Estar and ser confusion

Question

I am having trouble with estar and ser verbs. They are both to be verbs. How do I know when to use the correct tense when speaking in spanish. This is my first semester in spanish and I have no prior knowledge of spanish. I really appriciate any advice on how to keep these apart.

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum!

For the first semester of Spanish, the major differences between "ser" and "estar" can be summarized in this little jingle (If you choose to sing it, use the tune to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star")

"Twinkle, twinkle, little estar...how you feel and where you are".

Once again, this is a good rule of thumb for entry level Spanish. If your sentence doesn't say where someone/something is or how someone feels, it's a good bet you're going to need a form of "ser".

Once you get beyond entry level, you'll need a few more details on the differences.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for the twinkle jingle. That will help me alot. Thanks for the fast feedback. I have a test Monday (lunes) and ser and estar will be the main focus of the test. I will let you know how it goes. - lkh9600, JUN 5, 2010

Answer 2

Hi Lkh, welcome to the forum .

Have a look at this Reference Article, and have a look at this lesson.

I hope this helps you .

Thank you so much. That helped so much. I have a clearer understanding now. Thanks : ) - lkh9600, JUN 5, 2010