SER

D
ESCRIPTIONS (OR DATE) - Mi esposo es romántico y cariñoso (My husband is romantic
and caring)
The essential qualities that define a person or thing

T
and probably won’t change anytime soon. (names, IME
physical descriptions, nationalities, and religions).
Dates, days, years, and the time on the clock.
- Yo soy Raúl (I am Raul)
- Hoy es miércoloes (Today is Wednesday)
- Yo soy alta, morena, y delgada (I am tall, dark-skinned, and
- Ayer fue mi cumpleaños (Yesterday was my birthday)
thin)
- Ahora es la luna (Right now it is one o’clock)
- Bob es inglés (Bob is English)
- Son las cinco veinticinco (It’s five twenty-five)
- Andres es católico (Andres is Catholic)

O
RIGIN

O
CCUPATION
The place a person or thing is from or the material
Basically occupations.
something is made of can be considered an origin.
- Soy profesora de español (I am a Spanish teacher)
- Celia es de España (Celia is from Spain)
- Ellos son estudiantes (They are students)
- Este chocolate es de México (This chocolate is from Mexico)
- Mi padre era jardinero (My father was a gardener)
- Las sillas son de madera (The chairs are made of wood)
- Juanita es bailarina (Juanita is a dancer)
- Mi anillo es de oro (My ring is made of gold)
***** Indefinite Articles (un, una, unos, unas) are not used when
talking about occupations with ser)

R
ELATION

Personal relationships, such as family ties, friendship,

C
HARACTERISTICS
and romantic relationships.
Personality descriptions of a person.
- Lynne es mi madre (Lynne is my mother)
- Amalia es inteligente, atrevida, y amable (Amalia is
- Marcos es mi exnovio (Marcos is my ex-boyfriend)
intelligent, daring, and friendly)
- Juana es mi jefe (Juana is my boss)

ESTAR

P
OSITION

Position refers to the physical position or posture a
person or thing is in.
- Mi abuela está sentada (My grandmother is seated)
- Estaba acostada cuando me llamaste (I was lying down when
you called me)
A
CTION
Estar is used to describe ongoing actions and is often
followed by a present participle (such as lavando) or
a past participle (such as muerto).
- Estoy lavando los platos sucios (I am washing the dirty dishes)

- Estamos leyendo los periódicos (We are reading the

newspapers)

L
OCATION
- Mi bisabuelo está muerto (My great-grandfather is dead)
The location of someone or something describes where

C
it is permanently, temporarily, or conceptually. ONDITION

- El baño está a la derecha de la sala (The bathroom is to the
right of the living room)
- Estamos en el café ahora y estaremos en el cine en 20 minutos
(We are at the café right now and we will be at the movie
theater in 20 minutes)
- ¿Dónde está España en el mapa? (Where is Spain on the
map?)
Physical and mental conditions are described using
estar. Things that are likely to vary over several hours,
days, or even years can be fall into this category.
- Estoy tan cansada esta mañana (I am so tired this morning)
- Mis niños están enfermos hoy (My children are sick today)
- Mi padre está un poco loco (My father is a little crazy)

- Mi abuelo está en la luna (My grandfather is out of it)

E
MOTION

How a person is feeling at a certain moment is

***** For the location of an event or party, use ser.
described using estar.
- La fiesta es en mi casa (The party is at my house)
- Estoy triste (I am sad)
- Su boda es en una viña (Their wedding is at a vineyard)
- Ella está contenta porque recibió unas flores de su novio (She
is happy because she got some flowers from her boyfriend)