estar vs ser

Question

La universidad ......en el sur de la ciudad. Es o esta ?

Esta for location but it's a permanent location so should it be Es?

Estar is for temporary and Es is for permanent? Confused.

Welcome to the forum :) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 10, 2011

Answer 1

Well for starters the whole ser for permanent and estar for temporary would be better forgotten as it really is not the best way to look at things. Your example for one is a good reason why it just doesn't work. As you can see the location of a university is pretty permanent so if you use that rule you might think 'es' but the correct verb is estar - la universidad está en el sur de la ciudad.

On the other hand the location of events, much more temporary - uses ser! Go figure lol. La reunión es en la oficina. The meeting is in the office.

This is a great article to help you get your head around ser and estar but trust me it'll be a long process as it's a very complex issue. ser & estar (by Lazarus)

Answer 2

HI gypsy, welcome to the forum

Please have a look at this compilation of everything you need to know about ser y estar.

Answer 3

Hi Gypsy and welcome to the forum. This is from ser and estar in the reference section. Your answer would be está with the accent.

1. Location

The location of someone or something describes where it is permanently, temporarily, actually, or conceptually.

El baño está a la derecha de la sala. (The bathroom is to the right of the living room.)

:) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 10, 2011