Ser and estar Ser comes from the Latin

Ser comes from the Latin verb ‘esse’, which was used to refer to ‘being’

Estar comes from the Latin verb ‘stare’, which means ‘to stand’, ‘being’ in the

Ser is used for the following: • to describe who or what somebody or

Estar is used for the following: • to refer to a place or location

Estar is used in the following expressions: • to express price ¿A cuánto está?

Both ser and estar can be used in the passive Estar is used with

Some adjectives have a different meaning depending on whether they are used with ser

When estar is used with an adjective that is normally used with ser it

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Ser and estar

Ser comes from the Latin verb ‘esse’, which was used to refer to ‘being’ in the sense of existence, and gives us words like ‘essence’ and ‘essential’, describing how things are like

Estar comes from the Latin verb ‘stare’, which means ‘to stand’, ‘being’ in the sense of position/ place, referring to temporary states. This gives us words like ‘stationary’, ‘static’,

Ser is used for the following: • to describe who or what somebody or something is, such as their job or profession, etc. Alfonso es médico • to describe the natural characteristics of a thing or person Es una chica muy feliz • to tell the time Son las cinco y media • to express possession Es mío

Estar is used for the following: • to refer to a place or location Madrid está en el centro de España • to refer to the state or condition of somebody or something Estaba muy cansada cuando llegué • to describe what is actually going on Estoy escribiendo • to describe a state resulting from an action, often using past participle Mis amigos estaban sentados

Estar is used in the following expressions: • to express price ¿A cuánto está? • to express dates Estamos a quince de octubre • in the expression estar por (to be inclined to/in favour of) Estoy por ir al cine • in the expression estar para (to be about to, in the mood for) Estaba para salir

Both ser and estar can be used in the passive Estar is used with the past participle to indicate the resultant state after the action, rather than the action itself los documentos fueron firmados (somebody signed them) los documentos estaban firmados (the signature was on them)

Some adjectives have a different meaning depending on whether they are used with ser or estar: • ser aburrido/a to be boring • estar aburrido/a to be bored • ser listo to be clever /a • estar listo/a to be ready

When estar is used with an adjective that is normally used with ser it tends to mean ‘to appear’ or ‘to look’: • ¡Estás muy guapa hoy! You look lovely today! • ¡Qué viejo estás! You do look old!