Hola {{first_name}} 👋🏻
Espero que estés muy bien y bienvenido/a a Master Spanish Weekly.
A weekly email with useful Spanish lessons, quizzes, resources, and more related to learning Spanish effectively, so you can make it part of your day.
Otro sábado, otro correo. 😅 Busy weeks again, but here’s this week’s edition. Today’s lesson is one of those topics that every learner should practice every day, as it changes how your brain thinks in Spanish first and not in English.
En el correo de hoy:
🧠 Lesson: SER vs ESTAR: The adjectives edition
📄 Downloadable chart to keep as a reference
❓ Mini Quiz: 5 questions to practice
Como siempre, gracias por estar aquí. 💙
This week’s lesson
🧠 SER vs ESTAR: It's Not Just "Permanent vs Temporary"
You've probably heard the rule: SER is for permanent things, ESTAR is for temporary things. That works… until it doesn't.
Because "to be young" is temporary, and we use SER (él es joven). And "Madrid is in Spain” is permanent, and we use ESTAR (Madrid está en España). So what's really going on?
Here's a better way to think about it:
SER → what something is (identity, characteristics, nature)
ESTAR → how something is right now (state, condition, mood + location)
When it comes to adjectives, this is where it gets useful. Some adjectives almost always go with SER. Others almost always go with ESTAR. And a few change their meaning depending on which one you use.
Vamos a practicar:
Adjectives that go with SER
These describe what someone or something is like. Their nature, their identity, qualities that define them:
alto/a, bajo/a, grande, pequeño/a, guapo/a, bonito/a, feo/a, joven, viejo/a, inteligente, tonto/a, amable, generoso/a, tímido/a, simpático/a, responsable, importante, difícil, fácil, interesante
— ¿Cómo es tu hermana? — Es alta, simpática y muy inteligente.
You're describing who she is. That's SER.
Adjectives that go with ESTAR
These describe how someone or something feels, looks, or is right now. A state or condition:
cansado/a, enfermo/a, contento/a, triste, enojado/a, nervioso/a, ocupado/a, preocupado/a, aburrido/a, enamorado/a, estresado/a, sorprendido/a, confundido/a, mojado/a, roto/a, lleno/a, vacío/a, listo/a, muerto/a, vivo/a
— ¿Cómo estás? — Estoy cansado y un poco estresado.
You're describing how you feel right now. That's ESTAR.
The tricky ones: Same adjective, different meaning
This is the part that surprises students. Some adjectives work with both, but the meaning changes:
Esto es aburrido. (This is boring.)
Mi hijo está aburrido. (My son is bored.)
Same word. Completely different meaning. SER tells you what it's like. ESTAR tells you how it feels.
Let’s test your knowledge!
🧩 Mini Quiz: ¿SER o ESTAR?
10 questions:
1. "Mi abuela ___ muy generosa."
a) es b) está
2. "Hoy ___ muy cansado."
a) soy b) estoy
3. "La película ___ muy interesante."
a) es b) está
4. "¡La sopa ___ rica!"
a) es b) está
5. "Mi hermano ___ enfermo."
a) es b) está
6. "Ella ___ lista para el examen."
a) es b) está
7. "Carlos ___ muy alto."
a) es b) está
8. "Los niños ___ contentos hoy."
a) son b) están
9. "Este ejercicio ___ difícil."
a) es b) está
10. "Mi jefe ___ ocupado ahora."
a) es b) está
💙 Gracias
Here's the shortcut: if you're describing what something is like, use SER. If you're describing how it is right now, use ESTAR. And when you're not sure, check the chart. 😉
¡Hasta la próxima semana!
Alejandro, Founder & Director @ Vokally.
