Two ways to say “to be”

Ser: who or what something is

Use ser to identify someone or something, name a profession, or say where someone is from. You already know soy de… from the introductions lesson.

Start with three present-tense forms: yo soy (I am), tú eres (you are), and él/ella es (he/she is). Usted also uses es. A simple profession after ser usually has no un or una: soy profesora.

Estar: where someone is and how they are

Use estar for the location of people and things, and for many states or conditions. Start with yo estoy, tú estás, and él/ella/usted está.

An adjective may change to match the person it describes: cansado for a male speaker and cansada for a female speaker. Bien does not change. For location, use en: estoy en casa.

Choose by meaning, not a permanent-or-temporary rule

The shortcut “ser is permanent and estar is temporary” can mislead you. A building’s location uses estar even if it never moves: el museo está en el centro.

For now, ask what you are expressing: identity or origin suggests ser; the location of a person or thing, or how someone feels, suggests estar. Some adjectives change meaning with the verb, so learn those combinations gradually.

Say one sentence about where you are from and one about where you are now. They might name the same place, but they use different verbs.

Lesson vocabulary

Read each word aloud, then test your recall of its meaning.

Practice questions

Answer the questions and read the explanations. You can repeat the exercises.

Soy de… tells your origin. Estoy en… tells your location. Choose the verb for the meaning you want to express.