Concept of "To BE"

SER and ESTAR both mean “To Be”.  

When conjugated, they both sound the same in English (I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, they are).  

As in all cases, it is important that you first master the FORMS of the verbs before you can master the FUNCTIONS of the two verbs.  

Below are the conjugation charts for both verbs.  
After you have mastered the forms (conjugations), you are now able to concentrate on the FUNCTIONS of the two verbs, or when you use each verb.  ​

*You have to memorize the conceptual difference between the two verbs to use them correctly. 

SER:
This is the verb of IDENTITY.

Uses of Ser all go back to “Identity”.  

  • Physical Characteristics (Identifying by looks):  
    • Ella es alta y bonita. She is tall and pretty. (adjectives)
 
  • Personality Traits (Identifying by personality):  
    • Él es inteligente y cómico.  He is intelligent and funny.  (adjectives)
 
  • Origin (where someone/thing is from is part of one’s identity):
    • Yo soy de México.  I am from Mexico.  (Key word “de”)
 
  • Profession (we associate one’s profession with identity):  
    • Mi madre es médica: My mother is a doctor.  
    • Yo soy estudiante.  I am a student.
 
  • Possession (identifying an object by whom it belongs):  
    • ​​El libro es de Juan.  The book is of Juan. (or...The book is Juan’s.)  (Key word “de”)
 
  • Relationship (identifying someone through a relationship to someone else):
    • Ella es la hermana de Rosa.  She is the sister of Rosa.  
 
  • Time (identifying the time):
    • ​​Es la una.  It is one.  
    • Son las dos y media.  It is two thirty.  
 **Notice you use “Es la” with 1 o’clock.  Use “Son las” with 2-12 o’clock.

  • Date (identifying the day/date):  
    • Es lunes.  It is Monday.  
    • Es el 5 de febrero.  It is the 5th of February.  
 ***Notice the day and time is always communicated with “es” because you are saying “it is”, which requires es...it is Monday....it is the 5th of February.  

  • “Made of” (identifying something by what it is made of):  
    • La casa es de madera y piedra.  The house is (made) of wood and stone.  
    • Los vasos son de vidrio. The glasses are (made) of glass.  
​(otros materiales: metal, lana (wool), algodón (cotton), cuero (leather), plástico, cerámica (ceramic), goma (rubber)

  • Identity by name:
    • La película es "Finding Dory".  The movie is Finding Dory.  

ESTAR:

ESTAR has two separate, distinct uses.  

  1. Location:  Anytime you say “is/am/are” and you are talking about a location of someone or something, use ESTAR. Not always, but a keyword for this one is “en” meaning “at/in” a location.

    Example 1:  ¿Dónde estás?  Where are you? (asking for your location)

    Example 2:  Mi libro está en casa.  My book is at home. (location of book)

    ​Example 3:  Juan no está en clase hoy.  Juan isn’t in class today. (location of Juan)
  2. Conditions (states of being) like emotions, feelings, health (adjectives)

    Example 1:  Mi gato está enfermo.  My cat is sick. (right now, not always)

    Example 2:  Sara está triste.  Sara is sad. (right now, not always)

    Example 3:  ¿Cómo estás?  How are you? (right now, not asking for you to describe your personality or what you look like...which would be SER).

    Example 4:  El café está frío.  The coffee is cold

      
The first 15 min. 40 seconds address the SER & ESTAR concept.  The last 6-10 minutes the SABER & CONOCER concept is addressed.
The adjectives below typically will be associated with the verb SER, as they describe someone physically, their personality, etc.
The adjectives below typically will be associated with the verb ESTAR, as they describe someone's health, emotions or their location.

To be... with Tener

There are some ways of describing how one feels that will not use either SER nor ESTAR, but will require the verb TENER because of the nature of the translation in either language.

Example: (Literal translation)
Yo tengo hambre. 
I am hungry.  (I have hunger)  

Él tiene vergüenza. 
He is ashamed. (He has shame.)

Tú tienes miedo.
​You are afraid.  (I have fear.)

Ella tiene razón.
She is right.  (She has reason.)

In English we use the verb "to be" in order to tell someone our age, where as in Spanish "to have" is used.  
Yo tengo 26 años.      (I have 26 years.)           I am 26 years old.
One has to understand and remember that when describing how you feel in these regards, you have to use the verb TENER.

To be... with Weather

Typically when speaking about the weather, English uses the verb "to be," or "It is..." ("It" referring to Nature), but in Spanish it is translated using the verb hacer, which is translated "to do or make".  In essence it is referring to Nature making the weather what it is.  

Example: (Literal translation)
Hace calor.
It is hot.  (Nature makes it hot.)

Hace viento.
It is windy.  (Nature makes it windy.)

However there are some phrases that require the learner to just memorize them as part of the weather that do not use hace.  
Ex.  Está nublado.    It is cloudy. 


*A simple vocabulary set for weather is found in the Quizlet flashcards.  

Also note that HAY, is used to refer to "There is" or "There are".

Hay sol.
It is sunny.   (There is sun.)

Hay luna.
The moon is out.   (There is moon.)