The difference between "estoy" and "yo soy"

Question

Hello!) Could you explain me which is the difference between "estoy" and "yo soy" ? Thank you very much!

Answer 1

Jubilado is correct; it´s not quickly answered but here is a very basic explanation that I seem to have passed on before: Ser is used when discribing the nature of something/someone and estar is used to discribe the state of being of something/someone, ie: "I am happy (now)" .... "Estoy feliz." "I am a happy person" ...... "Soy feliz." So obviously if you are doing something, this is also a state of being, ie: "I am answering you (at this very moment)" .... "Te estoy contestando."

Hola, amigo, muy bien dicho. Le estaba enseñado a pescar, si me explico. Soy feliz pero hoy estoy un poco triste. - Jubilado, Jan 5, 2013

Answer 2

On this website, pull down the Learn menu and select Spanish Grammar, then scroll down until you find under the Verbs category and select "Basic ser vs. estar D.O.T . vs. Lo. Co." review and I think many of your questions will be answered. This is not a question that can be quickly answered and is something you will just have to work on as you learn Spanish. Good luck! Visit us often!

Thank you very much!!:))) - deppyjein, Jan 5, 2013

Answer 3

You will get to use 'estar' more when you get to lesson 1.9. I see you've done 1.2 for 'ser' and descriptions. When you get to 1.11, they will compare the 2 (ser & estar).

Julian and Jubilado have given you some great ideas and explanations. This is one of the harder things for English learners to grasp, since the English translation is the same for both "is/are". If you type in "ser & estar" in the search box under "Ask a Question", you will see you are not alone. Every learner has trouble with this.

Most of the time you can use the general rules:

Location & Conditions (that could change) - estar

Permanent personality traits, jobs, family position - ser

*Note - There are some things with estar that are landmines. Don't worry too much about them for now but just be aware that you will figure it out when you get there and are ready. In English, we say, "I am hot" meaning we feel hot, but you can't use estar with that or you get into trouble in the meaning of it. You have to use 'hacer'. "Hace calor' expresses that. And sometimes you will have to use the verb 'tener' (to have) to express 'I am _________". (Tengo miedo = I'm scaird.). But don't worry about that now, you can't learn everything at once.

Answer 4

Estar and Ser both mean "to be," but estar is temporary, while ser is permanent. We don't have that differentiation in English, but with a little practice, it gets easier to understand. To know which expressions you use estar for and which you use ser for, I remember being taught these little rhymes:

Estar:

For how you feel or where you are, always use the verb estar.

Ser:

To say your job or your name, to tell us all from where you came, To say what your eyes can see, Or your personality, To tell the time or define a thing, Ser is just the perfect thing.

Admittedly, the "ser" one is more in depth, but our class had a lot of trouble with it at first!

While estar is used for emotion and location, it's also used to describe general states of being like sick, lost, pregnant, etc and current actions. (I am running = Estoy corriendo)

Two fun facts:

If you say you are sick and use "ser," it is understood that you are terminally ill.

I'm not sure if this is true everywhere, but in Mexico, estar--the temporary one--is used to describe death. She is dead = Ella está muerto. That is because, as exemplified with their Day of the Dead celebrations, death isn't viewed as permanent; you get to come back.

I hope this helps