| Learning Spanish verb conjugation is difficult | | | | very little in the way of ambiguity so as long as |
| enough without having to deal with choice, but | | | | these guidelines have been learnt deciding which |
| that is the problem all students face when they | | | | verb to use should not be too difficult, so we shall |
| encounter the two Spanish verbs meaning to be, | | | | start by outlining when the verb Ser should be |
| ser and estar. | | | | used. |
| It is bad enough that both these verbs are | | | | Use Ser when... |
| irregular and therefore have to be learned | | | | - one wishes to express a permanent or inherent |
| individually and it is also a pain that there is no | | | | quality - My mother is bald - Mi madre es calva |
| escaping them either as they are two of the | | | | - expressing an occupation or nationality - Juan is |
| most regularly used verbs in the Spanish language | | | | Scottish - Juan es escocés |
| but to have to learn when and when not to use | | | | - using nouns or pronouns - Are you a girl? - |
| either...or, just isn't fair! | | | | ¿Eres una niña? |
| Unfortunately, fairness does not come into it | | | | - when referring to possessions - They are |
| when it comes to learning Spanish and the fact | | | | Miguel's - Son de Miguel |
| that both ser and estar are two of the first | | | | - talking about the time, date or numbers - It is 5 |
| verbs a student will learn should be looked at as | | | | o'clock - Son las cinco |
| beneficial rather than as a hindrance, as the more | | | | - mentioning events - Where is the party? - |
| you use them the easier it will become, practice | | | | ¿Dónde es la fiesta? |
| makes perfect they say. | | | | - talking passively - The car was stolen - El coche |
| I am not going to spend too much time writing | | | | fue robado |
| about the conjugation of these two verbs other | | | | - when talking about what something is made of - |
| than to cover the present tense of each which is | | | | It's made of gold - Es de oro |
| detailed below: | | | | - asking how much or how many - How much is |
| Ser (to be) | | | | it? - ¿Cuánto es? |
| - soy - I am | | | | Use Estar when... |
| - eres - you are | | | | - talking about place and location - Where is the |
| - es - he, she or it is (and also the polite form of | | | | supermarket? - ¿Dónde está el |
| you are, but that's another story!) | | | | supermercado? |
| - somos - we are | | | | - using an adjective to express a temporary |
| - sois - you (all) are (plural) | | | | quality - Juan is in a bad mood today - Juan está |
| - son - they are (and you all are polite) | | | | de mal humor |
| Estar (to be) | | | | - used describing the result of an action - The |
| - estar - I am | | | | cinema is closed - El cine está cerrado |
| - estás - you are | | | | - asking how someone is - How are you? - |
| - está - he, she or it is (you are, polite) | | | | ¿Cómo estás? |
| - estamos - we are | | | | - using the present continuous - My dog is dancing |
| - estáis - you all are | | | | - Mi perro está bailando |
| - están - they are (you all are, polite) | | | | There are certain things that should be noted |
| As you will see, both verbs are highly irregular, | | | | about the above examples, firstly my mother isn't |
| ser more so than estar, and this irregularity | | | | really bald but, more importantly there is the |
| continues in the other tenses, and this is why | | | | smallest hint of ambiguity with regards to the use |
| using a good verb training software program will | | | | of ser when referring to events, and estar when |
| help you to master each tense (the preterit, in | | | | referring to location. The general rule is that estar |
| particular, requires special attention as it is highly | | | | is always used to express the location of |
| irregular!) quickly and effectively. But the initial | | | | something unless that something is an event such |
| question remains, when do you use each verb? | | | | as a party or a wedding, in which case ser is to |
| Thankfully, there are strict guidelines that leave | | | | be used. |