How to conjugate ser and estar in Spanish in all tenses & moods

To be or not to be? To ser or to estar? This question takes an added challenge as you learn to conjugate “to be” in Spanish.

As a native English speaker, you’re already somewhat familiar with verb conjugations. For example, you know that you do something, but your friend does something. This conjugation of the verb “to do” is something that every native English speaker can do without much effort.

However, many Spanish learners find that verb conjugations in Spanish are a whole new beast. With many conjugation rules to learn and even more irregular verbs that love to break the rules, it will take many hours of dilligent study and plenty of practice to finally nail down the conjugation of every verb.

But no need to panic! Taking it slow and steady is the best way to learn all the different conjugations, and this time, we’ll spend a good amount of time going over the different conjugations for the verb “to be” in Spanish. That way, you’ll have a strong grip of this elementary verb by the time you’re done with this article!

Let’s get started!

The verbs “Ser” and “Estar”

You may have already noticed that the verb “to be” can be translated into both the verb “ser” and the verb “estar.” That’s because Spanish has a distinction between a permanent state of being and a transitory state of being.

For example, when you say that you “are angry,” does that mean that you are permanently angry? Is that an intrinsic part of who you are? No, right! It just means that someone cut you off in traffic or a customer service agent refused to give you a refund for a defective item. Perhaps it’s even worse and you’re hangry (hungry and angry)! But the commonality in all these situations is that they are transitory states. Your anger will pass no matter how badly you wanted that last almond croissant that the person in front of you ordered at the coffee shop.

That’s the general way Spanish differentiates between the verbs “ser” and “estar.” However, there is a bit more nuance to this, so let’s jump right into a few more cases!

When to use "ser"

Describing things that won’t change easily

The verb “ser” describes the core being or characteristic of a noun. Thus, this verb is commonly used with things that don’t change very easily, such as:

• Characteristics. This includes physical characteristics as well as personality traits, such as “Tú eres inteligente” (you are smart) or “La casa es blanca” (the house is white).
• Professions and occupations. Although some professions can be more temporary than permanent, all of them use the verb “ser.” For example, “Soy doctor” (I’m a doctor) or “Eres barista” (I’m a barista).
• Relationships. Your relationships with other people don’t (or, ideally, shouldn’t!) change very often. For example, “Ella es mi mamá” (She is my mom) or “Todos somos amigos” (We’re all friends).
• Climate. A country or city’s climate describes the general characteristics of the weather there, not what the weather is like at a particular moment. For example, “México es muy caluroso” (Mexico is very hot) and “El sur de Chile es muy frío” (Southern Chile is very cold). That doesn’t mean that Mexico is always hot or that Chile is always cold — they’re just general characteristics!

Describing time and events

If you know how to tell the time in Spanish, then you already know that the verb “ser” is used any time you need to talk about the time. It’s also used when describing when an event takes place, such as “El concierto es el viernes en la noche” (The concert is on Friday night) or “La clase es a las 10 a.m.” (The class is at 10 a.m.).

Ownership

Any time you want to establish ownership or ask questions about the ownership of something, you’ll want to use the verb “ser.” For example, “¿De quién es este vaso?” (Whose cup is this?) or “Esta camiseta es mía” (This shirt is mine).

When to use "estar"

Things that can change easily

The verb “estar” refers to the state of something rather than its intrinsic characteristics. For example, you can be a calm person and still get angry from time to time. Healthy people can catch a cold, and even the gorgeous weather of Tenerife can get stormy every now and then.

• Mood. Humans are complex beings capable of experiencing the whole gamut of emotions. As such, our moods tend to change quite frequently. Use “estar” any time you want to talk about moods, feelings, and emotions in Spanish. For example, “¡Estoy muy emocionada!” (I am very excited!) and “¿Por qué estás triste?” (Why are you sad?).
• Health. We use “estar” when talking about health and well-being in Spanish. That’s why you say “¿Cómo estás?” when asking how are you in Spanish.
• Locations. The verb “estar” can help us locate things. For example, “¿Dónde está la biblioteca?“ (Where is the library?) and “Estamos afuera de tu casa” (We’re outside your house).
• Weather. While a place’s climate may be predictable, the weather can be anything but. With hundreds of common weather expressions in Spanish, you’ll want to use the verb “estar” when saying “¡está lloviendo!” (it’s raining!) or “está soleado” (it’s sunny).
• Ongoing actions. We use the verb “estar” to express things that are happening right now. For example, “Mi mamá está dormida” (My mom is asleep) and “Estoy comiendo” (I’m eating).

