SPANISH 1 UNIT 3: LA ESCUELA

SER VS. ESTAR

Think about what the verbs SER and ESTAR mean while translating and answering the questions below:
SPANISH ENGLISH TRANSLATION SPANISH ANSWER
¿COMO ESTAS?
!!!!!!!!!!"DONDE ESTAS?

¿COMO ERES?
¿DE DONDE ERES?

SER (TO ) ESTAR (TO )

Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb

Yo Nosotros, Yo Nosotros,
Nosotras Nosotras

Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Ellos, Él, Ella, Ellos,

Usted Ellas, Usted Ellas,
Ustedes Ustedes

!
!
SER and ESTAR both correspond to the Spanish verb TO BE but their uses are very different.
SER IS USED… ESTAR IS USED…

!
SPANISH 1 UNIT 3: LA ESCUELA

WORKING WITH A PARTNER, TRY TO COME UP WITH EXAMPLES OF SER AND ESTAR FOR THE FOLLOWING:

EXAMPLES WITH SER

Descriptions
(Physical Appearance)

Occupation (Profession)

Characteristics (Personality)

Time (Time of Day)

Origin (Where from?)

Relationships (Who the

person is in relation to us)

EXAMPLES WITH ESTAR

Emotions

Location

Feelings

LA GRAN DIFERENCIA (THE BIG DIFFERENCE)

SER IS FOR MORE _______________________________ EXPRESSIONS.

ESTAR IS FOR MORE ________________________________ EXPRESSIONS.

SPANISH 1 UNIT 3: LA ESCUELA

WHY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SER AND ESTAR SO IMPORTANT?

THE CHOICE OF SER OR ESTAR IS SIGNIFICANT SINCE IT CAN DETERMINE OR EVEN CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE
SENTENCE. Below are some examples that illustrate why it is important to recognize the differences – (Notice how the
meaning changes depending on whether or not SER or ESTAR is used in the sentence…. )

GUESS THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE:

EL ES ABURRIDO SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
EL ESTA ABURRIDO SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
ELLA ES NERVIOSA SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
ELLA ESTA NERVIOSA SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
EL ES VIEJO SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
EL ESTA VIEJO SER OR ESTAR PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY

PRACTICE WITH SER AND ESTAR

LISTENING EXERCISES:
Listen to the sentences I read aloud in English and then decide if I should use the verb SER or ESTAR in Spanish.
Write the ENGLISH sentence in the appropriate box below and explain the reason you chose your answer.

SER ESTAR
1. 1.

2. 2.

3.

Listen to the sentences I read aloud in Spanish and decide if I use the verb SER or ESTAR.
Write the ENGLISH translation and the REASON for using SER or ESTAR in the box below. (DOCTOR ELF)

SER ESTAR
1. 1.

2. 2.

3.
SPANISH 1 UNIT 3: LA ESCUELA

WRITING EXERCISE:
In the following sentences underline the forms of SER and ESTAR. To the right of each sentence write either
SER or ESTAR and explain why SER or ESTAR was used (DOCTOR ELF)
SENTENCE ¿SER or ESTAR? REASON
Yo soy baja. _________________ ___________________
Mi hermano es alto. _________________ ___________________
Nosotros estamos cansados. _________________ ___________________
Ellos están enojados. _________________ ___________________
El es inteligente. _________________ ___________________
Miguel y yo somos cómicos. _________________ ___________________
Tú eres de Costa Rica. _________________ ___________________
Ella está en la escuela. _________________ ___________________
Yo soy profesor. _________________ ___________________
Tú eres estudiante. _________________ ___________________

CONJUGATION EXERCISE:
Circle SER or ESTAR in the following sentences and then conjugate it in the correct form on the first blank.
Next to the sentence then write the REASON that SER or ESTAR was used in that situation.
Carlos __________ de Buenos Aires. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Carlos __________ en Nueva York. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Nosotros___________ contentos. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Nosotras __________ estudiantes. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Melisa y Jessica __________ en casa. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Melisa y Jessica __________ de San Luis. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Yo _____________________ triste. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Yo _____________________ nervioso. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Tu ______________________ profesor. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Tu ______________________ en NYC. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Ustedes__________________ de México. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Usted ____________________ simpatica. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
Ellos _____________________ en Chile. (SER or ESTAR) ________________________
 SPANISH 1 UNIT 3: LA ESCUELA

REPASO DE SER VS. ESTAR

SER (TO ) ESTAR (TO )

Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb Subject Verb

Yo Nosotros, Yo Nosotros,
Nosotras Nosotras

Tú Tú

Él, Ella, Ellos, Él, Ella, Ellos,

Usted Ellas, Usted Ellas,
Ustedes Ustedes

SER IS USED… ESTAR IS USED…

SPANISH ENGLISH SER OR ESTAR REASON

Nosotros somos amigos.
Ella esta frustrada y enojada.
Ellos son comicos y deportistas.
Nosotros estamos en Washington DC.
LeBron y Kobe son atleticos.
El es medico y ella es profesora.
Son las diez y media de la manana.
Las chicas son mis hermanas.
Soy de los Estados Unidos.
Ellos son estudiantes de espanol.
El profesor es bajo y gordo.
Ellos estan en America Latina.