The conjugation of the Spanish verbs ser and estar is a particular difficulty. It is believed that the study of each subsequent foreign language is given to a person more and more easily, since analogies can be traced in grammar and vocabulary. However, even if you know English, you will not be able to understand the peculiarities of the use and conjugation of the verbs ser and estar immediately. Because, for example, that in English is designated by one word "to be", for some reason the Spaniards are divided into two words.
Exception Words
The conjugation of the verbs ser and estar in itself is easy to understand. These verbs are exceptions, so you just have to remember derivative verb forms. Below they are presented in the table.
Conjugations of the verb ser in simple present tense Presente de Indicativo.
| yo | I | soy |
| tú | you | eres |
| él, ella | he she | es |
| usted | you (resp., unit hours) | es |
| nosotros, nosotras | we | somos |
| vosotros, vosotras | you | sois |
| ustedes | you (resp., plural) | son |
| ellos, ellas | they are | son |
Example:
Yo soy Camila. - I'm Camila.
Or simpler, without a pronoun: Soy Camila.
Often in Spanish, especially in the colloquial form, pronouns are omitted, since it is clear at different endings of the forms of verbs, in relation to whom the word is used.
Conjugation of the verb estar in simple present tense Presente de Indicativo.
| yo | I | estoy |
| tú | you | estás |
| él, ella | he she | está |
| usted | you (resp. unit hours) | está |
| nosotros, nosotras | we | estamos |
| vosotros, vosotras | you | estáis |
| ustedes | you (resp. plural) | están |
| ellos, ellas | they are | están |
Example:
¿Donde estás? - Where are you?
Features of the use of the verb ser
The conjugation of the verb ser and estar is different. You need to understand exactly when to use the verb ser, and when - estar.
You will need to use the conjugation forms of the verb ser when you need to ask the general question: "What is this?" You will also use the verb ser to answer this question. After all, the main meaning of the verb ser is "to be," "to appear."
Example:
¿Qué es eso? - Es un gato. What is it? - This is a cat.
To indicate the profession of a person, his nationality and where he comes from, the verb ser is also required.
Example:
¿Qué es usted? - Soy dentista. - What is your profession? - I'm a dentist.
Soy de Rusia. - I'm from Russia.
Ser is used to indicate days of the week and time.
Example:
¿Qué hora es? - Son las seis de madrugada. - What time is it now? “It's six in the morning.”
Hoy es sabado. - Today is Saturday.
Ser is also used to indicate a permanent feature of an object or person. If Jorge is always boring, then we use ser, if he is bored now, at this particular moment, and usually he is funny and interesting - then estar.
Example:
Jorje es muy aburrido. No quiero salir con él. - Jorge is very boring. I don't want to meet him.
Ahora Jorje está aburrido. No tiene trabajo. - Now Jorge is bored. He has no job.
Features of the use of the verb estar
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, estar is used to indicate a temporary sign or characteristic.
Estar is also used to indicate where an object or person is located.
Example:
¿Donde están tus padres? - Están de vacaciones. - Where are your parents? - They are on vacation.
To indicate dates.
Example:
¿A cuántos estamos? - Estamos a siete de diciembre. - What is today's date? - Today is December 7th.
In addition to these differences, there are words that change their meaning depending on which verb they are used with. For example, the word listo may mean smart or ready. So, if we use the adjective listo and the conjugation form of the verb ser, then it turns out that the person is smart. If we take estar listo, it means to be ready.
Example:
¡La comida está lista! - Lunch is ready!
¡Maria es muy lista! - Maria is very smart!
Such words that change their meaning also include:
- ser aburrido - always be boring; etsar aburrido - get bored;
- ser triste - to be sad, estar triste - to be sad;
- ser verde - to be green, estar verde - to mature, ripen.
And a little hint. See what verb and what time is used in the question, and use the same in the answer. That is, if the question has the present verb ser, then answer also in the present.