Ser and Estar Practice

Q: When do you use ser and when do you use estar?

English uses "to be" for both. Use ser for what something is: identity, job, origin, traits, the time, and where an event takes place. Use estar for how or where something is: where people and things are, how someone feels, the result of an action, and what's happening right now. When in doubt, ask yourself: is this what it is, or how it is right now?

Q: Is it es or está for the time, the weather and age?

It depends. The time takes ser : es la una, son las tres . The weather mostly takes hacer or estar : hace calor, está nublado, está lloviendo . And age takes neither: Spanish uses tener , so "I'm 30" is tengo 30 años .

Ser and estar practice for English speakers: 25 sentences where you choose soy or estoy, es or está, then hear the whole sentence. Type the answer or pick from three, and every answer comes with the reason.

How this works

English has one "to be," so the trick is to ask what the sentence says: what something is (ser) or how and where it is (estar). Events are the exception to "where": la fiesta es en mi casa.

Below the exercise: the rules at a glance, the three mistakes English speakers make most, and a ser vs estar worksheet with answers you can print.

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How do you say it in Spanish?

Ser and estar practice: rules at a glance

Rule	Example
Identity, job, nationality: ser	Soy profesora. Ella es mexicana.
Origin, and what something is made of: ser	Somos de Texas. La mesa es de madera.
Traits and personality: ser	Mi hermano es alto y muy simpático.
The time, dates, and where an event takes place: ser	Son las tres. La boda es en la iglesia.
Where people and things are: estar	¿Dónde está el baño? Bogotá está en Colombia.
Feelings, health and states that can change: estar	Estoy cansada. La sopa está fría.
The result of an action, and "-ing": estar	La tienda está cerrada. Estamos trabajando.
Adjectives that change meaning	Es listo (clever) · está listo (ready). Es aburrido (boring) · está aburrido (bored).

Every form, with audio: ser conjugation and estar conjugation.

The full explanation, with more examples and audio, is in the lesson Ser vs estar.

Common ser and estar mistakes

Three mistakes English speakers make all the time, and how to fix them:

Soy aburrido when you mean "I'm bored." Soy aburrido says you're a boring person. Bored is a state: estoy aburrido.
La fiesta está en mi casa. "Where" usually calls for estar, but events don't sit somewhere, they take place: la fiesta es en mi casa.
Estoy de Texas. Where you're from is part of who you are: soy de Texas. Estoy en Texas is where you are right now.

Spanish Without Borders · Ser and Estar Practice · spanishwithoutborders.com/exercises/ser-vs-estar/

Ser vs estar worksheet with answers

Do them on paper, in your head or printed out: answer first, then open each answer to check.

Name: ______________________________ Date: ____/____/______

Ser or estar?

Ser is what something is; estar is how or where it is.

Carlos ______ médico.
show answer
es · job
Carlos ______ en el hospital.
show answer
está · location
Carlos ______ cansado hoy.
show answer
está · state
Carlos ______ de México.
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es · origin
El concierto ______ en el estadio.
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es · where an event takes place

Ser vs estar quiz: mixed sentences

Fill in with the right form of ser or estar in the present.

Mi mamá ______ enfermera y hoy ______ en el hospital.
show answer
es · está · job, then location
¿De dónde ______ ustedes?
show answer
son · origin
Los niños ______ jugando en el patio.
show answer
están · action in progress
Hoy ______ 15 de septiembre.
show answer
es · date (also: estamos a 15 de septiembre)
La ventana ______ abierta.
show answer
está · result of an action
Mi novio ______ muy simpático.
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es · personality
¡Qué guapa ______ hoy!
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estás · how someone looks right now
El examen ______ en el salón 204.
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es · where an event takes place

Adjectives that change meaning

With ser and with estar, the same adjective says something different.

Los tamales ______ muy ricos.
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están · estar rico = to taste good
Su familia ______ muy rica.
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es · ser rico = to have money
¿______ lista? Nos vamos.
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Estás · estar listo = to be ready
Esta clase ______ aburrida.
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es · ser aburrido = to be boring

Fix the mistake

Estoy bueno, gracias.
show answer
Estoy bien, gracias. · I'm fine = estoy bien
Él estuve en Madrid ayer.
show answer
Él estuvo en Madrid ayer.
La reunión está en la sala 3.
show answer
La reunión es en la sala 3. · where an event takes place
Mi casa es cerca de la playa.
show answer
Mi casa está cerca de la playa. · where a thing is

Answer key

es
está
está
es
es
es · está
son
están
es
está
es
estás
es
están
es
Estás
es
Estoy bien, gracias.
Él estuvo en Madrid ayer.
La reunión es en la sala 3.
Mi casa está cerca de la playa.

Ser and estar: common questions

When do you use ser and when do you use estar?

English uses "to be" for both. Use ser for what something is: identity, job, origin, traits, the time, and where an event takes place. Use estar for how or where something is: where people and things are, how someone feels, the result of an action, and what's happening right now. When in doubt, ask yourself: is this what it is, or how it is right now?

Why is it está muerto and not es muerto?

Because being dead is the result of a change (dying), and results go with estar, as in la puerta está abierta. So it's mi abuelo está muerto. Don't let "permanent means ser" fool you.

Is it es or está for the time, the weather and age?

It depends. The time takes ser: es la una, son las tres. The weather mostly takes hacer or estar: hace calor, está nublado, está lloviendo. And age takes neither: Spanish uses tener, so "I'm 30" is tengo 30 años.