Expressing different meanings with “ser” and “estar”

If you’re more of an intermediate Spanish speaker, then you might be wondering why similar situations seem to use “ser” and “estar” interchangeably. In certain contexts, the speaker has a choice between these two verbs that can give the adjective a new meaning. Let’s take a look at some of these situations.

Adjectives

Many Spanish adjectives can be used with both “ser” and “estar.” However, as you now know, “ser” has a more permanent connotation, and using it with an adjective implies an innate or unchangeable characteristic in the noun it’s describing. On the other hand, using “estar” with an adjective implies the current state of the noun — but it could change at any moment.

Here are some examples to help you visualize the differences:

Differentiate homophones

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and Spanish has many of these. Although context will usually let you find the correct one, the verb used is another way to help you identify what word is being used. Here are some examples:

Specificity

Using the verb “estar” instead of “ser” can sometimes help you add a layer of specificity to your statements. When you use “estar,” you’re talking about a specific item, whereas using “ser” implies that you’re talking about the noun as a whole.

Spanish to be conjugation: All possibilities

Knowing when to use “ser” and “estar” is just one part of the equation — now you have to learn how to conjugate them! Although it might be tedious to learn so many different conjugations at first, memorizing the conjugations of irregular verbs is an inescapable part of learning Spanish. Fortunately, investing time into learning the conjugations well from the start will make them come naturally to you in the future, allowing you to focus your attention on more advanced topics.

Without further ado, let’s dive into all the possible conjugations of the verbs “ser” and “estar”!

Present tense (presente)

The present tense, known as el tiempo presente (elle tee-ehm-poh preh-sehn-teh) in Spanish, is likely to be the verb tense you’ll use the most often. It’s also the first tense covered extensively in beginner Spanish lessons, so you might already be familiar with it.

Examples of present tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Ser and estar conjugation in preterite / simple past (pretérito)

The simple past tense is known as the tiempo pretérito (tee-ehm-poh preh-teh-ree-toe) in Spanish. It helps us express actions that took place in the past and have since concluded. Here are the conjugations for the verbs “ser” and “estar” in the preterite tense in Spanish.

Examples of simple past Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Imperfect tense (imperfecto)

The imperfect tense, known as el pretérito imperfecto (elle preh-teh-ree-toe eem-pehr-fec-toe) in Spanish, also helps us talk about actions that happened in the past, but it is less precise than the simple past. With the imperfect tense, the actions that we describe may have happened over a long period of time, may not have ended yet, and may still have an impact on the present. These are the imperfect conjugations for “ser” and “estar” in Spanish.

Examples of imperfect tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Future tense (futuro simple)

We then have the future tense, known as el futuro simple (elle foo-too-roh seem-pleh) in Spanish. Naturally, this tense helps us speak about actions that haven’t happened yet, so use this to talk about your plans, goals, and aspirations!

Examples of future tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Future perfect tense (futuro compuesto)

The future perfect tense helps us express things that will have started at some point in the future. It’s known as el futuro compuesto (elle foo-too-roh com-poo-ehs-toe) in Spanish. It doesn’t tell us about the current status of the action, but it does help us talk about things that will have happened by some specific or approximate point in the future. In Spanish, we use the verb “haber” (to have) for the conjugation of this tense, which is another very helpful Spanish verb to know!

Examples of future perfect tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Conditional tense (condicional simple)

The conditional tense, known as el condicional simple (elle con-dee-see-oh-nall seem-pleh), helps us talk about something that would or could happen if certain conditions were met. If you love to consider hypothetical situations and talk about the wide realm of life’s possibilities, then this verb tense is for you!

Examples of conditional tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Conditional perfect tense (condicional perfecto)

Known as the condicional perfecto (con-dee-see-oh-nall pehr-fec-toe) in Spanish, the conditional perfect tense describes something that could or would have happened in the past. It generally indicates that the action can no longer happen again or that the ship has sailed. In other words, this is the verb tense of regrets — so don’t spend too much time using it!

Examples of conditional perfect tense Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Present perfect (pretérito perfecto)

The preterite perfect, known as the pretérito perfecto in Spanish (preh-teh-ree-toe pehr-fec-toe) is used to describe:

• Actions that started in the past and are continuing into the present
• Actions that started in the past and were completed recently
• Actions that started and were completed in the distant past
• Actions that happened in the past and have an implication for the present or future
• Actions that imply a big sense of accomplishment or overcoming a challenge

This conjugation involves the present conjugation of the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have).

