ser vs. estar

I know that learning Spanish can be difficult and at times frustrating, like learning any other language would be. Especially when it comes to learning all the rules and exceptions, which there are many that can throw you for a loop.

My friend Carol takes Spanish lessons once a week in Washington D.C and though she enjoys the classes and is making tremendous improvement, she still has problems with some of the verbs; for example the dreaded “ser” and “estar” verbs. Those two verbs can drive the most dedicated student crazy. But don’t fear them once you get the hang of them you’ll see that using them is as easy as pie. I have compiled a short lesson and exercise to help you understand the forms and usage of “ser” and “estar,” which will be posted tomorrow. Hopefully this will be of some help to all those dedicated Spanish students.

Rules of  “estar”:

To understand this verb all you have to know is P.L.A.C.E. (position, location, action, condition, emotion).

The following are examples of each category of “estar” use:

position: expresses the physical position  of a person or thing:

estar sentado / seating     estar levantado / standing       estar acostado / lying down

location: expresses where places, people, or things are located:

estoy en Nueva York / I’m in New York    el libro está en la mesa / the book is on the table

action: expresses the result of an action or the progressive:

el hombre está muerto / the man is dead    estoy comiendo ahora / I’m eating right now

condition: expresses health and other changeable states:

estar enfermo / to be sick     estar sucio / to be dirty      estar lleno / to be full

emotion: expresses emotion such as:

estar contento / to be happy    estar triste / to be sad   estar deprimido / to be depress