of irregular verbs – not only “ser” and “estar”.
We have provided you with a great synopsis of important but irregular Spanish verbs which you can download easily as a helpful cheat sheet.

What’s the difference between “ser” and “estar”?

As a general rule, please remember:
You use “ser” for conditions of long duration.
This verb describes unchangeable features and characteristics.
This could be a nationality, a profession or a religious belief.

Maybe this mnemonic helps:
Everything that is forever, is “ser”.

💡 For example:
Luise es americana. – Luise is American.
Nosotros somos canadienses. – We are Canadians.
Alejandro es ingeniero. – Alejandro is a engineer. Soy católico. – I am catholic.

"Estar", on the other hand, describes states that can change, everything that is not permanent.
Diseases, for example, disappear after some time.
Also feelings or the weather are subject to changes.

💡 For example:
Están tristes. – They are sad.
Estamos a 1ºC y está nevando. – It has 1°C and it is snowing.
¿Dónde está mi raqueta de tenis? – Where is my tennis racket?

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The really, really important verbs “ser” and “estar” in the present tense

What’s the difference between “ser” and “estar”?

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