We explain that what is the difference between Ser and Estar with table. Many people who learn about the Spanish language are often confused about the use of verbs like ser or estar. Similar to por and para, people find it very difficult to use ser and estar.
The meaning of both worlds is the same as being and they are the most used words in Spanish languages. Many times it can be confusing.
Ser vs Estar
The difference between Ser and Estar is that Ser is used to refer to permanent features of people, while ester is used to refer to transitory conditions. If some person wants to describe the qualities or characteristics of something or person, also the place, he must use ser.
And in case a person wants to describe the physical location of a person, they should use Esther. Many times ser is used for the action while, for a description of the current condition, the ester is used.
Comparison table between Ser and Estar (in tabular form)
Comparison parameter Ser Esther
| Use | Used to describe when an action is taken | Used to describe the state of something or an individual |
| Condition | Used when there is a permanent condition | Used when there is a permanent condition |
| Areas to use | Qualities, Profession, Nationality, Expressions and property | Temporal property, position or location, emotions, actions |
| Different ways | I am, you are, is, we are, you are, are | I am, are, are, are, are, are |
| Example | He’s silent (shut up) | He is silent (he is silent) |
What is Ser?
Ser is a Spanish verb that is used for long and permanent terms. Basically it is used to answer various questions like How can a person / place / thing be described? It means that if you want to describe an essential quality, you must use being.
Since the use of this world will define a thing or person that will not change in the future, it could be used to give names, religion, personal information, physical descriptions, and many more.
Here are some important forms of the verb to be:
- I’m Nora (means I’m Nora)
- They are Nora and Neil (It means they are Nora and Neil)
Physical descriptions
- I’m thin and tall (I’m thin and tall)
- Nora is short and Redhead (Nora is short and redhead)
Activities
- I’m a math teacher (I’m a math teacher)
- They are cleaner (I am cleaner)
Personal relationships
- Rahul is my Brother (Rahul is my brother)
- Aaron is my cousin Brother (Arron is my first cousin)
What is Estar?
Estar is another verb in Spanish that means “to be.” When someone uses a verb like estar, it is used to change or conjugate verbs to match the subject of the sentence. In the Spanish language, different verbs have different conjugations, for different pronouns like ella, he or yo y tú.
In order to make use of all the different forms, it is necessary to change the letter once it is written on the web. Here the word is changed by adding the suffix ‘ar’.
Estar is another irregular verb when we speak of the present indicative tense. Some of the forms of the verb «Estar» are the following
- I am: I am
- You are: you are
- Estan: son o eres (formal plural)
- Estais: eres (informal plural)
- We are
- This: you are / she is / he is
Some of the examples of verbs estar.
- Is happy (he or she is happy)
- I’m sick (I’m sick)
Use of Esther in present continuous
- I’m Talking (It means “I’m talking”)
- We are writing (It means that we are writing)
Use of ester in any location
- Where is Nora (Where is Nora?)
- He’s at school (He’s at school)
Main differences between Ser and Estar
1. An important difference between both verbs, ser and Estar, is that ester is used to refer to temporary conditions, while ser is used to refer to permanent conditions. For example
Nora is blonde, slim and tall – It means “Nora is blonde, slim and tall.
In this example, ser is used to describe a person.
Nora is confused – It means “Nora is confused”.
In this example, estar is used to describe a temporary condition.
2. Another difference is that ser is used to describe the action and ester is used to describe the current situation. Ser is used when people talk about an action to be performed or about another person. Whereas the ester is used when people talk about someone’s or someone’s state. Let’s look at an example.
Food was made by Nora’s family – It means that “the food was made by Nora’s family”.
Here in this example we will use ser since, in this sentence, the focus is on the actual action, that is, making food. Let’s look at an example.
The food is made. – It means that “the food is done.”
Since in this example the focus is more on the resulting state of the food, then estar is used.
3. One more difference is that being is used to describe the characteristics of people, places or something. And the meaning behind that information is not associated with the length of time. Whereas estar is used to describe similar attributes. For example
My boyfriend is great – It means “my boyfriend is great.”
You are Beautiful in This Dress – It means “you are beautiful in this dress”.
Final Thought
Ser and Estar are two verbs that mean the same thing, that is, “to be.” Ser is used most of the time to report on permanent status. It also describes that it is an essential part of the language. Whereas Esther is used to answering the “How” question.
So it’s mostly used for things like actions, emotions, locations, and conditions. So we use being in areas like place of origin, possession, relationship, where things happen, essential qualities. And Estar is used in areas such as progressive tenses, idioms, condition and state, geographic and physical location.
