Kilo Lingo

Ch 2 · Lesson 35

Ser and estar: two ways to say 'is'

for what something is, for how or where it is: the chart, the DOCTOR and PLACE shortcut, and why where something is takes .

The short version

Where the temporary-permanent shortcut breaks

.

The party is at my house.
Why?

The temporary-versus-permanent rule of thumb fails on everyday sentences. uses , because death is a state someone ends up in, not an identity. uses , though the hour lasts sixty minutes. And the location of an event takes , while a physical thing takes .

The ser vs estar chart

The whole system on one screen. Everything below is detail.

serestarWhat do the colours mean?
UseVerbExample
Identity . It's a book.
DescriptionMaría . She's tall.
Job . I'm a teacher.
Character . He's nice.
Origin Madrid. I'm from Madrid.
Relationship . He's my brother.
Owner, material Ana. It's Ana's.
Time and days . It's three.
Where an event is . The party's here.
Location . She's at home.
Position . He's sitting down.
Condition, health . He's ill.
Mood . I'm sad.
Result of a change . The door's shut.
Action in progress . He's eating.

The blue box is and the dashed pink box is , on every example on this page.

The working framework: DOCTOR and PLACE

Two acronyms cover the common cases. DOCTOR is :

DOCTOR (ser)ExampleEnglish
D: description .He's tall.
O: occupation médica.She's a doctor.
C: character .He's nice.
T: time and dates .It's Monday.
O: origin .She's Spanish.
R: relationship .He's my father.
Four people in their work clothes: a woman doctor with long hair and a bow, in a white coat with a stethoscope; a man teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie, pointing at a board and holding a book; a man cook with a moustache, in a chef's hat and apron, holding a frying pan with an egg; a man police officer with a moustache, in a blue uniform and cap.
  1. médica.
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

A job is what someone is, so ser, and with no article: es médica, not es una médica.

PLACE is :

PLACE (estar)ExampleEnglish
P: position .She's sitting down.
L: location .I'm at home.
A: action .He's eating.
C: condition .She's tired.
E: emotion .We' happy.
Four faces: a girl grinning with sparkles and a heart (happy); a yawning boy with heavy eyelids under a moon (tired); a girl with a cold compress, a thermometer and a scarf (ill); a curly-haired boy frowning with steam puffing from his head (angry).
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

How someone is right now, so estar. The adjective agrees: contenta and enferma for her, cansado and enfadado for him.

A job takes no article after : médica. A stopgap job can also be , which says what someone is working as for now:

  • . - He's working as a waiter this summer.

The acronyms are scaffolding. The real rule is still what it is against how or where it is.

Worked examples

WhySpanishEnglish
origin: Madrid.I'm from Madrid.
location: Madrid.I'm in Madrid.
trait: María .María is tall.
state: María .María is tired.
time: .It's four o'clock.
state: .The coffee is hot.
job: .He's a doctor.
condition: .He's ill.

Location is always estar (with one exception)

The location of people and things takes , however permanent:

  • Madrid . - Madrid is in Spain.
  • . - The book is on the table.
  • . - I'm at home.

The exception is events. Where a party, a meeting or a class takes place uses , because an event happens somewhere rather than sitting there:

What it isSpanishEnglish
a thing .The house is on my street.
an event .The party is at the house.
an event .The meeting is here.

One line to remember: things use , events use .

Going further: Why "permanent vs temporary" is the wrong rule and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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Lesson 35 of 50 in this chapter

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What do the colours mean?