estar+ser=tricky

Question

estar and ser is making me ccrraazzyy!

Answer 1

Yes, it's difficult! But, don't worry.

If you need help, try doing Lesson 1.11, which is right here.

You can look for "ser" help here.

You can look for "estar" help here.

This reference article is extremely, extremely helpful!

Don't give up on ser vs. estar, though! You will get the hang of it.

Very helpful links :) - GuitarWarrior, Jul 2, 2011

Gracias - SonrisaDelSol, Jul 2, 2011

i did - gafkjghdskjlfh, Jul 3, 2011

Answer 2

The more you learn and study, the more clear it will become. Eventually, the wrong verb will sound strange to your ears.

Most people have trouble with por and para, as well. It's only natural. English doesn't have two verbs for "to be", and it doesn't have two words for "for". Soon, those start to sound strange if used incorrectly, too.

"sound strange if used in correctly" - ?? do you mean "incorrectly"? - pesta, Jul 2, 2011

Claro. ;) - Tosh, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 3

This is the simplest and most correct explanation I've seen.

Yes. This is an excellent method which avoids many of the pitfalls that arise with the temporary/permanent rule. - Izanoni1, Jul 2, 2011

You have my full agreement, as well. - territurtle, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 4

Read and write a lot of Spanish. (transcribe it AKA copy it)

That will train you on how to apply ser and estar and all of the prepositions.

SpanishDict allows us to read, recognize write and recall! With so many ways to practice, we cannot fail! - bert1929, Jul 2, 2011

So very true. Now let's give three cheers for SpanishDict! - territurtle, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 5

Ser denotes to be PERMANENTLY, whereas Estar denotes to be TEMPORARILY

Be careful. Using this method to navigate your way through Spanish can be a bit treacherous. There are many exceptions to this (pseudo)rule that may eventually make you wonder whether it was even worth learning in the first place.

?Está roto ? It's broken [Is broken always a temporary condition?]

?Está muerto ? He's dead. [Coming back to life any time soon?]

?¿Dónde está Bogotá? ? Where is Bogota? [Are they planning on moving it?]

?La leyes ahora son injustas ? The laws are unfair now. [but they haven't always been.]

? Es la una menos cuarto ? It's a quarter till one [Forever!!!??]

"Are they planning on moving it?" Hahahah! I love it! - lazarus1907, Jul 2, 2011

Wow! I'm going to print out your answer and make a poster of it to put on my wall! - territurtle, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 6

Why tricky?

Basically, ser is used when describing how a person or thing is by its nature. Estar is used when describing a person´s or thing´s particular state of being.

If you want tricky, imagine having to learn all the different meanings and usages of get while studying English as a second language. link text

This is the way I learned it as well. I have also seen "nature vs. state of being" described as "Whatness vs Howness" - Izanoni1, Jul 2, 2011

Are they even real words? - 005faa61, Jul 2, 2011

I doubt it. They are more than likely just neologisms coined for that particular discussion. - Izanoni1, Jul 2, 2011

To be honest if you use "to get" for all its different uses you'll end up speaking like a liitle kid. I would say that 90% of the time there's a better verb that can be used. - blazinbilly252, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 7

Ok, so "ser" and "estar" are two verbs that "te vuelven loco". Like Tosh said, studying them will help clear things up for you. Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it

Good answer - SonrisaDelSol, Jul 2, 2011

Gracias :-) - GuitarWarrior, Jul 2, 2011

Answer 8

Here's how I learned it.

Just remember the conjugations through hard reciting and memorization.

Ser: Soy Eres Es Somos Sois Son

Estar: Estoy Estás Está Estamos Estáis Están

And yes, ser and estar are tricky to all those just starting out in Spanish. Nonetheless, these two verbs are simply invaluable, and it's also important to note the scenarios for which each verb is used:

Ser denotes to be PERMANENTLY, whereas Estar denotes to be TEMPORARILY

To give you a better picture, ser is used to denote time and date, origin, nationality, your name, relationships, etc (think FIXED SITUATIONS). In stark contrast, estar will be used when talking about location, the present progressive, position, etc (think SITUATIONS SUBJECT TO QUICK AND RAPID CHANGE). To get the full details, I highly recommend watching the SpanishDict lesson made specifically for Ser and Estar.

These two verbs will be your best buddies Learn on!

Permanently? "Mi abuelo es muerto", then? That rule does not work, mate! - lazarus1907, Jul 2, 2011