Spanish Grammar

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GRAMMAR INDEX

Spanish Grammar A1 ⮟
Ser and Estar in Spanish for Beginners
Está and Hay in Spanish to Express Location
The Present Indicative in Spanish
The verb querer in Spanish: how to use it
The Verb Gustar in Spanish
Demonstratives in Spanish and Adverbs of Place
Possessive Adjectives in Spanish
The Present Continuous in Spanish: Estar + Gerund
The Gerund in Spanish: Form and Basic Uses
Expressions of Quantity in Spanish: Muy and Mucho
Spanish Grammar A2 ⮟
Present Perfect Indicative in Spanish
The Past Simple in Spanish
The Preterite Imperfect Indicative in Spanish
Indicative past tenses in Spanish
How to Express Future in Spanish
How to use por and para in Spanish
Possessive Pronouns in Spanish
Comparative Adjectives in Spanish
Ya in Spanish: Meaning and Usage
Subject Personal Pronouns in Spanish
Expressing Obligation in Spanish
Spanish Grammar B1 ⮟
The Pluperfect Indicative in Spanish
The Future Simple in Spanish
The Conditional Simple in Spanish
The imperative mood in Spanish
The present subjunctive in Spanish
Verbal Periphrasis in Spanish
General Rules of Accentuation in Spanish
Expressing Wishes with the Subjunctive in Spanish
The Use of Cuando with Indicative and Subjunctive
Position of Object Pronouns in Spanish
Spanish Grammar B2 ⮟
Advanced Uses of Conditional Simple
The Future Perfect in Spanish
The Conditional Perfect in Spanish
Present Perfect Subjunctive in Spanish
How do I use the past imperfect subjunctive?
The Pluperfect Subjunctive in Spanish
How to express probability in Spanish
Conditional Clauses in Spanish
Verbs of Change in Spanish
Reported Speech in Spanish
Spanish Grammar C1 ⮟
The passive Voice in Spanish
Adverbial Clauses of Manner in Spanish
Adverbial Clauses of Cause in Spanish
Clauses of Purpose in Spanish
Conditional Conjunctions in Spanish
Uses of the Pronoun SE with Syntactic Function
Uses of the Pronoun Se as a Verb Mark
The Indeterminate Feminine in Spanish

Ser and Estar in Spanish for Beginners

Ser and Estar in Spanish are some kind of evil twins for beginners. However, from basic to advanced levels, students will need to struggle to learn how to use them accurately. Keep reading and we’ll help you!

Ser and Estar in Spanish to make descriptions

At first levels, you will need to describe people, places and objects. It’s like a baby, who focuses on surroundings. But, how can you form ser and estar in Spanish in the present of indicative? Look at this table:

Conjugation chart of the verbs ser and estar in the present indicative in Spanish

As you can see, the most used verbs, are also the most irregulars. Now that you can form Ser and Estar in Spanish, it’s time to know how to use them to make descriptions.

The verb ser to describe physical appearance

We use the verb ser with adjectives that describe our hair, eyes and body.

  • Moreno-a – brunette
  • Rubio-a – blonde
  • Pelirrojo-a – red-haired
  • Alto-a – tall
  • Bajo-a – short
  • Gordo-a – fat
  • Delgado-a thin
  • Azules / verdes / oscuros Dark / blue / green

Example: Mi hermano es alto y moreno. Sus ojos son verdes.

Easy, isn’t it? Now, it’s time to describe our personality.

 

 

The verb ser to describe traits of the personality

The characteristics that describe our nature and manners are introduced by the verb ser.

  • Tímido-a – shy
  • Amable – kind
  • Inteligente – clever
  • Aburrido-a – boring
  • Generoso-a – generous
  • Tacaño-a  – stingy
  • Maleducado-a  – impolite
  • Divertido-a  – funny

Example: Los españoles son muy divertidos y amables.

Nice! Now let’s see how to use the verb estar to describe mood and feelings.

The verb estar to describe mood and feelings

The verb ser shows more inherent traits of a person; on the other hand, with the verb estar and some adjectives, we express states, mood and feelings. That is one of the most important differences between ser and estar in Spanish.

Here’s a list of them

  • Contento-a – glad
  • Tristesad
  • Tranquilo-a – calm
  • Nervioso-a nervous
  • Aburrido-abored
  • Emocionado-aexcited
  • Preocupado-a worried

Example: Hoy estoy muy tranquilo porque mi hija está contenta.

Ser and Estar in Spanish to express location

Besides descriptions, ser and estar can be used to express the place where somebody or something are. We usually use the verb estar for this purpose, but you know what, all rules have exceptions.

The verb estar introduces the location of people, places and objects.

Example: Mi profesor está en Madrid y Madrid está en España.

On the other hand, the verb ser, can express the location where an event will take place.

Example: El concierto será en Madrid.

Ser and estar in Spanish, what a couple! Do you feel like putting what you learnt before into practice? Sure? Well, leave some sentences describing yourself and express location in the comments section below. Don’t forget to use the verbs ser and estar in Spanish accurately. And, of course, if you need further information about this topic, reserve a lesson on Spanishviaskype.

Infographic about Ser and Estar for beginners