Spanish · Chapter 5 · Lesson 13 · Grammar primer
Ser vs estar
Two verbs that both translate as 'to be'. The permanence vs state heuristic, plus the seven cases where the rule bends.
The short version
Es aburrido bores you, está aburrido is bored
A set of adjectives change meaning outright depending on the verb, and these are semantic choices rather than stylistic ones. Es aburrido is 'he is boring'; está aburrido is 'he is bored'. Es listo is clever, está listo is ready. La comida es buena in general; la comida está buena on the plate tonight.
Está aburrido.
Where the temporary-permanent shortcut breaks
The temporary-versus-permanent rule of thumb fails in three places worth memorising. Estar muerto uses estar, because death is treated as a resulting condition and not an identity. Ser feliz is a happy personality, estar feliz is happy right now. And the location of an event takes ser, while a physical object takes estar.
La fiesta es en mi casa.
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