One of the biggest challenges facing a new Spanish speaker is learning when to use Estar and Ser. Both words mean to be, so what is the difference? First, before we go any further, let’s look at the conjugations of ser and estar. Ser is conjugated by the following: Soy (I am), Eres (you are informal) es (it is, you are formal, he is, or she is) son (they are) somos (we are), sois (you all are). Estar is conjugated by the following: estoy (I am), estar (you are informal), esta (you are formal, he is, she is, or it is), estan (they are), estamos (we are), estais (you are all). Now, that we have the conjugations of both ser and estar, lets look at the how these two terms differ.

The rule of thumb on the difference between ser and estar is that ser refers to items that are more permanent while estar refers to things that are more temporary. Now, I understand that this is definition leaves room for ambiguity, so let’s look more in depth into examples of both estar and ser.

First, ser is to be used for essential characteristics, for example, you are tall (eres alto), he is fat (el es gordo,), she is pretty (Ella es bonita), all would use ser. Yes, I know that beauty can fade and could be thought of as temporary, but in Spanish it would be considered an essential characteristic. Emotions like, I am happy (estoy feliz) and you are sad (estas triste), on the other hand, would use estar. Locations, for example, I am in the kitchen (Estoy in concina) or where is the post office? (¿donde estar de officina de correos?) Always use estar. Again, I do not care if the post office was constructed in 1899 and has not moved since; you would still use estar. The only exception to this rule is if you are stating you are from a certain location: I am from the United States (soy de Estados Unidos). Furthermore, day, time, political & religious affiliations, family relationships, and to describe the material that something is made of all use ser.

Now, just a quick note, many expressions that are expressed in English with the conjugated forms of "to be" are expressed in Spanish with to have (tener) For example, I am thirty would be expressed in Spanish as tengo sed (I have thirst). A few other common terms that use I have include: being hungry, being hot & cold, being afraid, being ticklish.

Ser and Estar may seem complicated at first, but once you start learning Spanish it will become second nature to you. You will soon wonder why you had so much difficulty with these two terms.

Did you know that most students who take Spanish classes never learn Spanish. So what product will really help you lean Spanish? On my website I list some of the better programs out there. Take a look Here: http://www.spanishwisdom.com/reviews.html

Source: www.articlesphere.com