Note that European Spanish uses the present perfect the way Latin America (and English) uses the preterite tense — to explain things in the simple past.

Examples of present perfect Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Pluperfect (pluscuamperfecto)

The pluperfect term, known as pluscuamperfecto (ploos-cooh-ahn-pehr-fec-toe) in Spanish, expresses an action that happened in the past before another action that also happened in the past. In other words, it is the past of the past. Even if its name sounds like a Spanish tongue twister, this tense is actually quite easy to learn (and very useful, too!).

Examples of pluperfect Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Present subjunctive (subjuntivo)

The subjunctive, known as el subjuntivo (elle soob-whoon-tee-vo) in Spanish, is used to discuss nebulous things that could, would or might maybe someday happen. It’s used to discuss our hopes, dreams, fears, feelings and emotions, aspirations, and innermost desires. Unlike the conditional tense we covered earlier, the subjunctive doesn’t necessarily have a basis in reality, so dream away!

Examples of present subjunctive Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Imperfect subjunctive (imperfecto del subjuntivo)

The imperfect subjunctive, known as el imperfecto del subjuntivo (elle eem-pehr-fec-toe dell soob-whoon-tee-voe) in Spanish, is a very versatile mode that can be used in the past, present or future tense. Like the present subjunctive, this mode helps us talk about desires, wishes, and alternate realities.

Examples of imperfect subjunctive Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Future subjunctive (futuro imperfecto del subjuntivo)

The future subjunctive, known as futuro imperfecto del subjuntivo (foo-too-roh eem-pehr-fec-toe dell soob-whon-tee-vo), is another form of the imperfect mode. As you can probably guess, it is used to refer to events that could happen in the future, although the action may be impossible or improbable.

Examples of future subjunctive Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Affirmative imperative (imperativo afirmativo)

The affirmative imperative, known as el imperativo afirmativo (elle eem-peh-rah-tee-vo ah-feer-ma-tee-vo) in Spanish, is used to give orders and strong suggestions or recommendations. Because of this, there are no first-person singular conjugations of the verb to be, as you cannot command yourself to do something. If you want to give yourself a pep talk, though, you can use the second-person singular conjugation, just as if you were having a dialogue with yourself!

Examples of affirmative imperative Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Negative imperative (imperativo negativo)

The negative imperative, known as el imperativo negativo (elle eem-peh-rah-tee-vo neh-ga-tee-voh), is used to give negative commands and recommendations to people. If you have a dog or any other animals at home, you’re probably going to welcome a new way of giving negative commands in Spanish!

Examples of negative imperative Spanish conjugations for “to be”

Ser conjugation cheat sheets

If you’re already familiar with conjugation rules and just need to double-check that you got it right, then the cheat sheets below are for you!

Indicative

Complex tenses

Subjunctive

Complex subjunctive

Imperative

Estar conjugation cheat sheets

Indicative

Complex tenses

Subjunctive

Complex subjunctive

Imperative

FAQs about the verb to be in Spanish

How do you introduce yourself in Spanish?

You typically do not use the verbs “ser” or “estar” when introducing yourself in Spanish. Unlike English, where you would say “I am” when introducing yourself, Spanish uses the verb “llamar,” which is similar to “to be called.” To introduce yourself in Spanish, you want to say “Me llamo ____” (I am called _____).

What is the difference between “soy” and “estoy”?

In Spanish, “soy” represents traits or characteristics that are impossible or very difficult to change, whereas “estoy” represents those that could change very easily. For example, you would use “soy” to describe physical attributes, your nationality, or your profession, while you’d use “estoy” to describe your mood, location, or what you’re doing at the moment.

Do you say “yo soy” or just “soy” in Spanish?

Spanish is a null-subject language, meaning that you can safely ignore specifying the subject in most cases as the conjugation of the verb will make it clear who the subject is. However, you can still say “yo soy” instead of just “soy” if you want to emphasize who is doing the action.

Slow and steady wins the conjugation race

There are thousands and thousands of possible conjugations in Spanish, so don’t try to force yourself to learn too many of them in a short amount of time! While spending some time memorizing the conjugation of important verbs like “to be” is certainly worthwhile, there’s no need to freak out over having to learn countless conjugations all at once.

Our best recommendation is to find an immersive program that will allow you to maximize your exposure to native-language content. And if you’ve got other commitments that prevent you from committing to an immersive experience, then check out our Spanish blog! We publish guides on helpful grammar and vocabulary topics, like the Spanish possessive adjectives and Spanish vowels and diphthongs.