Ser and Estar

Flashcards for Spanish verbs Ser and Estar

Ser

Used in enduring situations.

Estar

Used in short-term situations, location, or result of some action.

Origin (using Ser)

An unchangeable fact, a permanent aspect of one’s life.

Relationships (using Ser)

Relationships that endure, such as familial or selected relationships.

Physical Attributes (using Ser)

Aspects of one’s body that are not changed by location or how one feels.

Personality Characteristics (using Ser)

How people tend to behave and react to life from one day to the next.

Possession (using Ser)

What’s yours is yours, enduring until you no longer have it.

Profession (using Ser)

A position one takes on as another personality characteristic.

Identification (using Ser)

Used to identify anything—animal, vegetable, or mineral.

Date and Time (using Ser)

Giving the date or time is a statement of identification.

Nationality (using Ser)

Nationality cannot be denied.

Natural Color (using Ser)

When an object is referred to in its natural color.

Location (using Estar)

To give the location of anything, short-term or permanent.

Mood (using Estar)

A person’s mood is a short-term personality characteristic.

Physical Condition (using Estar)

How you feel physically changes from day to day.

Result of Action (using Estar)

Express the condition of something or someone after an action has been completed.

Unnatural Color or Condition (using Estar)

Describing things that aren’t in their natural state.

Going from the General to the Particular (using Estar)

Referring to a specific instance of something, rather than the general concept.

Reflexive Verb

When the subject and object are the same. The action does not go anywhere.