6. Un verbo en inglés, dos diferentes verbos en español: To Be or not To Be : Ser y Estar

To be is translated as “ser” or “estar” in Spanish. Both verbs, as you recall, have unique conjugations. Let’s review the different situation that go to help us to use correctly each one of this verbs.

SER is one of the most important Spanish verbs. To make it simple for you to remember when to use, read the following memory aid or mnemonic where the first letter of each situation or reason spells a word when you look at them vertically: DOCTOR EE.

• D – Date
  • Hoy es martes.
• O – Occupation
  • Yo soy estudiante.
• C – Characteristics (permanent characteristics, personality traits, origin)

  • Mi mamá es bonita.

  • Nosotros somos peruanos.

  • Vosotros sois simpáticos.

• T – Time
  • Son las 2:00 P.M.
• O – Ownership / possession

  • Los libros son míos.

  • Ese es tu libro.

• R – Reaction / opinion (Cognates: es fabuloso, es importante, es posible…)

  • ¡El helado es delicioso!

  • Es importante estudiar.

• E – Event taking place
  • El concierto es en Wadsworth.
• E – Essence (what something is made of)
  • El libro es de papel.

ESTAR: When we want to talk about how we are feeling and where we are, always use the verb estar. (It rhymes!) The reasons why you will use ESTAR in a sentence may be easily recalled by remembering this mnemonic device or memory tool: HEALTH.

• H – Health
  • Estoy bien. Estás enfermo. Estáis mal.
• E – Emotion
  • Está feliz. Estamos contentos.
• A – Attitude
  • Están seguros. (They are certain.)
• L – Location
  • Estoy en Geneseo.
• T – Temporary condition

  • La sopa está fría (no me gusta). (Something contrary to what you expected.)

• H – Happening now

  • Estamos aprendiendo español. This is the present progressive which combines the use of the present tense conjugation of estar with a gerund form (ing).

Practiquemos: Fill in the space with the correct form of the verb SER or ESTAR en el presente del indicativo.

1. Mi amigo ________ muy enfermo hoy.
2. El chico __________ estudiando ahora en la biblioteca.
3. Miguel _____ mexicano.
4. Yo ______ de Rochester.
5. Ella ________ muy paciente, generosa y bonita.
6. La mesa ______ de madera. (The table is made of wood, composed of wood)
7. Hoy ____ lunes, el primero de enero.
8. Ahora, _______ las dos de la tarde.
9. Ahora, _______ la una y media.
10. Mis amigos _________ en casa ahora, en este (this) momento.

Remember this useful tip:

We use the ver SER for permanent things: Yo soy alto.

We use the verb ESTAR for temporal things: Tú estás en Colombia.

Leamos y comprendamos: Read the dialogue about what Elisa is doing to prepare for her return to school. Based on your understanding of what you read, fill in the notes about the Indicative Present Progressive in the table that follows this paragraph.

Completemos: In the following table, identify all the instances that are in bold in the dialogue that we read about what Elisa is doing to prepare for her return to school. Next identify the main verb as in the example below. Identify if it is an AR, ER or IR verb in the third column and lastly identify the formation of the progressive form. For the two instances of progressives in purple see if you can figure out why they are different in the gerund formation.

The present progressive is formed by conjugating ESTAR in the present tense for the subject and then forming a gerund for the main verb. Summarize the gerund formation steps below:

AR verbs: __________________________________

ER verbs: __________________________________

IR verbs: ___________________________________

Irregular IR verbs: _____________________________

Verbs that would have 3 vowels in a row, as leer, need to be changed how?  _______________________________________________

Emphasis can be expressed in various ways such as in the case above about what is happening at this moment. When showing possession there are many ways to express the concept including one that really emphasizes the possessor.