Lesson 13. What someone is like and how they are now

Ser or estar

Both verbs are “to be” in English, but they answer different questions.

ser	estar
who or what it is, what it’s like	where it is and what state it’s in
Javier es simpático.	Hoy está cansado.
Lucía es profesora. Es joven.	Nora está nerviosa.
Soy de Irlanda.	Estoy en casa.
El examen es difícil.	El bar está cerrado.

• ser — who someone is, where they’re from, what a person or thing is like: jobs (lesson 4), origin, description (lesson 11).
• estar — where someone or something is (lesson 12) and what state they’re in: tired, nervous, closed, ready.

Learn the adjective with the verb: es listo and está listo mean different things.

One adjective, two meanings

With some adjectives, the verb changes the meaning:

with ser	with estar
es aburrido — he’s boring	está aburrido — he’s bored
es listo — he’s clever	está listo — he’s ready
es rico — he’s rich	la sopa está rica — the soup is tasty

English uses two different words (boring / bored); Spanish uses one adjective and switches the verb.

To say that a dish you’re tasting is good, use estar: La sopa está rica.

Two more cases

• Where an event takes place uses ser: La fiesta es en el bar. For now, just recognize it.
• ¡Tranquilo! / ¡Tranquila! — “Take it easy! Don’t worry!” The ending depends on who you’re talking to.

Joven has one form for men and women; the plural is jóvenes, with an accent mark. Likewise el examen — los exámenes.