Maestro Fresco Colegio Sudoeste Nombre y apellido: _________________________________ Español 1 Periodo: ___________ The verb “To be”: “Ser”, “Estar” and “Tener”. Ser, Estar and Tener are three verbs that mean “To Be”. It is strange, but that is the way it is. Here are the basics: Pronombres Personales or Subject Pronouns Spanish Translation English Translation Ser Estar Tener I Yo I am Yo soy Yo estoy Yo tengo 2 Person singular You Tú (Familiar/Informal) You are Tú eres Tú estás Tú tienes 2nd Person singular You Usted (For adults/Formal) You are Usted es Ud. está Ud. tiene Él / Ella He is / She is Él/Ella es Nosotros (for men; or men and women) Nosotras (for women) We are Nosotros somos Nosotros estamos Nosotros tenemos Vosotros sois Vosotros estais Vosotros tenéis You (all) are Ustedes son Uds. están Uds. tienen Ellos/Ellas son Ellos/Ellas están Ellos/Ellas tienen 1st Person singular nd rd 3 Person singular He / She st 1 Person plural 2nd Person plural 2nd Person plural We You (all) You (all) Ustedes (in America, men,women/young/adult) They Ellos (for men; or for men and women) Ellas (for women) rd 3 Person plural Vosotros (in Spain, for men; or men and women) You (all) are Vosotras (in Spain, for women) They are Él/Ella está Él/Ella tiene The verb Ser is used in the following ways (besides being used in a “permanent” way): • • • • • • To describe a person: Ella es una profesora. She is a teacher. Él es un estudiante. He is a student. Ustedes son listos. You (all) are smart. To indicate ownership, origin, or the material of which something is made: Los lápices son rojos. The pencils are red. El pupitre es de México y es de madera. The desk is from Mexico and is made of wood. Mi maestro es de Bolivia. My teacher is from Bolivia. To describe qualities and characteristics: Ellas son altas. They are tall. Nosotros somos pobres. We are poor. Tú eres inteligente. You are intelligent. Ella es morena. She is black. Los libros son grandes. The books are big. El pupitre es azul. The desk is blue. To indicate time, dates, and seasons: Hoy es Domingo. Today is Sunday. Hoy es el primero de Octubre. Today is the first of October. Son las once de la noche. It is eleven o'clock at night. To indicate time or location of an event: La próxima reunión es el martes. The next meeting is Tuesday. Es en la escuela. It is in the school. And for certain expressions: Es imporante asistir a tus clases. It is important to attend your classes. Es fácil aprender español. It is easy to learn Spanish. The verb Estar is used in the following ways (besides being used in a “temporary” way: • • To indicate location: Mis cuadernos están en mi cuarto. My notebooks are in my room. Minneapolis está en Minnesota. Minneapolis is in Minnesota. Tú estás en la clase. You are in the classroom. With an adjective to describe states, feelings and conditions: ¡Este café está frío! This coffee is cold! Mis amigas están tristes. My friends are sad. Yo estoy cansado. I am tired. Tú estás más o menos. You are so so. Ella está muerta. She is dead. The verb Tener is used mostly as To Have, but sometimes is used as To Be: • • • As To have: Yo tengo un bolígrafo. I have a pen. Ella tiene dos calculadoras. She has two calculators. Tú tienes muchos borradores. You have many erasers. To say your age or to ask another person his or her age: ¿Cuántos años tienes tú? How old are you? Ella tiene quince años. She is fifteen years old. With adjectives or adverbs to describe conditions: ¡Yo tengo frío! I am cold! Ella tiene prisa. She is in a hurry. Nosotros tenemos hambre. We are hungry. Yo tengo miedo. I am afraid. Maestro Fresco Colegio Sudoeste Nombre y apellido: _________________________________ Español 1 Periodo: ___________ The verb “To be”: “Ser” and “Estar” and their use when describing foods As you have already learned, Ser and Estar are two verbs that mean "to be." Estar means “to be” in a temporary sense and Ser also means “to be”, but in a more permanent sense. Below is a quick guide how to use Ser and Estar when talking about foods. Ser (Permanent or Nationality) Estar (Temporary or Location) English translation 1st Person sing. Yo Soy Estoy I am 2nd Person sing. Tú Eres Estás You are 3rd Person sing. El/Ella Es Está He is/She is 1st Person plural Nosotros(as) Somos Estamos We are 2nd Person plural Vosotros(as) Sois Estáis You all are 3rd Person plural Ellos/Ellas Son Están They are Ser y Estar and Foods When describing foods, you are always going to use the “Él or Ella” or “Ellos or Ellas” forms of the verbs Ser and Estar. Why? Because, as you already know, everything in the Spanish language is either masculine or feminine. This means that, everything is going to be either a “He” or a “She”. Therefore, if you look above, for He and She (Él and Ella) you would either use Es or Está, and for They (Ellos and Ellas) you would either use Son or Están. In other words, SER is used to tell what something is like always, or to talk about how things “are” or “taste like” all of the time. ESTAR is often used to talk about how specific things taste, look or feel at “this particular” moment, (RIGHT NOW). Below are some examples that will help you understanding this better: • • El pan es delicioso. El pan está delicioso. The bread is delicious. (Always) The bread is delicious. (The one I’m eating right now) • • La sopa es sabrosa. La sopa está sabrosa. Soup is good. (Always) Soup is good. (How it tastes right now) • • Los camarones son ricos. Los camarones están ricos. Shrimp are delicious. (Always) Shrimp are delicious. (The one I’m eating right now) • • Las fresas son dulces. Las fresas están dulces. Strawberries are sweet. (Always) Strawberries are sweet. (How they taste right now)