Words that change meaning when used with estar vrs ser
There was a thread this morning on the difference in meaning between estar limitado and ser limitado. There are actually quite a few of these and I once made a of the most common ones. I thought it would be useful for others as well and so here it is to share. All of these express the inherent difference between ser and estar, ser reflecting the innate, inherent qualities of something.
Es / está atento (civil, considerate / attentive in the sense of pays attention)
Es / está viejo (to be old / to be used to something / to appear old, old in the sense of "an old friend")
Es / está interesado (to be interested in money or be similarly motivated / to have intellectual or emotional interest)
Es / está listo (is intelligent / is ready (to begin something), is already prepared)
Es / está orgulloso (is proud in the sense of not willing to accept help from anybody / is satisfied or proud of something, someone, or one's self)
Es / está afectado (is not natural, is affected / is bothered by or affected by something or someone)
Es / está limitado (is not capable or intelligent / is restricted by something)
Es / está preparado (has studied something thoroughly / is disposed to do something)
Es / está verde (is the color green / is not mature or ripe)
Es / está malo (is evil / is sick)
Es / está despierto (is intelligent or capable / is awake)
Es / está molesto (causes trouble / is annoyed)
Es / está frió (is not loving or affectionate / feels physically cold)
Es / está flojo (is weak or lethargic / is not cramped or tight physically, no está apretado)
Es / está sencillo (is not difficult or obscure (or difficult to understand) / is easy (to do))
Es / está vivo (is astute / is alive)
Es / está seguro (is confident in oneself / is certain about something)
7 Answers
Paraphrasing lazarus, putting the adjective in front classifies that friend, ie. he is your old friend, which means a friend you've had for a long time. Putting the adjective afterwards differentiates him from your other friends, ie. he is your friend that is old.
It's the same as in English, except you have to add in some words in order to use a trailing adjective:
my old friend
my friend who is old
I would like to point out that these words have several meanings regardless of ser and estar. For example:
Continúa atento (paying attention -> state, circumstances)
Me parece un chicho atento (considerate -> classification)
He llamado a un viejo amigo ("old friend" adjectives before the noun do not classify)
Prefiero un carro viejo (old -> classification)
Los concursantes se encuentran listos (ready -> state, circumstances)
Los concursantes más listos eligieron el atajo (smart -> adjectives after the noun classify or restrict)
"He llamado a un viejo amigo" and " He llamado a un amigo viejo" - which one means the friend is actually old? - ian-hill 13 mins ago
Not at all. "Un viejo amigo" is a friend, and then you add that your friendship has lasted for a long time with "viejo", but your friend does not have to be that old. He could be, say 35, years old (but you've known him your life)
"Un amigo viejo" means that you didn't call any of your young friends (in terms of age), but an one that is old, like a grandpa.
Ser vs Estar has a table of these near the end of the article.
May I ask what the same words mean when used with "ser" ?
Wow, J, this is an awesome, awesome list. I did not know "verde" meant " not ripe"!
wow this is really helpful!! i knew a couple of them but i didnt realize there were that many words that changed meaning! thanks so much for this!! 
