There are two verbs in Spanish equivalent to English ‘to be’, namely ser
and estar. Unfortunately for the learner of Spanish, they are not randomly
interchangeable. However the distinction between the two verbs is in prin-
ciple fairly clear.
Seris used to categorize its subject (e.g. Juan es médico‘Juan is a doctor’,
El suelo es de madera‘The floor is a wooden one’) while estaris used to
assign acquired properties (e.g. El suelo está sucio‘The floor is dirty’) or
to locate persons and things in space (e.g. Manolo está en el jardín‘Manolo
is in the garden’).
As a start to understanding their use, it is possible to identify those situa-
tions which generally demand one or other of the verbs.Situations which demand ser
When the verb ‘to be’ links the subject to a noun, pronoun or
infinitive(El) Perú es una república. Peru is a republic.
Soy el nuevo jefe. I am the new boss.Este es el mío. This is mine.
Su sueño es jugar para el His dream is to play for
Real Madrid. Real Madrid.20.1.120.1