In this lesson
Two verbs for "to be"
English has one "to be". Spanish has two: ser and estar. Both translate as "am" or "are", but they answer different questions.
| ser | estar | |
|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | soy | estoy |
| tú (you) | eres | estás |
The short version: ser is who you are, estar is where you are and how you are right now. We start with yo and tú because that's a conversation: you say something about yourself, then you ask about the other person.
Ser: who you are
Use ser for the things that describe you as a person:
| Use it for | Yo | Tú |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Soy Ana. | ¿Eres Carlos? |
| Where you're from | Soy de Texas. | ¿De dónde eres? |
| Your job | Soy maestro. | ¿Eres estudiante? |
| What you're like | Soy tranquilo. | Eres muy simpático. |
Estar: where you are and how you are
Use estar for where you are and for how you feel at this moment:
| Use it for | Yo | Tú |
|---|---|---|
| Where you are | Estoy en casa. | ¿Dónde estás? |
| How you feel | Estoy cansado. | ¿Estás bien? |
| Saying hi | Estoy bien, gracias. | ¿Cómo estás? |
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.___ de México. (I'm from Mexico.)
2.¿Dónde ___? (Where are you?)
3.___ muy cansado hoy. (I'm very tired today.)
Drop the "yo"
Soy Uriel sounds more natural than Yo soy Uriel. The ending -oy already says it's you, and -es / -ás already say it's "you". Spanish speakers only add yo or tú to compare or to stress it: Yo soy de México, ¿y tú?
Common mistakes
✗Estoy de Texas.
✓Soy de Texas.
Where you're from is who you are, even though it's a place: ser.
✗Soy en casa.
✓Estoy en casa.
Where you are right now is always estar.
✗Soy un estudiante.
✓Soy estudiante.
No un or una before a job.
✗¿Cómo eres? (to ask how someone is)
✓¿Cómo estás?
¿Cómo eres? asks what someone is like as a person.
✗Yo soy Ana, yo soy de Texas y yo estoy en casa.
✓Soy Ana, soy de Texas y estoy en casa.
Drop the yo: the verb already says who.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Soy estudiante y estoy en casa.
- soy: ser, because being a student is who you are
- estoy: estar, because home is where you are right now
And now as a conversation, with yo and tú going back and forth:
¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
Hi! How are you?
Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
I'm good, thanks. And you?
Bien. Soy Ana. ¿Eres de aquí?
Good. I'm Ana. Are you from here?
No, soy de Texas. Soy estudiante de español.
No, I'm from Texas. I'm a Spanish student.
¡Qué bien! ¿Y dónde estás ahora?
Great! And where are you now?
Estoy en casa, en Austin.
I'm at home, in Austin.
Now make it yours: say who you are, where you're from and where you are right now. Then ask the same to someone else.
Test yourself
✍️ Five quick questions
0/5
1.¿Tú ___ maestro? (Are you a teacher?)
2.___ en el trabajo. (I'm at work.)
3.¿Cómo ___? (How are you?)
4.___ aburrido hoy. (I'm bored today.)
5.¿De dónde ___? (Where are you from?)
All the forms
Full present-tense chart
You'll learn él/ella in class 10 and nosotros/ellos in class 11. Here's the whole picture for when you need it. We teach Mexican Spanish, so there's no vosotros.
| yo | tú | él / ella / usted | nosotros | ellos / ustedes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ser | soy | eres | es | somos | son |
| estar | estoy | estás | está | estamos | están |
Later you'll see a few more uses: ser for the time (Son las tres) and estar for what's happening right now (Estoy comiendo, "I'm eating").