ser / estar

Ser vs. Estar

Level 1

Galician has two verbs for "to be". Ser says what someone or something is: É médica (She is a doctor). Estar says where it is or how it is at the moment: Está en Vigo (She is in Vigo), Está contenta (She is happy).

How It Works

Use ser for

  • Identity and profession: É médica. (She is a doctor.)
  • Origin and nationality: É de Vigo. (She is from Vigo.) Somos galegos. (We are Galician.)
  • Lasting traits: O meu irmán é alto. (My brother is tall.)
  • Time and dates: Son as dez. (It is ten o'clock.) Hoxe é luns. (Today is Monday.)
  • Where an event happens: A festa é na praza. (The party is in the square.)

Use estar for

  • Where a person or thing is: Está en Vigo. (She is in Vigo.) As chaves están na mesa. (The keys are on the table.)
  • Temporary states and moods: Está contenta. (She is happy.) Estou canso. (I am tired.)
  • Results of a change: A porta está aberta. (The door is open.)

Same adjective, different meaning. Some adjectives change meaning with the verb. Este viño é bo means "This wine is good (a good wine)", while O caldo está moi bo means "The soup tastes very good (right now)". In the same way, É nervioso describes a nervous person, while Está nervioso describes someone who is nervous at this moment.

Review the forms in the present of ser and the present of estar. Feelings like hunger and cold use neither verb; Galician says Teño fame (ter for physical feelings).

Examples (6)

  1. É médica e está en Vigo.

    She is a doctor and she is in Vigo.

    Word by Word: Is doctor and is in Vigo.

    Profession takes ser; location takes estar.

  2. Somos de Ourense, pero agora estamos en Madrid.

    We are from Ourense, but now we are in Madrid.

    Origin takes ser; present location takes estar.

  3. A festa é na praza.

    The party is in the square.

    Word by Word: The party is in-the square.

    Where an event takes place uses ser, not estar.

  4. Hoxe está contenta.

    She is happy today.

    Word by Word: Today is happy.

  5. Este viño é bo.

    This is a good wine.

    Word by Word: This wine is good.

  6. O caldo está moi bo.

    The soup tastes very good.

    Word by Word: The broth is very good.

    With estar, bo describes how the food tastes now.

Common Mistakes

  • Using estar for origin.

    Estou de Vigo.
    Son de Vigo.

    Where you come from is part of who you are, so it takes ser.

  • Using estar for where an event takes place.

    O concerto está no teatro.
    O concerto é no teatro.

    Events such as concerts, parties and meetings "take place", and Galician uses ser for that. Estar is for the location of people and objects.

  • Using ser for a temporary state.

    Hoxe María é cansa.
    Hoxe María está cansa.

    Being tired today is a passing state, so it takes estar. With ser, canso means "tiring" (un traballo canso), so Hoxe María é cansa does not say that she is tired.

How It Connects

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ser / estarLevel 1Ser vs. Estar

Learn This First

Ser and estar choose different ways to describe someone or something.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

estar