Ser and Estar
The verb to be is probably one of the most commonly used verbs in any language. In English, we use the verb to be conjugated as:
I am
You are
He is
She is
We are
They are
In Spanish, it is a little trickier because there are two verbs that mean to be. The two verbs that mean to be in Spanish are ser and estar. They are conjugated like this:
Ser Estar
Yo = Soy Yo = Estoy
Tú = Eres Tú = Estás
El/Ella/Ud. = Es El/Ella/Ud. = Está
Nosotros = Somos Nosotros = Estamos
Ellos/ellas/Uds. = Son Ellos/ellas/Uds. = Están
Estar is used to represent condition and location. Location is self explanatory, but condition would be any temporary condition. For example, you are only sick temporarily, so you would use estar when saying I am sick.
Here are some examples:
Spanish: ¿Donde está mi cartera?
English: Where is my wallet?
Spanish: Yo estoy enfermo.
English: I am sick.
Estar is also used for the progressive tense. This tense means you are doing something. For example, I am washing my car. You would use estar plus the present participle which is simply the verb, in this case wash which is lavar, with the ending ando.
Spanish: Yoy estoy lavando el coche.
English: I am washing the car.
Here are a couple more examples:
Spanish: Ella está comiendo manzanas.
English: She is eating apples.
For –ar verbs, you use -ando, and use –iendo for –ir and -er verbs.
Spanish: Nosotros estamos escribiendo un libro.
English: We are writing a book.
Ser is used in statements of essence, or simply, anything other than condition and location. Here are some examples:
Spanish: ¿Quién es usted?
English: Who are you?
Spanish: El Libro es muy bueno.
English: The book is very good.
There are two verbs in Spanish and this can make it very confusing. The hardest part is knowing which one to use and when. If you get it down from the start, it makes it a lot easier as you go on. Study them extensively!
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