Ser and estar past tense

Question

Hey, just noticed in estar that "I was" and "he was" has the same ending Estaba and in ser "I was" and "he was" is era, as they are the same, how would you know the difference if you want to say I was at the shop and not he was? Estaba en la tienda.

Answer 1

These are times when a personal pronoun must be used to clarify the person: yo, él, ella

Thanks - Tacosalsa, Nov 22, 2015

Answer 2

Context also helps. Two people speaking together alone:

Person A: Cuando era estudiante en la universidad de Colorado?

Person B: Era estudiante en esa universidad hace quince años.

Can you see that there would be no confusion there?

Now, having said that, I think that it is easier to see in writing than it would be in speaking, at least at my level.

Good luck!!